Hotels

“The great advantage of a hotel is that it is a refuge from home life”

George Bernard Shaw

As you saw in Part 1, Parador Resort and Spa is impressive and not just because it was built on a privileged location and breathtaking surroundings. There is so much more than meets the eye!

I promised to show you the room I stayed in and find out what I have been raving about all this time. So without further ado, here is my Hotel Review of Parador Resort and Spa, Part 2.

Sweet dreams are made of this…

Pacific Vista Suite

Room 3517 is on the third floor of the Las Suites Building, on the highest point of the resort.

After opening the door, you are bathed in light and enter in a very spacious suite.

To left is a wardrobe with plenty of shelf space and a safe box that is easy to program.

Next to the very comfortable king-size bed with fluffy duvet, down pillows, two night tables, a digital alarm clock and a telephone, is a working space if you need to stay productive after a day of outdoor activities.

Since I am a writer, I brought my laptop and took plenty of notes of my daily adventures which needed to be recorded or saved before forgetting any details.

The Wi-Fi signal is excellent throughout the building and was even stronger thanks to a router and range extender.

Bathroom

To the right is the private bathroom and next to it is the frosted-glass, shower stall that overlooks the forest.

There are dual sinks, large and magnifying mirrors, hairdryer, biodegradable Pacifica Spa products (soap, shampoo, conditioner, body wash) and fresh towels are provided and replenished as needed.

Bathtub

In case a shower does not suffice, the full-size bathtub with a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean will call your name.

It sure is very tempting right?

Living room

To make you feel even more at home, you will find a glass table and two chairs as well as a plush velvety and super comfortable sofa where you can receive guests or simply sit comfortably while watching one of the two television sets in the room!

In the corner you will find a kitchenette with cupboards, glasses, coffee cups, mini-fridge, ice bucket, coffee-maker and delicious Britt coffee packs. (Someone noticed how much I loved it and saw my notes on the work desk, thus they left an extra pack everyday! Si 😉

Million dollar view

The very best part of the suite, in my humble opinion, are the floor to ceiling windows (and sliding doors)

which open up to a wraparound balcony with a Jacuzzi

and offer you a 280 degree, million dollar view of the hotel, lush greenery

and best of all? Sweeping views and light breeze coming from the Pacific Ocean!

It sure does not get any better. You can sit on one of the chairs with a fresh cup of coffee, tea or cold drink or enjoy what is right before your eyes.

My heart, mind, body and soul were clearly happy. Can you tell? 🙂

Now I have to admit that I did not see much the night of my arrival since it was close to midnight and all I saw was darkness obviously. However my internal clock woke me up at 5 a.m. local time (7 a.m. Eastern) and this was my welcome, Mother Nature’s original soundtrack and this view. What a great way to start the day right?

To give you a better idea of what I mentioned above, here is a short video, a tour of the Pacific Vista Suite

In all honesty, I did not get the chance to spend much time in the gorgeous suite as I had a schedule filled with many adventures such as:

Visiting a local school as part of Pack for a Purpose
Spending the afternoon at Playa Biesanz
Taking a walk on the wild side at Manuel Antonio National Park
Going on a Canopy Safari Tour
Learning all about Micro greens
Getting a facial and hot stone massage at Pacifica Spa

After all, going to Costa Rica is all about being outdoors and be in harmony with Nature and also learn how to protect it!

Truth be told, during the time I spent at the resort and enjoyed the privacy of the suite, I was a witness of the high-quality and excellent service offered by the staff throughout the day, from very early in the morning to very late at night at La Galeria Restaurant (where I had breakfast and lunch), during my local trips and on site.

To show you how they go above and beyond the call of duty, let me share with you a hilarious anecdote that I remembered and need to tell it!

Now you may or may not know this but the rainy season in Central America is quite intense. By this it means that during the day it is hot and sunny then powerful thunderstorms form in the afternoon and last until the following morning.

One day, after coming back from the night tour on the hotel premises (which definitely helped me conquer my fear of venturing off in the jungle armed with nothing but a flashlight and led by the best guide there is, Elias Mora and accompanied by fellow hotel guests), it started to pour down and I had left my umbrella in my room.

I had kept my magnetic key inside my camera case (which I carried in a pocket of my raincoat) but I was drenched from head to toe by the time the tour was over and walked back. Fortunately It was not too far away, so I walked back slowly, got into the elevator and got to the suite. I slid the card on the magnetic reader once, twice, third time but to no avail.

I thought I was going to have to walk all the way back to the front desk, so I remembered that they told me at check in that if I ever needed any help, to dial 622 which is the reception and I did.

I told them my name, gave them my room number and explained the situation to the person who answered my call. They said there was no problem, that they would send someone with a new card and that I only had to wait a few minutes.

True to their words, they sent a savior 10-15 minutes later. I was in the hallway and I heard footsteps, then a young man appeared and said: “Doña Karla, I’m here to help you and I have a replacement card”. He then opened the door; I gave him back my demagnetized one and thanked him for braving the rain and for helping me get back in! He then left.

My only regret is that I did not remember his name but I’m here telling you about it. How’s THAT for efficient service and going the extra mile?

One thing you should know, or I already told you perhaps, is that I am not just a regular guest. I care too and since I am very inquisitive (a.k.a the journalist in me asks lots of questions, too many maybe but like I said that’s how you break the ice or get to know someone. I firmly believe that everyone you meet has a message or lesson to teach you!), so I learned about many persons and their lives. I felt honored that they shared their stories with me.

One of them dreams of having a sushi shop, another dreams of sending his daughter abroad to study, one wishes to see his father travel on an airplane for the first time in his life!

A very special person told me about the fight of her life and is a champion as well as a warrior and that, dear reader, turned me upside down. Not only it changed the way I saw life, it made me question many things in my existence. It truly did!

To sum things up, I can tell you this. If you choose it as your next holiday destination, not only you are coming to a home away from home, a stellar hotel, you will come to a place where extraordinary human beings give their best and work diligently every single day to show you what #ParadorPuraVida truly is all about.

My sincere gratitude goes to the staff of Parador Resort and Spa and everyone I met on that exceptional journey. I learned that we can all become better persons but by encouraging them they will remember us as well! One thing is for sure, it will remain in the memory of my heart…FOREVER.

This concludes my series of posts on Costa Rica 😦 In case you missed any of them, feel free to review them here: https://travellersoul76.com/?s=parador+resort+and+spa

I invite you to follow them on their social media channels or visit their homepage!

Web: www.hotelparador.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HotelParador

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParadorQuepos

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paradorquepos/

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/paradorresort/

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/hotelparador

Now it’s your turn,

Tell us…

When was last time you experienced

witnessed excellence in service?

Where was it?