Holiday review by Kate & Dave
Name: Kate & Dave
Date of trip: 27/02/2018
Number of people: 2
Swimming under the stars; the abundant wildlife; friendly and genuine people who are proud of their beautiful country; great food. The sounds and sights of the rain-forest at night and the early morning wake-up call of the Howler monkeys. Sitting with an after breakfast coffee and watching Toucans and Hummingbirds. On our final day at the Parador from our bedroom we saw White-faced monkeys and a Sloth and a pair of Scarlet Macaws flew overhead- life doesn't get much better than this- Pura Vida:-)
Guides:
Particularly good for his knowledge and enthusiasm was Steven Matute Obando at Tirimbina
Social & Environmental Responsibility:
It was beneficial to the local people in that Costa Rican staff were employed throughout In bringing tourists to the national parks it should help to preserve these places.
The places you stayed
Hotel Presidente
Costa Rica
Very comfortable and quiet and the buffet breakfast was very good
Long transfer time to the central location due to heavy traffic and no time to explore before dark-
Cariblue
Costa Rica
Lovely relaxing hotel with good food and helpful staff
Saw lots of wildlife while lounging by the pool and walking through the grounds: lizards,hummingbirds and sloths. Woken early by the Howler monkey chorus!
Bosque de Paz
Costa Rica
The location is fantastic and the staff were extremely helpful and friendly particularly Rosie, Brian and Mario. We were greeted by a tarantula strolling past the terrace outside our bedroom! Watching the hummingbirds at the feeders at breakfasts was magical. Lovely hiking trails; one fairly steep one up to a water-fall
The accommodation (we were on the ground floor) was very dark and felt damp and musty- this might be due to the location in the cloud forest and the use of natural materials: wood and stone.
We felt the food was comparatively overpriced and as it is a set menu there is no choice and you'd better like beans and rice. The free access to hot coffee and water was very welcome.
Parador Resort and Spa
Costa Rica
There was some building work and associated noise during the daytime although you could get away from the noise. The pool had several missing tiles around the edges.
These are only minor comments made because of its 5 star rating. The location is fabulous and so is the food and the staff were very pleasant and helpful. Saw more wildlife in the grounds than in the nearby national park: sloths, iguanas, white-faced monkeys and macaws and there is a beautiful beach within a few minutes walk.
