This impressive eco-hotel is on the Punta Quepos promontory in Costa Rica, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and just a short distance from Manuel Antonio National Park. Being so close to both the beach and rainforest there's no shortage of activities, making this hotel popular with couples, families and groups.
There's a wide spectrum of rooms and suites, ranging from the standard garden rooms up to the lavish, 172 square metre presidential suite. All provide creature comforts in the form of air conditioning, ceiling fan, TV, free WiFi, minibar, tea and coffee maker and en-suite bathroom. You'll have a private terrace or balcony with views of the gardens, jungle or ocean. Rooms are spread across several buildings in different areas of the grounds.
Paradors world class facilities include three swimming pools, one of which is designed for family use and has a swim-up bar. There is a choice of sunbathing areas as well as covered seating areas. Between them the four restaurants offer a wide choice of cuisines and styles of dining, with something to suit everyone.
While here you can treat yourself to a soothing or stimulating treatment in the spa, spend lazy days on the beach, enjoy a range of water-sports and go for hikes in the hotel's grounds and in the national park with a guide.
Open: Parador Resort and Spa is open all year.
Location: Parador Resort and Spa is on the Punta Quepos peninsula on the central Pacific coast. It is set in 2 acres of rainforest and is just 10-minutes from Manuel Antonio National Park. The hotel can be reached from San Jose by road, a drive of 2 and a half hours, or by a 20-minute flight.
Rooms: There are 129 rooms and suites, spread over 4 buildings. All have air conditioning, ceiling fan, cable TV, phone, free WiFi, hot drink making facilities, minibar, safe, iron and ironing board and hair dryer. All have private bathrooms and a terrace or balcony. There are several types of room, from the most basic to the most luxurious these are: garden rooms (25), garden plus rooms (20), tropical rooms (30), premium rooms (12), premium plus (9), visa suites (28), Pacific visa suites (2), vista master suites (2), and the presidential suite (1). Suites are larger than the rooms, with more opulent furnishings and amenities, such as Jacuzzi's and large plasma screen TVs.
Activities: You can swim in the 3 outdoor pools, laze on the beach, follow nature trails through the grounds, play tennis, go bird watching and play mini golf. Staff at the tour desk can arrange additional activities including guided walking tours in Manuel Antonio National Park, zip lining, horse riding, mountain biking, surfing, kayaking, snorkelling, deep sea fishing and white water rafting.
Facilities: There are many restaurants. La Galeria offers fine dining overlooking the gardens, pool and ocean, El Quijote serves international dishes, La Fragata, on the resort's highest point, provides casual dining and cocktails, and El Galleon is the pool restaurant. There are also rooms for cosy private meals, a specialist sushi bar and several bars throughout the complex. The spa has 5 treatment rooms, a steam room, plunge pool, relaxation and yoga areas. Massages, wraps, facials, manicures and pedicures are available. There's a gym with a choice of machines, weights and mats. The hotel has 2 gift shops, selling handicrafts, jewellery, clothes and souvenirs. Room service, a currency exchange, library and book exchange, free WiFi and computer use and a laundry service are all provided.
Communication: There is free WiFi in guest rooms and throughout the hotel. Computers are provided free of charge for guests to use.
"The Parador is a great place to come and stay - and stay. If you want to leave its a minimum $10 taxi ride to get to the end of the road .... the hotel is 2kms up a cup-de-sac - and so worth it when you get there. The gardens are better for wild life than the nearby National Park. the staff are friendly, polite and enthusiastic about everything they do. They all seem to be part-time wild life experts and seem to now where every bird, butterfly and monkey live. We spent 6 nights here and loved it."
"Excellent hotel with superb facilities, including the nearby beach. Area very busy however and Manuel Antonia National park something of a tourist production line. The guides have to cater for the numbers but as mentioned the monkeys and racoons are so used to people they almost put on a display. "
"Another stunning but totally different place, again with welcoming cocktails. Moving to 34c on the Pacific Coast the air conditioning in the rooms was very welcome. Lovely restaurant and pool facilities with monkeys, macaws and toucans in the trees near the pool bar to entertain us."
"This is a big resort hotel and so pretty busy, but we were upgraded to Premier rooms from where we had great views of the sea and were able to watch the toucans in the trees opposite. The restaurant is very good but quite pricey, especially the wine, so we out out in the evenings in Manuel Antonio, where there are plenty of good, reasonably priced alternatives."