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Home / Destination / Elsewhere / Costa Rica / Parador Resort, Costa Rica

Parador Resort, Costa Rica

September 18, 2015 by Lorenza Bacino 19 Comments

Children at main pool, Parador Resort & Spa. Image courtesy of Parador Resort & Spa

Children at main pool, Parador Resort & Spa. Image courtesy of Parador Resort & Spa

This is a guest post by Anglo-Italian journalist Lorenza Bacino. In August Lorenza, her husband and their two children went to Costa Rica in Central America for their family holiday and it sounds like they had a brilliant time. Lorenza is writing a series of articles for Mums do travel about what they got up to and in this post she covers the first part of their trip.

Costa Rica

We had the family adventure of a lifetime this summer. I took husband and two children, my son aged 12 and daughter, 9, to Costa Rica where – as well as all the sites and adventuring – we volunteered at a wild animal rescue centre. Costa Rica is one big bustling animal sanctuary in fact. And here are some things you may not know about it.

  • Costa Rica abolished the army in 1948 and as a result, has a reputation as one of the most peaceful in the Central American region.
  • The whole country is slightly bigger than the Netherlands.
  • Costa Rica holds 5% of our planet’s biodiversity, within a  landmass of only 0.03% of the world’s total.
  • 44% of land is protected by the government.
  • 25% of land is designated as national park and there are between 15-20 of them.
  • Costa Rica has 120 volcanos, mostly in the ocean, and six are active. Arenal was one of the most active until 2010, when activity abruptly stopped

We booked our holiday with Hands up Holidays, which specialises in combining eco-travel, adventure, and an element of volunteering, and we stayed in some pretty special hotels along the way. The Parador Resort and Spa was our first taste of Costa Rica and I can’t imagine a more beautiful place to recover from jet lag and get a taste of how stunning this country is.

Parador Resort and Spa

I awoke at 5 am, saw a sliver of light shining through the curtains and decided to venture onto the balcony and survey my surroundings instead of tossing and turning in the king-sized bed. We had a suite at the highest point of the resort with a magnificent view of the layout, the jungle and the ocean below us.

I padded out and quietly gasped as the most glorious pink sunrise greeted me. I stood alone on the balcony, with only the sounds of the canopy around me – birdsong and a howler monkey not too far away. I lay down on the lounger to soak it all up.

The Parador Resort and Spa is at Punta Quepos, on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. It’s a 12-acre complex of eco-luxury hotel rooms and suites surrounded by rainforest teeming with birds, monkeys, iguanas and other native wildlife. This hotel combines luxury with an award-winning eco-conscious sustainability ethos.

Parador Resort & Spa, Costa Rica. Image courtesy of Parador Resort & Spa

Parador Resort & Spa, Costa Rica. Image courtesy of Parador Resort & Spa

Rooms and suites

There are 129 different types of rooms and suites here divided into four separate buildings. All rooms offer either garden, ocean or jungle views, or all of the above. There are wheelchair accessible options. All rooms have TV, mini-bar, coffee maker, air-con, safe deposit box. The complimentary wifi is fast.

We stayed in the super luxurious ‘Pacific Vista’ suite, with 360 degree ocean and jungle views. The children couldn’t believe that our shower overlooked the rainforest below and that there was a private jacuzzi on the balcony. We even had our own fully equipped kitchen, and at least two other showers. The beds were king-size and very comfortable. The children had twin beds in a separate room and my 12-year-old bird-obsessed son spent a long time in the morning gazing out of his window into the trees and photographing the lovely colourful and unfamiliar birds, squirrels and monkeys.

Vista Master Suite living room, Parador Resort & Spa. Image courtesy of Parador Resort & Spa

Vista Master Suite living room, Parador Resort & Spa. Image courtesy of Parador Resort & Spa

Facilities

There are several restaurants here offering a wide range of gourmet cuisines from around the world, multiple bars and lounges, a spa, tennis courts, three pools with ocean views, a couple of shops, and I mustn’t forget the gorgeous blue snooker table which the children enjoyed immensely.

A short walk away down a park through the rainforest, you can access the gorgeous and secluded Biesanz beach. My daughter spent five hours frolicking in the waves on our first morning and my son found the energy to go kayaking with his dad and found several more hidden coves.

The resort is spread over a few buildings. The area closest to the pool, main restaurant and entrance is where most activity is and where most people hang out and have a drink, swim, read and relax.

The children spent most of the afternoon enjoying the very large pool complete with bronze crocodile, jacuzzi, ocean views, bar area, and complimentary iguanas in the nearby bushes. There are two other pools which are adult-only further down the resort, but the main one (with the bronze croc) is in a great position as parents can enjoy the bar area and still keep an eye on the kids. Other on-site activities include tennis, hiking, mini-golf, bird and other wildlife watching.

We loved the walk through the resort down the ‘monkey trail’ although we didn’t see any monkeys there. They were mostly lounging in the trees close to the pool occasionally throwing mangoes down at the guests or posing for photos!

Monkey. Image courtesy of Parador Resort & Spa

Monkey. Image courtesy of Parador Resort & Spa

The hotel can organise and tailor-make any combination of tours you’d care to do – from white-water rafting, to canopy zip-wiring, hiking, river tours, biking trails, horseback riding to name but a few. There’s a room in the Parador resort full of great toys for smaller kids, trikes, and other activity based toys. We saw no one in there, as it was so nice outside. However, I guess it’s somewhere to go with small kids when it rains.

I really like the sustainable ethos of this hotel. There are several recycling programmes, a compost project, as well as water and energy conservation initiatives throughout. They grow their own micro-greens in-house using organic seeds. This makes for very tasty salads!

Food

Breakfast is included in the room rate. The breakfast buffet included hot options, such as scrambled or fried eggs, omelettes or a full English as well as typical Costa Rican dishes of rice and beans too. We could also choose from a variety of breads, croissants, cereals, and wonderful exotic fruit juices like mango, passion fruit, guava.

There are about 10 other places to enjoy meals at the Parador, from tables for relaxing near the pool area, where you can order simple toasties or salad options, to very classy piano bar restaurants and romantic secluded options such as a wine cellar and European lounge areas. We tended to stay in the main pool and restaurant area with the children, where they could help themselves to whatever they wanted easily and quickly. Plus they could enjoy the wildlife in the trees and not have to stay seated for too long!

Manuel Antonio National Park

The other huge plus here is that you are just next to the Manuel Antonio National Park which is one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful and richly diverse areas. There are tropical beaches, rainforest, monkeys and sloths and it’s a must-see attraction.

Aerial view of Manuel Antonio National Park. Image courtesy of Parador Resort & Spa

Aerial view of Manuel Antonio National Park. Image courtesy of Parador Resort & Spa

Verdict

We loved this hotel. The Parador is a really family-friendly place. The rooms and suites range from being excellent to absolutely amazing. The views are stunning throughout and we could have easily stayed a week or more.

Cost

Rates for a family of four staying at Parador Resort and Spa range from between USD $300-$1500 per night, including breakfast, depending on the type of room/suite and depending on whether it’s high or low season.



Disclosure: Lorenza and her family were guests of the ICT Costa Rican Tourist Board for review purposes.

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Categories: Costa Rica, Luxury, Room reports
Tags: family friendly hotels, Luxury hotels, Manuel Antonio National Park, Parador

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Comments

  1. Ninjacat says

    September 28, 2015 at 6:42 pm

    WOW this has got to be on my bucket list of places to visit. i love places that are unique to visit
    Ninjacat recently posted…Dear CatMy Profile

    Reply
  2. Rachel says

    September 24, 2015 at 8:37 pm

    Oh this looks beautiful, I would love to spend some time here.
    Rachel recently posted…Fat To Fit Friday week 4My Profile

    Reply
  3. Sylvia @ Happiness is homemade says

    September 21, 2015 at 3:34 pm

    Wowzer! What an amazing place for a holiday 🙂 I guess everyone needs a holiday place to just relax and enjoy the views 😉
    Sylvia @ Happiness is homemade recently posted…Dining on board Royal Princess Cruise Ship #RoyalLuncheonMy Profile

    Reply
  4. Charly Dove says

    September 21, 2015 at 1:44 pm

    Sounds like a fabulous resort and I’d love to visit Costa Rica, we’ve not been. It seems like there is so much to do there, thank you so much for sharing 🙂

    Reply
  5. Kara says

    September 21, 2015 at 6:28 am

    Oh my – that looks like an amazing place to stay. Maybe when the kids are bit older
    Kara recently posted…Project 365 2015 – Week 38My Profile

    Reply
  6. Jen aka Muminthemadhouse says

    September 20, 2015 at 8:46 pm

    My Dad’s cousin spends time between Costa Rica and Canada, they have homes in both and we are determined to visit soon
    Jen aka Muminthemadhouse recently posted…Create your ultimate super hero and win!My Profile

    Reply
  7. Globalmouse says

    September 20, 2015 at 7:30 pm

    Wow this looks absolutely fabulous. Costa Rica has just rocketed up my wish list!!
    Globalmouse recently posted…A night away in London with Go Native apartmentsMy Profile

    Reply
  8. Cathy (MummyTravels) says

    September 19, 2015 at 9:11 pm

    Costa Rica is high up my bucket list – just wait for my daughter to be a bit older. Everything I read just confirms for me how amazing it sounds.
    Cathy (MummyTravels) recently posted…Reviewed: Lumie Zest SAD light for jetlagMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      September 20, 2015 at 12:43 pm

      Me too, I’d love to go there.

      Reply
  9. Gemma says

    September 19, 2015 at 5:55 pm

    The hotel looks amazing! I love that first picture of the kids and the crocodile
    Gemma recently posted…Bike Safety CheckMy Profile

    Reply
  10. Sarah Bailey says

    September 18, 2015 at 9:34 pm

    Oh wow what an amazing sounding resort – such a great place to spend a holiday by the sound of it. x
    Sarah Bailey recently posted…Bloom & Wild: ReviewMy Profile

    Reply
  11. Nell@PigeonPairandMe.com says

    September 18, 2015 at 7:53 pm

    Wow – incredible views! I really like the idea of an adventure/eco holiday. When my two children are a tiny bit older, I’m sure they’d love to help out at an animal sanctuary.
    Nell@PigeonPairandMe.com recently posted…Remembering our adventuresMy Profile

    Reply
  12. Cass@frugalfamily says

    September 18, 2015 at 2:38 pm

    That looks amazing – a perfect location and that hotel is beautiful x x
    Cass@frugalfamily recently posted…Five Frugal things I’ve done this week to save money {18th September 2015}….My Profile

    Reply
  13. Sonia says

    September 18, 2015 at 1:35 pm

    It sounds like an amazing place to visit 🙂
    Sonia recently posted…Celebrating 5 Years – Elektrokidz GiveawayMy Profile

    Reply
  14. Penny A Residence says

    September 18, 2015 at 10:03 am

    I met someone from Hands Up Holidays and I love the sound of what they do, so it is amazing to hear a first hand perspective from a family – thank you. I am all fired up to investigate responsible tourism too, after Blogstock, where I saw Gretta. My kids would love to be able to volunteer with animals.
    Penny A Residence recently posted…Find of the Week: Exciting LightingMy Profile

    Reply
  15. Sarah Ebner says

    September 18, 2015 at 10:00 am

    This sounds like an amazing experience – and really rather special too, from the sustainable ethos of the hotel upwards. Great stuff.
    Sarah Ebner recently posted…An unforgettable speedboat experience on the River Thames (by Robert)My Profile

    Reply
  16. Ginny Millard says

    September 18, 2015 at 9:53 am

    Wow! This sounds an amazing place to go for a holiday. All my favourite things in one place. I am going to google ‘Hands Up Holidays’ straight away.

    Reply
  17. Louise says

    September 18, 2015 at 8:08 am

    We are planning a trip to Costa Rica next year – this has made me even more excited about it!
    Louise recently posted…Mother Christmas’ Leftovers PieMy Profile

    Reply
    • Christopher Hil says

      September 22, 2015 at 12:38 pm

      Hi Louise,
      My name is Christopher Hill, and I am the founder of Hands Up Holidays, who arranged Lorenza’s trip to Costa Rica.
      If you would like help planning a trip for you and your family, my personal email address is chris@handsupholidays.com
      Yours in meaningful family adventures,
      Christopher

      Reply

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