Minotel’s Anne Balke and
Villa Tournon’s Leslie Wilson |
Expect Minotel
Hospitality
At Five Costa Rica Hotels
 HE
independent global Minotel chain, headquartered in Lausanne,
maintains more than 700 hotels in 34 countries in Europe.
They’ve now expanded to
the Western Hemisphere and we decided to check out all five of their
hotels in Costa Rica. Plans call for future expansion in Canada and
the United States.
Minotel hotels are family
properties, which makes it easy to meet the owners and feel like
friends rather than customers.
Such was the atmosphere at
the Minotel Villa Tournon in the capital city of San Jose.
Anne Balke, director of Minotel International Americas Division,
based in Atlanta, introduced us to hotelier Leslie Wilson who has
owned the villa for 13 years.
Hotel Villa Tournon in San Jose |
From the Villa Tournon the
whole city is yours to explore. Actually the whole country, as we
couldn’t wait to see the rain forest and an active volcano.
On the way out of town we
passed through the Red Zone, the X-rated district, which we didn’t
have time to explore. In the residential areas I was struck by the
many houses secluded behind bars. There were bars on every window
and door, and on top of that metal
fences surrounded the houses. That tells you to be cautious as you
walk the streets.
Our first stop was the
tropical cloud forest at Braulio Carrillo National Park. On the
ground you see only 10 percent of the forest. For a treetop
experience, and the enjoy the hanging gardens, take the Rain Forest
Aerial Tram, $49.50 for a 45-minute ride high above the forest
canopy.
Minotel
Las Palmas in Punta Uva |
To protect yourself from
mosquitoes I suggest you wear clothing that will repel such pesky
bugs. I chose Buzz Off shirts, pants socks and hats from www.exofficio.com.
For review see Products.
Stay overnight in one of
the 10 cabins for an early morning one-hour nature walk to avoid the
bus crowds.
Going east toward the
Caribbean, we arrived at the newly developed port of Moin, where a
container was just pulling out destined for New Jersey with a cargo
of Dole bananas and pineapples.
Cruise ships in Limon |
Moin is the future of Costa
Rica commercial shipping. They are gradually shifting container
business away from the established port of Limon to Moin. Limon is
being groomed as a major port for the cruise industry. This day the
town was booming with visitors from two cruise ships, Princess
Spirit and Norwegian Crown.
Delroy Barton Brown,
regional planner for the port authority, said that three or four
cruise ships dock at the sister port of Limon in the midst of cargo
and container docks.
In four years Limon, with
entertainment and cultural facilities, will be serving the cruise
trade while Moin will be reserved exclusively for the cargo
industry. The entire makeover will cost $300 million.
Tim with Indian schoolgirls |
To get to Minotel’s
second property, Las Palmas Beach Resort, located 40 minutes
further south at Punta Uva, we had to drive through the thoroughly
tourist town of Puerta Viejo. You’ll find young backpackers from
all over the world tramping the streets and enjoying the pristine
beaches.
Approaching Puerta Viejo
you have to maneuver your car over, around and through the deepest,
widest, meanest pot holes to be seen anywhere. I don’t think even
our experienced New York cabbies could negotiate those wild pot
holes as well as the local bike riders and car drivers.
At Las Palmas, Jan
Kalina and his wife Cristina made us feel at home with refreshing
drinks. Jan built this 30-room resort in 1990.
Indian girl at school |
He’ll arrange tours
around the southern part of the country near the Panama border: a
boat to the Archipelago Bocas del Toro, whale/dolphin watching,
snorkeling and diving, a guided tour through the jungle in the
Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, horseback riding on the beach,
or a wonderful relaxing visit to the Indian reservation up the
Talamanca Mountains which is what we did.
|
Minotel
Villa Tournon
