We stayed at the Parador Nature Resort and Spa.  The most impressive element of the Parador was the staff! Everyone was so friendly, knowledgeable, upbeat and welcoming. Everyone was so kind and caring with the children, and it was such a family friendly resort and great for the kids. It was really top notch service through and through.  The property was beautiful! Everything was so well maintained and easily accessible while on the property itself, it was safe and easy to explore, and the kids enjoyed the nature trail, all of the animals and wildlife, and making friends at the pool!

There were monkeys on the property everyday, and they would come out and create an entire spectacle, which was so enjoyable for the children. There were sloths on the property, and the staff were always eager to come over and point out to the kids when animals were out and about. There were squirrel monkeys and spider monkeys, parrots, hawks, iguanas, and even a frog. We got a full view of the sunset while a sloth hung around in the tree in front of the pool for hours eating from it’s leaves. It truly was incredible!

The rooms were cleaned to perfection and the housekeeping would organize our rooms better than we could! Breakfast was lovely, especially with the view, and there was a nice variety of options and this amazing detox juice that we couldn’t get enough of.  The kids enjoyed pastries and breakfast cereals, and they also love the unlimited juice at breakfast from a serve yourself machine (very fun and exciting!) The pools were warm and offered hours of fun for our children. There’s also an adult only pool which made it relaxing for us to allow our kids to play knowing there was somewhere else people could go if they didn’t want to be bothered by noisy kids. This made it a family-friendly top choice! We made friends with another family with kids, and all of our children became fast friends.  There were many families each day we were there, so anyone with kids would feel comfortable.  We also noticed other families and their children making friends and having a blast. The pool also had a larger shallow end than most, which makes it extremely kid friendly for all ages.  There’s also a game room, which we deliberately didn’t visit because we are pretty strict on device time and want the children to enjoy nature and unplug, but for those whose children really want it (or parent’s don’t mind) we heard it was pretty awesome. 

The only down sides were it’s the last property at the top of the hill, so everything was a taxi ride. There weren’t any shops or stores or anything within walking distance with children, especially because the road is really narrow and there was a constant flow of traffic.  On the property, the dinner options were good but not exceptional for the price (it was very expensive) so we found ourselves leaving for dinner most nights which was sometimes a hassle. There also was the same children’s menu for lunch and dinner, so my picky eater was getting bored with the same options. There also is really only one main option for dinner (even though their website suggests several).  The main dining area for breakfast was the best spot for dinner with a view and atmosphere, so if you’re looking for a place with different options then I’d explore something closer to the corner of Calle Mariposa and 618.  Perhaps a more relaxed dinner option at Parador for a more chill night if you want to relax in the evening would’ve been nice.  Keep in mind that we are both big foodies, so many other reviews on Booking.com said the food was great, but it really was just average (depending on what you ordered) and extremely overpriced (a salmon ceviche app was $25 and very small and underwhelming).  The Beef tenderloin was by far the best entree, which was somewhat disappointing considering the culture and location (we were expecting better fish options – the catch of the day entree was not a filet of fish and was very disappointing).

Our room was close to the gym, which is a necessity for me, but the gym itself could have used some better equipment.  There were two spin bikes that weren’t great, and while I can make due pretty easily with not much, the one was so flimsy it wasn’t even useable and the other I couldn’t adjust the set and handle bars to a comfortable position, and I’m average height so anyone smaller than I am would struggle to adjust it. There also weren’t any dumbbells lighter than 10 lbs, so again, anyone who does lighter lifting would struggle.  

Other options we explored:  Shana by the Sea, Buena Vista, Villa Costa Vida,