#2635 three things: my favorite hotels

The idea for this list of three things came to me a week or so ago, and I am finally ready to write about it here. I have been fortunate to stay at some really great hotels/resorts over the years, and I coming up with three of my favorites was pretty quick and easy. The three hotels came to me fast, and then I had to take a few minutes to determine why I thought they were so great. There were six factors that make a place wonderful for me: location/setting, comfort of the room/aesthetics/view, accessibility/the how-bad-do-you-want-it?, excursions from the hotel, amenities, and service. Here are my three favorites, and I think this is the ranking order for me as well.

1. Palm Island, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

MT and I stayed on Palm Island in 2010. We were working with our travel agent, Marcie, at the time, and she recommended it to MT. It was a little more expensive than we were used to, but OMG, it was totally worth it. It is a private island resort. I think there are less than a dozen people who live there permanently. Here is my first view of it:

The sand was blindingly white. The water was the most clear, perfect blue. There were palm trees everywhere. We were greeted at the dock by hotel staff bearing welcome rum punch cocktails. We were escorted directly to our bungalow, and told we could finalize the check-in process in the morning after breakfast. (We were on an island, and there wasn't really a way to leave it.) I don't have any photos of the room, but if you click on link above and look at Accommodations, we were in a Palm View room. I remember being very, very comfortable there. We had a view of the pool, and it was a quick walk to the beach. 

You had to want to get to Palm Island. It was a process. We flew to Barbados, where we stayed for a couple of days, because why not? Then we took a small plane across a whole bunch of water to tiny Union Island. On Union Island, we took a golf cart from the air strip to the dock, where we got on a little boat that took us across the channel to Palm Island. You could leave the island on the shuttle boat over to Union Island or schedule a water taxi. We didn't do that, but we did do an excursion that I would have never thought we would ever do. Along with two other couples we met there, we chartered a catamaran sailboat with crew to take us out for the day. We went to the neighboring island of Mayreau, snorkeling in the Tabago Cays, and just sailed around. It was a glorious day that I think of often. 

Sailing into the Tobago Cays

There were a couple of bars and restaurants on Palm Island. It is an all-inclusive resort, which means, of course, that all food and beverage is included in the price. The food was delicious and the drinks were cold and plentiful. I remember that the staff always called us by name (which is really lovely) and they remembered what we especially liked to drink and eat. The number of guests allowed is limited, and while we were there, it was adults only. 

Paradise!

I prefer to swim in the pool, and it was gorgeous and warm. There were rickety bikes that I rode around the island every day. There was a game room with a pool table and I think ping pong as well. MT snorkeled every day. There were different beaches that offered different snorkeling areas. 

I would return to Palm Island in a heartbeat. It was wonderful.

2. Centara Grand Beach Resort, Krabi, Thailand  

MT and I stayed at Centara in 2019. He found this resort while browsing the internet and fell in love with the high cliff backdrop and the accessibility limitations. You can only get to this resort by boat. When we arrived at the dock, the speedboat had just left and it would be 30 to 40 minutes before it returned. However, there was a longtail boat there, ready to go for just a bit of money. A longtail boat! So quintessentially Thai! We hopped in and off we went. The resort isn't a long ride from the dock, but what a spectacular first impression. Here's my photo:

Again, I don't have photos of the room, but if you click on the link, and then on Rooms, we were in the deluxe ocean-facing room. It was a big room with a gorgeous wrap-around patio. It was up on a hill and though we did face the ocean, you kind of had to stand on your tip-toes to see it. 

While we were at Centara, we did a couple of excursions that were unforgettable. Our travel agent, Candice, booked the Tiger Cave tour for us, but the other tour we booked ourselves through the hotel. It was something that I would have never imagined I would do: a four-island tour on a private longtail boat. It was just MT and I, the boat driver, and a guide. The tour included snorkeling, a wonderful and picnic lunch under palm trees, complete with oversize bean bag chairs, a table, linens, and an absolutely amazing view. If you ever have the chance to do something like that, please, please, do it. 

Also at Centara, I went kayaking for the first time in my life. I was nervous as hell, but I did it!

Another awesome thing about Centara were the sunsets. Every evening, we would sit at the beach, cocktail in hand, and watch the sun set.

As far as amenities and service, it was all fine. Centara is not all-inclusive, although the excellent breakfast is included in the price. You can buy a food and drink package, which we did. We wouldn't recommend it, though, because you'll be fine without it. You can take a speed boat or longtail boat over to Ao Nang to eat. There is also the Monkey Trail, which is a 10 to 20 minute walk over the mountain into Ao Nang. I did not enjoy the Monkey Trail myself, but I did like Ao Nang. 

3. Arenal Kioro, La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Yes! I was just at this hotel a month ago, and it was wonderful! Candie the amazing travel agent  found this hotel for Lizzie and me. It is a small hotel, just 50 rooms, and every room at has a view of Arenal volcano.  Here is the view from our room:

The room is spacious, with two big beds and a hot tub. Lizzie and I were comfortable and did not trip over each other at all. There was plenty of space. We didn't even use the front section of the room which had a daybed and a desk and a view of the forest. I used the covered hot tub as my staging area for each day's adventures. 

Being that close to the volcano and seeing it in various states of cloud cover fascinated me every day, and hour to hour, even. After a morning out doing adventures, Lizzie and I really enjoyed coming back to the pool, having a beer, reading, and looking at Arenal. 

Getting to this hotel takes a three to four hour drive from either San Jose or Liberia. It's kind of in the middle of the country. Costa Rica isn't flat. The winding mountain roads are no joke. I was glad to have a driver and that we were driving during the day. It is very, very dark out there in the jungle at night. 

La Fortuna is a major hub for lots of the adventure activities for which Costa Rica is famous. My favorite excursion was the hanging bridges tour and walk through the rain forest. Again, it was something I wouldn't have ever thought I would do. Some of my friends at work were kind of amazed that I wouldn't want to zipline but that I was so excited about the hanging bridges. The bridges do sway and wobble, but I always felt safe. I kept my phone/camera securely in my pocket while crossing those bridges, though. They were high up in the canopy!

One of my favorite things about Kioro was the onsite hot pools. We soaked in them every evening. There are seven or eight pools of varying heat levels. The hottest and smallest pool is at the top, and then the water cools off and the pools get a little bigger as you go down the hill. It is a great way to end the day. 

Kioro is not all-inclusive, but breakfast is included and it is very good. I recommend eating at the pool bar and restaurant. There is a limited menu, but you can have food from the lunch menu for dinner. Also, La Fortuna is only about a ten minute cab ride away and there are lots of restaurants and stores there. We only stayed at the hotel three nights, and it was just the right amount of time for what we were doing. The service was excellent at the main restaurant for breakfast and at the pool bar, as well. 

Going back through these photos and memories makes me so happy!