Parador Resort & Spa Supports Teatro Copaza In Quepos: First Cultural Theater For At-Risk Youth In Costa Rica

It’s a well known fact that Parador Resort & Spa is much more than just a world-class resort. Our commitment to the environment and community has earned us a fistful of awards and accolades, including Costa Rica’s highest 5 Leaf Sustainability ranking and, for the third consecutive year, the important Ecological Blue Flag.

Named “Costa Rica’s Leading Resort 2010” by the prestigious World Travel Awards, Parador’s support of numerous community and charitable groups takes equal standing to our dedication to our guests. As such, we have been intimately involved with Copaza, a regional non-profit organization diligently working towards improving the circumstances and opportunities for Costa Rica’s youth.

Of the many projects Copaza has spearheaded since its formation in 2007, the opening last year (2010) of Teatro Copaza here in the small fishing village of Quepos, stands out. As the first such cultural venture in Costa Rica’s Central Pacific region, the theater introduces locals -- particularly kids -- to cultural performances from around the world while also serving as a prototype for similar undertakings throughout the country.

In addition to visiting performance troupes from San Jose, the US, Europe and Latin America, the theater offers art, music and dance classes to local children. Many programs are free, and for those that are not Copaza provides scholarships and other financial assistance for families with limited resources. The goal is to get kids off the street, away from drugs, violence and crime and to provide positive options and inspiration for a more fruitful and successful life.

Parador Resort & Spa Introduces Guided Walking Tours Through Our 9 Acres Of Secondary Rainforest

Parador Resort & Spa is happy to announce that we now offer a new two hour guided nature tour of the 10 acres of jungle trails that dissect our expansive property. Offered at 6 a.m., 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. every day -- a certified professional guide will lead you through lush secondary rainforest where a plethora of wildlife resides. You will likely encounter brilliantly-hued tropical birds -- including toucans, parrots our three resident species of monkeys (titi, white-face and howler), two and three-toed sloths, giant iguanas and other native reptiles. If you’re lucky, as one of our recent guests was – you might also spot an elusive caucel, (margay cat, a wildcat in the puma family). Our experienced guides carry with them telescopic lenses for better viewing and will share vast knowledge of the area’s flora and fauna. This newest Parador activity is an educational expedition for nature lovers of all ages.

We provide water and refreshing cold hand towels and recommend that participants be in reasonable physical condition, wear tennis shoes or hiking boots, and most certainly bring a camera.

Parador Resort & Spa Awarded Ecological Blue Flag For Third Consecutive Year

Parador Resort & Spa is recognized yet again for outstanding commitment to the environment for which we were issued the highest 5 Leaf sustainability rating by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) in 2010. Now, for the third consecutive year we have been awarded the Ecological Blue Flag acknowledging our environmentally-responsible policies and achievements, outstanding green business practices and ongoing dedication towards preserving and protecting Costa Rica’s fragile eco-system.

Costa Rica’s Blue Flag Ecology Program, a joint venture between several government and non-governmental organizations, including the Costa Rican Tourism Institute, the National Water and Sewer Service, Ministry of Public Health Ministry of Environment, and National Tourism Chamber, amongst others, is associated with the international Blue Flag Program. Initiated in France in 1985, the Blue Flag Program was conceived to improve and monitor sustainable development at beaches and marinas through strict criteria dealing with water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management, and safety.

Owned and operated by the independent non-profit organization Foundation For Environmental Education (FEE), the European-based voluntary awards program increased its scope in 2001 to become a globally active organization which today includes participants in 41 countries across Europe, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Parador Resort & Spa Nominated For The 7th Consecutive Years By Prestigious World Travel Awards

Once again, Parador Resort & Spa has been honored with multiple nominations for excellence by the esteemed World Travel Awards. Having been named “Costa Rica’s Leading Resort 2010,” Parador has won accolades by the WTA for six consecutive years and has been submitted in 2011 for consideration in categories including “Mexico & Central America’s Leading Resort, “Costa Rica’s Leading Hotel,” Costa Rica’s Leading Resort,” and “Costa Rica’s Leading Spa Resort.”

The World Travel Awards were launched in 1993 to acknowledge and recognize excellence in the international travel and tourism industry. Now celebrating its 18th anniversary, the prestigious awards are regarded as a mark of high distinction for nominees and recipients, Votes are cast by 183,000 travel professionals which include travel agencies, tour and transport companies and tourism organizations in over 160 countries across the globe.

To Birth A Hummingbird: Parador Resort & Spa Welcomes Its Newest Family Members

One needn’t venture very far to experience the miracle of wild life at
Parador Resort & Spa. Embraced as we are by verdant rainforest, sightings of monkeys, sloths, tropical birds and giant reptiles is a daily occurrence.

The sudden appearance of an elusive hummingbird nest amidst the concrete jungle otherwise known as the Parador parking lot, however, is a far rarer event.

Despite the preponderance of hummingbirds in Costa Rica – 51 species with a reported 15, including purple-crowned fairies, violet-crowned woodnymphs, white-crested coquettes and blue-throated golden-tails, indigenous to Manuel Antonio – it is unlikely to discover the nesting grounds of these tiny fluttering creatures in such a public arena,
But there it was, surreptitiously perched in the branches of a lone tree beside large transport vans and rental cars. -- a nearly imperceptible nest housing several eggs which would soon give way to the miracle of birth.
With some variation according to species and location, in general a hummingbird's nest is about two inches in diameter and constructed of such natural materials as plant fiber and down, lichen and spider silk. Once providing his service, the male has nothing more to do with the process, the female taking all responsibility for selecting the camouflaged site, construction of the nest, and care of both the eggs and hatchlings. Incubation lasts for around two and a half weeks and hatchlings stay in the nest for around three weeks feeding on regurgitated insects instead of the nectar the mother ingests.

And then one day they were gone, the cycle completed. Off into the horizon, into the jungle or where ever a hummingbird family ventures. But as females occasionally return to a previously used nesting spot, building a new one on top of the old one, we are hopeful that the newest members of the Parador family will return to us next year.

Soaring The Rainforest Canopy Is a Thrill a Minute

As we strive to ensure that our guests’ experience in Costa Rica is nothing less than extraordinary and safe, we would never recommend a tour or activity without sampling – and in this case, re-sampling -- it ourselves. And so it was that we ventured deep into the rainforest recently with Canopy Safari to verify that the zip lining excitement quotient is as high (no pun intended!) as we remembered. And we’re pleased to report that this half-day excursion was not only an adrenalin-pumping thrill-ride, but a highly educational outing, as well.

From the moment we hit the road en route to our final destination in Paso Real, about 45 minutes outside Quepos, our quick-witted, bilingual guide Jorge regaled us with his superb knowledge of the area’s history and environment, illustrating various usages of ubiquitous plants we see every day, but perhaps don’t notice, giving us facts and figures that were both interesting and vital.

Coffee, soft drinks and fresh fruit greeted us upon our arrival and an informative tour of the facility’s butterfly garden and serpentarium preceded our gear-prep for the main event. Suited up and rigged up in our un-chic harnesses and helmets, we were divided into two groups of about ten each for both safety and comfort purposes.

Featuring 18 platforms, 10 zip and 2 rappel lines,, 1 suspension bridge and “tarzan swing,” our troop – which included a Parador executive and her 5 year old daughter alongside our resident writer – sailed through the lush jungle with the ease and grace of circus acrobats, securely fastened to cables that allowed us to explore our inner gymnast while imbibing the breathtaking scenery in which we were enveloped.

Piloted by a posse of fast-quipping, highly-skilled English-speaking guides who seemed to be having as much fun as us, we soared for more than an hour, traversing the treetops and dropping to the depths of the jungle in a heart-racing rush. Only one of our group succumbed to her momentary fear of heights and was deftly and patiently tandem-carried across the ravine by one of our guides. Our intrepid toddler, however, navigated the course with gleeful abandon.

A delicious lunch awaited us upon our return, highlighting traditional cuisine which included rice and beans, fried plantains and chicken. All in all, a great day and a recommended excursion for all visitors to our area.
Canopy Safari is the pioneering canopy tour operator in the Southern area of Costa Rica. The company built its first canopy course in 1997 with the help of a team of experts who build high ropes courses in the United States and in Europe.

Amazing Dolphin tour in front of Parador´s coastline last week

Words cannot describe the feeling of seeing the curious and friendly dolphins up close. We launch from Quepos Oceanfront. We sail along the coast to where the Punta Quepos meets the Pacific Ocean (a favorite dolphin playground). We linger in that area and wait for the Dolphins to come by.

Familia Cortés y Familia Acuña wrote:

The dolphin trip was cool. I never imagined that we would see as many dolphins as we did or that they would swim as close to our boats as they did."