This is a beautiful hotel in a nice location, with views of the valley and easy access to the Jardin. By all accounts, this should be a highly rated hotel and it would be if the nightly rate was half what it is. Unfortunately it does not live up to its price. We are not usually picky about hotels in middle-income countries; cleanliness and a decent bed are usually enough. But for nearly $200 a night one expects much more than this hotel gives. Our second floor room was average size, with a comfortable bed, small refrigerator and TV. The glass door to the balcony has a gap at the bottom which explains the mosquitoes and ants in the room. The large balcony was a highlight, almost as large as the room and with beautiful views. The sink and tub drain poorly. The ceiling leaked during a heavy rainstorm. A man skims the pool surface each morning to clean it, but the bottom was heavy with leaves, dead insects and fruit fallen from a nearby tree. The hotel staff are polite and friendly but provided no assistance when we enquired about local cooking classes, which we found ourselves on the internet [-]. Wireless internet is available (though the front desk staff don’t know anything about it – ask the manager for the network key) by the pool. A “continental” breakfast is included in the price, but the staff don’t mention it when you check in – you need to call every morning for it to be brought to the room. The restaurant food was mediocre and overpriced, compared to what you can get at a variety of good restaurants within several blocks of the hotel. Overall, we found the hotel to be quite nice but not worth the four star price. Definitely stay here if you can bargain the price way down, probably possible during low season, but look elsewhere if they’re asking the rack rate.
