Presidente Intercontintental

Quick post about this fantastic hotel. Naturally, it's amazing that there's a dive shop and dock steps from the room - that goes without saying. But there are plenty of dive-friendly hotels that focus entirely on the diving and don't bother with the other details. When planning this trip, I wanted a bit of luxury with my diving adventures, and I found it. It's not uptight luxury though. Everything is perfectly laid-back and casual, but the staff are incredibly well-trained in service and the restaurants and additional features are exceptional. The pyramid above is a playground for the iguanas that have taken up residency on this gorgeous beach. I love that they have their own little Mayan temple.
My favorite food so far is pictured here - iced tea and Panuchos - shredded grilled chicken, lettuce, avocado on corn tortillas stuffed with black beans. Amazing, and relatively healthy. The restaurant has breathtaking views of the ocean, a great happy hour with 2 for 1 drinks, and fantastic food! There's something for everyone - Mexican food, American food, pizza, salads. It is a little more expensive than I anticipated - lunch is coming in around $35 - $40 without cocktails. Water is kind of absurd at $5 per bottle, and $3.50 for iced tea with no refills. But, they have expenses and we seem to be practically the only ones in the hotel, so I'm not complaining.
I also had an incredible massage on the beach under a thatched roof that I arranged through the Spa. This spa is really nice, and just small and quaint enough to fit nicely with the overall vibe of the hotel. The most important thing is that it's clean and offers a nice variety of services by trained professionals. The brochure mentions yoga and pilates, but when I asked about this, the receptionist explained that the "lady left town" for a while, and also, that it wasn't "real" pilates but something similar. I thought that was kind of hysterical. The one thing about this laid back island is that you have to be flexible. Fortunately, I'm so relaxed here that I feel very able to go with the flow.
And how could you not be relaxed having almost an entire hotel (and a 4 1/2 star one at that!) to yourself!!

I highly recommend this hotel to anyone who loves a little taste of the finer things mixed in with their diving. It strikes just the right balance between easy casual and luxury service and accommodation. It's unpretentious yet impressive. And what a view!

Hugs and fishes,
Jenny Mo