Introducing The Travel Scorecard , an exciting new feature on Calypso Island Chronicles. After I complete a trip, I will write a brief review of the destination including scores (grades) for both the destination and the hotels/lodges I stayed at. As I travel to many different countries, the Travel Scorecard will provide travel enthusiasts with some very valuable information. Please keep in mind, all my opinions are strictly subjective.

First up is my scorecard on BRAZIL, based on my trip there, May 17-June 14, 2010.

BRAZIL – Grade B+ Fascinating, very diverse country, many different places to explore. In the big cities and tourists spots, prices are on the high side. In the big cities, crime is also a concern. On my trip, I visited six different areas – The Pantanal, Iguassu Falls, Rio, Ouro Preto, Salvador and Barra Grande

#1  Pantanal – Grade B+ Amazing area for wildlife observation. Quiet and peaceful.

• Passo Do Lontra Lodge – Grade C/C+ Guides were pretty good, helpful. Meals were better than average, but there is a charge for drinking water! Rooms are large – designed for groups; all-inclusive package includes meals & activities. No break for single occupancy! Not a very good value. Very difficult time making RSVNS

#2 Iguassu Falls – Grade B+ Waterfalls are unbelievable. Did not have time to go to Argentine side

• Hotel Villa Canoa Grade B- Tourist class hotel located in downtown Foz de Iguacu.
  Good service, helpful staff. Rooms are small and a little cramped

#3 RIO – Grade C Huge city, many interesting and different neighborhoods to visit, however I am not a fan of big cities. Probably will not return. Been there done that!

• Vila Casanova - Grade B+ Small bed and breakfast >in Santa Theresa. Nice, cozy comfortable room. Resident gourmet chef available
• Windsor Martinique Grade B Well run hotel. Good service. Tiny swimming pool. Breakfast buffet - average, good location on Copacabana beach

#4 Ouro Preto – Grade B+ Beautiful, romantic colonial city with ornate baroque architecture. UNESCO World heritage site, somewhat of a tourist trap.

• Pousada Sao Francisco de Paula Grade C Lousy but friendly management, funky place with nice views and garden. Pleasant ladies work in kitchen. Only a couple of decent rooms. They charged me more than rate confirmed in e-mail. Not a good business practice. Terrible administration

#5 Salvador - Grade C+ 3rd largest city in Brazil after Sao Paulo and Rio. Fascinating city, did not explore very much outside of Barra Resort area and day trip to Pelurinho, the historical quarter. Most of the people are black or mixed.

• Barra Guest Hostel - Grade B+ Management tries very hard, friendly but a little unorganized. Rooms are decent, nothing special. Very good breakfast. Good value.

#6 Barra Grande, Bahia -Grade A- Quiet beach town, tourism is very low key - an idyllic paradise. Love this place; great desire to return.

• Ponto do Muta - Grade A- Outstanding. Excellent breakfast, friendly management. Very comfortable, well-designed rooms. Would be nice if they had small swimming pool!

Next up - BOLIVIA

Boklua View Resort is one of the few hotels in recent memory that far exceeded my expectations. Located about 2 hours away from the city of Nan in the lush countryside of Nan Province, this small mountain resort consists of approximately 12 bungalows with 20 guestrooms. The nearby village of Boklua with her ancient salt wells are just a short walk from the hotel. Definitely off the beaten path!

Let’s face it – most hotels, while having an impressive write-up and flattering images on their website fall way short of their hype. I had previewed Boklua View earlier last year along with two other boutique hotels in Northern Thailand. Of the three hotels, only Boklua View can be recommended without hesitation to my fellow travelers.

The hotel really has its “feng shui” together. The property is beautifully laid out – the landscaping and architecture of the resort was influenced by Khun Tuan’s (the owner) many trips to Bali in Indonesia. Located on the middle of the slope, there is a pool area for lounging or sunbathing but the pool is not swimmable.

There really aren’t any tourist concessions or other hotels in the area - it is completely natural and relatively undeveloped. Other than a small gift shop and a wonderful outdoor palapa style restaurant, the resort doesn’t have much in terms in facilities. Just lots of peace and quiet. The restaurant is definitely the focal point of the hotel.

The bungalows are scattered on the hillside with ample spacing between each unit so you definitely have a feeling of privacy. Most of them have wraparound wooden terraces with outstanding views of the lush green countryside and nearby rice paddies. Although simply furnished, the rooms are very airy and spacious with comfortable beds. None of the rooms have televisions, which is fine by me.

The only real negative things about the rooms are the toilets - they are very small and too low to the ground. Many westerners might be a little uncomfortable with this especially if they have a large ass. Other than that some of the rooms could use a large wastepaper basket.

Born and raised in the area, Khun Tuan is a gourmet chef by profession. He was trained at one of the most prestigious culinary institutes in Bangkok and worked in the kitchen at a luxury resort in Bali. His culinary training is reflected in the outstanding meals prepared by his staff. The menu consists primarily of novella interpretations of traditional Thai dishes. Western dishes are offered as well.

In particular, the breakfast buffet was exceptional - with fresh rolls, home baked bread, and home made jams and a good selection of fresh fruit not to mention some freshly brewed coffee.

The staff was friendly and attentive as well – service was very good.
I should also mention that there is free wifi available in the restaurant.

In summary, I strongly recommend Boklua View for the discerning traveler who’d like to experience upcountry Thailand in a peaceful and quiet setting.

Finally, I have gotten around to writing a review of the Nan Boutique Hotel based on my brief stay there in late November 2009. Located in the city of Nan in Northern Thailand, this small two story boutique property is the newest hotel in the city, having opened in Spring 2009

Situated just a couple of blocks away from the heart of the downtown area, the location is ideal. The rooms are large and comfortable - the best I have seen in Nan - but there is a very serious design flaw with the rooms on the lower floor. Believe it or not, the closets of these rooms are located in the bathroom. When you take a shower, the moisture inside the bathroom will probably make your clothes damp.

For the life of me, I don’t understand why the rooms were designed like this. When I informed the manager of this situation, she said that she was aware of this odd room configuration, and was quick to point out that the closets of the rooms on the 2nd floor were located outside the bathroom.

The service at the front desk was subpar - while the employees are friendly, they are not knowledgeable about Nan. The small rooftop restaurant recently opened for breakfast only, but the breakfast buffet was very poor overall. The choice of dishes did not cater to the western tourist as there was no toast or bread and limited fruit available. Service needs to be improved here as well.

At the time of my visit (late November), there were no in-room safes or safe deposit boxes in the reception area, however I was told that management would be installing safes in all the rooms sometime this year. Hooray!

Outside of the small gift shop and the rooftop restaurant, the hotel does not have any facilities. It should be noted however that the hotel offers complimentary bicycles to all their guests. This is a real plus as cycling is the best way to get around Nan. A small swimming pool and workout room would be welcome additions - this may happen sometime in the near future.

In summary - the hotel has potential to be a first rate property, but I cannot wholeheartedly recommend Nan Boutique Hotel at this time until the service improves and the rooms on the lower floor are reconfigured. I would also like to mention that the management (the owner) seemed to be very open minded, sincere and receptive to constructive criticism.

Normally when I visit Chiang Mai, I stay at Tawan Court, a small budget hotel located a couple blocks away from Chiang Mai’s popular Night Bazaar. While there really isn’t anything really special about the hotel (the rooms are somewhat drab and need new carpeting), I feel comfortable staying there because the management is very friendly and the location is ideal. As the hotel rates go up every year, you would think that the owners would spend some extra monies on refurbishing the rooms.

On my last visit to Chiang Mai in December 2009, I decided to ignore my loyalties to Tawan Court and try something different. After considerable research online, I found the Banilah Hotel, a very stylish looking budget hotel located away from the tourist districts in a neighborhood popular with the University crowd.

The images on Banilah’s website are very flattering in an attempt to portray the hotel as a boutique property. While the office has a nice ambiance, the rooms were sort of dark and drab with very small and cramped bathroom facilities. When you take a shower, the toilet will get all wet. The hotel, which is over 3 years old, is beginning to show some signs of wear and tear. As with most local and budget hotels, there are no in-room safes or safe deposit boxes available at the front desk.

On the plus side, all the rooms have free Wifi and TV. In addition, the hotel offers complementary use of bicycles to all their guests.

Two of my biggest criticisms with Banilah are:

• The hotel management exercised very poor judgment by laying down a water hose across the narrow walkway to the guestrooms without putting up a caution sign. Somebody easily could have tripped and had an accident.
• The hotel staff doesn’t necessarily answer their phones during their normal business hours of 9:00AM – 6:00PM. That definitely created a problem for me. To give you some idea, I was near Taphae Gate in Chiang Mai (the opposite side of town) and was getting ready to return to Banilah by Tuk tuk about 4:30PM in the afternoon. As I was leaving on an early morning flight to Singapore, I had to retrieve my valuables from the hotel safe by 7:00PM (the hotel office closes at that time). As most of the tuk tuk drivers probably did not know of the hotel and where it was located, I tried calling the hotel numerous times to get directions but there was no answer. Fortunately the tuk tuk driver that I hired knew the way and I reached the hotel in less than 15 minutes.

Even though the hotel is a pretty good value, in light of my recent experience, I really cannot recommend Banilah Hotel at this time. Management needs to be more responsible to its guests, and most Western visitors might be not too pleased with its offbeat location. Then again, the hotel seems to cater mostly to a Thai clientele.

If you’re traveling to TAIPING, a very pleasant city located in Northwestern Malaysia, you’ll definitely want to stop by and pay a visit to La Promise Bakery and Café. A relative newcomer to the scene, La Promise may be the only restaurant in Taiping that specializes in Western Food, a city which is dominated by food shops offering Chinese, Malay and Indian dishes.

Centrally located in downtown Taiping, the café is especially popular with the University crowd and professional people. Very spacious inside with comfortable seating, the café also has free WIFI.

Prices are reasonable and the food – while definitely not gourmet quality - is fairly good. To give you some idea of the prices – a plate of spaghetti is 7.90RM (about 2.30USD) and a Western style Breakfast – complete with eggs, toast, sausage and juice - is all of 5.50RM(1.60USD). The pastries in particular looked absolutely scrumptious. Richard is a genuine pastry artist!

A young Chinese couple - Richard and Ling – own La Promise Café. I had an opportunity to talk extensively with the amiable Ms. Ling. Of all the people that I met in Taiping, Ms Ling probably speaks the best English. She said that her facility with English can be attributed to her being very diligent as a student in both primary and secondary school.

Born and raised in Taiping, Ms. Ling has quite an interesting history leading up to her career as restaurateur.

After graduating from high school in Taiping in 1999, she received a scholarship to study at a University in Penang, where she majored in hotel management and catering. After 2 1/2 years at the University, she left Malaysia for the Gold Coast of Australia, where she finished her studies at Griffiths University.

Upon graduating from the University in 2005, she returned to Penang, Malaysia where she worked as manager for over 2 years at a local Haagen Daas Ice Cream Store. It was there that she met Richard - her future husband and business partner - who worked in the pastry department of a major hotel.

In 2007, she traveled to Ireland where she took courses in accounting and lived with her brother-in-law for over 1½ years, before returning to Taiping in September 2008. Back at home, she decided to pursue career as a restaurateur with her newlywed husband, Richard.

Her parents, who own a local hardware store in Taiping, gave financial backing to Ling and Richard for their “new baby”, La Promise Café. The Grand Opening took place in August 2009.

I give La Promise a big thumbs up!

It was my last morning at GUAYABO LODGE. After packing my bags, I went downstairs to have breakfast and settle my bill with Don Pedro as I still owed the lodge for two dinners. The dinners had been very tasty and healthfully prepared and included three courses - salad or soup, the main course and dessert. As I am vegetarian, the kitchen prepared special dishes for me – e.g. on the 2nd night, they gave me a vegetarian quiche. Don Pedro’s wife, Rossana, has trained the Costa Rican kitchen staff to be able to prepare gourmet European cuisine. I really didn’t know how much they were going to charge for me the dinners, but I caught a glance at the posted menu prices near the office on my 3rd day there - the fixed price for the three course dinner was listed at $17USD - a little steep for the vegetarian meals that I had, but not totally outrageous. As a result of these prices, I had my dinners in the town of Turrialba on my 3rd and 4th night there.

When I approached Don Pedro to pay my bill, I was resigned to the fact that I would have to pay him $34.00 (19,380 colones). Needless to say, I was pleasantly shocked when he told me “For two dinners, that will be $20USD - if you’re paying in colones, $10,000 would be fine.” When I confided in Don Pedro that I thought I would have to pay $17 per dinner, he smiled and said “Normally dinner includes a special meat entree, a chicken dish or a grilled trout and the cost is $17USD but for a vegetarian it is less of course. Our prices are very reasonable considering our meals are of a gourmet quality and not average restaurant fare.” I agreed with Don Pedro that the dinner tariff was indeed very reasonable. I told him, “Now that the issue of my dinner bill was cleared up, I really I have nothing really negative to say about Guayabo Lodge.” He smiled upon hearing this and said “We try as much as possible to be reasonable and fair to our guests.”

Don Pedro Ferreira is an extraordinary gentleman, a man of integrity as well as a very congenial host. He knows how to make his guests feel at ease.

On my last trip to Costa Rica, I had the pleasure of staying at Guayabo Lodge. One of the best eco-lodges/bed and breakfast hotels in Costa Rica, Guayabo Lodge is located near the small village of Santa Cruz about ½ hour from the city of Turrialba and 90 minutes from San José. Surrounded by pastures of a dairy farm, the lodge is perched on the slopes of the Turrialba Volcano about 1500 meters above sea level. Nearby is Guayabo National Monument, Costa Rica’s most important archaeological site.

With 25 guestrooms, Guayabo Lodge is the largest hotel in the Turrialba area. From the outside, the lodge looks a lot smaller than that. All the rooms are simply but tastefully decorated with paintings or watercolor prints from Costa Rica. With views of either the surrounding countryside, pasturelands or of Turrialba Volcano, most of the rooms are relatively large and airy - no two rooms are exactly alike.

The owners, Don Pedro Ferreira and his wife Rossana, are distinguished academicians and educators. They come from totally different backgrounds - Don Pedro, a native of Uruguay, has a PHD in Statistics, while Rossana is Dutch and is a Cultural Anthropologist, having received her doctorate in her native Holland. They met by chance in the late 1980’s while both were professors at nearby CATIE, the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center located in nearby Turrialba. During their many years at CATIE, they developed a strong environmental ethos and an appreciation of natural history. After leaving CATIE, they seamlessly have made the transition from educators to small hoteliers. Their environmental ethos is reflected in their hotel management style - they’ve installed solar panels as an alternative energy source, compost waste food, recycle whenever possible and are active in promoting conservation and environmentally friendly practices in the community.

Rosanna has quite a passion for cooking, as evidenced in the tasty haute cuisine meals that are prepared by her staff. She also has quite an aptitude for home décor and design – sprinkled throughout the lodge are the many paintings, arts and crafts that Don Pedro has collected during his many years of travel throughout the Americas and Caribbean. The ambiance at the lodge is indeed quite cheery and tropical. When I was there, they were in the process of expanding the outdoor gardens. In addition, Rossana has plans to enlarge the kitchen to accommodate her hotel guests and visitors as well as opening up a cooking school onsite. What about Don Pedro? I found him to be an especially amiable host, and I enjoyed hearing his many travel stories.

On my most recent trip to Costa Rica, I asked my tour operator, Costa Rican Trails to book me a room for my final 2 nights before returning to the USA, at what they felt was the best budget hotel in downtown San Jose . My objective was to sample some budget accommodations for prospective frugal minded customers who have limited funds. Keep in mind that I usually stay at Hotel Bougainvillea, a moderate lowrise property located just outside the city in the province of Heredia. The Bougainvillea is not a luxury hotel by any standards but it is very comfortable and proper with some very beautiful gardens. My rating - 3.5 stars.

The Hotel they selected for me was Palm House Inn. The pictures on the website looked pretty good but I know from experience not to put much credence on pictures in hotel websites or in travel brochures, because they are always way too flattering. I would have to reserve judgment until I actually stayed at the hotel.

I really didn’t know what to expect when I checked into the Palm House Inn, but after staying there for 2 nights, I have to say that it exceeded my expectations. Located on the edge of the downtown area in a quiet neighborhood, this small cheerful hotel of only 12 rooms or so is walking distance of Plaza de La Cultura, the National Theatre, museums and other attractions. Across the street is a community playhouse that features comedies and theatrical productions and nearby is a theatre which was currently featuring a Gay Musical.

The rooms, while a little on the small side are immaculately clean, simply decorated and are equipped with Cable TV, safe deposit box and phone. The only negative - the bathrooms are very petite and somewhat cramped. The people at the front desk seem to be University Students (or recently graduated from school) – they are very friendly, helpful and speak pretty good English. The hotel is very secure and safe; in order to get in you have to ring the bell at the security gate outside. This no real hindrance, as there is always somebody at the front desk 24 hours to buzz you in. Downstairs there is free WIFI and small eating area for breakfast. Rates are very affordable $45 single/$55 double with breakfast included. I give Palm House Inn a big thumbs up (highly recommended) and I plan to use this hotel for in my Costa Rica Program for travelers on a budget!

COSTA RICA is one of my favorite travel destinations. After an absence of 4 years, I will be returning to COSTA RICA on March 25 for 2-½ weeks - it will be my eighth visit to COSTA RICA, which I have affectionately nicknamed PuraVida Land

I have rarely received any negative reports from any of my customers who I have sent to COSTA RICA. Not too long ago, a customer of mine from Switzerland submitted a critique of his travel arrangements on his November ‘08 trip to Costa Rica. I also asked him to list the highlights of his trip as well.

The customer was a volcano enthusiast and was interested in an itinerary which featured excursions to a variety of volcanoes - with a few minor adjustments, Calypso Island Tour’s Volcano Explorer package was exactly what the doctor ordered as it included excursions to two of the most important volcanoes in Costa Rica - Arenal Volcano and Rincon de La Vieja as well as a four day interval at Ocotal Beach, one of Costa Rica’s better Pacific Coast beaches. Not surprisingly, the customer had a wonderful experience and his satisfaction rating was very high! Here are some excerpts from his critique:

The Costa Rica trip was good to excellent, but actually a bit too easy for us!! (We are used to do a lot of organizing when we are traveling on our own).

Regarding the hotels - You wish that we make some comments about all the individual hotels. That’s not easy because they were all so wonderful. We therefore have only some really minor things hardly worth mentioning.

In San Jose …The Grano de Oro is special indeed, as all guidebooks say. Just the breakfast there is rather for people who are on a diet. The Bougainvillea (in Heredia) is a must because of its splendid garden, despite the fact that the location is not really convenient. They seem to have abandoned their shuttle service into downtown San Jose.

The Arenal Observatory Lodge is definitely a good location, provided the
weather is good, and it’s primarily for people who like to do some hikes on
their own. We walked up to Cerro Chato, a good hike, but only for people
used to do some “work”.

The Hacienda Guachipilin (near Rincon de La Vieja National Park) is a good place as well, just a bit too far away from the park for those without their own vehicle.

The Ocotal Beach Resort is superb. Less so their restaurant, they have too many items on the menu that we would call fancy things, and which were not very filling. Other guests must have felt the same, because the restaurant was virtually empty in the evenings. But the breakfast is excellent there, the terrace is wonderful and so is the wildlife around the hotel!

Highlights? Certainly the Rio Celeste Park, but also the sunsets at Ocotal Resort, the garden of the Bougainvillea hotel and the flight in the little airplane from Liberia to San Jose. And there are two further things which should not be forgotten, despite that they are not part of the original trip: The Jade museum in San Jose and the La Paz Waterfall and Gardens near Poas Volcano

PURA VIDA

Mae Pun Din, Po Tum San (Mae Pundin for short) has to be one of the most unique places to stay in Chiang Mai. In English, it means ‘Mom enjoys clay works while Dad prefers working in the garden’. Located just off the highway in Chiang Mai’s Mae Rim district, Mae Pundin is an easy 20-minute drive to the famous night bazaar. Owned by a Thai couple in their early 70’s - Chaleo & her husband Anong - this rather eclectic homestay/guesthouse and art gallery offers both terracotta pottery workshops and Thai cooking classes.

Surrounded by lush tropical gardens, the centerpiece of Mae Pundin is a very lovely teak house built in the traditional Lanna style of Northern Thailand. Scattered throughout the
gardens are clay figurines of many types of animals - elephants, birds, pigs, frogs, dogs and monkeys as well as some clay representations of the Buddha. It seems that the pig is the owner’s favorite animal as they are more figurines and representations of pigs than any other animal in her garden and art studio. My favorite is a female monkey swinging from the branch of a tree carrying her baby. Looks so real!

A very bubbly and cheerful lady, Chaleo is an accomplished artist and has developed quite a reputation over the years. Mae Pundin has been featured in several very prominent Thai house and garden magazines and has been host to a number of rather famous people including the Princess Mother, one of most revered persons in Thai history and mother of Thailand’s King. While the Princess Mother stayed at Mae Pundin, she modeled for Chaleo - situated on a small wooden table on the 2nd floor of the teak house is a very lifelike clay bust of her. According to Chaleo, the King’s niece is also a regular visitor to Mae Pundin. Inviting me into her colorful open-air studio, the first thing I happened to notice were the many unusual brightly painted caricatures carved into the wall. Besides the many smiling piglike figures (her favorite, of course), there is an outstanding representation of Chaleo and her husband. (See picture at top) Scattered throughout the small studio are some examples of her fine work.

Mae Pundin offers a special package, which features a pottery workshop and cooking classes at a very affordable 1200 Baht per day per person including all meals. As far as accommodations go, there is a choice of six rooms - four rooms at the lower garden level and two rooms upstairs in the teak house, all of which are available at 600 baht per day including breakfast. My preference would be one of the two large very comfortable rooms located upstairs in the teak house. Looking out onto a large living area complete with a library, TV and DVD player, these rooms share one large bathroom but are very cool and mosquito free (compared to the rooms at the garden level) – the large beds have their own mosquito net just in case. The living room is decorated tastefully with watercolor prints, artifacts and relics of the Lanna culture. I give Mae Pundin a big thumbs up!