EndHits
Really Really Experienced
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2011
- Posts
- 343
Matthew wiped the falling bead of sweat from his brow as he stepped out of his rental car and handed the keys to the valet. Despite his years’ of travel, this was his first time in Costa Rica and the humidity was almost overwhelming. Giving a brief smile to the polite young man in front of him, Matthew reached into his pocket and pulled out five colón, tipping the valet generously. The car sped off into the rainforest; the parking lot was well hidden from the rest of the complex.
“The Waterfall Hotel” lived up to its name. Construction had only completed six months beforehand and it was primarily being marketed as a premium spot for time shares, the first complex in a budding resort town. Behind Matthew was a virgin beach, untouched by man until recently. It snaked around the clear waters of the Pacific Ocean creating a serene sensation. In front of him was the main entrance to the hotel, built with green, brown, and tan tones to make it seem as natural as the rainforest that splayed out around it. Matthew had never seen trees so large outside of the redwoods. The building itself seemed to be merged with the gorgeous waterfall that went careening off the tall cliff that hung just above the roof.
Walking inside, Matthew felt the refreshing blast of air conditioning sooth his skin. He pulled his suitcase along with him; taking in the massive lobby. Local art decorated the walls, but its primary feature was the same waterfall that had been so marvelous outside. A small hole in the ceiling allowed for the water to flow freely into a fountain at the center open room. Matthew approached the main desk. The man standing in attendance was smartly-dressed and pleasant with a thick brown mustache hovering over his top lip. “Hello, sir. My name is Matthew Foster, I’m the journalist from The Journeyman magazine.”
The attendant smiled warmly, extending a hand to shake Matthew’s. “Mr. Foster,” he said with a slight Costa Rican accent, “It is so good to meet you. We can’t tell you how excited we are to have been selected by The Journeyman. We can assure you that your stay here will be like no other.” The man quickly started typing into his computer and slid a key card through a digital reader. “My name is Paulo and I will be your primary contact within the hotel. Everything is open to you: the beach, the spa, the swimming pool. It’s all been paid for. We want to give you the premium experience, Mr. Foster.”
The service was almost too good. A young bellhop came to escort Matthew’s bags up to his room and Paulo came from behind the desk to show him to the elevator. “As you can see, our hotel has an interesting layout. This is the central building; we lay at the base of the cliff. Here you’ll find wonderful dining experiences and our indoor tennis courts. There are four other buildings arranged in a circle around the swimming pool, which provide our suites. You’ll have to take an elevator to the top of the cliff. There you’ll find the Jaguar Complex: your home for the week.” Pressing the ‘up’ button on the elevator console, Paulo ushered Matthew inside. “Please feel free to call down to the desk for anything you need, Mr. Foster.”
The elevator doors closed and Matthew ran a hand through his long, sweaty brown hair. The hotel was truly majestic and so far the service had been excellent, but it was only the first day. Still, “The Waterfall” didn’t seem to be suffering the problems that most new resorts were plagued by.
A bell rung and the door opened. Matthew found himself standing on top of the cliffs looking down. The sunlight shone brightly through the trees and the sound of the powerful waterfall flowing next to the elevator shaft was a beautiful testament to the purity of nature. A small dirt path led to a clearing. There, the complex came into full view: four massive towers reaching over the rainforest canopy, surrounding a state-of-the-art swimming pool. The pool was filled with families spending their summer vacations in this tropical paradise. He barely noticed the heat anymore and instead marveled at the architecture and design.
This is going to be a good week, he thought to himself as he approached the Jaguar building and his room.
“The Waterfall Hotel” lived up to its name. Construction had only completed six months beforehand and it was primarily being marketed as a premium spot for time shares, the first complex in a budding resort town. Behind Matthew was a virgin beach, untouched by man until recently. It snaked around the clear waters of the Pacific Ocean creating a serene sensation. In front of him was the main entrance to the hotel, built with green, brown, and tan tones to make it seem as natural as the rainforest that splayed out around it. Matthew had never seen trees so large outside of the redwoods. The building itself seemed to be merged with the gorgeous waterfall that went careening off the tall cliff that hung just above the roof.
Walking inside, Matthew felt the refreshing blast of air conditioning sooth his skin. He pulled his suitcase along with him; taking in the massive lobby. Local art decorated the walls, but its primary feature was the same waterfall that had been so marvelous outside. A small hole in the ceiling allowed for the water to flow freely into a fountain at the center open room. Matthew approached the main desk. The man standing in attendance was smartly-dressed and pleasant with a thick brown mustache hovering over his top lip. “Hello, sir. My name is Matthew Foster, I’m the journalist from The Journeyman magazine.”
The attendant smiled warmly, extending a hand to shake Matthew’s. “Mr. Foster,” he said with a slight Costa Rican accent, “It is so good to meet you. We can’t tell you how excited we are to have been selected by The Journeyman. We can assure you that your stay here will be like no other.” The man quickly started typing into his computer and slid a key card through a digital reader. “My name is Paulo and I will be your primary contact within the hotel. Everything is open to you: the beach, the spa, the swimming pool. It’s all been paid for. We want to give you the premium experience, Mr. Foster.”
The service was almost too good. A young bellhop came to escort Matthew’s bags up to his room and Paulo came from behind the desk to show him to the elevator. “As you can see, our hotel has an interesting layout. This is the central building; we lay at the base of the cliff. Here you’ll find wonderful dining experiences and our indoor tennis courts. There are four other buildings arranged in a circle around the swimming pool, which provide our suites. You’ll have to take an elevator to the top of the cliff. There you’ll find the Jaguar Complex: your home for the week.” Pressing the ‘up’ button on the elevator console, Paulo ushered Matthew inside. “Please feel free to call down to the desk for anything you need, Mr. Foster.”
The elevator doors closed and Matthew ran a hand through his long, sweaty brown hair. The hotel was truly majestic and so far the service had been excellent, but it was only the first day. Still, “The Waterfall” didn’t seem to be suffering the problems that most new resorts were plagued by.
A bell rung and the door opened. Matthew found himself standing on top of the cliffs looking down. The sunlight shone brightly through the trees and the sound of the powerful waterfall flowing next to the elevator shaft was a beautiful testament to the purity of nature. A small dirt path led to a clearing. There, the complex came into full view: four massive towers reaching over the rainforest canopy, surrounding a state-of-the-art swimming pool. The pool was filled with families spending their summer vacations in this tropical paradise. He barely noticed the heat anymore and instead marveled at the architecture and design.
This is going to be a good week, he thought to himself as he approached the Jaguar building and his room.