Living in Peru : your everyday companion

by Ben Jonjak - http://streetsofperu.blogspot.com/

I felt like pampering myself a little bit, so I went out to Puerto Palmeras in Tarapoto. It was a good choice. I've been to the jungle several times, but most of the resorts you find in places like Iquitos, or Puerto Maldonado are a little too hard-core for actual relaxation. Generally you get to them by taking a boat down some forgotten tributary of the amazon and you spend your vacation huddling behind a mosquito net.

Puerto Palmeras is different. This isn't jungle like you find in Iquitos (which is right at the headwaters of the Amazon. Tarapoto is back up in the mountains a little bit so you've got some solid land to walk around on (all the buildings aren't constructed on stilts to account for the vast fluctuations in water level). Plus, the Mosquitos aren't too bad (although there were some fairly annoying no-see-ems that bit me quite a bit...didn't itch though)

My end assessment is that Puerto Palmeras is a lot closer to the idealized concept of the tropical paradise than anything else I have encountered in Peru. It's a place to go to chill out in the pool, drink fruity adult beverages, and just...RELAX!

Here's a photo of the typical room:


Yep, that's a big bed. Big enough that you have to make long distance calls to talk to whoever is sleeping with you...big enough to fit about eight people and their extended families...now that's a party!

No sooner did we enter the room than an attendant arrived to give us these:


Coconuts! Awesome, you aren't vacationing in some tropical place until you're holding a coconut with a straw sticking out of it.

Here's a view of the resort from above:


And a shot of the Inca basketball court as I liked to call it:


That court looks like something out of "Apocalypto," when you're playing on it, you get the impression that instead of a ball, you should be using a human head. It was awesome needless to say.

Here is a photo of the official rates tablet posted in the office:


As you can see, it's a little pricey, but those are the "offical" rates which means there are always deals to be had. The best thing to do is to simply make the reservation in Lan (the airline ticket offices) when you are buying your tickets. They have several packages that provide you with various discounts.

Here's the web page: www.puertopalmeras.com, start planning your trip today!

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6 Comments

# marysol says :
22 January, 2009 [ 07:58 ]

Tarapoto is one of those paradise places on earth, so beautiful, reminds me to Costa Rica, Hawai, the caribean, with lots of palm trees and coconuts, all green emerald mountains and hills, amazing landscapes, a city just waiting for so long,  to be discovered, is like the long lost city.

# FLOR says :
23 January, 2009 [ 06:52 ]

hola me gustaria saber una tarifa aprox.para cuatro personas por dos noches y tres dias de vacaciones.gracias

# Claire says :
10 February, 2009 [ 04:54 ]

It looks lovely; how does one get there?

# says :
14 February, 2009 [ 02:40 ]

need to kono how much per month for a couple

# maria vasquez says :
18 February, 2009 [ 08:03 ]

there is another place near tarapoto, the blue lake is around one hour from tarapoto by land, you can take public transportation, you forgot all your problems, the lake is surronded by trees, you can fish, swim, if you can time try it is beutiful

# Victor Zambrano says :
20 July, 2009 [ 07:47 ]

I was born in that beautiful city where actually my mother,brothers,
relatives,and friends are living there.I want to say to all national and
foreign people to visit the different cities from Region San Martin,
specially Tarapoto called the Palm Trees city where you will found
interesting places for relax and pleasure.Take care from the motor-car
becouse there too many and the traffic is heavy.Enjoy it and have a
good trip.

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