Guests at this six-unit hotel can't get enough of the 'love bubble.
In
Playa del Coco, it is easy to get distracted by the pumping music and
flashing lights at the numerous clubs, bars and restaurants, as well as
the world-renowned fishing and diving just off the coast. But for those
looking for a small slice of home and familiarity, they need to look no
further than the Pato Loco Inn and Restaurant.
Located
just off the main road, within walking distance of the beach, the Inn
is an expat compound with a host of regulars that the hotel’s owner,
Mary Ramona Cox, affectionately refers to as the “patos locos.”
“The Pato Loco has a bubble of love over it,” said Mary. “People walk in the door and they are treated like family.”
It
is this family atmosphere that seems to have people coming back again
and again. In fact, the four-room inn already has all three of its
apartments booked from Oct. to April, mostly with returning customers.
The
inn also provides a home for Mary’s design, arts and crafts projects.
Her colorful murals adorn most of the walls, and everything from the
flower pots to the wind chimes are made from some kind of cleverly
recycled material. “When we bought the hotel everything was white,” she
said. “I need color in my life, and lots of it.”
The
result of her labor: three tropical themed rooms and one wild-west
themed room, inspired by Mary’s Utah roots, which comes with a painting
of the Hopi god of fertility on the wall. “We make sure to warn people
about that,” Mary said, knowingly.
When
guests are not lounging in their vibrant digs, they can enjoy the inn’s
small swimming pool or the ever-popular “Duck’s Butt” pool hall and bar
area, named for its position in the back of the inn.
The
Pato Loco also has a popular restaurant at the front that carries
traditional Costa Rican fare. But as the world flags painted on the back
of its chairs suggests, it tends to cater to a more international
crowd, and therefore it also features sandwiches, pasta and, at
breakfast, homemade sausage.
The
inn’s accommodations are not limited to hotel guests, and tenants can
expect to see a rotating group of resident “patos locos,” who have
become a permanent fixture at the restaurant’s outside table. Many claim
that the inn is a hub in Coco’s expat social scene. “I think a lot of
people live in Coco because of this place,” said Kent Carthey, a “pato
loco.”
On
the Sunday morning that The Tico Times toured the hotel, a small group
of regulars had already gathered for drinks, conversation and pool
shooting. These regulars claimed that once October hits, the place will
be mobbed with gringos escaping North America to summer in Coco.
“We’ve had some gatherings here that are unbelievable,” said Walter Reid, also a regular.
The
inn has ingrained itself even further into the Coco community through
its annual Christmas party thrown at the Papagayo Golf Club, where the
Pato Loco and others in the community donate food baskets and Christmas
presents to underprivileged children in the surrounding area. All
another part of Mary’s “bubble of love.”
“This
is a really special place here,” Reid said. “All over town there are
these different watering holes and bars, but The Pato Loco is unique.
We’re a family.”
Going There
The
Pato Loco Inn is located on the only road into Playa del Coco, half a
kilometer before reaching downtown. The rooms are between $48 and $58 in
the low season and $58 and $68 during the high season. There are also
apartments available for rate with varying rates depending on the season
and duration of your stay.
Posted by Costa Developers
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