Parador Villa Parguera

Parador Villa Parguera is the largest hotel in town, but it lacks cleanliness and is in need of updating. The hotel's entrance is steps from the main road that intersects the village of Parguera and its various shops and restaurants. Guests pass a trio of tumbling urns in a small fountain before entering the lobby, a dimly lit space with a sparsely furnished seating area comprising a bulky wooden sofa and a reception desk set behind a framed window. The most interesting aspect of the lobby is the floor, an arrangement of colorful antique tiles that date back to when the hotel was constructed in 1950.

The hotel is one of Puerto Rico's paradors, or country inns, which were founded in effort to draw visitors to the lesser-traveled sections of the island. La Parguera, which is a village within the town of Lajas, is best known for its bioluminescent bay and series of mangrove channels. Tourists spending the night at Parador Villa Parguera choose the hotel for its location, close to the bay and the many tour operators that run boat trips from the nearby pier.

While the hotel fronts the noisy, dusty street, the other side of the rambling two-story property faces a carpet-like stretch of grass that bumps up to the mangrove-lined rocky shores of the bay. From the terraces of the ground-floor rooms, guests can follow terra-cotta and stone paths to arrangements of thick, white Adirondack-style chairs or walk along a narrow pier over the water to a deck with benches, an ideal spot to sit and watch small boats making their way into the mangrove canals. 

While the hotel lacks a sandy beach, it does have a large rectangular swimming pool. White lounge chairs, tables, and colorful umbrellas liven up the terrace while a small rustic wood pool bar decorated with bleached conch shells provides libations for guests. The top floor of the two-story sundeck is a breezy spot for guests to take in the views of the water, and the colorful fishing boats and sailboats bobbing on their moorings.

Parador Villa Parguera is located in the heart of La Parguera, across the street from a quaint church, a colorful seafood restaurant, and a mojitos bar. The front of the hotel faces the street, providing easy access to various restaurants and shops, while the rear of the hotel fronts the bay and the entrance to the mangrove canals.

• Seven-minute drive to Playita Rosada
• 25-minute drive to Playa Santa
• 30-minute drive to Cabo Rojo
• 40-minute drive to Bosque Estatal De Guánica
• 50-minute drive to Mercedita Airport, Ponce
• 70-minute drive to Rincon
• 75-minute drive to Rafael Hernández Airport, Aguadilla
• Two-hour, 15-minute drive to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
• Two-hour, 15-minute drive to El Junque National Forest
• Two-hour, 20-minute drive to Old San Juan

Parador Villa Parguera offers a variety of rooms with views of the ocean, interior courtyards, or the parking lot and street. Most rooms feature two double beds, but the size and decor vary slightly depending on the location.

Rooms are finished with either white ceramic tile or carpeted floors, some which show visible stains and smell musty. Additional wear and tear is seen along the corners of white painted walls and on the furniture, which is a collection of low-grade white laminate pieces that wouldn't be out of place in a 1980s college dorm room. Closets offer ample room for hanging items, but in most rooms, they lack doors and amenities such as safes and shelving.

The beds are covered with poor-quality, colorful, floral bedspreads, basic white sheets, and standard pillows. In some rooms, there is little room between the side of the bed and the wall. Flat-screen TVs are mounted on the walls or set atop dressers. All rooms have outdoor space in the form of small terraces and balconies finished with tile floors or faux-grass style carpet as well as two chairs and a small table.

The bathrooms are stark white, featuring white tiles, white floating vanities or pedestal sinks, and stall showers with white shower curtains. Basic white towels are stocked on wall-mounted shelves and toiletries are arranged in a ceramic shell dish.

A grassy lawn with slender palm trees and an arrangement of white Adirondack-style chairs serves as a natural buffer between the two-story hotel and the rocky edges of the the bay. Guests can follow stone paths from their terraces to the water, and walk along a pier over the water to a deck with benches -- an ideal spot for viewing the boats coming and going from the mangrove canals and surrounding cays. 

The hotel's pool delivers a variety of opportunities for guests to relax -- in lounge chairs or with a drink in hand in a chair on the second story of the breezy sundeck. The hotel's Aquamarina Restaurant and La Barrita bar is a bright, casual spot decorated with framed arrangements of tropical fish and views of the pool. The restaurant specializes in made-to-order breakfasts and local Puerto Rican cuisine as well as seafood. On Saturdays, the hotel features a Latin musical and comedy show and live music in its event space, Salon Bahia.