Mexico Riu-Playacar

We have been at the Rex Papillion for two weeks in Mai 2004

Personal impressions:

Short summary: Untouched island for great excursions.

Rooms:
We've had a standard room at a rear building with view to the pool and partly to the ocean. The room had a small balconia with two chairs and a table. The kingsize bed was ok, the bathroom is small and nothing special. Bring some earplugs along as the night is very noisy from some special frogs, which make some high tunes for a night song. The room is not really soundproof as there is a rolo window to the beach side. The cleaning is done well and the personel is friendly. There is a safe for rent at the room which you should use as there is no place to store valuable things.

Food:
The dining room is close to the pool area and and the sides of the buidlung are open with a net overhang to keep the birds out. It's a nice area but due to the openess not climated, so take light clothes as it's always warm and moisty. The food is good, for berakfast you get the standard meals you are used from other hotels.
For lunch you can get a snack at the beach bar or you get dressed and go to the dining room. The beach bar is only offering burgers, pizza, fries, sandwiches and some drinks. The kitchen is small so it can take a while until you get what you want. For the drinks however you only get small cups and so you have to go quite often to get something to drink. Bottles of water are not handed out. There is a small super market on the other street side of the hotel where you can buy some bottles. The dinner is in the dining room again, the food was always fresh and you could choose from fish to meal.

Beach:
The beach is nice but there is only a two chair distance between the hotel wall and the ocean. The chairs are not included and you have to pay for them. We used the free chairs in the garden and went down to the beach for a walk. The beach is clean and you could walk for about 2km to the entrance of the small harbour. On both sides of the hotel is public beach. The view is very nice.

Excursions:
Well the island is not yet taken by the tourism so there are many georgous places to see. The population is mostly poor but they are very friendly people. You could leave the hotel area without beeing afraid that something could happen. The travelguides from the hotel want to sell their overpriced trips, so they tell you that its safer to do it with them. It's up to you, but we didn't had bad feelings going around the island. If you rent a car, you can discover the whole island in two to three days. Although the streets are mostly paved I strongly recommend a 4 drive wheeler as you might take some non paved roads which have baseball deep holes. The pitons are naturally a must to see, sometimes they are hidden in the clouds and you should wait for them to dissappear, it's worth the time. In the meantime some locals tell you about the history of Soufrier for a hand of coins. In Soufrier you shouldn't leave the car, there are many beggers and some curious children. Another place to see is the area close to Soufrier where the hot volcano gas comes out of the earth. It stinks like thousands of old eggs but the area is very interesting. In the main city you can park at a ticket parking house. Don't wonder, behind the parking area are some slum houses. In the city you can go to the big market where the lokal and imported goods are sold. You will be mostly be by your own as only few tourists find there way there, so leave your valuable things at home. A closer excursion is to the old fort on the other side of the hotel bay. It's quite a climb to get up there but you have a spectatcular view around the bay.

Rex Papillion Pictures from the hotel:
Hotel beach view
Standard room	Dining room
View to the pool, snack bar	Pool
Garden, Snack-Bar	Dining room
Dining room	Beach
Famous Pitons	On the road