Hotel Palmas Del Sol — Hotel in Asuncion

We booked the hotel for 2 separate nights using Avios points as it seemed good value and was in central Asunción close to the old town. Before arrival I had a number of email exchanges with an employee called Oscar who was helpful and spoke good English, something we found to be rare in Paraguay.||From the street the hotel looks very small but extends to the rear to two courtyard areas which house the rooms and restaurant and small plunge pool. ||On our first visit we were disappointed to be shown to a first floor room (15?) with no window and the lady who took us to the room seemed to expect this as she turned to us and said ‘ok? No ventana?’ Meaning it has no window. We asked to be moved and I wondered why she’d even tried to put us in this room. We were moved to another room, number 30, which was above the restaurant and had a small balcony. It was a decent size, clean if a little worn (scuffed paintwork etc). It had A/c , fridge, TV and a good shower with very hot water which seemed impossible to adjust.||We stayed on a Saturday night and were disturbed by loud intermittent music a few times through the night and needed to resort to ear plugs. In the morning we were told it was from a neighbouring disco which seemed strange as the noise seemed to come and go, ending around 4am.||On our next visit we were assigned room 62 which is in the second block of rooms, on the 2nd floor facing the pool. This had a shared balcony with distant views of the Rio Paraguay. Room 60 on this floor is the only one with a private balcony. Again the room was a good size, clean and comfortable, if a little worn.||Breakfast was included and was mostly continental with an eggs option and was okay.||The staff at the hotel are all friendly and helpful but only Oscar speaks any English. The hotel is around a 10 minute walk from the main square in the old town and there are a couple of bars within walking distance- we walked back at night with no problem. It’s about 20 mins in a taxi to the main shopping area on Mariscal Lopez street though. ||In summary, it’s a good budget/ mid range option close to the old town with a family feel. I was debating whether to give 4 or 5 stars and would settle at 3.5. The downsides were the noise on Saturday night and the first room we were allocated. They were nice people though so I’ll...

On arrival at the hotel, they tried to put us in other rooms then what they have promise... many many technical difficulties: air conditionning not working, tv in the room not working, no wifi in the rooms, or have to open the door to get it... maybe due to the fact that they do not use a residential routers that goes down ALL THE TIME! the wifi that they announce works one on three times and the rapidity of connection is revolting... they shouldn't even say that they have internet connection and let the customers be surprised by their poor quality connection. Employees do not have any concept of customer service whatsoever... a few are very kind and dare to smile (the 2 guards are amazing, polite and personable; Ramona was our favorite, smiling and kind, how someone who gives you service should be...also Darlice and a young woman in the morning are kind... if you what something to be handled, you should really go to Darlice in the morning, she does not seems always in a good mood but is very efficient and answer quickly to our request. Daniel, Oscar are probably 2 persons that sould not be in front of the house. Oscar is the son of the owner and was very rude to us when we asked how come that they change the fees during the trip. Daniel is just plain rude and give a bad vibe. Most of the waitress have a stink face when they come to you as you ordered something in the menu or a drink during the day. The cleaning ladies are very kind and when you ask to have your clothes washed, they do it very fast at a low cost... the breakfast is a bit repetitive but still enjoyable... the eggs are good and fresh, the fruits are not always but still. They would have advantage to change their reservations policies ( first arrived first served, wich make no sense to me...) be most personable and kind, Ramona and the cleaning ladies could give...

It doesn’t look like much from the street, but Hotel Palmas del Sol proves to be an oasis of peace and quiet away from the bustle of Asuncion. Two courtyards, one with a garden next to the restaurant, and the other by the small pool provide outside, shaded space. I suggest asking for rooms facing the pool, particularly on the top floor, from which you can see the Rio Paraguay. Room 60 is a double with the only private balcony. ||The staff is friendly and helpful, though be aware that there is only one person who speaks English. Still, we got by. The only criticisms I will make of this hotel regards the bedding. The sheets are tissue thin, the pillows are hard and/or lumpy, and the blankets look like leftovers from the 1970s. The breakfast is good, though it doesn’t change from day to day, so it can get tedious if you stay for more than a few days. That said, we would stay here again in a heartbeat. It is also just a few blocks from the wonderful Bar San Roque, which anyone visiting Asuncion really should check out. Their sopa pescada is heavenly, as...