Eco Torarica

The hotel is really nice, rooms are great. Only the promised services is discutabel. And if your vegan, don't expect the cook to serve you, Despite the promise of a diet service, I mostly ate cereals because there was nothing else. I am deeply disappointed. Because there are so many options to make nice vegan dishes.

My initial impressions of this place were not good. Their website said that they were able to arrange transport from the airport, but when I contacted them about this I received no reply. Instead, I booked with dePaarl Garages, which proved fine. Then when I arrived, instead of a Riverside room that I had paid extra for, I was given one with a splendid view of the car park! However, things quickly improved: Next day, Giovanni (I think) arranged for me to move to a room which had rather a good view of the Suriname River from the balcony. The room itself was very comfortable. It had a safe which just about fits a modern laptop, and a fridge. The A/C worked well. It was in the building nearest the river, and it was quiet at night. Breakfast was served from shortly after 6am, but whatever time I got there, there was a good variety of food on offer (and great coffee), which varied from day to day. The hotel restaurant had some excellent Surinamese dishes (the food is a highlight of Suriname), and was open all afternoon and in the evening so that, if you want, you can simply head straight there whenever you happen to arrive back hungry from your adventures in Paramaribo or further afield. The WiFi was generally OK, but could be a little spotty. I found all the hotel staff really pleasant and helpful. The hotel is ideally situated, being far enough away from the heart of town not to be too noisy, but close enough to be with a 15 min walk of so from the centre. Walking the other way, there are 2 Chinese-run supermarkets within easy reach for drinks and snacks; the one slightly further away offers more choice and better value. There is also a bicycle rental place right opposite. It takes about 25 mins to cycle up to the Leonsburg river crossing if you are going to Ft Nieuw. Amsterdam. The motor boat ride cost me 200-250SRD each way as sole passenger. You could also get to the Leonsburg crossing by bus (14.5 SRD flat rate) but I could not find any buses at the week-end even though they were plentiful on weekdays. Overall, I would definitely recommend staying at the Eco Torarica.

I loved this hotel, it is a beautiful place that is very well run. I stayed here twice on my trip through the Guianas, and each time the staff was helpful, friendly and accommodating. I especially enjoyed the freshly made to order eggs each morning as well as the cappuccino machine in the breakfast area.