Employee of the Month: December

With the craziness of the holidays over and a little time to breathe and recuperate before the next wave of guests start arriving, I wanted to post (and boast) about our employee of the month!

A couple of weeks ago, when the resort was full of guests, I had many things running through my mind. I watched proudly as our staff handled the many and varied requests of our guests. I was supervising the logistics of handling 42 guests all wanting to go on excursions with our boats at the same time people were checking out and checking in. Katie was busy proofing menu orders for the kitchen and organizing the Bistro's seatings. Executive Chef Ben was slammed in the kitchen, busily breaking down lunch and simultaneously prepping for dinner.

As a couple hundred items scrolled through my head like a mechanical rolodex, my glance landed upon one of our four housekeepers, Floralba Bonilla. Flor, or Rosita, which many of us affectionately call her, was breaking down assignments for the other three housekeepers, taking care to appropriately assign the tasks based on seniority and skill. She then hustled her way off to her own assignment, with a small smile towards me as she passed. I stopped her and said, "Rosita, tengo menos estres cuando estas aqui." Rosita, I have less stress when you are here. She just laughed and hustled off with her basket of cleaning items, mop and broom.

I was serious though. Flor has been with us for a year and a half. She came on the invite of her boyfriend, Eduardo (Employee of the Month, October), whom she is now married to. They live together at the resort, saving money for the house they are buying in Changuinola.

Flor is a great housekeeper. At seven, she cleans the clubhouse and dining area with the other housekeepers, then is off to supervise the cleaning of the rooms while the guests are at breakfast. As people leave at different points throughout the day, she quietly organizes the cleaning of their rooms, so as not to disturb the guests. She always makes sure that there are plenty of pool towels laundered, as well as fresh linens for the dining room, and sheets ready for any guests checking in. At the drop of a hat, she can give you an up-to-the minute progress report on how everything is going.

During the month of December, she did all this and more. In realizing that the kitchen was busier than ever, she thoughtfully laundered the kitchen towels and the chef coats for the cooks. She also supervised the efficient and thorough cleaning of 16 rooms during our peak times. Most of all, she did it with a smile on her face and without ever lowering the standards of perfection we maintain here at Popa Paradise. I can't tell you how proud it makes me to hear when guests remark on the cleanliness of the resort, or the care that is shown in arranging our guests personal items, when cleaning the room. It is due in large part to the presence and hard work of Flor Bonilla, Employee of the Month for December.

Holiday Wrap-Up

Christmas and New Year's Eve was a blast this year! We were fully-booked (which means, 42 people), yet the staff stepped up to the plate and made sure that every guest experienced the same level of attention people normally get here when it is not so busy. It was a challenge meeting so many different people's needs (including a family reunion of 14 people), but the great personalities that we shared our holidays with, made up for it.

Our staff lives with us on the island and we often refer to them as our extended family. So it was on Christmas Eve, the traditional celebratory day in Panama, that we had a second seating for dinner. The first was at 7:30 for the guests and then at 10:30, the staff came down to enjoy a roast pig, with all the trimmings with us. Then at 11:30, a tanned, younger Santa Claus made an appearance and handed out gifts to all of the staff. Following a big toast at midnight along with a few hearty guests who were enjoying some drinks at the bar, we continued with a Secret Santa. Each of the staff presented one other staff member with a small gift. It was so cool to see the creativity that went into their presents and brought us all closer on a day when we were all separated from our families.

During the busy period, we had a masseuse on-site who kept people relaxed (I am waiting for my massage, as soon as I get some down-time). Junito, is a Bocas del Toro local, who came out to give massages and on some of our busier nights, helped out by serving some killer cocktails. We are now happy to say, he works for us as our full-time bartender, still able to give incredibly relaxing massages on the side.

We rang in the New Year's with a delicious six course dinner provided by Executive Chef Ben Jones. My mouth still waters at what the guests and I enjoyed that night: King Crab salad, yucca gnochi with a pesto cream sauce, mushroom streudel with blue cheese fondue, filet mignon with fried shallots and yucca puree, a mango sorbet intermezzo, and a flourless chocolate torte with ice cream. Everything was made the day of, including the pasta, the chocolate itself (from cacao), the sorbet and the ice-cream!

We couldn't wait until midnight, as everyone had been busy island-hopping on day trips earlier and were tired, so at 10:38 we rang in the New Year with a 10-minute firework show and champagne toast! For an amateur show, we pulled off a pretty grand finale for 2009, in my humble opinion. Katie and I and a few of the staff rang in the real New Year at midnight, watching the ball drop in Times Square.

Throughout the whole time we had the large crowd, we had boats going back and forth to town to pick up and drop off guests, guests enjoying the beauty of Bocas on day tours to see dolphins, go snorkeling or hiking in the jungle. We also had some fishing enthusiasts who got up everyday at 6am to fish with Gumey and Martin, reeling in some delicious mackerel and barracuda that was brought out in creative dishes prepared by Chef Ben.

The weather was unusually cooperative and we are still in the middle of a three-week long dry spell. While I fret about the level of water in our storage, the guests are thoroughly enjoying the three-weeks of sunshine!

From all of us here at Popa Paradise. we wish you a Happy and Healthy New Year. Feliz Ano Nuevo!!

And the winner is....

We are pleased to announce the winner of the first Annual Popa Paradise Beach Resort Photo Contest! First of all, thank you to all those who participated. The theme of the photo contest was "A Day In Paradise," which was very subjective. So we asked participants to send photos of what they considered a "Day in Paradise." Many of the submissions were sent along with little stories of why this photo meant so much to the person who took it. Although it was hard to choose, we had to pick one winner! The winner of the first Annual Popa Paradise Beach Resort is...Riley Poff, from Carlsbad, California! Riley and her mom and Dad all sent photos in, but Riley's was the standout. Her picture of Playa Guiones, in Costa Rica, where she spent enjoyable days looking for shells, was a beautiful shot, especially considering the fact that Riley is only 10 years old!
Riley and her family won a free room night in our Executive Suites. Congratulations!!!

The first runner-up is Emily Metcalf, from West Yorkshire, England. This picture of the early morning sun, shining down on her English garden, where she likes to take tea in the mornings, earned her a free trip to the Zapatillas, on her upcoming visit to Popa Paradise Beach Resort.

The second runner-up is Cassidy Faulkner, from West Albany, New York, with her submission from her travels from India, where everyday was "day in paradise." She also will enjoy a trip to Zapatillas on her upcoming trip to Popa Paradise Beach Resort.

Once again, thanks to all those who participated. It was very hard to choose the winners. Congratulations to those who won, and we look forward to seeing you soon!!