Before you even leave home, understand that Dominica really is an unspoiled wilderness. Leave behind your notions of upscale accommodations, sophisticated service, a hassle free airport, a shopping Mecca and any sense of urgency about anything. Roads are treacherously narrow, extremely steep with hairpin turns and pitch black after sunset. Papillote is about a 90 minute drive from the airport so you must have transportation pre-arranged. If you’ve not been to Dominica before, don’t even consider driving a rental car.

We spent 11 days at Papillote Wilderness Resort in February 2008 and paid for the seven-day adventure package. We’ve lived in Africa, traveled to Australia and Costa Rica yet have never seen anything as lush as Dominica. The resort itself is small and located in a heavily wooded rainforest area. The first room we stayed in (suite number 10) was a two bedroom suite (one with a large single bed and the other with twin beds) plus one bathroom and an outdoor verandah. Constant breezes make the lack of air conditioning at the resort a non-issue. Since the resort is in such a heavily wooded area, all of the rooms have spectacular views of nature. The rooms do not have phone, TV, radio or Internet connections. You can make or receive long distance calls and access the Internet from the business office. Be sure to take Evelyn’s guided tour of the gardens and get fascinating information about local flora and fauna. Food at the resort’s restaurant is actually quite good and wholesome. Dinner always included salad, entrée and dessert. Breakfast is pretty basic and the lunch menu is fairly limited. The outdoor hot and cold mineral pools are relaxing and very soothing after a day of hiking. The nights are filled with the songs of tree frogs and the light of fireflies. Incidentally, if you are allergic to mold this is probably not a good place to visit and it rains several times every day.

Papillote has an agreement with a company called Unique Tours (operated by Alfred) to coordinate tours of the island. Unfortunately, this is the one area in which the resort seriously fell short. Our tour package was scheduled for Monday to Monday and the first Monday and Tuesday were the opening days of Carnival so the tour guide did not want to take us out. To make a long story short, Alfred was not reliable and frequently not available to take us on the tours we had paid for in advance and even claimed Sunday was his Sabboth and he couldn’t work – this turned out to be blatantly untrue. The Indian River trip was a waste of both time and money although we did get some good photos. We did a whale watching tour that turned out to be a very pleasant outing. By far, the best tour was the six-hour hike to Boiling Lake (they have a website so you need more information Google “Boiling Lake”).

There was a mix up by the owner the last few days of our stay at the resort and we had to change rooms twice. This was quite a disappointment, since she confirmed everything with our travel agent before we left the States. I suggest you get an email confirmation from the resort before you leave home and then call them to confirm everything before you leave.

Our experience definitely encompassed all of the best things I've seen written about Papillote! Refreshing, friendly, super clean, delicious food, wonderful setting, delightful host, comfortable rooms, lots of activities, or none, depending on our mood of the day. We were a family of 4, with active members and one temporarily unable to do much walking. Activities were arranged for us to meet our varied needs and without a set schedule of certain activities certain days, like other places on the island. Papillote booked us the all-day hike to Boiling Lake (and the delightful pool, waterfalls and slot canyon at the end) and whale watching (lots of whales!!), both with guides who were friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, safety-conscious, and a real pleasure to spend many hours with. We also went to on the aerial tram and snorkeling at Champagne Beach (bubbles from the activity under the ocean floor seem like champagne bubbles), attending midnight Mass at the Roman Catholic cathedral. None of these were more than about 10 miles away, at the most. We also loved just staying still at Papillote, soaking in each of the several hot pools, enjoying the rum punch and appetizers, touring the outstanding botanical garden, watching the hummingbirds as we ate breakfast, enjoying long leisurely dinner conversation with Anne, the proprietor, reading on any of several terraces, walking the little way up to Trafalgar falls. Most of all, we enjoyed the Dominicans we met!

Stayed here on the recommendation of friends and it did not disappoint. The setting is lovely ( a 2 min. walk from Trafalgar Falls), it is renowned for it's gardens and they were indeed lovely. We stayed in the best room with its own sulpher spring pool just outside the door, other pools are available, equally nice if not so private.The rum punch (their own blend) was the best we had tasted and impressively strong. The menu was fine if a bit limited, choice at breakfast was great and all freshly cooked. Although the setting was great, we would suggest that you might need earplugs after the novelty of the noise in the forest at night wears off! Very few mosquitos which was a blessing after being badly bitten in Antigua. Lovely staff who made us feel very welcome and answered any queries. Don't expect lots of mod cons, which we felt would have spoilt the atmosphere. All in all a memorable experience.

My family just returned from a week's stay at Papillote Wilderness Retreat. What a fabulous place! The rooms are sweetly nestled in the rainforest, surrounded by fragrant flowers and waterfalls that naturally run both hot and cold.

You fall asleep at night lulled by the sounds of the night forest and romantic fragrances of night blooming flowers just outside your room. To refresh, you can dip in the hot pools, then jump in the cool waters. My 7 year old daughter could roam freely and safely around the acres of botanical gardens.

Delicious meals are served all day in the outdoor restaurant. Don't miss the dasheen puffs, the flying fish, Wenesday's barbeque night, and the generous breakfasts. Taxis in to town and wonderfu; guided tours of Dominican sites are readily scheduled if needed.

I would heartily recommend this hotel, restaurant and retreat to any traveller, either single, a honeymooning couple, or a family.