The winners of the annual travel writing awards from the North American Traveler Journalists Association (NATJA) were announced this week and Hotel Scoop picked up three of the five slots in the “Resorts” category.
Kristin Winet was recognized for her article on Hotel Poco a Poco in the Monteverde region of Costa Rica. This was a story about “following the turtle” and moving slowly as she made her way through the country with her new husband on a honeymoon.
She also scored prizes for a Costa Rica feature story in TravelWorld online and a tipping advice story in Eva Air’s in-flight magazine
Two reviews from me the editor snagged awards as well. I wrote Chilled Out Luxury at Viceroy Zihuatanejo after my third visit to this Mexican beach resort, over the course of many years. Each time it had a different name: Villa del Sol, then Tides, then Viceroy. But the great facilities and superb service have remained constant.
We scored a silver award for Panoramic Pacific Views From Pelican Eyes, about the premier resort in the laid-back town of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. That’s it pictured at the top. This is a very quirky resort, in a good way, and there’s a video tour along with the photos and text. (A feature story from the same Nicaragua trip for Global Traveler magazine also won a Bronze award in the “Luxury & Leisure Travel” category.) 
Yes, there was a clear Latin American thread to our winning stories this year, but I think it’s a one-off coincidence. Last year we won a Bronze for our article on Ciragan Palace Kempinski in Istanbul.
You can see the full list of winners here.
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