. The resort itself is a wonder—when built in 1976 it was presumably the only hotel of its stature for miles around, and riverfront land was probably cheap. It was done on a grand scale—609 rooms ranging from luxurious to economy, a grand three-story lobby and bar area, an extensive pools area with waterfalls and fountains, water features stocked with fish and turtles, five tennis courts, basketball court, large two-story gymnasium as well as outdoor exercise equipment, archery, soccer, bicycles, volleyball, extensive walking paths, its own shopping center, taxi station, dock, and tour office, and last but not least a menagerie of Amazonian mammals and birds, from a jaguar and capybara on down to monkeys and macaws. With all kinds of competition now on hand, the Tropical apparently cannot now begin to keep up with maintenance. When we were there, (it was admittedly off-season), whole wings were unoccupied, and many features were obviously unused and/or out of service, and looked long neglected. The menagerie carries on, with animals never seen at Como Park or the Minnesota Zoo, and what was being maintained was still top-drawer. The décor is classic: lots of dark wood and art in the corridors, and the food served at the complimentary breakfasts and in the restaurant (there are four food-service areas, though only two were operating) was plentiful, varied, and fresh.
We took five tours with the in-house tour service over the course of our stay, and all were impressive if rathe