I took the advice of a fellow reviewer and eschewed staying in a modern hotel to enjoy a classic hotel. I arrived at night when a party was underway and was impressed with the setting. My room, however, was tiny and the air conditioner was unable to go below 82 degrees--an improvement on 100 outside, but a joke. I was freaked out about mosquitoes as I really don't want to get malaria or some other tropical disease and had to use my fly swatter to kill one shortly after settling down in my room. The bed was terrible--small and hard. In the morning, I took a walk around the property and was impressed to see the parrots in an aviary, but the pool was the most uninviting I have seen since Madagascar. The internet proved to be useless during the day and there does not seem to be any coverage in the public spaces.
Despite an overall good ambiance to the hotel and wonderfully helpful and pleasant staff, I was so frustrated not being able to use the web to stay in touch with my office that I moved to another hotel for the duration of my trip. I hate writing this review, because I believe this is a special, historic place with immense charm and excellent staff. Nonetheless, if you are going to Asuncion for more than a day or two, I cannot recommend the hotel.
