Just back from Costa Rica May '07
Written: May 15 '07 (Updated Jun 01 '07)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Warm and welcoming people. Beautiful country!
Cons: Hubby picked up some kind of bug and has been sick.
The Bottom Line: Great for couples, singles, families and groups. The people are warm and friendly, the country is beautiful and you can go on a budget if needed.
|
|
|
| dvlish's Full Review: Costa Rica |
Costa Rica Belated Honeymoon & Trip Review (April 26, 2007 - May 8, 2007)
First let me preface by saying this trip was fabulous! Everything was fantastic and we can't wait to go back. Even my husband is up for another trip (although not right away!). He spent most of yesterday (mother’s day – Sunday after we returned) in the hospital after vomiting blood for 3 hours that am…he picked up some kind of parasite while we were away and then after 4 days of it he decided he had had enough bland food and if he was going to be sick he might as well enjoy what he was eating. Bad idea! His body took it one step further and rejected heavy sausage pasta and wine very violently and he ended up tearing his esophagus from being so violently sick…so, mother’s day in the ER was what was on our agenda. After some IV fluid and some anti nausea meds he is home and resting comfortably. He is back to bland food and pedia-lite until all of this has passed.
***Happy to report that 2 weeks later and whatever it was is no longer...hubby is all back to normal and has even tested with heavy pasta and wine.***
Now, on to the trip review…from what I see here there hasn’t been one in quite some time so I hope my review can answer for someone else some of the questions I had before we went.
Day 1 – we flew American (sorry I put Continential originally by mistake, it was American) from Orange County, CA to Dallas, TX with no major problems. I had heard some recent horror stories about American but am happy to say we had no real problems. Our flight was delayed 1–hour leaving Dallas to San Jose, CR but not really a big deal. We had a couple of drinks and some fish and chips at a pub in the airport and were happy to wait. Arrival in San Jose was fine and we sailed through customs with no problems. It was about 9:30pm and the airport was very quiet and mostly closed. Our driver (John) from Latitudes Adventure Travel (great local agency that I would work with again…ask for Seran), along with the rep (Yi) met us as we left baggage claim. They held signs with our names and even in the chaos they were easy to spot. They took our bags and we went right to the van where they offered us cold bottles of water and the rep gave us all of our travel docs (which included a cute hand-made picture frame as a souvenir…nice touch). The drive to hotel Grano de Oro took about 15-20 min. and we spent the time talking with them about CR. They took us inside and waited until we got checked in and all was well before leaving us for the evening. We confirmed the pick up time for the next morning and were all set.
**NOTE** be sure and bring bills smaller than $10…we didn’t get colones before we went, which was fine, but wanted to tip our driver, the bellman at the hotel etc. and ended up handing out $10 bills b/c it’s the smallest I got before heading out of the states. Some $5s and even singles would have been helpful to save the $30 we dropped right at the beginning of the trip…could have been $10-15 instead.
Hotel Grano de Oro – A++ this place was beautiful! A restored mansion near down town. Since we arrived late the front desk called the restaurant which was getting ready to close and asked if they would allow us to come in for a quick bite. They were happy to stay open for us and the few other guests also arriving about the same time. They told us to take our time and get settled in our room and come down when we were ready. Not to keep them waiting we just changed out of our travel clothes and headed back down. We sat at the bar and ordered a mohito (DH) and blackberry (mora) margarita (ME)…both were so yummy! We had a small fruit plate and a heart of palm dip with crackers for a light snack before heading up to bed. I will be attempting to recreate that dip…heart of palm, cream cheese and melted mozzarella on top!
Standard room – No frills but beautifully done. We had a window that opened over the roof looking in to one of the many garden courtyards. It was lovely. The bathroom was good sized and the shower had hot water although the water pressure wasn’t the greatest but not any worse than what we have at home. The bed was a little hard for our taste, but the sheets were soft and clean. We slept well after a long trip.
Our driver (John again…always the same driver when we went through San Jose which was nice) the next day was right on time and after a yummy breakfast in the hotel restaurant (one of the best in the city…I had the yogurt and fruit parfait, DH had the smoked salmon omelet and the pancakes with plantains on top), we were ready to head to the Nature Air terminal for our puddle-jumper flight to La Fortuna/Arenal. We got checked in with no problems and made it in well under the 30 lb baggage limit. My bag was only 22.6 lbs, which I was very proud of. Our flight left about 1 hour late but was only ˝ full and after our 25 min ride on what DH now calls “Holy Sh**” airlines, we were at the first stop on our long awaited trip.
Day 2: La Fortuna - The driver met us as we got off the plane, grabbed our bags and took us to the waiting bus. The A/C was running which was nice as it was much warmer here and we took the quick trip to the Arenal Paraiso Resort and Spa. Check in was quick and efficient but our room wasn’t ready yet since we arrived about noon, so we went to the restaurant for our first Imperial beer (local CR beer…like bud or coors) and a snack (DH had a heart of palm salad, very yummy and we ordered it a few more times on the trip). An hour later we were taken to our superior room (a stand alone cabin with a private patio overlooking the volcano). Our cabin was nice but rustic…this part of our trip was more like summer camp and this hotel is not what we would call a resort, but the staff was friendly and we had a wonderful stay. We did read some terrible reviews about the service here so we did not go with very high expectations. We were pleasantly surprised.
That first day, we headed to the pool for the afternoon and then later made spa appointments (the spa facility is ok and the services are limited compared to what we have here in the states, but still nice) and booked our excursions through the travel desk. The gal there was great and you can charge anything you book there right to your room which was nice.
For dinner, we got a taxi (hotel front desk calls them for you) and asked him to take us to El Novillo for dinner since this little steakhouse - type place came so highly recommended. When we got there the owner came over and told our driver that they were closed for the evening (looked like they were having some kind of family dinner) and asked if we could come back tomorrow. We said that would be fine and asked our driver to take us to La Fortuna instead. FYI – El Novillo looks much different than I envisioned from the review I read. I expected a building but it isn’t it is a concrete slab with a patio-type cover and a small kitchen area to the side. The actual dining area is all open air and instead of the white plastic tables and chairs they have upgraded to wooden tables and chairs. It’s about a mile or so up the road if you turn right when leaving the Paraiso…it’s on the right had side. While we were there a local guy rode up on a bicycle and had some fish it looked like he had just caught hanging on the handlebars. He walked back to the kitchen and a short time later left with some colones…very neat to see the local way of life and know that the fish the serve is caught right there and not frozen showing up on some truck!
On our first night in the area we instead we went to La Choza de Laurel in La Fortuna for dinner which was yummy. Be sure and ask how much (quanto questa?) the specials are if you order them…ours were $18 and $24, which after an appetizer and 4 beers plus 2 deserts brought the bill to $64…these were much higher priced than the rest of the menu (I had a shrimp/fish plate and DH had rabbit), so we were startled at the price. Dinner was still ˝ what it would have been at home so it wasn’t that big of deal. A cab back to the hotel and we called it a night.
**NOTE** Many of the places make a note that they don’t include the 10% service charge, but they note what it equates to on the bill for your info. We tipped a standard 15-20% b/c it was just easier for us to tip like we do at home and not worry about it. Also, we were told later that in places that charge 13 or 16% tax (can’t remember what it is) and the 10% service charge, that does not go to the server and goes to the restaurant or hotel so they only make what extra you leave…not sure exactly if this is how it works or not…maybe as American tourism increases they are moving away from the automatic 10% and letting people tip on their own?
For the next few days (we spent 5 nights in Arenal) we did the horseback ride tour to the volcano (A+++ ask for the guide “Rudy”. He was fantastic…we saw monkeys and toucans and had a great day. 3 hours of horseback riding leaves you sore the next few days if you don’t ride often, but it was well worth it). We did the zip-line tour right there on the hotel property and it was awesome (A+)! The guides were great, although they don’t like it if you try and video while you are zipping…oopsey. They send a photographer along and you can buy pictures of yourself zipping! I of course had to suck it up and spend the $20 on the sheet of 2 - 5x7s of each of us swinging through the trees. We also did the Cano Negro boat tour on the Rio Frio (the river that separates Costa Rica from Nicaragua), which was fantastic A++. Our guide was great (sorry don’t remember his name) and the lunch was yummy. I believe the hotel uses Sunset Tours for this and you can go right to their office in La Fortuna and book directly through them if you prefer. We didn’t know that the drive was 2 hours each way, but was well worth it! We even got to stop at the Los Iguanas restaurant on the way and see tons of Iguanas in the trees! Very cool bonus. We saw tons of birds, 3 types of monkeys, Caymans, turtles, lizards, iguanas, and even both a 2 toed and 3 toed sloth while on the boat cruise. Definitely the way to see the wildlife! The driver even stopped the boat to jump out and rescue a turtle that had been snagged by a fish hook…a quick cut with some clippers and the turtle was set free to live a long life.
Other days while we were in Arenal: we spent a day or 2 lounging at the hotel pool having massages and enjoying the swim up bar (mora daiquiris are great here). The pool area could definitely use new lounge chairs and needs some little tables to set drinks on. The pool water is cool and refreshing though and the swim up bar is actually hot spring water so it’s warm while you sit on the stool having a drink. I would prefer they didn’t allow kids in this pool since it’s attached to the bar area but they do, but you can order food from the bar which is nice…again the heart of palm salad was great. We even had dinner in the steakhouse one night b/c DH wasn’t feeling great and wanted to stay on the property. It was pretty good (reviews I read on the restaurant where terrible) and the service on the steakhouse side was far superior to the other side (international I think they call it). Breakfast each morning was a buffet and was pretty good. Lots of fresh fruit and pastries and the best pancakes I have ever had. Again all the spa, pool bar and restaurant charges can be put right on the room if you like (we tipped at the spa in cash by putting it in an envelope and leaving at the front desk). We used the hot springs right on the property twice and chose the hottest pool at the top both times (about 102 degrees). We were the only ones there both times and even experienced a down poor while sitting in the springs…very neat to be in the hot water while you get pelted by cold rain. There were also tons of bull frogs out at night near the springs and elsewhere on the property. We did not pay to use any other springs in the area…ours where great and uncrowded so we didn’t spend the time or money to go try others. They served their purpose and worked perfect for us. Also, we had an occasional lizard in our shower which we didn’t mind (remember, like summer camp) so just be prepared…you are after all in the rain forest.
Other places we ate in La Fortuna…Lava Rocks Café (Yummy and good service), We went back to La Choza de Laurel a couple of times…the best ceviche we had the whole trip and we did finally make it to El Novillo…the price here and everywhere seem to be more than the reviews I read from the past few years but as with anything, there prices go up as tourism increases. We never did find the $9 lunch we were expecting but at El Novillo we had 1 beer, 2 sodas garlic chicken, black bean soup (so good!) and the filet mignon (FYI they put a creamy mushroom sauce on it here and pretty much everywhere else we saw it on the menu…this must be the way they do it, but DH just wanted a steak without the sauce…we didn’t know until they served it)…our bill was $22. We left $26 and were on our way.
One day we took the recommendation of the cabby who services the Paraiso Hotel for a good pizza place and ended up at the Cuban pizza place (his family runs it I think). We wanted pizza and beer and they only had soda (we didn’t tell him the beer part). We ordered 2 smalls and could have shared one they were so big. They were ok...canned mushrooms, canned watery tomato sauce and not somewhere I would go back to or recommend. Needless to say we ate lightly and then walked up the street for a beer at Lava Rocks and then across to La Choza de Laurel for ceviche and more cervesas before catching a cab back.
**Note** cabs are still about 2,500 – 3,000 colones (about $5) from the Paraiso to town…we saw later that from the Observatory lodge to town is $20 each way…rent a car if you stay there!
We decided to rent a car one day in Arenal…we just were needing the freedom of being able to go where we wanted. We took the very bumpy long road to the Observatory lodge and actually got to see the lava boulders bouncing down the hillside (the lava flow isn’t viable right now from the Paraiso). On the dirt road we heard howler monkeys so we stopped to find they were right above us and howling at the car engine…it was so neat to see them right there and up close). We drove to the hanging bridges and did the tour ourselves. We only saw leaf cutter ants and it was quite the workout, but really beautiful and well worth it. We did need our rain ponchos right at the end. I startled a scorpion down by the waterfall so just FYI…they are there.
Our pick up from the Paraiso was on time for the quick drive back to the La Fortuna air strip (yes, I said air strip…complete with gravel runway). The driver was in a super big hurry…DH looked at me and asked the time, I told him 10am and he then asked, is our flight at 10:15 or something? The guy drove so fast and reckless….he even almost rear-ended an egg delivery truck b/c he didn’t see that it was stopped ahead. He had to swerve off the road to miss it…lovely! We let the company that booked all of our private transfers know about this one. He dropped our bags and left, didn’t even come inside to see that we were there at the right time that the flight was still happening, etc. and he did not get a tip.
We were there before the Nature Air agent who showed up about 20 min later. He checked us in and didn’t even weigh our bags since we were the only 2 on the flight. He was very nice and spent some time talking with us about our trip before our plane arrived (early this time). We took the 25 min flight to Liberia and had no problems. We loved taking pictures of the cockpit which is open to the rest of the plane.
When we arrived in Liberia we had a 2 hour wait for our next plane to Tamarindo. I booked all or flights online through the Nature Air website and didn’t see anything about this flight having a stopover. The pilot asked if we would like to wait inside the terminal and as we were walking over he stopped and asked us to wait. There was another plane boarding right then and he asked if they could fit us too. They were only about ˝ full so they said they could. The pilot asked if we wanted to go now and I told him I would need to call the next hotel to see if they could pick us up earlier. He dialed the number for me on his personal cell phone and I spoke to Calvin at the Los Altos de Eros who said someone would be waiting for us in 20 min when we arrived. We hopped aboard the flight for the 10 minute trip to Tamarindo airstrip.
Los Altos de Eros…words almost can not describe this place but I will do my best! This place is unlike anywhere I have ever stayed. Even blows away the St. Regis! Calvin and Jacqueline have created the ultimate luxury get-away spot..."somewhere between heaven and earth, near Tamarindo, Costa Rica".
There isn’t a listing for me to review this hotel on its own so I have included it here. I would not travel to CR without at leave 3-4 days here…if not my whole trip! As I said above, we arrived about 2 hours early to the airstrip. We flew from La Fortuna to Liberia on Nature Air and instead of waiting 2 hours for our next flight that would take us to Tamarindo, the pilots asked us if we wanted to go on the plane leaving right then. He gave me his phone and I called Calvin to see if someone was available to pick us up in 20 minutes instead...he said they would be there and we hopped on the plane. 20 minutes later we were there and the perfect vacation began...
From the warm welcome we received as our driver greeted us at the airstrip with a cold drink, to the inn manager who was waiting in the entryway to greet us when we arrived asking how our trip was, if we wanted a snack, and showing us to our room where a chilled bottle of wine was waiting, we could not have dreamed of a better way to spend our belated honeymoon! The service was superb, the food outstanding, the spa so wonderful and everything combined is the perfect formula for pure relaxation.
I have never stayed anywhere that I felt guilty leaving the dishes on the table as I got up to go back to relaxing by the pool. The Los Altos truly makes you feel like you have been welcomed into someone's home (because you have been); so at home that you want to behave as you do in your own...but they won't hear of it. You are there to relax and whether you like it or not, that is what you are going to do!
Don't let any of the negative reviews you might find (although very few) scare you away...actually, maybe do so that there is space for us when we go back! Unless you are so introverted and unfriendly that you can't even stomach the thought of a place so intimate that you are one of 10 guests total, this is the perfect vacation destination. You can have as much privacy or interaction with others as you like. As honeymooners, we never felt like we couldn't get away from the other guests and no one is offended if you retire early to your room or pick a lounge chair away from the others. But it is wonderful to get to know the other guests, enjoy each other's company at breakfast, lunch or dinner and even to have another couple to make excursion plans with.
While at the Los Altos we tried yoga one morning with Nicole...wow, what an experience! Way more work that we had anticipated, but such a beautiful and serine place you can't help but relax. We also enjoyed the sunset massage for two followed by the romantic, candlelit dinner for 2 in the spa...now that is what I call heavenly! After side-by-side massages overlooking the rain forest and ocean beyond, we were escorted to the jacuzzi tub surrounded by candles where we found champagne and strawberries waiting. The girls discretely left us there to enjoy the beautiful sunset. A short time later our dinner was served...starting with the most delicious salad (with watermelon, olives, cheese...yum!) and then the most amazing piece of fresh tuna we had ever tasted. Seared in sesame seeds and served with soy and wasabi...all I can say is wow! Dessert was some kind of chocolate decadence and was the perfect end to the meal. We were left with 2 bottles of wine to choose from as we enjoyed the spa as long as we wanted...lying on lounge chairs, listening to the frogs and watching the fireflies, sipping wine before the rain forest opened up with the most spectacular thunder storm that even took the lights out for a short time. Like nothing we had ever experienced...being that relaxed and content with the world!
Another day we rented boards along with another couple (Russ & Kris from KC, MO) at Tamarindo beach and went surfing. The waves were small which was fine with me, but the water is so warm and the beach is so beautiful, it was a wonderful day (re-apply the sun screen more than once!). Afterwards, we enjoyed cold beers at a little bar in town while we waited for Wilfredo to pick us up and drive us back to the Los Altos for lunch (nachos...so good!). We also, took a half-day, deep sea, fishing boat out one day and caught some yellow fin tuna that was prepared for dinner once we got back. (We even got to sample it on the boat as sashimi...amazing! Absolutely delicious! The crew of the Capulla was great and we had a really fun time out with them for the day. We saw dolphins, a manta ray (12-15 feet across), marlin jumping, and even caught a 150-200 lb bull shark right at the end of the trip...it snapped the line before we could get it to break the surface.
We had such a great time just the 2 of us, that the guys decided to get a boat for the next day and leave the wives to enjoy the spa. They caught grouper for dinner that night and I enjoyed the full spa day...a wonderful day of a 1-1/2 hr massage, papaya scrub, hand and foot treatment and a facial...so wonderful! If anyone tells you this spa isn't as good as the ones you find in the states, they are wrong. You have to understand that you are in a different country and they do things differently here. Modesty for one is not as big of a deal as it is at say, Burke Williams or somewhere similar. All of the ingredients are all natural, fruits, honey, etc. You aren't going to have a dermalogica mud mask or whatever; instead you will enjoy the natural fruits that Costa Rica produces. Just relax and enjoy and you will be pleasantly surprised...the spa was absolutely wonderful!
All in all, this was the most relaxed either of us had ever been. We so enjoyed meeting Calvin and Jacqueline, they are perfect hosts. Every detail has been attended to; there is nothing they haven't thought of. The rest of the staff make you feel so welcome in this luxurious environment that you feel like you are saying goodbye to family at the end of your stay. How many hotels have you stayed in where you hug the owners and the staff when you leave with everyone asking when you will be back?
***Note*** Tipping here is something I would say is a must. It’s not like your typically hotel where you leave a few dollars in the room for the maid, tip your server at each individual meal and tip the spa attendants on your way out…if you take a day trip somewhere tip your guide as you normally would, for everything else you can take care of it at the end. I asked Calvin & Jacqueline for help at the end and they gave us some examples…they had some Dr. from somewhere rent the whole place I think they said and leave no tip at all, then a couple who spent a week and tipped $900 for the staff. Here is how we did things…we took care of our fishing boat crews at the end of our days fishing…$160 the first day (crew of 3), boat way $600 for ˝ day = 26% (DH had a hard time figuring out 20% and I wasn’t going to argue with him that he was giving too much with the crew right there). The 2nd fishing day 3 guys went and split the cost $200 each…they had 1 crew member who was also the captain and they each gave him $40㐈% of their portion of the cost.
As for the spa treatments I tipped 18-20% of the total cost of our treatments and gave that to Jacqueline to give to the spa girls to split up. Since all of the charges including the fishing, etc. was on the final bill, I subtracted all the stuff that we had already tipped for…the fishing & the spa and left 10% of the total remaining bill for the staff. $1700-1800 I think it was and we left an even $200. Jacqueline splits that between the managers, kitchen staff, drivers, maids and probably the yoga instructor too. This place is so personal, at the end you really want to find a way to show your appreciation for the staff and all their efforts. Even with the added expense to take care of the staff, I would not let that stop me from coming back again and again.
Once all of that was handled, we took the short ride to the airport. Again we were 1 hour early for our direct flight to San Jose…the airport equates to a small hut of sorts with a bathroom facility (like a typical beach bathroom). They have a counter for each of the 2 domestic airlines and walk you to your plane when it lands. The 45 min. flight was uneventful and our driver John from Latitudes was again waiting at the San Jose nature Air terminal when we arrived. We took the 20 min or so drive back to the Grano de Oro for our last night in town. John asked our plans for the day and since we wanted to see the city and buy souvenirs he offered to arrange a private driver.
We were picked up a short time later by Alberto and paid $15 per hour to have a private driver and escort around the city. He took us to a great place for lunch (don’t know where or remember the name) and then to the central market and the grocery store so we could get coffee, rum, wine, hot sauce, t-shirts, cigars & blackberry juice to bring home. We were out about 2 ˝ hours and it cost us about $40 (tip was included). Mush easier than trying to figure out where we wanted cabs to take us, we just told him what we wanted to buy and he took us right to where we needed to go. We did have to buy an extra duffle bag to take it all home & don’t forget that you can’t take liquid in the cabin once you are back in the states so anything you buy even in the duty free shop in CR has to be checked. We wrapped it all in our clothes and checked our bags and just carried on the coffee.
From CR to the states it looked like only liquids bought and bagged in the airport duty free shop were being allowed in the cabin and they made people with water bottles and sodas and things toss them even if they were purchased in the airport. FYI – if you don’t buy it in advance and put it in your checked bags, just buy it at duty free once you are at the airport. I checked prices at duty free and they were about the same as the grocery store. I bought a baseball hat at the airport for $12.99 (I pay $20+ in the states) and a wooden bracelet for $7.99 (could have paid $5 in a little town but never saw one I liked). Magazines, etc. that are imported are very expensive ($4-7 for magazines or US newspapers & up-words of $11 for a paperback book) especially at the airport, if you want one, bring it from home.
Also, you can put anything you buy duty free in CR into your checked bags after clearing customs in the US b/c you take your bags and go through agriculture and then check them back in. If you get to security (yes you go through again) with liquid they will make you toss it or go back to where you checked your bags and get them pulled off the plane so you can put your stuff in them. The regular 3 oz rule in a separate baggy still applies.
Our flights home on Continental where uneventful and on time. We stopped for a quick beer at Champs at the Dallas airport between flights (after customs, etc. we had about 40 min before our plane) and received good service and a quick checkout when we told the bartender we were in a little bit of a rush. We got to the gate with 15 min. to spare and were the last ones to board which was fine with us…less sitting on the plane.
***Note*** I had been told to take my own toilet paper for the trip and decided not to. I didn’t need it. We weren’t in remote enough areas to have the public restrooms not have TP. There are no seat protectors to be found anywhere though, so if you want them get a travel pack and take them with you. I always carried a small pack of handi-wipes and used them all. I also took Imodium which we both used at some point…you eat a lot of fresh fruit and salad especially at the Los Altos and if your system isn’t used to that, it can loosen things up. I was also able to get cash out of an ATM in Tamarindo and again in San Jose with no problems and felt very safe doing so. Know the exchange when you go…right now it’s about 515 colones for $1, so if something is 2,500 colones that just under $5. this will help if you take cash out of an ATM that only gives colones. I also had no problems paying with dollars if that’s what I preferred. In the small markets you need to ask them (en dollores?) and they will use a calculator to show you what you owe. You will most likely get change in colones though b/c tomorrow they will be less against the dollars the stores kept that you gave them. Not really a big deal though. We did need our flashlight one night (rolling blackouts happening now due to the energy crisis they are having) and we used our emergency rain ponchos a few times and then threw them out on the last day when we were headed home.
All-in-all, a fabulous trip and we can’t wait to go back!
Ps – I will review the vow renewal ceremony and vendors for that separately when I get a chance.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Dec - Feb
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
dvlish
|
|
Reviews written: 68
Trusted by: 7 members
About Me:
Married. Live in the Long Beach, CA area...
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.