Great Sampler for First Trip to Costa Rica
Costa Rica
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Jan 13 - Jan 24, 2024
![christy](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/users/profile_photos/80fc1b4fe4f8640a772774b7c334f66f20110ec9/original-ddc760db4c3ea5b4cf29e19fc7d4440f.jpg)
This was our first trip to Costa Rica so we didn't know anything. I liked going back and forth with Randall about ideas and options. We chose 4 nights at the very high end Amor Arsenal which we loved the most, then 2 nights at Hotel Belmar in Monteverde which was a cool old hotel with amazing views, and then 3 nights at Arenas Del Mar at Manuel Antonio. We opted for the small room at Arenas Del Mar and were disappointed with that - it was really too small. Because we got in so late on our first night, we had just a brief stay at Grano in San Jose and it was very nice. Coming home from Manuel Antonio, we stayed one night near the airport at Xandari Resort which is a very charming place with colorful painted villas, pools, amazing landscaping, and a great trail to waterfalls. You can hear quite a few planes going over but it wasn't too bad. The only negative there was that the mattress and the pillows were very hard and uncomfortable.
Our activities included volcano hikes, nature walks, zip line, chocolate/coffee/sugar cane tasting, beach walking, and swimming.
Hotel Reviews
Our casita was lovely - the best of the trip. Gleaming wood floors, ceiling, and window frames. Great views. Our own jacuzzi. The staff were very helpful and friendly. Yoga was good and the facilities lovely. Nice but short trail for walking. Hard to get a long (as in 4 miles) walk in on the property though. The food was good but a bit overpriced. Loved sitting outside on the deck at the restaurant.
We were there only from 11pm to 10am. It was a beautiful hotel and the breakfast was wonderful.
Beautiful painting job of every wall, gate, and decoration - so colorful. The landscaping is gorgeous - really enjoyed walking through all the paths. Enjoyed the walk to the waterfalls. We had a big villa which was nice. There was a little mildew odor in the bathroom. The mattress was very hard - like a futon - and was uncomfortable. The pillows were also very stiff and too firm. This is a charming place - they just need to work on a few details in the rooms. Planes take off nearby but they are not constant and they didn't really bother us.
We had the best room - fantastic views. There was a huge, round bath tub in the room which we didn't use (would feel guilty using that much water!). It is a windy place and cool but that was fine. We enjoyed walking everywhere around the nature walks and to the beer garden. The nature path is very short - would have liked a longer path to walk. The road to the hotel is very steep so we never did walk into town. The restaurant is very nice and the staff were just great. One night we had live music which was fun.
Our room was too small - we wish we had booked the larger room. The only place to sit in a chair was out on the deck which was sometimes too hot. This is a beach experience and it was hot and humid. The pool near the reception area was particularly lovely. We enjoyed walking along the public beach which is longer. We are not ocean swimmers. We enjoyed the tour of the park but there were many people and we really didn't see that many animals. We liked our tour guide Raphael who was very knowledgeable. This hotel has a steep path from rooms/reception to the beach but they offer golf carts for those who don't want to walk. There is a short nature path. We didn't do as much hiking as we had planned because of the heat.
Activity Reviews
![Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/trip_plan/days/photos/b0f59d070ecbc5bf6d7575634b5a34474b973dfa/medium-c000713b59454368c53b6af5c819be62.jpg)
The guide, Eduardo, was excellent. He pointed out many animals and birds. He was very fit and animated. We enjoyed being with him.
![Burrito Hike](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/061eced57a54308e312fabaadb3edd767d7c5667/original-8876353f4a080992d53992c3b0bc6073.jpg)
This was a good challenging hike but could have been longer. They used to call it the burrito hike because they took you to make burritos but now they took us to chop vegetables and make empanadas. It was okay but we would have rather hiked more. We enjoyed the people we were with and the guide was great.
![Monteverde - Zip-lining tour at the Selvatura Park](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/0fdc299a8aebe080eaa6191726380af01ba39bab/medium-56ede728b9662d358624cce4b0ad5c93.jpg)
We loved this activity. There were 13 zip lines (some were very short). It was pretty and good to be in the fresh air. Felt very safe. The only negative is how many people there were - some long lines on occasion.
![Coffee, Chocolate and Sugar Cane Experience](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/trip_plan/days/photos/abffe443e3c313f32008579c052f0da6a31b589c/medium-c1f6c7a900619268157121fdeed8421e.jpg)
Fun activity, learned a lot. There were a lot of people - pretty touristy.
![Arenal Volcano - Mistico Hanging Bridges and La Fortuna Waterfall](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/024423c8e5e3e10c780e74cd68b7382ff3122284/medium-151a6c2d4759827a88fe8e73137fa806.jpg)
Very touristy. Tons of people everywhere. Waiting in lines. Actually walking on the hanging bridges was fun. The La Fortuna waterfall is a staircase that you walk down and then back up. Not a hike at all.
![Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/trip_plan/days/photos/037bb34d9e72d5d242620808c9991196f74d8c8c/medium-004ce01857a491a6cce0b375f670ba65.jpg)
Very tame walk. We were in a group of 10. Not a lot of exercise. The guide was very good - Raphael. He knew a lot and was good at explaining. We didn't see that many animals due to the time of day and the crowds. Tons of tourists.
![Randall](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/users/profile_photos/c69b4c77b092d730348ced6ba472c12130e8599f/original-692194ddc33b169fd43ee4f5b76eacfd.jpg)
Hi Christy,
I appreciate the feedback shared about your trip to our country a few weeks ago, it is great to confirm that you had a good time on the vacation that we organized for you...and as far as the beds' condition at Xandari, we will make sure to pass your comments to them too.
Have a good day and we hope to see you again anytime soon.
Best,
Randall