14 Day Best of Costa Rica

Costa Rica | Jan 23 - Feb 5, 2023

The view is gorgeous and the best part of the hotel. It is on a steep hill, if someone is not able to walk well, but you can request a shuttle ride. All the furnishings were uncomfortable. The bed was hard, there was a cheap sofa facing a wall that only served to put luggage on, no inside chairs, and patio chairs also uncomfortable. Pool lounges uncomfortable too.

This hotel had the best bed and room setup. The bed was so comfy and fluffy comforter made it so cozy. It was better than other more expensive property beds. There were upholstered chairs by the windows for reading or whatever which other properties didn't have either. We found a trail in back, and saw lots of birds and animals.

This property was gorgeous and we had a stunning view of the volcano. You had your own cabana, so it was very private and seemed like there wasn't other guests. The breakfast buffet had everything and overlooked a small pond with lots of wildlife. There were also sloths in the trees. We did take advantage of both pools and the termales. The bed wasn't as comfy as Hotel Heliconia was probably the only critique.

I loved that the owner had a bird feeder in front which attracted so many kinds of exotic birds, and some squirrels too. It was great viewing and photo ops. The room had gorgeous floor to ceiling windows, but you didn't get much of a view because of the height of the vegetation. It did make it private. You had to go to the restaurant deck to get the view of the volcano. It was very nice relaxing on this deck. The canvas chairs that went with with the small table by the windows were too low for the table, and uncomfortable. There was a sofa which was good, but no good reading lighting to read in it. The water never was very warm. The grounds were very pretty, and it was quiet. It is a bit remote, so we made a stop at a market for some things before stopping. There is a walking trail to an observation deck over a pond, which was dense with foliage where we saw howler monkeys and birds.

The location of our room was across the street from the oceanfront, which although not on the beach, was still convenient. I liked the grass beachfront, as it was breezy/windy and there was sand blowing. With the grass you didn't get sandblown. I did prefer the more sandy beach at the near Playa Langosta, however as I said, the grass here was a plus. And Playa Langosta was not too far to walk if you wanted to enjoy that Our room was in a multi level/unit building near the auto entrance and at the beginning of the passage. We got a lot of noise with people passing by, especially on Saturday when they are drunk and really loud. And at night, when the auto arm was raised, you got beep beep beep up, then the same down. We did not get good sleep here. The room had a nice patio oriented toward the pool, which although not the beach, was still nice. The breakfast buffet was really good. There are plenty of stores and eateries close. I would actually rate this hotel a 3 1/2 due to the noise and close proximity to neighbors.

I got to be like Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous for an afternoon. The catamaran was amazing, the largest of any other tour company out there. Got to see the coastline, and lots of dolphins, and nesting habitats on the small isles. We didn't end up snorkeling, as there was a red sea so visibility was reduced. We also didn't jump from the boat to the water, due to our age. The young people really enjoyed that. The dinner provided was very good and ample. There was also fruit prior. And you got 4 drinks per person, which we didn't even use all of. The beautiful sunset was a perfect ending. What I didn't like was that the music was deafening. You could hardly speak with the person you came with. The music selection was good, but just too loud. I also didn't like that the transportation bus made many stops to pick up other guests, understandable, but then we all had to disembark at the Boat Headquarters in town to receive our bracelets for the tour. This was inconvenient and time consuming when we were all amped to start our experience. The driver had all our names, so why wasn't it possible for him to go in and collect our bracelets and give them to us, and we're on our way. That is my suggestion for your team for the future.

I was really impressed with our guide for pointing out not only the obvious sloths, monkeys, but the flora and minuscule creatures that one would overlook. The guide was so adept at not only finding the wildlife, but getting the perfect photo and video for you. We did see many sloths, white faced monkeys, howler monkeys, and an endangered squirrel monkeys which was a rare treat. The tour ends on a beautiful beach where you can swim or relax away from the public beaches.

This walk was fun in that you are on trails in the night with your flashlight, provided by them, seeking out creatures of the night. It reminded me of being a kid. We mostly located species of birds roosting for the night, and it gave you the opportunity to see them pretty close up as they didn't fly off. It was interactive for the group (small) to participate in locating items of interest too. The tour begins with a beautiful sunset of the area that the children helped save before setting off on your adventure.

The jungle is so lush and beautiful Spent so much time just looking at everything. The bridges were a lot of fun swaying with the wind, as well as providing a view from higher up. The sloth sanctuary exhibit at the end provided up close viewing of these animals which was fascinating, and the guide was knowledgeable. There was also a butterfly exhibit and a reptile after, both enjoyable and less crowded than the sloths.

I had such a fun time with this. The lesson was actually at Langosta Beach, not Tamarindo, which is a short ways away. This worked out fine as the beach is sandier and better for beginners. It turned out I was the only one in the group, so it was really a private lesson. I was able to get up my first try, and I am 68 years old. What a kick. The instructor guides you out on the board, then pushes you onto a wave, so it is not too difficult. Staying up is the harder part. The water was warm and shallow, and it was aslo a great respite from the heat.

This was a not to hard hike along the beautiful blue river culminating with the gorgeous blue waterfall. Our guide was very knowledgeable with the explanation and geography which makes this color occur. A bonus was the giant tapir which made an appearance.

The hike was not too difficult, and it had 3 levels of difficulty to choose. I chose the longest route, and it was still a pleasant hike although it rained and we didn't have a view of the volcano or lake.

The warm water felt great as it was intermittent rain so was good to submerge in warm water. The water fall area was great on the back. The included dinner was very good.

It was relaxing going down the river and spotting the wildlife, but adventurous enough not to be boring. You are in a raft and do have to paddle in parts, so you got some exercise too. You do spot animals, but you are traveling down a river, so you don't get as great watch as if you were still. I didn't know about the chocolate presentation after, and thought it would be boring, but it wasn't. And the chocolate was delicious.