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S e c r e t s & Dreams C o s t a R i c a
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Guanacaste Escapes - The Other Costa Rica by Susan Campbell
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ast summer I had the opportunity to take my adult daughter and her boyfriend to Costa Rica. We had decided to take advantage of Westjet’s new direct flights to Liberia to explore two new resorts in the region of Guanacaste. But we soon discovered there’s more than one side to Costa Rica! It’s not all lush rain forest jungles and canopy bridges as the promotions might have you believe. Those settings are four to six hours away from Liberia! In fact, the region of Guanacaste is much more of a farming community, and their forests are much like ours. They even have our type of animals including cheeky raccoons. But at dusk, the haunting sound of howler monkeys “bark-
ing” in the distant hills does afford a fast reality check. And the intriguing soft black volcanic sands cresting teal surf are also a reminder that you’re definitely far from home. Adult-Only Secrets Papagayo Our first stay was at the all-inclusive adultonly Secrets -only 20 minutes from Liberia airport on the Papagayo peninsula. It’s a massive multi-level assortment of cottage style bungalows dotted throughout rolling forested hillsides cascading down to the sea. Though they do offer one block of oceanfront rooms more hotel style facing the beach. The scope of property is massive, but getting around is made easier by their complimentary shuttles that run continually day and night. Unless you’re highly energetic and ready to tackle very steep inclines in the hot sun, their drivers will become your new best friends! Our cottages were right beside the separate spa pool. It was the best of both worlds. Our location afforded us the separate spa beach, which was always gloriously deserted and an ideal spot to unwind by the sea and take in stellar sunsets. And at low tide, we could walk along the water to the main beach to join the fun around the pool bar. Don’t miss the Happy Hour therethey have a crazy talented barkeep doing shooter shows daily. There are also guided snorkel tours, paddle-boarding lessons, cooking lessons, yoga, rum tastings and the like, all included. You can do a lot or do
nothing; it’s totally up to you. Nights are all about great dining in a choice of 3 a la carte restaurants (no reservations required,) or the Market Café buffet that rotates culinary themes. The buffet also stays open all night for snacks, and they also offer 24/7 room service. So quality food and drink around the clock is never, ever an issue! But we especially enjoyed the healthy options at the spa pool restaurant because my daughter is vegan and they had much more to offer her there. We found Secrets Papagayo to be a lovely laid-back resort and we had a refreshing and enlightening respite there before we moved on to explore more of Costa Rica. Visit: www.secretsresorts.com/papagayo .
www.secretsresorts.com/papagayo
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Family-Friendly Dreams Las Mareas, Costa Rica by Susan Campbell
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n hour and half away from Liberia, you’ll find Dreams’ family-friendly all inclusive tucked away on the lush mountains and scenic coast of Playa El Jobo, also in Guanacaste. It’s so large it appears as an entire village unto itself. Sprawling collections of seaside and mountainside blocks host 447 luxury suites and surround an incredible water circuit that spills seamlessly down many levels right to the sea. We stayed in a Preferred Club Junior Suite Ocean View looking out onto massive tangles of greenery; it was like living in a jungle tree house! And we absolutely adored the massive balcony with couch lounge and oversized hot tub on the deck. We enjoyed lots of time on their beach and the snorkeling was superb. We saw a lot of tropical fish, rays, and the daily spectacle of the flying fish dance- when hundreds of them jettison out of the water in unison- was awesome to witness. We mostly avoided the main pool by the beach as it was always full of children having a blast (loudly,) and opted for the more
secluded adult-only pool level with its own bar and infinity terrace. And parents can get a break from their offspring as well since there are two excellent day camp options included- one for children and one for teens. Adults will also enjoy the late night disco “Desires” for carousing away from the kids. Food and drink galore is included, and again 24/7 room service is well appreciated, as is the 24-hour Coco Café for snacks. But our favorite dining venue by far was the Asian Himitsu and their great teppanyaki table show- the flair was as good as the food! And since we were in the Preferred Club status we also had our own full service dining lounge and bar away from the crowds. Though we could hear howler monkeys in the distance, the onsite primates were little white-faced ones, they hang around the spa area behind the main tower and though folks are advised not to feed them (no matter how cute,) we heard that they sometimes sneak into your room and help themselves to snacks if you leave the bal-
cony door open! I also saw their resident ant eater stroll by one night, quite a surprise to see how large it was, and you’ll encounter a lot of raccoons and crabs at night as well. But as much as we were loving our room and thoroughly enjoying the property, we still wanted to see more of the region so we opted for an additional day excursion with Amstar. www.dreamsresorts.com/las-mareas Mega Combo Tour An Ideal Excursion For All Ages An hour and a half drive by air-conditioned motor coach gets you to up in the elevated volcanic region of Rincón de la Vieja where an exciting day of fun in the jungle awaits with Amstar. The mega-combo excursion covers all the bases- horseback riding, jungle zip-lining, volcanic thermal springs and natural mud baths and a 400-meter rainforest water slide- the longest in the country. They also serve an excellent local lunch. We highly recommend it! www.amstardmc.com/mega-combo.html
WT / Winter 2016-17