Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Destination: Costa Rica

Beth C. of River Falls, WI
Destination: Costa Rica
Resort: Hilton Papagayo
Date: November 2009
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Costa Rica was fabulous. I LOVED the resort. I'm glad we had a car, because the resort is a bit of a drive from everything and without a vehicle, you would be stuck there. Hotel restaurant food is pricey, so we didn't eat there much (except for pool-side nachos and drinks). The staff was really nice, the rooms lovely, and everything about the resort is great. LOVED it!! We did zip-lining one day. One day we went hiking on a nearby volcano. It's active, so that was pretty cool. Otherwise, we just relaxed on the beach/pool and explored. Had a great time. The roads are dreadful -- tons of potholes. I'm glad we were using a rental car and not our own!! I would definitely recommend this place to others.
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The hotel is bungalow style, and the bungalows are spread out, so you may have to walk a bit to get to the pool, etc., although they have 24-hour shuttle service. We like to walk, so we didn't use the shuttle much.
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The bungalow set-up works great for families. Most of them are duplexes with connecting doors. So parents can easily have the privacy of their own room but the security of having their kids right next door. The maids always did the elaborate towel creations when they cleaned the rooms -- sea turtles, elephants with fresh hibiscus flowers -- the kids loved that. And we had giant iguanas right outside our bungalow. COOL!!!