JackiBriggs

Trip Report for Costa Rica. Guanacaste Region. 6 of us traveling together. Husband and myself are 26& 24 years old. Both sets of parents are around 50 years old. All stayed at the Allegro Papagayo Jan 14th ? 21st 2004. Via Apple Vacations.
What a beautiful country! I would live there in a heart beat. We had an excellent time.
Day 1 Thursday ? Half day costal Fishing with Resort Divers. Arranged prior to arrival via email with owner Viviane. Captain and First Mate ? negro picked us up on Black Sand Beach in front of our hotel at 8:30. The resort they are based out of is across the bay. Covered 28 foot boat ? no bathroom, equipped with outriggers. Rather uneventful morning. No live bait on board. We fished for live bait ? which was caught late in the morning, then trolled for Rooster Fish. No luck. Water was calm in the bay, rougher when towards ocean. Enjoyable way to spend first morning. Staff was pleasant. 4 of us were comfortable on boat.
Day 2 Friday? Local Diving with Resort Divers. Again all arranged prior to arrival in Costa Rica. Again picked us up in front of resort at 8:30. First Dive was not so good, in comparison to the rest of the trip ? can?t remember the name ? vis was 20 feet or so. My parents first Ocean Dive (they got certified in a quarry in Pennsylvania in Sept ?03). Dive Master Sergio ? was excellent, attentive ? reassuring. Second Dive ? Monkey Head. Excellent ? white tipped reef shark, lots of life, large sting ray. Better Vis.

Day 3 Saturday ? Upgraded to Catalina Dive. MANTA?s MANTA?s MANTA?s. So Cool. Took 45 minutes to get there. 2 of us went ? others stayed at resort pool. Excellent! On way there ? we came across 4 humpback whales, attempted to snorkel with them, but they weren?t interested. First Catalina Location ? great spot for Manta?s. Saw 4 or 5. One came very close, other sea life as well ? interesting star fish, etc. Second Catalina Dive ? kinda drift dive. Went with current ? boat followed over head. Again Sergio with Resort Divers was excellent. The captain permitted my father to fish on surface interval ? provided some entertainment for the rest of us.

Day 4 ? Sunday ? Local Dives again. All 4 of us went. Excellent Day. 1st Dive Spot ?2 Lagerhead Turtles,2 White tipped Reef Sharks, abundance of sea life. 2nd Dive Spot ? Monkey Head ? excellent again. On surface interval we saw a HUGE manta glide out of the water. He stayed relatively shallow under boat. My mom snorkeled with him, as did others from another dive boat nearby. We descended for dive ? and saw him 2 more times overhead. Huge and graceful. GREAT! More turtles, etc. Great diving day, calm water?.
In evening we grabbed a taxi from the hotel ? to head for Playa Hermosa. 45 min drive from hotel. $50 for 4 of us round trip. They stick around the area and wait for you while you do whatever. We wanted to watch the NFL game. On Saturday we contacted Mike Mills via cell ? owner of Puesta Del Sol at Playa Hermosa, to ensure game would be on. Nice set up with 4 ft screen & projector. Food was excellent ? minimal cost ? Burgers & Fish nuggets were $5.00. Local Beer ? Imperial, minimal cost as well. Good way to spend evening and visit another location ? besides the resort.

Day 5 ? Day Trip with Ricardo Vargas ? private tour operator. Excellent! Arranged prior to arrival via email & internet. Visited Rincon de la Vieja ? semi active volcano. About 1 hour 30 minute drive to private resort location. I think it was spelled Bolinquen. Beautiful! We had resort to ourselves ? no real guests. 1st we did the Canopy tour ? 11 platforms. 800 feet in the air. So much fun! Very safe. Lunch at the resort ? excellent beef (raised in area). They we headed over to the natural Spa. Suana, mud treatment, then different temperature pools of water to relax in. Wonderful ? and completely private. Ricardo was very attentive speaks perfect English, very nice.We stopped at souviner shops on the way back to the hotel. We left at 8:30 am, and returned around 5:30 pm. Wonderful day ? I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Day 6 Tuesday ? Palo Verde River Float with Ricardo Vargas. Excellent again! 1 hour 45 minute drive to river location ? in Air Conditioned Taxi ? there were 10 of us that went from the Hotel. Wonderful day. We saw : Howler Monkeys, False Coral Snake, White Faced Monkeys, White Ibis ? many other birds, 15 Crocodiles, long nosed bats, turtles, Iguana?s tons of wildlife. Would do it again in a second. Bring your camera and binoculars. The boat held about 15 people, came with a local guide and motor. Local guide spotted a lot of things we missed. We stopped for local lunch on way back to hotel with group. Enough can?t be said about Ricardo Vargas and his wife Lupita ? they are running an excellent operation. Much better than Swiss Travel Mega tours with 75 or 100 people. Very personalized.

Hotel: Built on Hill Side ? terrace style. Most others are as well. We were in building 4 ? hard walk back to room in evenings after a couple of drinks. No complaints ? we are young and in shape. Shuttles run around the hotel every couple of minutes. Hard walk for older persons, or those with join problems. Food in Main dining area was buffet style. Prompt seating ? good attention from wait staff ? being that it was peak tourist season for them. Drinks were excellent. Swim up bar in pool was great. Black sand beach ? was okay. Good for sea shells, and morning walks. Staff didn?t speak very much English ? be prepared with Spanish basics. Steak Restaurant ? full service. Make reservations as soon as you arrive in Hotel. Only seats 30 persons per night. Better cuts of steak, fish etc. great service. Dress here is a little more upscale, than the rest of the resort which is very casual.

Liberia Airport ? very small, 35 minutes from resort. Delta is flying in there, in addition to Canadian Skyy Service, an Apple Charters. Lots of construction when we arrived. Will hopefully be done soon.

Things I would have done differently ?
(1) Stayed longer ?
(2) Stayed Forever ?
(3) Never came home
Seriously, when we return ? we would do the over night trip to the Active Volcano ? Arenal, do the white water rafting & Tabacon Hot Springs. We would do more diving ? hoping to get to the Bat Islands. We would do the Mount Verde Cloud Forest & Skywalk, and more Canopy?s.




The Company?s we used:

Resort Divers De Costa Rica : Viviane Beckers tel/fax: (506)670-0421
www.resortdivers-cr.com www.costa-rica-sport-fishing.com
We pre-paid via credit card for a 3 day discount dive card, it was seemless. Shop staff & Boat staff were excellent ? Sergio our dive master for 3 days was awesome. They will take your gear and rinse for numerous days of diving. We brought our own equipment ? my parents rented the Reg, BC, Wetsuit - for $20 per day. Full 3 mil suit is best ? water temp & Vis can vary greatly in pacific.

Ricardo Vargas Tours : [email protected] ? His wife Lupita answers all emails and is wonderful. No prepayment was needed, will take Travels Checks or Cash. Email for pricing.

Mike Mills: Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.costarica-realestate.com

Want more info or pics? Email us at [email protected]

Percy

Did you hire a private guide or did you take a company tour along with other people.?
I thnk the tour companies are expensive, so you might as well have a private guide
Thanks
Percy

JackiBriggs

Ricardo Vargas is a semi-private guide. HE prefers groups of 10 or less, the attention he gives each one of his clients is wonderful, nevermind the trips themselves. I too would stay away from large groups like Swiss Travel - that transport 75+ people....

lrjones

Jacki:

Thanks so much for the trip report! Our family with boys ages 6 and 7 are staying in the Guanacaste region in March at the Four Seasons. I don't know how far Allegro was from there, but did you by any chance see the property? Are there any of the tours that you feel our boys can't handle? Thinking mostly about the Canopy tour, river float, and snorkeling. We're staying one night at Tabacon, so we've got that covered. Thanks again for the great trip report. You've reassured me about the Guanacaste region. I've been worried it would be too dry and that there might be a lot of construction on the Papagayo Peninsula.

Percy

Thanks for the trip report.
You did a lot of diving!!
Is the turtle egg laying season until the end of march
Thanks
Percy

JackiBriggs

lrjones:
Your boys will have the memories of a lifetime. We did see the Four Seasons from the water - it looks beautiful!
We did our surface interval in the bay outside it - for about 35 minutes. The architecture is very unique - blends with the surroundings very nicely. The allegro is just around the corner - they share the same main drive when heading towards the coastline.
Tour suggestions:
*The PAlo Verde River Tour - definitely. They will love to see all the wildlife -it is unreal - all the crocodiles, and birds - bring cheap binoculars.
*Snorkeling - isnt the best(compared to other places we have been) - but i would suggest a day trip on a sail boat combining lunch with a snorkle trip.
* The canopy tour would probably be a bit much - you are hanging 800 feet over a rainforest - and you have to control yourself breaking with a leather glove. I would do the day trip with Ricardo to the same area - and take a hike in the area instead - it is beautiful, then do the natural spa thing - mud packs and all with the kids. they will love the mud.

I envy your trip to Tabacon - we will do that when we return - my inlaws did visit for an overnight stay and it was wonderful -- they saw the lava flowing down the volcano as they sat in a jacuzzi after dinner. That in itself would be priceless.
The boys might like the day trip to Nicaragua that Ricardo offers - you actually get to go to a Crater of a volcano and look inside. Email Ricardo and Lupita - they will take care of you and the kids.
Tell them Jacki Says hello.
[email protected]

Percy -
I dont know when the Turtles stop thier egg laying - but ricardo could tell you for sure. From what i remember reading it was Jan & Feb definitely.

Take Care!
~ Jacki

CDH

Hello Jacki,

You mention you stayed at the Allegro Papagayo. My husband and I will be leaving for Costa Rica on March 1 and we are booked at the Allegro.

Any thoughts about the hotel, amenities, staff and service you could share with us?

Thanks
CDH
Toronto, Canada

shillmac

You won't be disappointed. It is a very nice AI with an attentive staff. The entertainment in the evenings is usually enjoyable. The pool is nice. I think it is one of the more beautiful (and yet priced reasonably) all-inclusives in Costa Rica. We spent our first Costa Rican vacation there. It's location is good for all of the things mentioned in the trip report above. We had our three older (late teens, early twenties) children with us and they had a lot of fun hanging out with the "fun club" staffers, going to the disco at night, etc. We still stay in touch with some of those young people, and it has been 3 years. Very friendly crew. I contend that the food is never gourmet at any all-inclusive. It is what you would expect at any other place that is similar. Have fun!

Jessie_

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