costa rica, st. lucia or ?
Oct 14th, 2005, 08:18 AM
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costa rica, st. lucia or ?
My husband and I will be celebrating our 20 year anniversary and my sister and her husband will ber celebrating their 25th next June. We went to a couple of travel agencies, but they kept pushing the big resorts (87 restaurants,58 swimming pools with a mere 20,000 people staying there-I guess a slight exageration). We are looking for a destination with alot of natural beauty (waterfalls, hiking, etc.-maybe rent a car to see the sights), romance, with a nice beach for snorkeling & scuba diving. A small, well-kept resort with a swimming pool and a restaurant would be just fine. We thought about St. Lucia or Costa Rica,but we've heard alot of mixed reviews. We've never been out of the states and want a special vacation w/o our kids. All-inclusive or not? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated because at this point, I'm thoroughly confused!
Oct 14th, 2005, 09:05 AM
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Jalhousie Hilton or Anse Chastent in St.Lucia could fit the bill . At Anse there is great diving , supermans wall is there I believe ...? It is terribly romantic , the pitons amazing , super hiking , a drive in volcano ...... Costa Rica is endless in activity choices , but snorkeling and diving are not it's strong points .....
Oct 14th, 2005, 09:14 AM
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Costa Rica, no question. St Lucia is fine, but Costa Rica is fabulous. We've been to both and St Lucia was fine but we want to move to Costa Rica. If for no other reason, the people. They are wonderful. Tourism is not so old and over done in CR. They still seem to like travelers. That wasn't the case in St Lucia, for us anyway.
Oct 14th, 2005, 09:19 AM
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Hey !!! We want to move to Costa Rica as well !!lol , We LOVE it !!! If you can let go of the snorkeling /diving , activity choices are endless as I stated . There are loads of small inns and hotels in the " Boutique " sense , different areas to choose from , volcanos , cloud forests , rainforests ......
Oct 14th, 2005, 09:45 AM
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And Cocos Island is a well known dive spot , but expensive and a bit of effort to get to . Plus ..... supposedly hundreds of Hammerhead sharks congregate there . And yup , I wish I was there now as well , cold and rainy here also .
Oct 14th, 2005, 09:52 AM
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Oh ya, when we returned to our, "resort," after our snorkeling trip we were informed by a biologist that there are sharks off the coast there also. I can't remember what kind of sharks she was talking about...something that began with B. She said they will go after humans. Hummm. Ignorance is bliss.
Oct 14th, 2005, 10:45 AM
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negis1,
I am not a fan of big resorts either. I highly recommend Casa Chameleon in Mal Pais,Costa Rica for what you are describing. Their web address is www.hotelcasachameleon.com. Just click on my name for my opinion on Mal Pais and Casa Chameleon.
Pura Vida!
I am not a fan of big resorts either. I highly recommend Casa Chameleon in Mal Pais,Costa Rica for what you are describing. Their web address is www.hotelcasachameleon.com. Just click on my name for my opinion on Mal Pais and Casa Chameleon.
Pura Vida!
Oct 14th, 2005, 11:45 AM
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Tbeglian, those are bull sharks your resort referred to. They are mean sharks, and have been known to 'go after humans', but I've never heard of a shark attack in Costa Rica.
Anyway, for a 20th anniversary, I'd go the the Flor Blanca in Santa Teresa. Same area as Casa C. mentioned above.
Anyway, for a 20th anniversary, I'd go the the Flor Blanca in Santa Teresa. Same area as Casa C. mentioned above.
Oct 15th, 2005, 02:38 AM
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We went to CR twice and once to St. Lucia. We enjoyed both places but Costa Rica has so much more to offer. However, do not count on a crystal clear water and snorkeling from a beach. In St. Lucia we stayed in Ladera which we thought it was overrated as it it was too hard to get to the beach. If you like active vacations go to Costa Rica
Oct 15th, 2005, 02:50 AM
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Another thought. Would you consider St. John, USVI? Gorgeous beaches, great snorkeling, hiking, national park occupies most of the island, rental cars and you can book everything by yourself without relying on prefrences of a travel agent.
Oct 15th, 2005, 07:00 AM
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As I was reading your question, Anse Chastanet in St. Lucia immediately leapt to mind, where we had our 20th. anniversary trip. Absolutely lovely, low key and intimate, great food and service without being stuffy, some great snorkeling right there at the beach, and the beach sports guys spent almost an hour teaching my husband how to sail (for free!). But we were only there 3 days (spent the rest of our time on Dominica), so didn't tour the rest of this beautiful island. Costa Rica is also gorgeous with tons of stuff to do, but the way we visited it was by small cruise ship so I don't have any resort info.
Either place, I don't see how you could go wrong.
Either place, I don't see how you could go wrong.
Oct 15th, 2005, 07:10 AM
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Thanks for the suggestions. We may give up the diving this trip and look a little closer at Costa Rica and we hadn't even looked at St. John so that's another good possiblity. Thanks again!!!
Oct 16th, 2005, 05:20 AM
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Negis1
My husband and I have spent two wonderful trips in Costa Rica, Guanacaste...specifically Tamarindo area. We have good friends that have lived there for many years and know the region well. And like most Americans, we are in the middle of a search for property there.
Costa Rica is romantic....and very raw. If you and your friends are adventurist types then I highly recommend it. 4x4's are necessary to see the essence of the country. We snorkeled in Playa Conchal...nice, but not the Caribbean. The dives were extraordinary...Catalinas out of Flamingo...we have done it twice. The currents are strong and you must be comfortable at 80 feet. But that is the true joy of Costa Rica to us. Billfishing is excellent and exhilerating; horseback riding is as well. The food is pura vida. To me, nothing compares. Costa Rica gets deep in your soul.
However, for my husband, a change of pace is necessary this year and ironically, we have booked two weeks in Grenadines and St. Lucia for this December. Our friends sold us on the "romance"
of the area, the excellent snorkeling and scuba diving.... the romance of the pitons. We are planning to snorkel and dive the Grenadines and
then head up to St. Lucia for hiking, mountain biking, scuba diving....it's all on the list of to-do's.
When we return we will post a comparison.
My husband and I have spent two wonderful trips in Costa Rica, Guanacaste...specifically Tamarindo area. We have good friends that have lived there for many years and know the region well. And like most Americans, we are in the middle of a search for property there.
Costa Rica is romantic....and very raw. If you and your friends are adventurist types then I highly recommend it. 4x4's are necessary to see the essence of the country. We snorkeled in Playa Conchal...nice, but not the Caribbean. The dives were extraordinary...Catalinas out of Flamingo...we have done it twice. The currents are strong and you must be comfortable at 80 feet. But that is the true joy of Costa Rica to us. Billfishing is excellent and exhilerating; horseback riding is as well. The food is pura vida. To me, nothing compares. Costa Rica gets deep in your soul.
However, for my husband, a change of pace is necessary this year and ironically, we have booked two weeks in Grenadines and St. Lucia for this December. Our friends sold us on the "romance"
of the area, the excellent snorkeling and scuba diving.... the romance of the pitons. We are planning to snorkel and dive the Grenadines and
then head up to St. Lucia for hiking, mountain biking, scuba diving....it's all on the list of to-do's.
When we return we will post a comparison.
Oct 16th, 2005, 05:42 AM
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Negis1
My husband and I have spent two wonderful trips in Costa Rica, Guanacaste...specifically Tamarindo area. We have good friends that have lived there for many years and know the region well. And like most Americans, we are in the middle of a search for property there.
Costa Rica is romantic....and very raw. If you and your friends are adventurist types then I highly recommend it. 4x4's are necessary to see the essence of the country. We snorkeled in Playa Conchal...nice, but not the Caribbean. The dives were extraordinary...Catalinas out of Flamingo...we have done it twice. The currents are strong and the water is not always clear...but the kickback is the abundant large marine life. It's amazing.
If anyone in your party likes to fish....then CR is the hot ticket. Billfishing is excellent and taking a Panga out for tuna is common. We had ours sushi'd for lunch. Incredible. Horseback riding, boogie boarding/surfing, cable rides over the rain forest...it's all PURA VIDA...and the food is absolutely delicious. To me, nothing compares. Costa Rica gets deep in your soul.
However, for us, a change of pace is necessary this year and ironically, we have booked two weeks in Grenadines and St. Lucia for this December. We were sold us on the "romance" of the area. I've spent weeks online here and tripadvisor and checked out Ladera, Anse Chastenet, TiKaye...and ended up booking a private villa in Soufriere. We plan to dive only once in St. Lucia at Anse Chastenet. It sounds wonderful. As for the excellent snorkeling , from what I've read...a trip to the Grenadines is necessary near Tobago Cays....
so we extended our vacation and booked in the Grenadines...hoping to get 'better than the Caymans' caribbean water experiences. (we are both water babies) The romance of the southern part of St. Lucia and the beauty of the pitons...friends who have traveled the world say nothing compares.
We can't wait! When we return we will post a comparison.
For now, we can suggest the following in CR:
In Ocotol....VILLA OCOTOL...supposedly some good snorkeling around the area...
In Tamarindo area...HACIENDA PINILLA...DIRIA...EL CAPITAN SUIZO....all romantic accomodations, small, well kept resorts.
Enjoy the search!
My husband and I have spent two wonderful trips in Costa Rica, Guanacaste...specifically Tamarindo area. We have good friends that have lived there for many years and know the region well. And like most Americans, we are in the middle of a search for property there.
Costa Rica is romantic....and very raw. If you and your friends are adventurist types then I highly recommend it. 4x4's are necessary to see the essence of the country. We snorkeled in Playa Conchal...nice, but not the Caribbean. The dives were extraordinary...Catalinas out of Flamingo...we have done it twice. The currents are strong and the water is not always clear...but the kickback is the abundant large marine life. It's amazing.
If anyone in your party likes to fish....then CR is the hot ticket. Billfishing is excellent and taking a Panga out for tuna is common. We had ours sushi'd for lunch. Incredible. Horseback riding, boogie boarding/surfing, cable rides over the rain forest...it's all PURA VIDA...and the food is absolutely delicious. To me, nothing compares. Costa Rica gets deep in your soul.
However, for us, a change of pace is necessary this year and ironically, we have booked two weeks in Grenadines and St. Lucia for this December. We were sold us on the "romance" of the area. I've spent weeks online here and tripadvisor and checked out Ladera, Anse Chastenet, TiKaye...and ended up booking a private villa in Soufriere. We plan to dive only once in St. Lucia at Anse Chastenet. It sounds wonderful. As for the excellent snorkeling , from what I've read...a trip to the Grenadines is necessary near Tobago Cays....
so we extended our vacation and booked in the Grenadines...hoping to get 'better than the Caymans' caribbean water experiences. (we are both water babies) The romance of the southern part of St. Lucia and the beauty of the pitons...friends who have traveled the world say nothing compares.
We can't wait! When we return we will post a comparison.
For now, we can suggest the following in CR:
In Ocotol....VILLA OCOTOL...supposedly some good snorkeling around the area...
In Tamarindo area...HACIENDA PINILLA...DIRIA...EL CAPITAN SUIZO....all romantic accomodations, small, well kept resorts.
Enjoy the search!
Oct 16th, 2005, 06:02 PM
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floridaadventurist:
It sounds like you will have an incredible trip coming up. When I looked for places to stay in St. Lucia, anywhere near Soufriere seemed perfect, with TiKaye being at the top of our list. I think we've narrowed it down to Costa Rica, so thanks for the suggestions. Have a wonderful trip!!
It sounds like you will have an incredible trip coming up. When I looked for places to stay in St. Lucia, anywhere near Soufriere seemed perfect, with TiKaye being at the top of our list. I think we've narrowed it down to Costa Rica, so thanks for the suggestions. Have a wonderful trip!!
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