My friend is considering honeymoon trip to the new four seasons in Costa Rica in June. Anyone been there... they opened in January? Would you recommend it? Thx.

If you are looking for the utmost in luxury and service, this is the place for you! We prefer to get out among the local folks a little more (except for an occasional splurge) and experience the culture of Costa Rica! We did drive through the property a couple of weeks ago. It will be quite beautiful when finished. They are still working on the golf course and some of the landscaping. I was sad to think that all the beautiful and natural landscaping had been scrapped in favor of the "carefully, designed-by-Man, kind"! It is a huge property, sprawls all over the Papagayo Peninsula. It is definitely meant to cater to a more wealthy and demanding clientele. As I said, if this is the kind of experience you would prefer, this is probably your property. Having said that, Costa Rica has several beautiful, smaller resort hotels that have great honeymoon packages. You will get to experience more of Costa Rica in these places rather than behind the walls of the Four Seasons "compound"!

To shillmac - thank you for your comments. If not Four Seasons, what small resort would you suggest?

If you don't mind giving up the all-inclusive factor, you might check into Capitan Suizo or Cala Luna near Tamarindo; Tango Mar in Tambor; Flor Blanca or Milarepa in Sta. Teresa; Makanda by the Sea in the Manuel Antonio area (several others in this area as well); Punta Islita south of Playa Samara; some of these are a little hard to get to, but if it's just a romantic get away you are looking for (on a beach), you probably won't mind that so much. Having been there several times and knowing how beautiful all of these areas are, you can't go wrong. I'm sure others will have suggestions for you as well. We haven't stayed at these places because they do tend to be more expensive and we try to stay with a moderate price for lodging, but the reviews are excellent from people who have stayed at these places--and in the guide books. Some of them have outdoor showers built onto the rooms--very classy ones, not rugged! Unique is the word I think you might be interested in! You know the main thing that discouraged us about Four Seasons? Just to arrive at the resort, we had to drive 7km down a hand bricked road at a very slow speed limit! I didn't care for the time it took to get in and out of there (among other things). I think you would be happier with a more intimate setting that would allow you to easily explore the area around you! June will not be a busy month. You have time to go online and look at some of these places. Let us all know what you decided! What a great time you are going to have!

We just got back from Sueno del Mar in Tamarindo. A small B & B. They have a gorgeous honeymoon suite. Nancy and Paul are very helfpul. See Lorelietravels trip details and tips for more info on Tamarindo. I posted it today.

Here's a snippit:
Our little B&B on the ocean, Sueno del Mar (English translation is Lazy by the Sea), was more than I could have ever dreamed of. It was a 6-room adobe and stucco structure that instantly relaxed you. We had the honeymoon suite for a few of the days but all of the rooms were so beautiful. Each room featured a four-poster wood framed bed with extremely comfortable linens and to John?s pleasant surprise a fan and air conditioning. The rooms did not have a clock, tv or phone?in fact we rarely knew what time it was or even what day it was. Each room was decorated with handmade artwork and featured an outdoor shower with mosaic tile and ferns and plants for privacy. We spent very little time in the rooms though because the weather was gorgeous every day. The beaches were very secluded unless you walked down a few minutes during high tide to watch the surfers.

Sueno del Mar felt like it was all ours. Hammocks hung from the trees, wind chimes and dream catchers made music that blended well with the ocean waves and the sounds of birds chirping gradually woke you every morning. We woke up naturally every morning around 7:30 where we would head directly to their famous gourmet breakfast pool and Oceanside. The barefoot cooks would serve you fresh fruit (I am permanently spoiled), a homemade pastry or cake with fruit puree adorned with a tropical flower clipped from their garden that morning followed by a fruit smoothie and a main entrée which was always the best dish I had ever tried. Of course I cannot forget the coffee. Coffee is one of their main exports. Again, I am not sure if I can go to Starbucks ever again!

The breakfast routine usually lasted an hour or so and ended up in a hammock while we contemplated what to do the remainder of the day or discussed yesterday?s activities with the two or three other couples/families that were at Sueno. Sometimes we took a walk into town along the ocean sometimes we laid out or lounged in the pool and sometimes we did both and than in the afternoon went on some type of excursion. Every day felt like two because you went from extremely relaxation to fun and exciting.