My husband and I recently returned from a weeklong honeymoon in Costa Rica. There is so much to see and do in this beautiful country--we wish that we'd been able to spend more time. <BR><BR>We stayed at Xandari Hotel near Alajuela for the first two days, where we made a trip to La Paz Waterfall Gardens, which was beautiful. It rained pretty much nonstop during our stay in the Central Valley so we skipped some activities (like going to Poas Volcano). We would highly recommend Xandari. The villas are spacious and have great views, the food at the hotel is excellent, and the grounds are lovely.<BR><BR>We spent the latter part of our trip at Villa Caletas, north of Jaco Beach. The views from this hotel are spectacular and we loved our suite, which had its own private infinity pool. (My only complaint would be that the bed was uncomfortable.) It was much hotter and more humid on the Pacific coast than in the Central Valley. My husband and I both did the Chiclets canopy tour near Playa Hermosa, which was a lot of fun. We spent a day at Manuel Antonio National Park, which has beautiful beaches and lots of wildlife (go with a naturalist guide if you actually want to see anything). We visited Jaco Beach, which has touristy bars and restaurants and shops. We watched some amazing sunsets from the amphitheater at Villa Caletas, and also hiked down to their beach (which is small and rocky and not too impressive, but it was a nice hike). The staff at this hotel is very friendly and helpful, and we thought the food was very good as well, if expensive.<BR><BR>All in all, we saw crocodiles, a boa constrictor, toucans, white-faced monkeys, howler monkeys, iguanas and lots of other lizards, giant sloths, coatis, and many colorful butterflies. We opted to not rent a car, which worked out well for our short stay. The drivers and guides that we hired (through the hotels and independently) were very informative. I made all of our travel arrangements via the Internet, which was convenient. The staff at both Xandari and Villa Caletas were very responsive to e-mailed requests.<BR><BR>We can't wait to return!<BR><BR>

Angela, thanks for the report.<BR>Glad to hear you enjoyed both Xandari (we stayed there in 2000) and Villa Calletas. I can see that, like many of us, you are now hooked on Costa Rica!

Angela,<BR>I too will be staying at VC for 4 nights in March. Is casual clothing appropriate in the dining room? (We intend to pack light.) Any other good restaurants nearby? We'd too like to go to Manual Antonio and will probably book through the hotel. I'd appreciate any other info you have on this hotel that might be good for us to know. Thanks.

Hi Carol. I was glad that I had brought a nice sundress with me (we packed light, also) for dinner at Villa Caletas. Breakfast and lunch are very casual (people were in bathing suits), but dinner is served in a more &quot;formal&quot; restaurant.<BR><BR>I am not sure if there are any restaurants closer to the hotel than those in Jaco Beach, which is a 15-20 minute drive. We arranged taxis through the hotel ($25 RT). If we'd stayed longer, we might have wanted to rent a car. In Jaco, we liked El Hicaco, a seafood restaurant that is right on the beach.<BR><BR>The view at Villa Caletas is incredible, as I am sure you have already heard.

Hi Carol. I was glad that I had brought a nice sundress with me (we packed light, also) for dinner at Villa Caletas. Breakfast and lunch are very casual (people were in bathing suits), but dinner is served in a more &quot;formal&quot; restaurant.<BR><BR>I am not sure if there are any restaurants closer to the hotel than those in Jaco Beach, which is a 15-20 minute drive. We arranged taxis through the hotel ($25 RT). If we'd stayed longer, we might have wanted to rent a car. In Jaco, we liked El Hicaco, a seafood restaurant that is right on the beach.