Lauren

I would like a recommendation for a beach vacation/hotel in CR. I would love something not too too expensive, very near the beach, but where I would feel somewhat pampered. <BR> <BR>Thanks

Ally

Hello Lauren, <BR>There are alot of nice beach hotels in CR. If you can be a little more specific, perhaps I can help. <BR>Do you want to be ON the beach, or just an oceanview? What do you mean by 'somewhat pampered'? A very nice room and good eats, or someplace with spa amenities? And last, if it's not too personal, what is not 'too too expensive'?

jbrooks

Look into the Melie Playa Conchal. It sits on one of the most beautiful beaches in CR (of course this is my opinion). Playa Conchal is a white sand beach, not too many of those exist on the pacific side. <BR> <BR>The hotels is beautiful, very spread out and each room is a suite. Even though is is so spread out, you never have to walk far as they have several little "buses" (more like extended golf carts) that pick you up and take you anywhere on the hotel complex! We really enjoyed ourseles here! At the time, this was suppose to be the best (at least most luxurious) hotel on the pacific, and it was well worth it! <BR> <BR>I would suggest spending some time in the rain forest...this was really the most interesting part of the country. For pampering, there is the Tabacon Springs spa hotel...A natural spa and one of the most beautiful spas I have ever been to. I did not stay here and cannot comment on rooms, but the spa itself is amazing, and sits right beneath the arenal volcano, which can give you quite a show at night! <BR> <BR>Good luck!

Lauren

Thanks for the recs. jbrooks! <BR> <BR>Ally - Well, as you could tell I am having trouble with those questions myself. I like the idea of CR because it sounds beautiful, less typically touristy and less expensive. <BR> <BR>I would ideally like to be on the beach, but very near is fine. <BR> <BR>What I mean by pampered is I have seen great quoted rates, but don't want to find myself in a "cheap" place. <BR> <BR>I would love a relaxing vacation at the beach, with things to do if we wanted (activities, some sight seeing of course because never been to CR)in a somewhat luxurious environment. <BR> <BR>Would love to know if there is a real "find," but would pay up to 200 a night if its worth it. <BR> <BR>Thanks so much!

lisa

I highly recommend Villa Caletas as a "great value" luxury hotel. We paid $85 per night in the "green season" through their website, but had our own private villa with an ocean view, which was gorgeous. The pool is one of the nicest I've ever seen. The restaurant is fantastic and service is top notch. Since the hotel is perched on a clifftop, the beach is down below, but you can either hike down to it or they will shuttle you down for free. Check out www.hotelvillacaletas.com <BR> <BR>I definitely do not recommend staying at Tabacon Resort. The hotel itself is nothing special -- we had bad service, and our room was like a standard chain hotel room. The hot springs are nice, but you can go to those without staying in the hotel.

jbrooks

Thanks lisa, I just looked at Villa Caletas and it looks great! Might have to stay there next time!

lisa

JBrooks -- I think you would really love Villa Caletas. When we walked into our room and opened the glass doors to our balcony, the first thing we saw was a toucan sitting in an almond tree right there in front of us. It was really cool.

Ally

Lauren, <BR>Both suggestions made look good. You should know that Melia (yes, it's spelled with an 'a') Playa Conchal is as <BR>jbrooks has stated, spread out, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. <BR>It's a full service joint. It's got golf, a casino and a discothque. It's NOT within easy walking distance to town, so they made sure you'd have everything you need without having to leave the resort. <BR>I don't know anything about Villas Caletas, except that it's closest town is Jaco, which is not an area I would ever go to again, but it DOES look fabulous, so I'll keep it in mind for a place to stay myself next time I'm passing through!!! (Thanks, Lisa!) <BR>You should also look into Cala Luna and Capitan Suizo in the Tamarindo area, and <BR>El Parador, Mariposa, and Makanda By The Sea, all in the Manuel Antonio area. <BR>Happy Hunting! Let us all know what you decide and let us hear about it when you get back!

JJJohnon

we enjoyed our honeymoon at the tango mar resort. very quaint, good service and not as touristy as a melia playa conchal. all rooms have ocean view or you can rent separate villas. <BR> <BR>check out their web site: <BR>www.tangomar.com <BR> <BR>we also enjoyed going into the local town for dinner, much less expensive & more authentic.

lisa

Ally -- Yes I agree with you that Jaco is nothing special. If I remember correctly, Villa Caletas is about a 20-minute drive from Jaco. While we were at Villa Caletas we did go into Jaco one night for dinner. We had a nice dinner at a Mexican restaurant there in town but were glad we weren't staying in Jaco. Villa Caletas is like an oasis, simply lovely. One nice thing about staying there is that it is very close to Carara Biological Reserve where one can see crocodiles and scarlet macaws. It is also about an hour from Manuel Antonio National Park, which is a must with 3 species of monkeys, tree sloths, etc. etc. <BR> <BR>We also enjoyed staying at Hotel Si Como No just outside of Manuel Antonio National Park. Again, it is not right on the beach but does overlook the ocean; it is about a $5 cab ride to Manuel Antonio National Park and the beaches. Si Como No was not as romantic a setting as Villa Caletas, but we did see more wildlife there, the staff spoke more English. Our room was comfortable (but not as nice as Villa Caletas), they had a nice pool (again, not as nice as Villa Caletas), and the food in its 2 restaurants was good (but again, not as wonderful as V.C.). <BR> <BR>Lauren -- Definitely do the GUIDED tour of Manuel Antonio National Park. You will see tons more wildlife that way and it is well worth the money.

Lauren

THANK YOU ALL!!!! <BR> <BR>these are great suggestions! I am also looking into mexico - maybe Puerto Vallarta or Zehua...(any suggestions?. I figure Costa Rica would be a litte more for your money, and more exotic. <BR> <BR>THANKS AGAIN! <BR>

jbrooks

Lauren, <BR> <BR>I really enjoy both Mexico and Costa Rica. I can really recommend Zihua! It was a great little fishing village town but I think you could easily do this for a shorter vacation. There is much more scenery and wild life in CR if thats what you want. Villa del sol is one of my favorite hotels on La ropa beach, but very expensive. We have also stayed at Villa Mexicana, much more of 3/4 star hotel but right next to Villa del sol, so you could split your time at each hotel. <BR> <BR>Lisa, what kind of beaches does the Villas over lood, I am fond of white sand, clear blue water but don't often find that on the Pcific side?

lisa

Hi JBrooks. We thought the beach below Villa Caletas was gorgeous. However, you are right, in my experience you don't find the white sand-turquoise water beaches on the Pacific coast. The beach there was golden sand and the water was very nice, warm, and fairly calm, but not that pristine color you find in the Caribbean. There were some rocks and shells on the bottom in places so water shoes might not be a bad idea, although we did not have any and we did fine. The beach was not huge but there was NOBODY (literally, not another soul) on it on the days we were there -- total privacy. There were several chaise lounge chairs there for guests to use. We found some really beautiful shells there on the beach. I don't believe there was any snorkeling to be had there though. It was very relaxing. We decided to walk down to the beach and then have them shuttle us back up at a designated time. The walk down was beautiful -- we saw lots of wildlife on the way -- exotic-looking butterflies, birds, coatimundi, lizards, and leaf-cutter ants. It took about 20 minutes or so to walk down there if I remember correctly. I would not want to walk back up though because it is uphill the whole way! They came down and picked us up at an appointed time and that worked out fine.

Sid

Thanks everyone for a great deal of valuable info. Has anyone stayed at Los Suenos? It's a relatively new Marriott resort on the Pacific. We're thinking of staying there for a few days.