kellym

any suggestions and descriptions of good places to have a reception dinner for 20.looking for a good atmosphere and good food...preferably open air. can't be makanda because we have an 8 yr old. thanks!

jennifer3841

Hi. I am so excited for you. We got back from Manuel Antonio in Feb and loved it...my boyfriend would love to get married there. We rented a villa with Escape Villas and hired a cook. He was amazing...I know if you had a place for him to cook he would for 20 people. His name is Roger Morales Campos... [email protected] # is 506-305-5995. I would also recommend El Avion which we ate lunch at a few times...the view was amazing and the food was great. There is also a bar/restaurant that is known for happy hour sunsets that had a big lawn out back that looked out to the ocean...I will try and think of the name. Where are you staying?

kellym

thanks for your advice. we are staying at villas nicolas and i'm hoping to have the dinner not too far from there...i have also heard good things about karola's...did you go there? curious to know what the other place is!

jennifer3841

I think it was called Barba Roja. The inside of the bar was ok but the views and tables outside were great. I took some of the best sunset pictures from here. We tried a few places for drinks/snacks watch the suset and decide to just keep going to Roja. You have to see new pictures of El Avion...it was so nice and the food was very good. Havve you been to Manuel Antonio before?

kellym

hey jennifer...thanks for remembering barba roja...that one sounds good too esp. because of the view. no..i've never been to manuel antonio or costa rica for that matter so i am very excited about our trip. i'm not sure about having our wedding dinner at el avion...the plane thing kindof trips me out but i'm sure we'll get there for dinner or lunch! i keep trying to find pics of these restaurants on-line but not getting more than one pic of each. i'll keep researching!

jennifer3841

You really have to see El Avion...the plane is only a small part of the place...there is a bar in the plane but the rest is outside...two floors for the restaurant...I am not doing it justice. Both places are good and you can not go wrong with the view. I can try and find pictures if you have a different email address. Also, by the beach there is a place bar/restaurant called the Marlin that I would recommend for breakfast/lunch. Everyday we went there in the later afternoon for fresh tuna sushi (the best I have had)...they have other things...and 2 for one drinks then then off to Roja. I also recommend the beach in the park...the second one...the water is very calm and the sand is white not grey like the regular beach...the white sand makes the water look much prettier...there is also shade which you will need because the sun is so strong. I really thought the food was very good in Manuel which suprised me but everyone has different tastes.

kellym

thanks again for all your info. i didn't realize that el avion had a restaurant attached...i thought it was just the inside which i had seen pics of. if you had any pics of the restaurant i would love to see them. my email is [email protected]. great to have all your tips i will definately be checking out the tuna sushi (my fave)at the marlin (and i can definately make use of 2 for 1 drinks!). still on the fence for where to have the dinner...barba roja/el avion or karolas seem to be the choices. it's tough when you can't see them!

jennifer3841

It must be hard when you can not see them. I will see if I can find some pictures for you. How did you guys decide to get married to MA?

jrober1

I am trying to plan a weeding for 15-18 in MA in January 2007.

kellym how did your trip / wedding turn out?

jennifer 3841 did you have any difficulty with Escape Villas, we are considering renting casa samba and casa dolce vita from them and have a lot of trouble finding reviews on Escape or the Villas.

sandyc

There's a gorgeous open-air dining room in El Pardor. Fresh breezes and beautiful gardens overlooking the ocean.

Sandy

kellym

our wedding/trip was fantastic! if you are planning to have a photographer get in touch with fernando (weddings.co.cr)!he was awesome and co-ordinated everything for us. manuel antonio was a great spot for everyone...lots to do. we ended up at karola's for dinner. the food was great...i wouldn't consider it very fancy though if that is more what you want. i wouldn't have changed a thing though! i never went to el parador...but my parents really enjoyed the restaurant at makanda by the sea. good luck with your decisions. you really can't go wrong in such a beautiful place! if you get a chance to sneak away from the other do as we did and head to malpais. stay at the casa chameleon it's awesome there!

jrober1

Thank you so much for the advice. As I'm sure you know the hardest part seems to be picking a place to stay there are just so many great options. How did you find your group liked Villas Nicolas?

kellym

we all loved villas nicolas...but the rooms definately varied with some being much bigger than others and there was a bit of road noise to contend with (as with many of the places to stay...manuel antonio is a BUSY place.) The Escape Villas definately interested me as well...but it was easier for me to coordinate for myself and let everyone else choose where they wanted to stay with some options and help presented to them. My parents and my son went to Si Como No for 3 nights after villas nicolas when we slipped off to malpais...thinking it would be a treat but found they preferred villas nicolas. the decks are huge there and it just seems a little more "real". Good luck! By the looks of the Escape Villas I think it would be great there...a little more upscale than nicolas!

burgelane

This may be a bit off beat and is very casual but Ronny's Place would be quite a setting for an informal wedding. Great sunset views, sangria and margaritas my the jug, and the best grilled lobster I have ever had. It is a shack type place on a dirt/gravel road 800m down from the main Quepos to MA road. We met Ronnie the owner there and he was the essence of Tico charm. I will look for pictures for you if you are interested.

burgelane

whoops, make that Ronnie's Place aka Mi Lugar

jrober1

You are all so great, thank you for the advice, I need all I can get. I would love to see some pictures of Ronnie's Place, it sounds like a great place to have a reception after a ceremony on the beach. Do you know of any way to contact the owner?