9 Nights in Costa Rica - Guanacaste....AMAZING!
May 8th, 2013, 06:45 AM
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9 Nights in Costa Rica - Guanacaste....AMAZING!
My husband and I just returned from 9 nights at the Palace. It was our first trip to Costa Rica, our second experience with an 'all inclusive' and a much needed get away. We really liked the Palace!! Some of the reviews on this site were not complimentary but we found the rooms to be very large, the grounds will be lovely once the plants have another year to grow and the food was so much better than our first encounter with an all inclusive (not a Riu Property). The staff was extremely responsive and conscientious. Ramon runs a tight ship throughout the restaurants. His staff is professional , engaging and many spoke excellent English. We had wonderful servers in each restaurant and remember Pedro in Italian with great fondness. I thought the food choices were extensive with well supplied buffets. The specialty restaurants had lovely presentations, attentive service and great choices. The housekeeping staff was also wonderful; our room was cleaned early each morning and extra towels were delivered at night. I was very impressed with the constant cleaning, scrubbing, landscaping, etc on the property. We were always greeted with smiles and Pura Vida!
The hotel is what I would call 'European Smart' with lots of glass, chrome, frosted glass, large open areas, etc. Beds were comfortable, extra pillows were available. Our room never felt completely cool at night - the fan made a litte annoying noise so we didn't use it continually and the A/C has moderate efficiency. If you are looking for a quiet space, ask for a room on the opposite side from the entertainment areas and ask to be on the 'back side'. No, you will not have an ocean view but the quiet was worth it for us and honestly, we didn't spend much time in our room except to sleep.
A couple of suggestions: fans in the common areas could use larger blades to move more air efficiently; some bathrooms near the swim up bar would be nice - we didn't use that bar and heard that the nickname was 'the latrine'; while this may be out of scope, the shops tended to keep erratic hours - the sign on the door would indicate an opening hour but then nobody would appear, the time would change and again, nobody would appear; offer unsweetened iced tea - its easy to add sweetner but you can't take it out; opaque curtains in the Japanese restaurant would add a little more privacy to the space; adding some 3/4 walls to create more intimacy in the lobby bar and coffee area would also help keep the noise level down a bit.
Pool activites near the swim up bar were plentiful. The Riu team attempted to engage many to get involved in a polite way and to have fun. If you are seeking more seclusion and less noise, the upper pool accommodated this nicely. Pool attendants were always coming by for drink orders.
The beach is volcanic; a mixture of finely ground volcanic sand and beach sand. Ocean activities were abundant (kayaking, jet skis, paddle boards, fishing, snorkeling, etc). The long beach was great for enjoyable morning and evening walks.
The exercise room was large and with adequate equipment. A larger selection of machines would be an improvement. Also, given the climate, a more robust A/C system is needed when the room is full.
RIU grounds, facility and other crews were constantly going around the property to wash, shine, polish, etc. They took great pride in providing a well developed, organized and smart stay for our holiday.
Overall, I would heartily recommend this hotel to anyone.
Next up....Excursions and Restaurants
The hotel is what I would call 'European Smart' with lots of glass, chrome, frosted glass, large open areas, etc. Beds were comfortable, extra pillows were available. Our room never felt completely cool at night - the fan made a litte annoying noise so we didn't use it continually and the A/C has moderate efficiency. If you are looking for a quiet space, ask for a room on the opposite side from the entertainment areas and ask to be on the 'back side'. No, you will not have an ocean view but the quiet was worth it for us and honestly, we didn't spend much time in our room except to sleep.
A couple of suggestions: fans in the common areas could use larger blades to move more air efficiently; some bathrooms near the swim up bar would be nice - we didn't use that bar and heard that the nickname was 'the latrine'; while this may be out of scope, the shops tended to keep erratic hours - the sign on the door would indicate an opening hour but then nobody would appear, the time would change and again, nobody would appear; offer unsweetened iced tea - its easy to add sweetner but you can't take it out; opaque curtains in the Japanese restaurant would add a little more privacy to the space; adding some 3/4 walls to create more intimacy in the lobby bar and coffee area would also help keep the noise level down a bit.
Pool activites near the swim up bar were plentiful. The Riu team attempted to engage many to get involved in a polite way and to have fun. If you are seeking more seclusion and less noise, the upper pool accommodated this nicely. Pool attendants were always coming by for drink orders.
The beach is volcanic; a mixture of finely ground volcanic sand and beach sand. Ocean activities were abundant (kayaking, jet skis, paddle boards, fishing, snorkeling, etc). The long beach was great for enjoyable morning and evening walks.
The exercise room was large and with adequate equipment. A larger selection of machines would be an improvement. Also, given the climate, a more robust A/C system is needed when the room is full.
RIU grounds, facility and other crews were constantly going around the property to wash, shine, polish, etc. They took great pride in providing a well developed, organized and smart stay for our holiday.
Overall, I would heartily recommend this hotel to anyone.
Next up....Excursions and Restaurants
May 8th, 2013, 09:48 AM
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Yes, we saw a ton of wildlife!
Excursions were booked with TAM who is affiliated with United Airlins and Delta. They, along with other tour companies, have representatives in the hotel during the day. We chose TAM, first because our trip was booked with United and second, because we were not familiar with CR and wanted to have some assurances.
Our first trip was to Arenal. We left around 7:15am and returned at 10:30pm. We had a small group of perhaps 10. The first stop was at Tilarin for coffee and bathroom break. Then a stop for a great lunch and on to the drop off point for those zip lining. The four of us left drove on to Mt Arenal for a 2 hour hike through the rain forest. We saw toucans, laughing hawk, hercules ants, monkeys,armadillo, ant eaters and so many plants I could not remember. DH took close to 500 photos! We had a guide named Reyner who was so passionate about the rain forest and preservation! He was excellent. We returned to the zipline group and then drove to The Springs Resort for a couple of hours in their 15+ hot springs pools and a wonderful dinner with a view of the volcano. A long day but so worth it!
Second excursion was to the Cloud Forest and Monteverde. Again the group was around 10 of us. We left at 5:15am and returned around 6pm. The stop here was at Tilaran for coffee, fruit and bathrooms. From there, we began what is called the Costa Rican Car Massage....3 hours of roads that are barely passable in dry season! If you are pregnant or have any back, neck or shoulder issues, I would strongly advise talking with the guide before booking. We arrived at the welcome center, took a tour of the butterfly garden (really cool!!) and decided to zip line before lunch. It was 13 platforms with the longest being around 2/3 mile long. We had done this before in the dominican republic and vail but this was over and through the rain forest which was gorgeous. The crew was very safety conscious which was important for me. There is a 'tarzan' swing which I did not do and DH decided to skip given that he's had shoulder, back and neck surgeries in the last 6 months and those before us said there was a definite 'jerk' in their neck when they first jumped. We also saw later that the weight limit is 200 lbs....should that be posted at the swing as well?? After zip lining we had a wonderful lunch at the lodge. Following lunch, we started on the hanging bridges hike with a stop at the hummingbird garden. The bridges range in height and length. Each has wonderful views from above the canopy for wildlife, especially monkeys and toucans. During the hike, we had a few drops of rain, otherwise, the day was dry but overcast which is somewhat unusual in the Rain Forest!
Our last excursion was river cruise at Palo Verde. This was an easy half day, no hiking and plenty of wildlife including the monkeys, crocs, croc babies, herons, bats, etc. We stopped enroute to Palo Verde at Haciendat El Viejo which is a 130yr old home with views, a restaurant and gardens. We stoppped there on the way back as well for a lovely buffet lunch. Our guide for Monteverde and Palo Verde was Estafan. Again...very passionate about his home and knowledgeable about every bird, bat, reptile and mammal we saw!
We also splurged on 3 massages at the hotel. The atmosphere was very calming at the spa, it was clean, well run and the young ladies really get me to totally relax...not easy for this type A
Excursions were booked with TAM who is affiliated with United Airlins and Delta. They, along with other tour companies, have representatives in the hotel during the day. We chose TAM, first because our trip was booked with United and second, because we were not familiar with CR and wanted to have some assurances.
Our first trip was to Arenal. We left around 7:15am and returned at 10:30pm. We had a small group of perhaps 10. The first stop was at Tilarin for coffee and bathroom break. Then a stop for a great lunch and on to the drop off point for those zip lining. The four of us left drove on to Mt Arenal for a 2 hour hike through the rain forest. We saw toucans, laughing hawk, hercules ants, monkeys,armadillo, ant eaters and so many plants I could not remember. DH took close to 500 photos! We had a guide named Reyner who was so passionate about the rain forest and preservation! He was excellent. We returned to the zipline group and then drove to The Springs Resort for a couple of hours in their 15+ hot springs pools and a wonderful dinner with a view of the volcano. A long day but so worth it!
Second excursion was to the Cloud Forest and Monteverde. Again the group was around 10 of us. We left at 5:15am and returned around 6pm. The stop here was at Tilaran for coffee, fruit and bathrooms. From there, we began what is called the Costa Rican Car Massage....3 hours of roads that are barely passable in dry season! If you are pregnant or have any back, neck or shoulder issues, I would strongly advise talking with the guide before booking. We arrived at the welcome center, took a tour of the butterfly garden (really cool!!) and decided to zip line before lunch. It was 13 platforms with the longest being around 2/3 mile long. We had done this before in the dominican republic and vail but this was over and through the rain forest which was gorgeous. The crew was very safety conscious which was important for me. There is a 'tarzan' swing which I did not do and DH decided to skip given that he's had shoulder, back and neck surgeries in the last 6 months and those before us said there was a definite 'jerk' in their neck when they first jumped. We also saw later that the weight limit is 200 lbs....should that be posted at the swing as well?? After zip lining we had a wonderful lunch at the lodge. Following lunch, we started on the hanging bridges hike with a stop at the hummingbird garden. The bridges range in height and length. Each has wonderful views from above the canopy for wildlife, especially monkeys and toucans. During the hike, we had a few drops of rain, otherwise, the day was dry but overcast which is somewhat unusual in the Rain Forest!
Our last excursion was river cruise at Palo Verde. This was an easy half day, no hiking and plenty of wildlife including the monkeys, crocs, croc babies, herons, bats, etc. We stopped enroute to Palo Verde at Haciendat El Viejo which is a 130yr old home with views, a restaurant and gardens. We stoppped there on the way back as well for a lovely buffet lunch. Our guide for Monteverde and Palo Verde was Estafan. Again...very passionate about his home and knowledgeable about every bird, bat, reptile and mammal we saw!
We also splurged on 3 massages at the hotel. The atmosphere was very calming at the spa, it was clean, well run and the young ladies really get me to totally relax...not easy for this type A
Jun 22nd, 2013, 02:14 PM
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HI All,
Hubby and I are also going to Costa Rica in August......
We are stayinga at the RIu Palace, Ocean View, Jr Suite....
We heard about a driver named Christian Martinez (on here highly recommended).....
The ideas here gave us are as follows;
Palo Verde National Park ($160 pluse $45 boat fee + $9 for lunch
Rincon De La Vieja National Park ($160)
Santa Rosa National Park ($165)
Arenal Volcano Round Trip ($245)
OKay -- so we are going for 7 nights -- I would like to do 3 excursions tops -- as I would like to enjoy and relax in the Resort (maybe 4) -- I am extremely afraid of heights -- so there will be no ziplining or anything like that......
I need all of you to suggest what would be the best excursions for us.........
I really want to experience nature and culture......
Any tips you guys can give me would be much appreciated!!
Thank you!
Nw
Hubby and I are also going to Costa Rica in August......
We are stayinga at the RIu Palace, Ocean View, Jr Suite....
We heard about a driver named Christian Martinez (on here highly recommended).....
The ideas here gave us are as follows;
Palo Verde National Park ($160 pluse $45 boat fee + $9 for lunch
Rincon De La Vieja National Park ($160)
Santa Rosa National Park ($165)
Arenal Volcano Round Trip ($245)
OKay -- so we are going for 7 nights -- I would like to do 3 excursions tops -- as I would like to enjoy and relax in the Resort (maybe 4) -- I am extremely afraid of heights -- so there will be no ziplining or anything like that......
I need all of you to suggest what would be the best excursions for us.........
I really want to experience nature and culture......
Any tips you guys can give me would be much appreciated!!
Thank you!
Nw
Jul 23rd, 2013, 11:19 AM
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We had a great trip to Arenal - hiked and took a lot of photos int the rain forest. There were only 2 couples with our guide so it was very personalized. The palo verde boat trip was fun too - we had to take it because another excursion we'd booked cancelled due to low participation. You'll get some great wildlife shots there as well. If you book the TAM palo verde tour, you'll stop at a beautiful hacienda on your way to the park and also for lunch on the way back. Arenal is a long day as is the Cloud Forest but we loved it. If you decide to go to Coco for shopping, a boat leaves from the palace to their beach. Its less expensive than the van, would obviously take longer but would've been more fun (for us).
Aug 2nd, 2013, 03:34 PM
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We are here now at Riu Palace -- LOVE THIS PLACE -- we are on the third floor with an ocean view- - AC is perfect -- it is so cold and it stays that way I have to wear a hoodie at night.
Love love love the Jacuzzi bath.......LOVE IT - and the shower is huge. WE are going on our first excursion to Nicaragua tomorrow and then hopefully ARenal on Sunday.....
Food so far is amazing - I am NOT impressed with the buffet for anything but breakfast -- we had dinner there the first night HATED It -- selections were so processed......would it kill them to serve some Culturally specific foods.......we have tried the Italian and Japanese thus far - LOVED both -- we did have to wait over an hour to get into the Japanese restaurant last night - they gave us a phone to notify us and then myhubby had to go and check -- after they initially told us 30 minutes it was over an hour - I think she forgot to be honest..........
The STaff is amazing here -- we are doing our excursions through Swiss Travel and as I previously mentioned Christian (see previous post)......I am excited and looking forward to seeing more of the wildlife......
The beach here is black-ish sand.......but it is beautiful - it is a public beach so you will get annoyed by vendors but once they recognize you as someone they have approached they leave you alone and just say hello....
MORE TRIP REPORT TO FOLLOW -- don't want to miss SUNSET on the beach. OH one more thing -- CUSTOMS was amazing here -- so nice and friendly --NOTHING Like mexico -- much easier and you can even pay your exit tax right here at the hotel for a minimal fee
Love love love the Jacuzzi bath.......LOVE IT - and the shower is huge. WE are going on our first excursion to Nicaragua tomorrow and then hopefully ARenal on Sunday.....
Food so far is amazing - I am NOT impressed with the buffet for anything but breakfast -- we had dinner there the first night HATED It -- selections were so processed......would it kill them to serve some Culturally specific foods.......we have tried the Italian and Japanese thus far - LOVED both -- we did have to wait over an hour to get into the Japanese restaurant last night - they gave us a phone to notify us and then myhubby had to go and check -- after they initially told us 30 minutes it was over an hour - I think she forgot to be honest..........
The STaff is amazing here -- we are doing our excursions through Swiss Travel and as I previously mentioned Christian (see previous post)......I am excited and looking forward to seeing more of the wildlife......
The beach here is black-ish sand.......but it is beautiful - it is a public beach so you will get annoyed by vendors but once they recognize you as someone they have approached they leave you alone and just say hello....
MORE TRIP REPORT TO FOLLOW -- don't want to miss SUNSET on the beach. OH one more thing -- CUSTOMS was amazing here -- so nice and friendly --NOTHING Like mexico -- much easier and you can even pay your exit tax right here at the hotel for a minimal fee
Aug 2nd, 2013, 06:02 PM
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okay some more on RiU PALACE -- they don't make it known to you but if you would like to eat in your room -- which hubby and I like to do often........you can call room service and order something from any of the specialty restaurants and they will deliver it. we happen to know the menus because we have been to a couple of them and we know our favorite dishes.....
A negative thing I thought of after I posted is that even though they are very nice - check in was long and annoying........we arrived at about 12:30pm CR TIME and literally I passed out on the chair in the lobby because we waited so long for our room to be ready.........the woman at the desk must have been new - she had no supplies - no pen, no scissors -- everything she needed she had to leave and go look for and come back......
WE just came back from watching the sun set - -it was beautiful.......unfortunately pics do not do it justice AT ALL............it is a must see......
I guess I should stop and do my own trip report when I am done.......LOL
A negative thing I thought of after I posted is that even though they are very nice - check in was long and annoying........we arrived at about 12:30pm CR TIME and literally I passed out on the chair in the lobby because we waited so long for our room to be ready.........the woman at the desk must have been new - she had no supplies - no pen, no scissors -- everything she needed she had to leave and go look for and come back......
WE just came back from watching the sun set - -it was beautiful.......unfortunately pics do not do it justice AT ALL............it is a must see......
I guess I should stop and do my own trip report when I am done.......LOL
Aug 5th, 2013, 11:18 AM
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Glad you are enjoying the Palace! We found out a bit late that if you want to go to Coco, there is a boat that will take you from the water sports center and deliver you to the beach/marina in Coco rather than take a cab.
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