HEY LADIES. St lucia or Costa Rica?

laurenw · April 2013

Wedding is September 14...We want a mix of relaxation on the beach and kayaking, watersports etc.

I've heard great things about St Lucia, but don't know many ppl who have been to Costa Rica

We plan on spending 10 days wherever we go

THX

[Deleted User] · April 2013

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_hey-ladies-st-lucia-or-costa-rica?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:dd48bd67-a1c9-4579-8f96-a9cfe4d88aa2Post:7e7c80fd-7d57-4666-914e-d4d2014384cc">HEY LADIES. St lucia or Costa Rica?</a>:
[QUOTE]Wedding is September 14...We want a mix of relaxation on the beach and kayaking, watersports etc. I've heard great things about St Lucia, but don't know many ppl who have been to Costa Rica We plan on spending 10 days wherever we go THX :)
Posted by laurenw@hotmail.com[/QUOTE]

I am biased, because I have only been to Costa Rica. We spent 10 days on our honeymoon in Costa Rica, and I want to go back as soon as I can. Costa Rica has the best of everything. It is extremely affordable; you can stay in some of the nicest places in the country, for much less than similar 5 star accomidations in the Caribbean. Costa Rica has an incredibly varied landscape for a small country, and you can see so much in 10 days. There are stunning beaches, volcanos, tropical dry forests, cloud forests, and every accomidation you can imagine from eco parks, and luxury boutique hotels. We stayed in 3 different resorts; one near a volcano in the cloud forest (Poas Volcano) one on the beach in the Western province of Guanacaste, and one at a coffee plantatation near the capital of San Jose. Each place had its own unique charm, and we travelled easily between them by the regional airline, Nature Air. It is an affordable option, and the experience of flying over the country in a little airplaine was unbeatable. Airport transfers were affordable and easily arranged by the hotels we stayed at. Some adventurous folks do choose to rent cars and drive, we did not want the hassle. I have never had such a good time. The people are friendly, it is a safe, beautiful, eco-conscious and biodiverse country. I can't say enough about it, I can't wait to go back and see more.

HobokensFury · April 2013

Honestly I thought St. Lucia was the most overrated place I've ever been to. It was really shady. People were knocking on the windows of our tour bus asking for money. I just didn't feel safe there. Granted I bet the experience will be different in a resort but it is something to consider.

FizzySips · April 2013

I've been to both (two girls trips) and thoroughly enjoyed both. The food was good in both places (all around, not just the resort food) and the weather was great. I visited CR in December/January and St Lucia in May. These are both developing nations, so there is a good portion of the population that is poor. I would say you can get a good mix of relaxing/romance and activities/adventure in both places. I remember zip lining both times, plus day trips exploring the volcano/mountains. Both were fairly quiet after dark. We didn't drive in either place (took taxis or hotel shuttles) but I remember that the roads in both were pretty gnarly and I was glad that we weren't driving. Good luck! Do your homework and you'll have a great time!!!

laurenw · April 2013

Thank you all for your input!! So hard to decide!

Trinitygc- Would there be enough to keep us entertained for 10 days if we spent the whole time in Guanacaste? We really don't want to fly after we land until it's time to leave...

To the ones who have been to St Lucia-are the beaches crowded? I have read that there is not endless beaches there so it makes me think that there wouldn't be much privacy on the beach

Thank you

[Deleted User] · April 2013

What you could do is fly from the US into Liberia airport as your starting point. From there, you spend a few days near the Arenal Volcano, and then get a transfer to a resort in Guanacaste by car. You could also easily stay all 10 days in Guanacaste, but I would recommend taking some day trips into the interior, so you get to see the cloud forests and go zip lining. You can likely arrange everything you need through your hotel.

Another suggestion could be to stay in Manuel Antonio, which has beach and jungle. Note that it is not close to any of the international airports, and could be a long transfer by car.

I wouldn't recommend driving yourself, as the other poster commented; the roads are pretty gnarly, and the signage isn't great. Also, they are not lit at night, except near San Jose.

Many places in Costa Rica actually encourage guests to experience other parts of the country, and it is very typical to split up the trip between two resorts. Find the parts of the country you want to see. I would recommend getting the Frommer's guide to CR. It helped us a lot.

MissMolly · April 2013

I just got back from 2 weeks in Costa Rica, and it was fabulous! A close girlfriend and I went with a tour company, the we went to: Tortuguero, Sarapiqui, la Fortuna, Monteverde, Quepos/Manuel Antonio. Super-dooper awesome place to visit, friendly people, great food (although food is a bit on the pricey side). But, all around, I'd highly recommend that as a place to go to.

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_hey-ladies-st-lucia-or-costa-rica?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:dd48bd67-a1c9-4579-8f96-a9cfe4d88aa2Post:7e7c80fd-7d57-4666-914e-d4d2014384cc">HEY LADIES. St lucia or Costa Rica?</a>:
[QUOTE]Wedding is September 14...We want a mix of relaxation on the beach and kayaking, watersports etc. I've heard great things about St Lucia, but don't know many ppl who have been to Costa Rica We plan on spending 10 days wherever we go THX :)
Posted by laurenw@hotmail.com[/QUOTE]

Molly&Andy · April 2013

We went to Costa Rica in December... LOVED it and can't wait to go back. We did 4 nights in the Arenal area (Nayara Hotel) and 3 nights in the Guanacaste area (JW Marriott).

We flew Jet Blue out of Boston. We flew into San Jose and out of Liberia. We arranged private transfers to get from one location to another. (Highly recommend unless you are okay with tiny airplane transfers.)

I've also looked at going to St. Lucia at some point, but personally I think Costa Rica is more affordable.

karemah · April 2013

Costa Rica is a great honeymoon locale. My husband and i had a wonderful time there. However, if you are getting married in September consider you will be getting married during the "green" rainy season. I believe the green season ends in November. Frommers may be a good resource to determine the best time to visit the country.

orangehills · April 2013

I went to St. Lucia in January, and I would recommend Costa Rica. Also, September starts hurricane season I believe, so the weather can be more sketchy at those smaller islands. St. Lucia was pretty, but they don't have many amazing beaches, a lot of smaller ones. I mean, it was still awesome and we had a great time, but I think Costa Rica has a bit more to offer.

Belle0720 · April 2013

We are going to Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica and can't wait! We're flying into San Jose and taking a domestic flight on Sansa to Quepos. We haven't been before but from everything I've read you get to experience relaxation on the beach as well as ziplining and monkeys/sloths swinging by your balcony, so we were easily sold :-)

randwwedding · April 2013

I am also thinking of Costa Rica for our October honeymoon. Do any of you that have been there know what their rain is like? I see it is their rainy season, but does that mean it rains all day long, or is it more of heavy rain in the afternoon, like a monsoon? I see there are areas that are less rainy in October...any thoughts would be appreciated!

Nprybylek · April 2013

I went to St. Lucia for my honeymoon and had an amazing time. We were never bothered by people asking for money so I don't know what people are talking about. It had beautiful beaches, rain forest with waterfalls, and hot springs. It is a beautiful country and everyone we encountered from that country was beyond welcoming and kind and made our trip so memorable. Honestly it's your honeymoon and you'll have a great time wherever you go!

laurenw · May 2013

Molly How did you like the JW Marriott? I have heard mixed reviews. Thanks!

Molly&Andy · May 2013

The JW is a lovely property and we stayed there because I had Marriott points. If we were going to go back I'm not sure that we would stay there again. (Nothing against the hotel, but we aren't really sit by the pool people and that is what I would go to the hotel for.)

The resort is inside of a gated community, so it is kind of isolated. Once we got "inside" we didn't leave. (We did walk around some of the area outside of the hotel property.) There are excursions that you can take from there, but most of them went back to the area we had left. This was the relax by the pool part of the honeymoon, so we didn't mind it.

The room we had was beautiful and larger than expected. Most people sat by the pool and not on the beach. The pool-side service was great. Tours sometimes stay there, so it was busier 2 of the 3 days we were there. The restaurants were good but not great. They really mention it, but for breakfast you can do the buffet or ala carte off the menu.

I think that covers most of it. Let me know if there is anything more specifc I can try and answer.

HEY LADIES. St lucia or Costa Rica?

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