Costa Rica Honeymoon

ddyan0325

Has anyone heard about honeymooning in Costa Rica? I came across this amazing looking resort called The Springs Resort & Spa. I was wondering if anyone has heard of or been there??

THANKS!

KatieJL121

We went to Costa Rica for our honeymoon at the end of June/beginning of July and loved it!  We didn't stay at The Springs because it was out of our price range and we found other hotels, but I did a lot of research beforehand and read great things about it.  It's supposed to be one of the nicest hotels in Arenal.  FWIW, we stayed at Arenal Nayara which was much cheaper, gorgeous, and has awesome reviews (everyone who goes seems to love it)...although we had several mishaps, but I think we just got unlucky and I'll only elaborate if you're interested! 

ETA:  We also went to Manuel Antonio and stayed at Arenas del Mar which we loved.  I'm not sure if you're planning on going to MA, but if you are then I'd be happy to offer suggestions for there as well.

ddyan0325

Thank You! Right now we are just looking at the Springs for the 7 nights we are going Thanks again!

raangoli

We'll be honeymooning in Costa Rica in February (a belated honeymoon). I'm still researching hotels and resorts, but I was curious to hear about the mishaps you had at Arenal Nayara, Katie. It's made my short list for hotels in that area, but if it didn't go so well for you I may reconsider. Do you mind sharing? Or if you've reviewed the hotel elsewhere, do you have the link? Thanks!

peaches85

I've never heard of The Springs... at first I thought you meant the Tabacon Resort with their thermal springs (http://www.tabacon.com/).  I've heard nothing but amazing things about Tabacon, besides the fact that it's super expensive.  I just took a look at The Springs Resort that you mentioned and it look really cheesy and, as one poster already said, kind of Disney-ish. 

I'm going to CR in mid-July of next year... we're spending 6 days at the Flamingo Beach Resort (right on the beach, obviously) and 3 days at the Mountain Paradise Inn (right near the Arenal Volcano).  While at Mountain Paradise Inn we're going to spend half a day at the Tabacon hot springs (that's the closest our budget will allow us to get to spending some time there, haha).

I've heard wonderful things about Arenal Nayara, but while we're in the Arenal region we're going to be doing a bunch of excursions, so we didn't want to spend tons of money on a hotel that we wouldn't be at for the better part of our three days in the region.

These are our two hotels
- http://www.resortflamingobeach.com/
- http://www.hotelmountainparadise.com/

KatieJL121

Raangoli, overall Arenal Nayara was a gorgeous resort with awesome rooms and great views...and everyone really seems to love it.  It's a really neat hotel, but like I said before, we had a bunch of mishaps...we may have just gotten unlucky on several things since no one else seemed to have these problems (just avoid casita #19!!), but we were pretty disappointed with how the hotel handled the issues.  

I'll sum it up for you with only the main points:  we had problems checking in (they lost our reservation and it took awhile to straighten things out), the shower in our room smelled like sewage (room #19) for 3 days and they didn't fix it, our room was also right by the pool and lobby so it was noisy sometimes, the restaurant staff got our drink orders wrong every morning, our room key didn't work, and the worst part of all......they tried to overcharge us $100 on our transportation to the airport on the day we were leaving.  It took a long time to get things sorted out and the man at the desk was persistent and not very polite until he realized it was his mistake.  It was just super frustrating, especially after everything else!  

Anyway, although we had a lot of mishaps, most people seem to love this resort and it has great reviews on TripAdvisor.  So don't let me stop you.  Like I said, we may have just gotten very unlucky!  There are also many good things about it...like the individual casitas are amazing and romantic, you can hear and feel the volcano erupt, and the breakfast buffet is awesome.  Here is the link to my lengthy but detailed TripAdvisor review (with both positives and negatives) in case you're interested:  
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g309226-d866587-r74986167-Arenal_Nayara_Hotel_Gardens-La_Fortuna_de_San_Carlos_Arenal_Volcano_National_Park_Province_of_Alajuela.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT

KatieJL121

I hope that helps!  :-)  Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions about hotels, activities, restaurants, etc.
Also, like I said in my above post, if anyone is going to Manuel Antonio also then I recommend Arenas del Mar.  It was really nice and the staff was wonderful! 

mpgator

7 nights is a long time to stay in Arenal!! I really recommend visiting Manual Antonio. We stayed at Si Como No. The food there is so great (amazing breakfast is included in room price), rooms/pools/etc are awesome, and the staff is beyond helpful and nice. Have fun:)

raangoli

Thanks, Katie! It sounds like you had a really unfortunate visit, but still enjoyed yourself over all. I was looking into both Arenal Nayara and Arenas del Mar, hah! I like the idea of splitting our stay in CR between Arenal and Manuel Antonio and getting a feel for the two different parts of the country.

Was it difficult to travel between the two? Or even while you were in each resort? My FI and I are pretty active people and like to always be on the go, so I want to make sure we can get around easily to see and do things.

Thanks again!

KatieJL121

Oh, a couple more things! LOL...I keep thinking of more stuff I wish we'd known beforehand!   

If you plan on visiting MA National Park then I highly recommend getting a tour guide.  We saw WAY more wildlife this way!  We honestly wouldn't have seen half the animals without our guide.  His name was Ersel (sp?) and we booked him through Arenas del Mar hotel...we loved him.  It was expensive (I think $100), but he was totally worth it...funny, great at spotting animals, and he brought along a telescope that we got some awesome pictures through.   

And depending on which type of room you decide to stay in at Arenas del Mar, not all of them have good views.  We really got lucky with ours and I'm so glad!  We stayed in an Ocean View Superior room and it was room 603B (Building #6, 3rd floor, Room .  We didn't have a jacuzzi but didn't care or miss it because of the bugs and it was hot anyway.  But we had a great view of the ocean and the building was close to the lobby and restaurant for breakfast (we appreciated this because the paths on the property are kind of hilly, although they provide golfcarts if needed).

Here's my detailed TA review of this resort with some extra advice if you're interested:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g309274-d673363-r71171758-Arenas_del_Mar_Beach_and_Nature_Resort-Manuel_Antonio_National_Park_Province_of_Puntarenas.html#UR71171758

And here are our photos if you're interested in seeing them also:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2174402&id=210601724&l=79568a2acc

raangoli

That's really helpful, Katie, thanks! I figured that the domestic flights would be like that.I am ok with that, but FI is a nervous flier so I will have to talk him into it!

Thanks againfor the tips, they are really helpful! I am glad to hear good things about Arenas Del Mar. I can't remember how I stumbled onto it, maybe from Trip Advisor, but it looks beautiful and it's always helpful to "talk" to someone who's been there.

I will probably be looking into the hotels and the trip overall a little more towards the end of the month, I might reach out to you again when I have more questions, I hope that's ok!

cronopia

Hey! I'm from Costa Rica, so I'd love to answer any question you might have or give suggestions and recommendations! What are you guys looking for? Beach, mountains, rainforest? Adventure, eco-tourism, relaxation? Feel free to ask! Costa Rica is a beautiful country and we cater to every taste and budget, so you're pretty much garanteed to find something you like. Some areas are more tourist-friendly, with better food and lodging, while other are more secluded, but it really depends on what you're looking for. I've lived here my whole life (all twenty-seven years of it!), so I'd love to help you plan your honeymoon here! Anyways, congratulations, and hope to have you in our small country soon!