Costa Rica Master Thread

[tdb]

 we stayed at the Andaz in early January and the hotel bought us a brand new fridge and microwave so we can heat our food,. We did not have to pay any fees for this. WE stayed our first 2 night using the 2 freed nights with hyatt card that we signed up as diamond members as a result of a 60 day match from hilton gold. The award night was for the  Anadaz Large Suite which was amazing with a private plunge pool. the remainder of our stay was on points for 22k a night and we were "downgraded" to a regular suite also very nice.

I also highly recommend going to the beach at peninsula papagayo the hotel offers free shuttle. http://www.peninsulapapagayo.com/
 

[azhoopsfan]

I also stayed the Andaz for 4 nights in January 2014.  No one was there and we felt like each guest could claim and entire pool or beach for themselves.  We took Relaxation Beach and were the only ones there for two consecutive days.  The water is perfect and pretty bouyant (moreso than San Diego or Hawaii) --- I just floated on my back with my waterproof ipod for hours. 

TIP:  During daylight hours there is a free shuttle around the Peninusula.  We took it to the Four Seasons one day and spent about 4 hours there.  The hotel was much busier had a nice swimming beach with waves.  As the Four Seasons is pretty remote everyone assumes your are a guest there while visiting so they offer you the free treats by the pool and beach (i.e., frozen fruit bars) and you can use the loungers. 

While the Four Seasons was nice, I thought the Andaz was better.  The pools are definitely better at the Andaz. 

 

[Rachela81]

Hi -
Any feedback on spending Shabbat in San Jose?  Where to book a hotel? Is La Sabana area safe? Feedback on shul/chabad/meals/etc?  Or any other minyan/kosher food in other parts of Costa Rica? Thanks!

[MLM]

I am staying 4 nights in August. I currently have the Hilton Pappagayo for 60,000 points per night, thinking of staying 2 nights in Hyatt Andaz using free nights. Anyone have experience with the Hilton?

[Ephcc90]

Not sure if this was posted but apparently the andaz papagayo is now a category 4 from a 6

[jaywhy]

Anyone know if there is a Chabad and/or kosher food in Liberia/Andaz Papagayo?

[mrcoolcom]

anyone have the manager of andaz costa rica phone number?

[MLM]

Anyone gonna be at the Andaz next Tuesday and Wednesday. I have a reservation as a Plat, trying to figure out food.

[ueaiouioei]

I just booked 10 days in January at Andaz Peninsula Papagayo at 15k point/night. Looking for flights now.

[momo]

Anyone know if there is a Chabad and/or kosher food in Liberia/Andaz Papagayo?

NO and NO

[ueaiouioei]

NO and NO

No kosher food as in no exclusively kosher stores or No kosher food as in the local supermarkets don't carry any american kosher products? Most places I've been to, even remote carribean islands, have supermarkets fully stocked with regular american products and have huge kosher selections.

[momo]

No as in no prepared food, cannot answer regarding products in supermarkets, although the closest "supermarket" to the andaz is around a 20 minute drive.

[heimishbrisker]

NO and NO

I'm not so sure about that. I'm heading to CR next week here's the list I found from the orthodox community. http://centroisraelita.com/en/kosher-2/products.html many products and eateries are listed there.

[momo]

I'm not so sure about that. I'm heading to CR next week here's the list I found from the orthodox community. http://centroisraelita.com/en/kosher-2/products.html many products and eateries are listed there.

Near Liberia?

[heimishbrisker]

Near Liberia?

What near Liberia?

[momo]

Andaz

[momo]

What near Liberia?

The question was is there kosher food near the andaz. The answer was no.

No as in no prepared food, cannot answer regarding products in supermarkets, although the closest "supermarket" to the andaz is around a 20 minute drive.

[heimishbrisker]

The question was is there kosher food near the andaz. The answer was no.

Well then that is my answer regarding supermarkets. (I just noticed that their website is temporarily down. It's a good thing I have already printed it.)

[Mordyk]

Anyone ever stay at the Hotel Punta Islita, autograph collection?. I have a stock of marriott points and was looking at this hotel. Or have you stayed at any other marriott hotel in CR?

TIA

[Hlnsa]

Trip Report: LIR Airport and Andaz Papagayo

LIR: A few people already discussed their airport experiences but I'll share mine. Our luggage didn't come on our flight and was sent the next day. There were people at the hotel who said they had no problem bringing in homemade, cooked food but when someone at the Andaz called his friend in customs and we described/showed pictures of the Pomegranate meals, they said they would confiscate it. We rented a car and drove to LIR from the hotel and managed to convince an AA supervisor to arrange for us to go behind security and back to the baggage claim area. My food got stopped by customs and I had to beg with them not to take it away. It helped that they couldn't read or understand a word of English so Meatballs and Corned Beef became Pasta via a translator. Another family wasn't so lucky and had a lot of their food taken away. Bottom line is that you need to get lucky and try to move out before they realize what is going on or get the guy that let everyone else go. They seem very disorganized and unprofessional so even packing your food in a toy box or with more official packaging can also work.

Andaz: The hotel is very nice and modern while trying to give the feel that you are in a jungle-type atmosphere. We stayed in a suite (Room 521) and had the same issues @momo described with privacy and the view. You can see into pretty much every suite from the path and the views of the bay are all somewhat obstructed by the trees. The room decore, lighting, and amenities were described perfectly above so no need to elaborate.
The hotel is very spread apart and the entire property is very hilly. We were there with less than 25% occupancy so they were driving people up and down the road to the pools, Spa, and dining room for breakfast. There are 3 main "family pools," all infinity pools that wrap around the area behind the main restaurant. They aren't overly large but they were all very nice and we always had at least one pool to ourselves due to the limited crowd. There is also an adult pool at the end of the road (also an infinity pool) which is also very nice. All the pools overlook the bay but the views are obstructed (like the rooms) by the trees.
The hotel is on the top of a hill and if you hike down the path behind the pools, you will get to the black sand beach. This beach is the activities beach where you can rent kayaks, snorkel or paddle board for free for an hour (or more depending on demand). You can also rent Jet Skis and boats at this beach. We actually saw whales breaching when we were there and some people rented jet skis to go see the whales up close. From their reports back, it was an amazing experience. The other beach is behind the rocks and over to the right. At the hotel, they call that beach the white sand beach and it is just intended to be used for relaxation (no activities are offered there). We didn't make it out to that beach as the black sand beach was empty and didn't want to do the extra walk. I should add that the beach is on a bay which is really nice because the water is much calmer and you can just go out and swim without any resistance from waves.
Finally, some points about the food. We are Hyatt Diamond and had breakfast for free. At this hotel, breakfast is offered at the main restaurant and we chose the buffet option every day. They had fresh fruit and delicious fresh squeezed fruit juices (I recommend both the mixed fruit and watermelon juice) which we ate every day but were charged different amounts. The way it works is that you get billed then and it gets taken off (besides for tip) when you check-out. Our last day there, two plates of fruit and two cups of fruit juice came out to $86 (not including tip). I don't know how they get these prices (our first day, the same thing was $41) but I would advise to be careful tipping off the final bill without understanding it because you actually pay for that. As far as the food we brought, I went back and forth with the manager Michael Schmid via email and he wouldn't agree to waive the $25 per person, per meal charge to freeze and store our food. I ended up buying a cheap toaster oven from Target the night before I left and I cleared out my mini fridge and was able to store 18 Pomegranate meals. Luckily for us, another family was upgraded to the Presidential Suite with that had a full fridge and freezer and let us store our food there so it all worked out. We even had a mini DO our last night there where we pooled our food with a third family and ate on their amazing deck overlooking the pools and bay. Again, my advice would be to deal with Michael over the phone as opposed to email because people seem to have had better luck with negotiating the cost of storing/heating and upgrading to better suites (with plunge pools) over the phone.
I know this was long but wanted to cover as much as I could. If anyone has any questions, please let me know.

We are going to the andaz papagayo from 1/1/15 to 1/11/15. Can u please give me michael Schmids phone number and email? Thank you