TRIP REPORT: COSTA RICA (JOURNALIZED BY THE WIFE OF MOMO)= CONTINUED…..
FRIDAY/ SHABBOS
- The engineer was able to override the sensor systems in our rooms for shabbos, and turn off the electronic lock on the doors. So our rooms did not lock automatically. The outdoor lights around the hotel are not motion sensitive, and there are no other electric doors.
- The Andaz has live music every saturday night in one of its restaurants.
SUNDAY
- The pools here are really amazing! They are all infinity edge pools with beautiful views of the water. One pool is for adults only, while the other two allow children.
- We drove out to Canas, which was about a hour and a half drive away. Mileage wise, it was not that far, but even the main highway that goes through the entire province of Guancaste is one lane in each direction. So it takes a while, especially when there are trucks on the road. Also, there is always a section of the road under construction, because they are trying to widen the highway to include two lanes in each direction.
- In Canas we went to Las Pumas, which is a wildlife rescue shelter. I believe they have two sets of entrance tickets: because the one we received had a printed price of $10 on it- in dollar amounts. ( I found out about the place from a local woman who worked at the hotel who told me she took her kids there all the time- so i think they must have another ticket with local currency prices.) It was a really small place- overpriced for what they had to offer, but we had a good time. Our 3 year old enjoyed seeing the toucans and parrots. The monkeys were entertaining, but what was really great, was that there were some wild monkeys hanging out on top of the cage of contained monkeys! The best part of the place was the leopard and tiger. Unlike the typical zoo you would visit in the states, these animals were not drugged or lazy looking. The tiger was jumping from tree to tree, and running up to the cage edge trying to pounce on the people.
- On the way back to the hotel we drove off road to a local swimming hole under some falls, also referred to us by a local. It was called LLano del Cortes- Cataratas. You cant really make the drive unless you have four wheel drive. Of course, in typical Costa Rican fashion as we have come to find out, we were solicited for funds. First, when we turned onto the road, a guy was sitting and blocking the road with a “donation receipts” pad. Once we paid that toll, and tried to park our car, a guy approached us and said the parking was free, but he would watch our car and make sure nothing happened to it in exchange for a donation. We hiked down a five minute hike to a really pretty pool and falls. A lot of locals go there to swim.
MONDAY
- The hotel has a free child care service called Cambi. Its a small building with a TV/ computer games room, an art room, a general playroom, a nap room, and a kitchen. They also have a backyard with swings and slides. They have water bottles and apples on hand for the kids.
- We left our daughter in Cambi for the afternoon, and we went on a canopy tour, which is a series of zip lines extended over canyons, rivers, and valleys. It was absolutely incredible!!!!!!!
- At first, we went to a place called Witch’s rock to do the canopy tour. However, they were unable to start a tour for another hour after we arrived, and it would be with 17 other people! They charge $75 per person, and the tour is about an hour and a half long. They also offer horseback riding and ATV’s.
- We could not wait around that long, we we continued driving a little further down the road, and we saw small painted signed for another place. The signs pointed us down a dirt road, which would not have been accessible had we not had 4 wheel drive. It was a pretty long drive down that road, about 15 minutes, and we encountered some wild cows. When we finally arrived, we were the only people there. They charged us $35 per person, and we also paid for them to take pictures of us with their “professional photographer” while we were on the zipline, and put it in a frame. The course consisted of 17 zip lines of varying lengths, speeds, and views. We flew across a snaking river and a craggy canyon hundreds of feet in the air. It was absolutely breathtaking. At one point they offered for us to do a line upside down, but we were way too chicken for that!!!!
- THE PAPAGAYO FLOATING & CANOPY: papagayocanopy@gmail.com phone 506-2665-8458
TUESDAY
- We started off our day at the beach, which is about a 4 minute walk down to the water. We went on those standing surf board type things with paddles ( I really don't know what they are called) which look much easier than they really are. Basically, you need to balance in the exact center the whole time, especially when you are attempting to make it past the waves. The water is really clear, and we were able to see fish and a stingray even in the deep waters. Some kayakers at the hotel reported seeing whales in the morning, and they were able to get close enough to hear them whining to each other!
- The hotel has 2 private beaches- a black sand and a white sand one.
- In the afternoon we went to Rio Carabaci safari water tours, which is located next door to Las Pumas rescue shelter. Once again, I got the feeling we were ripped off, because there are no printed prices. We paid $40 each, and and our child went free. I think it was worth it though. They drove us to a spot a few minutes away where they pushed the raft into the water, and we got in. We had a guide rowing the raft and pointing out the wildlife. We began our tour at 3:30, and it was a 2 hour tour. The timing was perfect because the heat of the day was over, and the rock face surrounding the river blocked the sun. The weather was actually quite comfortable. We saw tons of iguanas, which seem to be like the squirrels of NY- not very exciting for a local, and all over the place. We also saw lots of wild howler monkeys really close up because they were dangling over the river eating some leaves. There are many different species of birds, and we even saw some bats in the rocks. Best of all, we saw some Crocs!
WEDNESDAY
- We wanted to go horseback riding on our last full day, and we wanted to bring our 3 year old with us. We spoke to the host, and he made a few calls for us. Witch’s rock, which is right near the hotel, did not allow children under the age of 7. The host also called a tour company, and they were willing, but they charged $110 person- which included luxury transportation, and lunch. Since we had our own car, we decided not to opt for that. The host ended up finding a place about a hour and a half drive away near Playa Conchal, which is near the Westin Hotel.
- About 45 minutes into the drive, we saw a painted sign on the road for Horseback riding, ATV, and Canopy Tours (It seems that most places do all 3 activities). It was called Hacienda El Roble and it was amazing! Especially since it was half the distance to where we were prepared to travel. Their prices were really good as well. It seems that this is the destination for a lot of the luxury tours. This place charged $35 per person for 2 hours of horseback riding, which is really cheap! They charge $60 per ATV for 2 hours (which can seat 2 adults) and $35 for the canopy tour- which has the longest zip in the country- 600 meters long.
- They did not charge for our 3 year old daughter, and she sat on the saddle with the guide. We went riding through swampland, and fields full of wild cows. It was absolutely great, and the guide allowed us to gallop for as long as we could handle the ride. It was amazing, because my the guide was galloping along side us with our daughter bouncing along- something that would NEVER be allowed in the states.
- HACIENDA EL ROBLE & ADVENTURE CENTER (
www.canopyhaciendaelroble.com) 506-8505-8666 or 506-8884-4788. located on Coyolito de Belen in Carrillo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
THURSDAY
- We spent the morning by the pool.
- Mid Afternoon flight
GENERAL INFORMATION
(We stayed in the Hyatt Andaz in Guancaste)
- During our stay, the hotel was at 9% occupancy!!! It was basically us and the staff.
- The hotel is in a really secluded area. Once you turn off the main road, you drive for about 15 minutes in wilderness. We do not recommend driving this road at night, and it is very twisty, and there are no lights. One day we were late getting back from a trip, and there was a car flipped over on the side of the road. There are also no signs for the hotel once you leave the main road. We got lost looking for it during the daytime. If we were checking in at night, we never would have found it.
- The hotel stored our food in their freezer, and pulled out our meal every morning to defrost in the fridge. We called them every evening an hour before we wanted to eat. The instructions on the food said it only needs 20 minutes, but we found that the food was not hot unless it was in for an hour. Even if it was previously defrosted. The hotel normally charges a storage and heating fee. We were able to negotiate, and the fee was waived.
- Breakfast is served every morning in one of the restaurants overlooking the pools. It is from 7:30 to 10:30. The following items were kosher from the buffet: sliced fruit, fresh squeezed fruit juices, coffee, cereal, and milk. As a diamond member, breakfast was free. The food there is really expensive, and the prices fluctuated every day, even though we basically ate the same thing. One morning, our breakfast of cereal and fruit cost $80! We did receive the full bill at the end of the meal, but only the tip posted to our account.
- The staff is overall attentive and friendly. I think the staff are trained here to put an emphasis on the friendliness, because even the gardeners and cleaning staff stop on the road to greet you as you walk by. However, they did not know a lot of information about the local activities. In fact, we ended up supplying them with information about where we went each day, so that they can advise future guests.
- The hotel includes one free hour of water sport activities a day. This includes kayaking, snorkeling, and this board that you stand on and paddle.
- There are very few gas stations in the Guancaste area. In fact, they are so far and few between that they are all marked on the map. The closest one to the airport is 15 minutes away.
- The major grocery stores are also far and few. There are small bodegas in the towns, but the closest one to the hotel is about 20 minutes away.
- In general, where ever we went we got the feeling of being ripped off. No one has printed prices. Its like they look at you and calculate how much they can get away with asking.
- We were planning to buy a sim card for our phone, but we found that we just did not need to. There is wifi all over the hotel, so we were able to access our email while spending the day at the pool. As for local calls, i believe locals calls are free from the hotel, although we did not try. The hosts made calls for us and spoke spanish whenever we needed.
- A GENERAL WARNING: WE HAD A BAD REACTION TO THE LOCAL WATER, AND WE HIGHLY SUGGEST STICKING TO BOTTLED WATER- EVEN IF YOU INTEND TO BOIL IT.
- The vistas are unbelievable!
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