I got the OK to go to Costa Rica for my honeymoon, but it has to be a "nice" place to stay. Of course I'm going to surf everyday that I can, and well she is going to maybe paddle out a few times, yoga, ect. Please give me some suggestions on where to go/stay. This trip is not going to be on the cheap we have money saved and would love to spend it. Thanks!!
great waves on the southern Nicoya Peninsula. If you're looking to go high end, check out http://www.florblanca.com/
Fabulous yoga and miles and miles of pristine surf... cant go wrong
Stayed here for a week. Even with a one year old at the time. Good surf right out front (went May-ish), and good breaks about 20-40 min north. couldn't get main site to load but here's one link. Harmony Hotel Nosara http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g656474-d301218-Reviews-The_Harm...
JW Marriott Guanacaste. only real hotel in the whole country. everything in the south is eco-hippie pretty much. if you want pool, spa, dinning etc. very limited. costa rica is not a first class destination, very underdeveloped when compared with the big name cities in Mexico. limited paved roads, etc. very tropical. enjoy, but dont expect un-crowded endless summer 2 sessions. whole place is packed with foreign surfers, local expats and plenty of ticos. bring a smile and low expectations and you will enjoy. it aint indo.
I second the nosara area in southern guanacaste. Relatively consistent surf, but resort amenities don't compare to the Marriott. I'm pretty sure they just opened a ritz Carlton somewhere in northern guanacaste as well.
I've got a friend who lives and sells real estate in nosara that I can put you in touch with. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to give you some friendly advice/local knowledge.
Stayed in Jaco at a vacation rental. It was in a gated community w/all the amenities you're looking for. Jaco Beach is a beach break that I'd compare to Ocean Beach. Can be pretty mean but also pretty awesome when it reaches head high+.... Sure there were other breaks nearby. Ping me if you want a link.
MJ -- when is your honeymoon planned for and how much are you looking to drop on room+food per night? florblanca is great but on the very high end...
Honeymoon end of April. We might be able to come close to Florblanca prices but I don't know if I can get myself to actually spend that kind of money.
Thanks everyone one for the great advise.
Ok, well, as far as Nicoya goes:
End of April you're looking at some rain. Potentially heavy at times. May is the wettest month of the year. April is also the hottest, so that rain is probably gonna feel pretty good. And it'll wash all the road dust off everything. There ought to be some pretty decent south swells rolling in during that time.
There is a place in ST called Luz De Luna which is rustic but really nice and not expensive. A french couple run it. They just put a pool in. Its small. Four structures total, under some big old Mango trees about 100meters back from the road. They have one cabina that is totally private and free standing with a kitchen, and there's yoga etc within walking distance.
http://www.luzdelunahotel.com/index.swf
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g635538-d1186747-Reviews-Hotel_L...
Next door to it -- and a step up in price -- is Alma, which is a restaurant and villa. It has two geodesic dome houses and one other for rent.
http://www.almadecostarica.com/alojamiento.html
There's another nice set of villas further up the road here:
http://www.villassantateresa.com/
And a map of the area:
http://www.nicoyapeninsula.com/teresa/teresa.php
There's a bunch of info there on Nicoya in general.
If you start poking around on Trip Advisor for places in Nosara and Samara and Santa Theresa there are a lot of options. Places in Nosara tend to be a little more spread out and in general that area is more chilled out (and less developed, or it seemed so to me anyway a couple years ago) than ST at this point. Generally speaking the further North up the road you go the quieter and more chilled out it gets, in the Mal Pais area. If you go, you'll get to the crossroads and think "oh shit, it's overdeveloped" and it is, but only in that little 5 or six "block" long stretch.
Check out Sansa and Nature Air for shuttle flights that will get you into and out of places a lot faster w/o hassling with a rental car and driving around... anyplace charging you $150+ per night is most likely gonna hook you up with a ride to/from the small airports in Tambor or Samara. Cheaper places, not so much -- but there'll be taxis at the airstrips.
I just go here: http://surfinnhermosa.com/
The suites are like nice apartments, more of an apartment vibe all around than a hotel.
hermosa way too heavy for a honeymoon and nothing much to do there.... apart from throwing back shots at the backyard bar and enjoying fish dinners at jungle cafe... imo
