Zig-zagging around the mountain at night, the only colors your eyes can catch are the red and yellow light deflectors lining the street. Here and there, a spark of light discovers a patch of grass, trees and wild flowers; beyond, a glimpse of a colossal mountain. Sudden moonlight unveils the never-ending lake lost in the black horizon as you reach the apex of the hill, giving you the chance to contemplate for a moment the Arenal Dam resting on the shore. A turn, and uphill again—a drop of red ichor slides down the mountainside in the distance unmasking the nightly visage of the Arenal Volcano. The distinguishing fresh smell of the jungle intensifies as the concert of crickets and night birds welcomes you. You have arrived to Lost Iguana.

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Everything about Reserva Conchal is magical from the views of the bay, to the Trent Jones Golf course, the personalized attention, the top notch beach club, the beautiful beach and the biodiversity.

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After nearly 6 months inland I was given the chance to announce my return to the Pacific Coast in style at the incredible Malinche Condos on the 930 hectare Reserva Conchal property. Upon arrival myself and Nick were treated to some “heavy hors d’oeurves” which included raw chicken although the rest of the food was nice and then we were given a short presentation and met the staff who were all very friendly, helpful and as accommodating as one could expect.

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This weekend Costa Rican Vacations visited the hotel featured in the 1000 places to stay before your die, Hotel La Mariposa Manuel Antonio. This hotel has offered a supreme level of service and quality for many years and this has followed through in their construction of new rooms and wrap around pool. [Read more →]

Sales Representative: Alan Prendergast
Costa Rica Rating: 10
Costa Rica Holiday Rating: 10

1. How would you describe your hotel accommodations? (Please rate each individually)
Villa Blanca - Excellent
Volcano Lodge - Very Good
Issimo Suites - Excellent [Read more →]

Travel Consultant: Chris Atkins
Costa Rica : 9
Costa Rican Vacation: 9

Hotel was great
Domestic travel was great as well
The zip line trip was very fun and well organized (and very safety conscious). There was a muddle up with the Iguana boat tour people who tried to get us on the “Pink Hippo” or something rather than the sailboat we thought we’d be travelling on. [Read more →]

I have never been a big fan of Jaco Beach nor the places near it until I got to Xandari by the Pacific. This hotel was completely different from all the other hotels around the area. It’s pretty secluded but still within a reasonable distance from down town Jaco. [Read more →]

I was very pleased to be given the opportunity to visit Lapa Rios Puerto Jimenez on the Osa Peninsula. It was a Lapa Rios brochure I came upon in 1993 that first inspired me to visit Costa Rica. I never did make it to Lapa Rios until all these years later but it was well worth the wait. [Read more →]

Imagine you’re own romantic bungalow set in the jungle of Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula. It has incredible views of not only the rainforest, but beautiful coastline as well. Your bungalow has a luxurious canopy bed, a beautiful bathroom complete with an outdoor shower, and a large deck featuring woven patio furniture and a fantastic hammock. Now imagine that this bungalow comes with a gourmet restaurant, a beautiful pool, a wonderful massage room, and tons of natural vegetation and wildlife to keep you entertained for days in the surrounding area. Does this sound to good to be true? It’s not-it’s actually a reality at Lapa Rios, Costa Rica’s premiere eco lodge in the Osa Peninsula! [Read more →]

Rating of accommodations
Alta Hotel, Santa Ana - Fantastic, sorry to have only been there
for one night.
Hotel Arenal Paraiso, La Fortuna - also excellent, less luxurious but
certainly very good and with great facilities.
Trapp family Lodge, Monteverde - Nice but probably the weakest link,
facilities were not so good…to put in perspective still probably 7/10
Hotel Parador, Manuel Antonio - what can we say 10/10 just fantastic
Hotel Grano de Oro. San Jose - brilliant, a fantastic dinner in the
evening, the only blip was other noisy guests slamming doors. [Read more →]