I met with Kyle and Sarah, who wanted\u00a0to go someplace off the beaten path. They didn’t want a typical Caribbean destination. Instead they wanted something different with\u00a0amazing beaches and fun activities. I suggested\u00a0traveling to Costa Rica and visiting a\u00a0combination of rain forests, volcanoes, and beaches. I absolutely love Arenal Nayara Resort http:\/\/www.arenalnayara.com\/<\/a>, a boutique hotel in the middle of the Costa Rican rain forest with\u00a0views of Arenal Volcano from every balcony. The resort has won many awards and remains affordable, but I’m finding availability is hard because they only have 50 rooms. I then suggested traveling to the coast and staying at the RIU Guanacaste, a beachfront all-inclusive resort. It sounds like they had a great time!<\/p>\n Thoughts of Kyle and Sarah about their honeymoon:<\/p>\n We absolutely LOVED Nayara.\u00a0 It was quiet and beautiful and the staff so very accommodating.\u00a0 The little things made all the difference\u2026 the cool, mint towels in the lobby and the gym, free calls to the US, free internet access from the lobby, staff that goes above and beyond to make your stay comfortable.\u00a0\u00a0 Here are some more specifics\u2026<\/p>\n Food:\u00a0We love the\u00a0included breakfast – there\u00a0was plenty of authentic food to choose from along with American dishes.\u00a0 There were always different foods on the buffet so we didn\u2019t get bored. Dinner at the main restaurant was delicious.\u00a0 We had the buffet ($25) and ordered off the menu($15-$25).\u00a0 Sushi restaurant was very similar to what you would get in the US and prices compare.<\/p>\n Rooms:\u00a0We loved the room.\u00a0 The outdoor shower and hot tub on the deck made the room extra special.\u00a0 Room was very clean and there was nightly turn down service. The rooms are very eco-friendly so the AC and lights only work when you are in the room.\u00a0 The bed was AMAZING, so soft and comfortable.<\/p>\n Staff:\u00a0\u00a0 We thought the staff was great!\u00a0 They were helpful and polite but allowed us to maintain our privacy.\u00a0 Very professional at all times.<\/p>\n Travel:\u00a0 We had very good drivers both from the airport and to the RIU, they were friendly and stopped for us to take pictures.\u00a0 They gave us lots of great info about Costa Rica as we drove.<\/p>\n Riu Guanacaste<\/strong><\/p>\n This was a culture shock\u2026it was the exact opposite from Nayara, lots of people and a lot going on.<\/p>\n Food:\u00a0 We thought the food was very good.\u00a0 We tried all of the restaurants and the buffet and enjoyed each experience.\u00a0 There was a long line to get a reservation, we had to get in line by 9:00 and restaurants were often full for that day and the next within 30 min.\u00a0 You could really find food at any hour of the day, so we didn\u2019t go hungry.<\/p>\n Room:\u00a0 Our room was very clean and well maintained.\u00a0\u00a0 Lots of liquor in the room and drinks in the fridge.\u00a0 We did have to call several times to get an iron brought to the room.<\/p>\n Staff:\u00a0 The entertainment staff was great!\u00a0 They were engaging and we enjoyed watching them when we were at the pool and in the evenings.\u00a0We heard some complaints about the evening shows being \u201ccheesy,\u201d but we thought they were fun!<\/p>\n All in all we had an amazing trip and would go back to Costa Rica in a heartbeat.\u00a0 The Nayara went above and beyond our expectations and definitely want to go back there.\u00a0 And if we did it again we would go to the Nayara last or stay there the whole time.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Costa Rican Honeymoon I met with Kyle and Sarah, who wanted\u00a0to go someplace off the beaten path. They didn’t want a typical Caribbean destination. Instead they wanted something different with\u00a0amazing beaches and fun activities. I suggested\u00a0traveling to Costa Rica and visiting a\u00a0combination of rain forests, volcanoes, and beaches. I absolutely love Arenal Nayara Resort http:\/\/www.arenalnayara.com\/, … Continue reading