Resort Review - Riu Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Riu Guanacaste

Four hours on some of the worst roads we've experienced in Costa Rica traveling from Monteverde to Guanacaste brought us to the Riu Guanacaste resort. Located about 45 minutes from the Liberia airport on paved roads brings you to the hotel. The resort is currently in the process of building a Riu Palace  next door schedule to open in November, 2012.

We arrived by bus at the front entrance at about noon, passing a casino across the street as we came in. Being with a group, our luggage was off loaded and placed in the lobby. We could not check in until 3:00 sharp, so we completed the required paperwork, had bracelets strapped on and were invited to eat at one of the restaurants, Ocotel, for lunch.  Before doing that, we stopped at the reservation table for dinner reservations for the next day. Unfortunately, at Riu you must make reservations for dinner a day before and the only restaurants available were the Asian or Italian restaurants for the next day, but we wanted to eat at the Asian restaurant so that wasn't an issue.

Our lunch was buffet style at Ocotel.  We found ourselves a table and walked around the huge restaurant to see what was offed. There was salad, cheeses, guacamole, chips and taco fixings, paella, the ever present and delicious rice and beans, some meats and a whole section of Costa Rican native dishes.  The food was very good, but it was difficult to find a server to bring us some soda. There was tapped beer and wine, water and orange juice and soda available as self service.

After lunch we checked into our room, 1018. Our building was away from the construction and we faced a nature preserve, which delighted us as we we able to sit and watch howler monkeys from our balcony. These rooms are called jungle view and in our opinion, they are the best views.  The beach is swimmable but not very pretty, as many beaches on Costa Rica. The sand is brown and appears muddy. However, the water is delightful. No waves and warm.

The jungle view rooms are quiet because they face a jungle. There is no noise from the pool area and it is delightful to sit on your balcony and watch the animals.

Our room was nicely appointed. Upon entering we were in a wide hallway with the closet, safe and across from it the refrigerator and mini-bar. On top of the mini bar were bottles of vodka, gin and tequila. There were also various soda, beer and water in the refrigerator, all included. The liquor was all house brand. There were two bars that served Smirnoff vodka - the sports bar and the lobby bar. Otherwise, you will be drinking house brands. Same goes for the wine. Air conditioning worked well - after staying at two hotels with no air conditioning, it was a pleasure to arrive here and crank the thermostat down.  It was VERY hot here in May. 

The bathroom was large with double sinks, bathtub/shower combo. The only amenities in the bathroom were a shower cap and soap. If staying here, make sure you bring your own shampoo and conditioner. There is a group of stores outside the hotel that does sell toiletries but they are very expensive - $24 or $47 for a bottle of suntan lotion!

The food was surprisingly better than we expected. The buffets were plentiful- there were so many choices that it would be difficult NOT to find something palatable. Every morning,   one restaurant is open for a buffet breakfast near the lobby and Ocotel is open for lunch, near the beach.

For dinner there are four choices - the buffet, Ariago the Asian Restaurant, An Italian Restaurant or Ocotel, a steak house. Ariago is another all buffet restaurant. Food ranged from sushi prepared fresh to tempura vegetables and Japanese and Chinese offerings.

The Italian restaurant had a salad buffet but you order your dinner off an a la carte menu.

There is corny nightly entertainment in their "theater". Shows ranged from karaoke to a review night, to a take off the mens' t-shirts and have them act like fools  to get them back show.

There were plenty of pool activities, from exercise to dance lessons to Bingo. There are two pools, one for adults only which had the swim up bar and another zero entry pool for kids. In addition, there was a small kids playhouse, pool and playground equipment.

Water sports included were snorkeling, Hobie cats, kayaks and peddle boats. There are optional excursions that can be purchased in the lobby. On the beach area were peddlers offering fishing, jewelry, dresses, wooden items and massages - $35 for one hour. I opted to purchase a spa treatment from the Riu. A 25 minute hot stone massage was $49 and I was sorry I didn't take a longer option. Other massages, facials and body wraps were similarly priced. We found these to be the best priced spa treatments in Costa Rica.

As we stated before, there is a small casino a five minute walk away with a night time disco.  Neither seemed very busy at night.

The hotel is beautiful, well maintained with comfortable rooms, but this resort is similar to many resorts in the Caribbean and you do not get the true essence of Costa Rica here.  I suggest taking excursions to other areas, such as Arenal to see the volcano and hot springs or some nature walks and zip lining.  This resort would be a perfect end to a multi stop itinerary where you would fly into San Jose and travel up to Guanacaste through Monteverde or Arenal to do many of the great activities offered. Cap off your stay with a few days of total relaxation before flying out of Liberia.

My Flights Have Been Changed! What Can I Do?

In the current economic environment, we are seeing many flight schedules changed or flights canceled by airlines before passengers are due to fly. Flights booked early, six months or more before flying, are particularly vulnerable to changes as the flight dates get closer.

While the majority of flight schedule changes are nothing more than changing a flight by a few minutes, some are major changes.  We have seen direct flights changed to indirect and flights canceled that affect a connecting flight - resulting in a long layover between connecting flights - even a day or so.

We were recently victims of flight changes. Three months before traveling, we purchased tickets for a flight leaving JFK at 6 AM, arriving in Orlando at 9:00.  Our connecting flight from Orlando was at 10:15 to San Jose Costa Rica.

We were contacted a month after booking by our airline advising us that our 6 AM flight was canceled, and putting us on the next flight at 8:30 would not get us into Orlando on time for our connecting flight. Our option was to fly into Orlando the night before, stay at a hotel at our own expense to make the 10:15 flight to San Jose or to fly out of another airport farther away that had a 6 AM flight.  Because the airline had another option that didn't incur an overnight stay (leaving from a different airport), they did not have to reimburse us for flying in the night before.

A month before we were to leave, we were again contacted by the same airline advising us that our return flight home from Orlando to JFK was changed to an earlier flight time - and we would not make the connection with the 12:30 flight we had leaving San Jose.  We had two options - fly into LaGuardia Airport, or  pay again for an overnight hotel in Orlando and fly home the following day.  Since we weren't going to pay for another hotel, we opted to return to LGA - at an additional cost of $70 for a cab ride home.  What the airline did do was give us a $60 credit for a future flight in lieu of the fact that they inconvenienced us not with one flight but with both.

What should you do if you are contacted by your airline with a flight change?  If you read the Terms and Conditions on your tickets, you will find that every airline has the option of changing flights for various reasons.

 First - stay calm.  This doesn't mean you will be left in the lurch. If an airline makes a significant schedule change that makes your itinerary unworkable, it will try to rebook you on an alternate flight, on a space available basis. If that doesn't work, the airline will refund your fare without penalty. What qualifies as a substantial schedule change depends on the carrier. One carrier's contract of carriage doesn't specify a timeline, while anothers rules stipulate that a two-hour shift in arrival or departure time is grounds for rebooking or a refund.  You will need to review your particular airlines contract of carriage (or if you have wisely booked through a travel agent, your travel agent can do this for you).

Next, go online to your airline's website and see what flights are available for your travel dates.  When Delta Airlines changed a connecting flight on us from Seattle to Vancouver, they rescheduled us on a 4 PM flight. We went online and found there were two earlier flights and had that information to give the airline rep. when we called to say that the new flight was not acceptable.  (Your travel agent can usually see the flights and how many seats are available).

If there are no other flights, check flights for the prior day or from another nearby airport.  If you find flights that are acceptable, tell the airline rep. when you call that you want to be put on the flights you found open. Just be aware that you may have to pay for your own hotel.

If you find no viable alternatives, check other airlines online to see if they have flights available.  If they do and your airline has a reciprocal agreement with that airline, ask your airline if they can put you on those flights.  If your airline does not have a reciprocal agreement, you will have to ask them to cancel your reservation and rebook yourself on another airline. The airline has to give you a full refund if they have no acceptable options for you.

Just be aware that this is likely to be your most expensive option, as flights purchased several months in advance are usually much lower in price than last minute flight bookings.  You will receive a credit card refund within a few days from your airline, but your new flights could be quite a bit more expensive.

If you have wisely booked through a travel agent, these are the steps your travel agent will do when you contact them if you are contacted directly by the airline.

Chocolate, Wine & Dessert Tour of New York City

Ever have a creme puff freshly baked and piped when you order it?  Have you visited the oldest fine wine merchant in the U.S.?  We recently found these and more on a Chocolate, Wine and Dessert Tour in New York City that was fun for all.

We met our guide, Dan, on the upper west side.  There were 11 people in our group ready to go on this fun tour of hidden gems in New York City.  First stop was a wonderful European bakery, Grandaisy, where we sampled a pastry that tasted like an Italian version of rugala.

On to Acker Merral & Condit, which bills itself at the oldest fine wine merchant in the United States and the world's leading wine auctioneer, where we had a lesson on champagnes and a private wine tasting.  The shop is beautiful, a mixture of old world and new wines. There were wines for every price range here and a leading Sommelier told us all about the three wines we sampled. We left with a purchase of La Spinetta Moscato D'Asti, a delightful sweet wine.

On to Beard Papa at 2167 Broadway, between 76th and 77th Streets for the most delicious creme puff we've ever tasted. The puff was crunchy and the custard absolutely delicious - not too sweet but in many flavors from vanilla to green tea, chocolate, pumpkin and more.

On to several more bakeries (can't give away all the secrets!) and then to JaquesTorres chocolates for a lesson on the production of chocolate and tasting of the most decadent hot chocolate and chocolate we've ever tasted.

The tour took about two hours and our guide also gave us some history on the area on some of the buildings in the area.  It was a great way to spend a few hours finding some great new places. All food and wine was included in the price of the tour. 

Interested in this or something similar? Contact us for a list of different food tasting tours or too book. 516-608-0568.

Review- El Establo Hotel, Monteverde, Costa Rica

What would make a nearly four hour journey from San Jose, Costa Rica to Monteverde Cloud Forest worthwhile? A stay at the four star El Establo Mountain Hotel. This ingenious hotel is built into the mountain it rests on, with each building offering it's own unique view of the small town of Santa Elena.

El Establo participates in Costa Rica's Sustainable Tourism Program by asking guests to use water and electricity only when needed, reusing towels if fresh ones aren't needed daily and having garbage receptacles in the room for organic or recyclable garbage and non- recyclable.

The hotel has two restaurants, La Riendas off the main highway next to the Reception area and Laggus below building six and the spa and also offers room service. The Green Leaf Spa, is open daily from 2 pm to 9 PM and is full service, offering everything from manicures go body wraps, massages and exfoliation.

There are two swimming pools and a gym. The gym is in a building with the second pool and offers wonderful views of the beautiful grounds and the town of Santa Elena. There is also a conference center. There is free internet in public areas, such as the restaurants, bars, pool areas and reception desk. A USB port can be rented for $10 per day that snaps into a laptop and offers internet access in your room.

There are seven buildings housing rooms. Because the hotel grounds are so large and steep, the hotel offers shuttle buses to pick up guests and take them around the grounds. Even a walk downhill from the building we stayed in, building 500, to Las Riendas was a difficult walk. If a guest has limited mobility or uses a wheelchair, this is not the hotel for them as it is too difficult to maneuver around. The hallways are very long and if you have a ground floor room, the hall floors are made of stone and can be slippery and difficult to walk on.

The views get better the further up the mountain your building is located. Buildings 600, 700, 800 and 900 were higher up.  You will need the shuttle, make no mistake about it, but the shuttles came very quickly when the front desk was called.

The rooms are well sized. Our room, 503, had two queen sized beds, flat screen t.v., corner shelving unit, refrigerator, long shelves and a good sized bathroom with separate shower and tub and sink.

Room 503 also was unique in the fact that it does not offer a patio as the other ground floor rooms have or a balcony for the second and third floors. But it has a separate living room with sofa, two chairs and coffee table that proved to be very useful to relax and read a book.


Even though this is considered a four star resort, there are issues with this hotel that should be mentioned. There is no air conditioning. This is not unusual in rain or cloud forest hotels, but there also were no ceiling fans OR screened windows to open to let in fresh air. That made for a very hot room at night during our stay in May. There were four very large windows in our living room area. Two didn't open and we didn't open the other two because without screens, bugs raced each other to see who could get to the lights inside the room first. That left very small louvered windows on the top of one of our windows for air - again with no screens. When the drapes were drawn at night, those windows are blocked off by the drapes and no fresh air circulates at all- making for very hot sleeping conditions. There are also louvered windows in the bathroom but we closed those as soon as we arrived - the hallways echo tremendously and the noise reverberates throughout the room if those windows are left opened.

Besides no air conditioning, the hotel also does not offer irons,additional lights or heaters. Electricity is normal 110 American volts. If guests need to charge anything that works with 220 volts, they can bring it to reception and have it recharged there.

Another issue that we found the first night is there are blackouts occasionally. We hadn't experienced this at any other hotels we've stayed at in Costa Rica. The first time it occurred 10 minutes after we arrived in our room but the electricity was back in less than a minute. The second, about a half hour later, lasted about 10 minutes. Luckily we had flashlights that we brought with us which we used (once we found them). Some who were walking to a restaurant were not so lucky, as they could not see their hand in front of their face.

Each room has it's own 40 gallon hot water tank. If you take a bath and use all the hot water, it takes 35 minutes for the water to re-heat. This was not a problem for us as we shower and had no problem with the hot water. A few things we noticed in our bathroom that shouldn't have been in a four star resort- a light fixture was missing from the wall. The plug for the hair dryer didn't work and when the shower was on, water leaked out of the tiles in the shower wall. The lack of maintenance in a resort of this rating was a concern, especially when we spoke to others who also had non-working plugs in their bathrooms and couldn't use the hair dryers in the room. We called for room maintenance when the curtain rod holding up the room drapes fell down and to report the leak and non-working plus and no one ever came to the room. 

The beds were comfortable. For Americans, the t.v. was sorely lacking- only one channel was English speaking and it showed mostly childrens' shows. One thing that many guests who were with us complained about was the noise. The was very loud Spanish music playing beginning at about 4 pm and went throughout the night that came from a bar across the street from the hotel. What we discovered on our last day was there was a Cinco DeMayo festival across the street and there was a carnival "barker" outside with a megaphone until 9:30 each night. We heard shouts of "Tora, Tora" until 1 AM. (The barker did move inside with his megaphone each night at 9:30,but we could still hear him until 1 A.M.). There is nothing that can be done about something like that, so if you are booking during Cinco de Mayo time, keep that in mind. 

This resort is not all inclusive but meal tickets can be purchased. The meal tickets do not cover soda or liquor. Restaurant food was tasty. For dinner, you are offered a choice of soup or salad, a main dish, and dessert. Soups and chicken were good, flan desserts tasty. Breakfast offerings were eggs, breads, rice and beans, fruit, yogurt, cereal, pastries, juices, muffins. At each meal a fruit juice is also included. Most were mixed berry drinks and very refreshing.

The hotels offers their own canopy tours and night walks. The canopy tour has 16 cables, a Tarzan swing, one rappel, two rope bridges and 150 ft. tower with 260 degree view- depending on the amount of cloud cover. The final cable was 1,000 feet long and most people didn't make it all the way across!

The night walk leaves every day at 5:45 PM for two hours of hiking. You see the transition from day to night and get a different perspective of the cloud forest.

The hotel grounds are lovely. The flowers are gorgeous and we marveled at the largest hydrangeas ever throughout the Monteverde area.There are many right on the grounds. The landscaping is lush and beautifully maintained.

 Our favorite part of staying here is the ever changing landscape. The clouds roll in and out constantly so your view changes as well. You can take 20 pictures of the exact same scene and they never look the same.

This hotel is within walking distance of the town of Santa Elena which offers ore variety of things to do within close proximity. Selvatura Park is a 20 minute ride away, offering walks through the cloud forest, ziplining, a tram, walking bridges and a train. We saw some unique birds and plants on our walk with very knowledgable guides. There was also a very good restaurant there as well.

Buyer Beware - Daily Deal Sites

For those of us who receive e-mails from those daily "deal" sites, we recently saw the effect of seeing a deal that seemed great that ended up not being what the buyer thought it would be. Yes, even a travel agent can be tempted by some of the travel deals we see - but do your homework before purchasing.

We recently were on a travel agent familiarization trip to Costa Rica with a group of other travel agents to do site inspections of hotels. Hotels in Costa Rica are very different from those in other countries. Many are difficult to traverse as they are built into mountain sides and can be very difficult to maneuver around, especially if a client has any physical limitations. Many have no air conditioning. Some are basic accommodations with no air conditioning, refrigerators or ceiling fans. Many are high in remote places and far away from a town.

One hotel that we had been to before was a rain forest lodge. It was far from town, had no air conditioning, fans, refrigerator or t.v. On the property was a rain forest you could walk through, it had a semi-working farm but had a pool that was emptied every night and refilled naturally by a stream - meaning the water was very cold and it was difficult to swim in that cold water.

On the night we were there, we met a gal from NYC who was staying there by herself. It was her birthday and because she was by herself, our group invited her to join us for dinner. She had explained that she was bored stiff and had no idea that there was nothing to do at the resort.

How did she buy her room? Through one of the daily deal sites. The price was cheap and she grabbed the trip based solely on price. But she never checked the property before she bought the deal and had no idea that this was not the property for her. Food was not included and she had to buy her meals on property. She thought she would be able to walk to town - nope. A cab to the closest town cost $90 one way. There were very few excursions available. And there were also very few people at the resort - most were honeymooners who didn't want to socialize with anyone.

The great deal she thought she was getting ended up not being a good deal at all.  Had she booked through an experienced Costa Rica travel specialist, she could have been told about the hotel and what she was actually buying and I am sure that she would not have purchased the deal.

If you are considering one of the "daily deals" you see online, especially in a foreign country, remember this story.  A travel agent would have questioned this girl on her likes and dislikes and been able to tell her this was not a resort that fit her lifestyle.

Hotel Review - Hyatt Place Orlando North

Consistency is the key when staying in a Hyatt Place and the Hyatt Place Orlando North is no exception. A 7 minute ride from the Orlando airport via the hotel's free shuttle, the hotel is located in an area hosting several hotel brands. We were picked up at the Orlando airport within 10 minutes of calling after picking up our luggage by a friendly driver. Check in took 5 minutes and we were greeted by friendly staff, which we have found at every Hyatt Place we've stayed in. Our room was 519, a king bed room. Entering the room to the living room area, there is a large corner sofa with large rolling ottoman. In the living room is a wet bar with refrigerator and a desk and chair. The free wi-fi works very well throughout the hotel. The is a small closet, sink outside the bathqroom and a separate room with toilet and shower. The room and hotel is very clean. A huge flat screen t.v. turns toward the living room or bed.The bathroom amenities consist of shampoo, conditioner and toothpaste. Hyatt Places have a breakfast room where a free breakfast is served. You'll find bread for toast, bagels, various juices, cereal, donuts, fresh fruit and yogurt. There is also a snack bar for other times of day that features soda, salads, sandwiches, cookies and dessert for additional cost. They also offer made to order items such as pizza,chili, burgers and more starting at $8 and up. There was a TGI Friday within walking distance but since we arrived at 8pm we opted to take sandwiches to our room. Shuttles run to the airport starting at 4 am and run every half hour. Hyatt Place is a well priced hotel that offers great value for your dollar.

River Cruising - The Hottest Craze in Cruising

River cruising is becoming the hottest trend in traveling. It is becoming so popular that many river cruise companies are ordering new ships to accommodate the influx of passengers looking for new itineraries and experiences.

Once a niche product, river cruising is becoming extremely attractive to cruise clients who have been on most of the traditional cruise itineraries. With the lack of new cruise ports that clients haven't already sailed to, river cruising offers a very different experience than ocean cruising. Passengers love the fact that you don't just "visit" a destination, you "experience" it.

If any of you remember the movie from the 1960's "If it's Tuesday it Must Be Belgium", where the movie follows a group of tourists on a whirlwind 18 day sightseeing tour of Europe, you can now do a similar itinerary on a river cruise and pack and unpack once and have a much more leisurely experience. Unlike an ocean cruise, as your ship cruises rivers, you will actually have a view as your ship meanders up and down the scenic rivers. You'll cruise through the heart of small towns and villages. You may see castles shore side. Wave to residents from your balcony. Your ship will be docked overnight, allowing you to immerse yourself into the culture of the town, having dinner and perhaps sipping coffee at an outdoor cafe.

You are also more immersed in the culture of the countries you visit on a river cruise. On most river cruises, excursions are included and usually beer and wine. You receive more value for your money. Off the ships there are walking tours, food tastings, and many cultural excursions. Ama Waterways ships have bicycles on board that passengers can take right off the ship and explore the small towns the ships stop at.Ships are smaller and more intimate than traditional cruise ships. Most have balconies or Juliet balconies. While long ago river cruise ships were bare bones and basic, today's ships have cabins that are 50% larger, anywhere from 140 feet and up (200 square feet in some ships), luxurious accommodations and great cuisine. These ships are floating boutique hotels.

Variety is the biggest draw of river cruises - wherever there is a river, you can usually find a cruise. From Russia to the Nile River to a safari river cruise in Tanzania, there is something for everyone. How about Holland during tulip season? Or a Wine Cruise through Europe?

Themed cruises abound. Besides Wine Cruises. how about Tulip Time Cruises, Europe's Rivers and Castles, Black Sea Voyages or Provence and Spain? These are a small sampling of the many different types of river cruises available.



What won't you have on a river cruise? If you like the hot lights of Broadway type shows, gambling, games, huge pools - you may not enjoy a river cruise. Ships are more elegantly appointed with much smaller guest numbers - some ships accommodate less than 200 people.

Are you ready to book? Contact us - 516-608-0568 - to find the best river cruise for you!