Costa Rica with Kids - Playa Conchal
We went to Costa Rica for Spring Break with the kids. Because they are still young, we didn’t want to do long drives, zip lines and major hikes so we opted to enjoy the Guanacaste region and beaches. March is the dry season and due to the recent droughts plus the region/time of year we chose to travel, we found the area pretty barren and not the luscious tropical greens you would imagine. I think it would have been different had we gone in the rain season and maybe to the central parts of Costa Rica instead of the western coast. Still enjoyed ourselves, but something important to point out when you are deciding regions/time of year to go just to set expectations. So no green tropical frogs or sloths sightings but still always wonderful to explore a new part of the world.
Liberia (LIR) Airport – is a smaller airport along the western coast and makes for an easy transfer to the Guanacaste Region. Just after customs and across from the baggage claim area there is an ATM. This is the only one I used the entire trip so I withdrew just enough money to make it the week. Easy to use, typical ATM fees and I am sure a better rate than the airport counters. We used credit cards for the rest of our purchases. Some places also take US dollars and we had had brought small bills for tips and such.
Everything is a drive in Costa Rica and going 2-4 hours is typical. We were nervous about driving/figuring it out the first day so we had prearranged for airport pickup. We used GoCostaRica due to recommendations from our hotel/condo but I did contact many tour/transfer companies and most have a similar rates. The driver was ready just outside baggage claim with a sign and we were whisked away in a comfortable a/c van. At our request the driver even stopped by a small store so we could pick up some drinks and snacks. We paid $110 each way for private transfer for 5 people. I think most of the bigger tour groups provide similar service and we would have been happy with other companies as well. Its about 1 hour from airport to Playa Conchal.
Driving/Car Rental – We wanted to be able to get around and not limited to eating only on site so we rented a car once we were settled. We had made reservations via Alamo ahead of time and the concierge at our condo helped us confirm the car rental. Alamo dropped off a car right at our place and it was easy to use. We had brought proof of insurance and had GPS included with the rental. The GPS was not great, but it did come with Wifi so we actually used that to get on google maps and navigate the town. It was much easier to drive than we had anticipated and knowing that now, I wish we had just rented a car at the airport and kept it all week.
Beautiful beach where the sand consist of crushed shells (conchal).
Reserva Conchal – Located in Playa Conchal, which was one of the prettiest beaches we encountered in the area. The Westin also in the area (all inclusive resort ) but we preferred our 2 bedroom condo overlooking the grounds. The location is wonderful with howler monkeys roaming the trees, coatis roaming the grounds, a great beach club/pool and access to Playa Conchal beach. The area is huge and having a car is a nice perk. There is a shuttle that circles often and you can call for this to get from the condo to beach/pool area. The drivers were always nice and the wait was never unbearable. This was more of a condo with beach /pool access and not a hotel so the service was spotty. We loved the pool and grounds and of course LOVE Playa Conchal beach. The beach is beautiful and despite being a public beach (all beaches in Costa Rica are public), the stretch by Reserva Conchal was wonderful and never felt crowded. They would pull out chairs for you upon request and there are plenty of shells for the kiddos to collect. The waves are strong so watch your belongings and your babies before they get swept into the ocean. Along the beach there are ladies that offered $20 /hr massages under the shade and it was soooo worth it…Wonderful breeze and luxurious massage on the beach for an unbelievable price. Wish I had tried this earlier on.
Another wonderful perk of the RC (and Westin) is the onsite photographer (Photo Ventura). They come around randomly and snap pictures of you enjoying yourself at the resort…take advantage of this and you will be surprised to find you may want to buy those prints. We booked a photo session at sunset on our last day and it was worth every penny. The photographers are so sweet and accommodating and we treasure these memories of our trip. Prices are very reasonable for the quality and service. They have a shop on site where you can go and check out the photos and make any purchases.
Room – We had a 2-bedroom condo with a great view of the golf course and grounds. The layout of the room was a little odd but it did include washer/drier and was plenty of space for us to relax. The dishwasher was not working and the layout was weird but these are just minor details. We loved our place and the views.
Free breakfast was included with our rate. This was simple with bread, fruits and a few hot items (bacon, eggs, ect). We always found something we could eat (enjoyed the chocolate croissants and fruit) but definitely not something I would have paid for if it were not included in the cost.
Service – spotty. The shuttle drivers were always so nice and concierge nice but not always helpful. Sometimes you had to wait a while to ask a simple question and often they were not helpful. Some were better than others so it really depends who is at the desk.
Spa – the person at the counter here was always indifferent and the spa pretty limited. I got a simple massage treatment and did not think it was worth it. Small space, sauna was not working, tiny hot tub combined with staff at the front desk were not inviting left much to be desired. The massage therapist was very sweet though. Something I would skip next time and just head to the beach.
Overall we loved our condo, the pool and access to Playa Conchal. Hated meals on site and occasionally frustrated with service. Not sure that it was worth the price since this place was more expensive than some of the smaller hotels along the coast, but Playa Conchal was my favorite beach and we would consider stay here again despite these issues.
Catalinas – this restaurant by the pool is where we had breakfast . It’s the only on site restaurant for RC so we did have a lunch and dinner there. The service is soooooo slow and the food mediocre, so if you have the choice, go off site. Typical hotel prices but with slow service and food not worth the wait. We only ate here when we were just too lazy to go off site, but don’t plan to eat every meal here or you will regret it.
Soda Brasilito – tiny food shack in Brasilito where we enjoyed lunch and dinner. If you don’t have a car, its totally doable to walk along the beach and get there for lunch (would not walk after dark though). Simple and delicious meals, nice service and cheap.
Grocery Shopping – we picked up drinks and basics for our stay but did not make that many meals at home. Several small stores close by and if you have a car you can go a little further for better stores.
Tiki – good place for lunch. Nothing amazing but nice and good meal.
Tamarindo – great crowded beach town not far away. Totally different feel from the area we were at; busy with restaurant, bars and plenty of touristy shops. We enjoyed checking out the area, doing some window shopping and grabbing lunch. Beaches were full of surfers but definitely not nearly as nice of a beach as Playa Conchal.
Narin Pizza – good pizza along the strip in Tamarindo.
Typical Costa Rican meal (casado) consist of rice/beans, plantains and either meat or fish. The fish was great at most places and we were happy to eat this simple meal most days.
Rincon de la Vieja – one of the closest volcanoes to our area. Instead of driving out to the site, we booked a day tour. We debated using Swiss travel onsite at RC but then we met a couple at our resort that had enjoyed their tour with Tamarindo Explorer so we ended up using them. We got a private tour for a group tour price and they were excellent. I just looked them up and called the day before and requested a tour. We were taken by van to the area by a nice tour guide (Johnny) who was interesting and very nice. We did a walking tour of Rinco de la Vieja seeing small fumaroles and crossing a small stream. A lot of the area was under construction, which limited our hike. It was pretty dry area and not much wildlife to encounter. We enjoyed a cold dip in the waterfall and had a nice buffet lunch just outside the park. After the hike and delicious lunch we went to a hot springs area and got painted with volcanic mud (sulfuric smelly mud) and took a cool dip in the river to wash off and enjoyed hot spring soaking. Lot of folks also did the zip line at this site, but we decided to skip for when all 3 boys would be old enough to enjoy this. Definitely would recommend this company for tours and transport as well. Very honest and easy to book. They stocked the car with cold drinks for us a well.
Overall, we enjoyed our trip and making memories. There is so much to see in Costa Rica and we will be back to explore the cloud forest and central region in the rainy season.
