Off we went last month to Four Seasons Costa Rica, located on the absolutely gorgeous Peninsula Papagayo.
This trip was all about my mother – who was celebrating what we shall call ‘a significant birthday.’ She’d been there before and had such an amazing time, when she had her choice of of anywhere in the world – this was her pick. She is, I should point out, very particular about her holidays so her desire to return spoke volumes about what we could expect and both @modparlphotos and I were very much looking forward to it. Then we started researching the area and what we might do and see – suddenly, it was all monkeys and tree frogs. At least if you asked my camera-wielding husband. 🙂
The first thing that struck us about the Four Seasons Costa Rica was the immense approach to the hotel itself. Like a lush, tropical, and sedate roller coaster. Arriving from the nearby city of Liberia (and that is the nearest airport), you go through the gates of Peninsula Papagayo, a 1400-acre protected landscape where the resort is located. You then drive down a long, meandering, breathtaking road taking in palm trees and carefully curated greenery, past the equally well-curated Arnold Palmer–designed golf course. Just when you think this hilly drive broken up by breath-taking views will go on forever, you reach the resort’s own gate and you are there.
And this is what we found.
The Rooms:
We stayed in a 3-bed canopy suite which encompassed three bedrooms (as you would expect), a plunge pool on a large entertaining-space terrace, and a well-appointed living room with bar area. The bathrooms were a joy – I love a shower so large you could land a small plane in it. The beds were supremely comfortable and with the exception of a night or two when the howler monkeys perched nearby, the sounds of the ocean was all we heard as we drifted off.
The Staff:
As incredibly well-briefed, attentive and friendly as you could want. Happy to answer questions, no matter how out of left field – how the cold brew coffee rack works, the top speed of a golf cart, etc.The breakfast staff were particularly bright and cheerful – and presumably that’s part of the breakfast brief but they seemed genuinely warm and welcoming despite the early hour (we were almost always there by 6:30 before the heat of the day set in). The concierge was able and willing to sort out reservations, transport to the nearby towns and even tackle airport check-in the day before departure. As our rooms were located up quite a steep hill, we were especially glad of the drivers who shuttled cases and people up and down the slopes. Not all the rooms are located up quite such long, steep paths – so if mobility is an issue for you, there are quite a few rooms lower down near the centre of the resort.
Especially engaging was Jenny who ran the Rum and Chocolate tasting in La Reserva. She has such a love of her topic and such enthusiasm, you couldn’t help but be swept along with her. I thought I knew about rum – well, more than other spirits, anyway. But I learned quite a lot and was surprised at the way the rum (of varying ages) interacted with dark chocolate of varying percentages.
The Food:
Several years ago, @modparlphotos and I went to Marrakech and there we discovered the BEST ORANGE JUICE IN THE WORLD. Or thought we had. The orange juice at the Four Seasons Costa Rica was like something from another world, it was so good. Possibly you feel this is a bit much if we’re only talking about orange juice but I assure you – this was superb. We had glasses and glasses of the stuff. I probably could have survived on it if I’d had to. Fortunately, I did not have to. The breakfast buffet was immense and top quality. At no point did it ever occur to us to try ordering breakfast from the menu… that’s how many choices and how good it was.
So breakfast was a complete success. I am of two minds regarding the rest of the food offerings. The lunch options – though often quite tasty – weren’t quite as impressive either in range of choices or, frankly, consistency. We had lunch a couple of times as the Bahia Grill and the burger was yummy indeed but the Caesar salad I had the next day was pretty darned limp and exceedingly bland. After that, we stuck to tapas in the bar for our mid-day meal and that was excellent. The chicken skewers, salmon tostadas and crispy calamari were eye-catching, flavourful and beautifully prepared. Also, the perfect size for a mid-day meal in weather like that. If I were doing it all over again – it would be tapas every afternoon for me.
Dinner was a bit up and down but an overall disappointment. The grilled octopus at Pesce was slightly overcooked. Much better was the mushroom risotto entree. In fact, the risotto was divine – as creamy as you could want risotto to be and deep and rich a flavour as mushrooms can provide. Really highlighted the mistake with the octopus. The noise levels in Pesce didn’t do much for the atmosphere either. A bit of sound-dampening would go a long way to improving that experience.
What struck me most was that during the whole week, the menus never changed. Even the daily special was the same each day. How can this be? It’s Costa Rica! Surrounded by some of the best ocean on the planet with superb fishing and reknowned for seafood … they didn’t seem to make as much of it as they should/could have. That said – we went fishing on morning on a charter boat and we brought back our catch – mahi mahi – to the chef at Bahia Grill who agreed to prepare it for us to have at dinner that night. Mahi four ways. Delicious. So the food was good most of the time and breakfast amazing – but … this was not quite the culinary experience I expected from a 5-star resort.
The Recreational Facilities & Beach:
There were two beaches, situated one on each side of the resort (as was the case during our stay at Curtain Bluff in Antigua) – Viador Beach which overlooking the Pacific and Playa Blanca which faces Culebra Bay.
Blanca is well-supplied with a beach volleyball set up, kayaks and paddle boards while Viador is more about lounging around, sipping whatever smoothie or frosty treat the beach staff have on offer that day. Those who know me will not be surprised to hear that I spent most of my beach time on Viador. It was well laid out, with areas of shade and areas of full sun. Attendants were … very attentive, bringing towels, water, smoothie samples and tackling an on beach lunch service.We did take some evening strolls along Playa Blanca. It was very often the best place to find early evening monkeys and the occasional coatimundi.
If swimming in the sea isn’t your thing, the resort has four pools – two central pools surrounded by sizable loungers, a ‘serenity’ pool with cabana spaces available for an additional fee and the kiddie pool, part of the kids’ club facilities that were being fully utilized and enjoyed by the kids I saw.
There are also several ways to explore and engage with the remarkable landscape and local fauna in and around the resort. We decided to take the hiking trail – well, I say hiking. It is more like a climb. Just as we started out, we got the best advice ever given to anyone ever – take water with you. No, seriously. Do it. The trail is about one kilometre and goes from Playa Blanca to Playa Viador (or vice versa) which sounds super easy, right? Hahahahahaha.
No. 800 steps (steep, wooden, winding steps) up the hillside on one side of the Peninsula, across the top and then (knees screaming) down the hillside to the beach on the other side. Slightly irksome was the fact that having gotten to what was essentially the top – we found ourselves faced with a construction barrier and a not very well marked diversion that led us to go the wrong way downhill. Meaning we had to go back UP hill – and honestly, I was in no fit state to really tackle much more. By the time we reached the front gates of the resort again, I was a mess.
So much so that the incredibly kind guard took pity on me and called us a vehicle to get us back to the main building. And water. He gave us water as we’d run out during the demented detour. It is worth noting that water was in constant supply all over the resort (and fresh bottles left int he rooms daily) and considering the heat and humidity, this was both not surprising and very much welcome. So – note to management. Alert people at the beginning of the walk about this barrier and mark the detour more clearly.
Having recovered from that, we decided we could tackle the Trail of the Giants – a golf cart ride through the golf course which sits nestled in a tropical dry forest and which is also certified as a nature sanctuary. Now, maybe a drive about in a golf cart doesn’t strike you as a great way to get back to nature – but that’s only because you haven’t done it at THIS golf course. Birds GALORE – everything from hummingbirds to kingfishers to vultures, monkeys (capuchins and howlers), iguanas (who to be fair – were everywhere), butterflies (again – everywhere) and over 25 species of giant tree. We had the option of riding in the tour guide’s cart or driving our own behind him. For everyone’s well-being, we opted for riding. No one wants me driving a golf cart, trust me.
Naturally all this nature and gorgeous scenery meant that almost every time you turned around, there was @modparlphotos snapping away. He caught the most amazing images of butterflies, hummingbirds, monkeys, coatimundi (think long, brown raccoon with an incredible snout) and iguanas. You can go and see them on his Costa Rica Flickr album.
So all in all, a lovely time – relaxing, serene and wonderous at the same time. Full of the most amazing plants and animals, staffed by an exceptional crew, beautifully appointed and for the most part, serving up an array of tasty treats. Grab your flip flops and go!