Posts tagged First Thought
Vista Del Valle – A Great Hotel in Costa Rica
Nov 10th
Looking up a 300 foot waterfall wondering how I was going to get the whole thing into my shot without soaking my new high-definition video camera on day one of 35 day shoot had me feeling more like I was in the heart of the rainforest, not 20 minutes west of the international airport.
But that’s exactly where I was. Vista del Valle is the perfect place to begin and end any Costa Rica vacation. Its location is perfect for accessing the rest of the country, and for being fairly close to San Jose, you can still experience the beauty that Costa Rica offers.
Vista del Valle lies at approximately 2,500 ft./ 762 meters. The restaurant is perched on a cliff and overlooks the Rio Grande Private Nature Reserve. At night, looking in the same direction, are the lights of San Jose. Which in my opinion, is the best way to see San Jose… at night and from a distance.
The food is Vista is like the food at all the lodges I’ll be writing about, wonderful. The nice thing, when it comes to the food at ecolodges or small resorts, is the pride they take in food preparation. Because they’re not cooking for big crowds, each dish is prepared with love and the freshest ingredients available at the time. Enjoying your meal while overlooking the Rio Grande will your first of many memories.
The pool has a shallow end for kids and there are lots of personal floatation devices to enjoy. There is also a Jacuzzi. My first thought when I saw it was ‘wow, a hot tub in Costa Rica, isn’t it a little hot in Costa Rica for a hot tub.’ However, with the elevation, nights can get a little chilly making the hot tub option a good one. It’s also a great way to enjoy the rain.
The suites, cottages and rooms are all very comfortable offering all the amenities one requires.
The gardens are a great way to introduce yourself to the botanical beauty of Costa Rica. I’ve spent many hours walking their gardens filming plants, butterflies and birds.
Vista del Valle is owned by Michael and Joanna Bresnan. They have been in Costa Rica for over 40 years. Their love and respect for Costa Rica is evident in the way they run their business and the respect they have garnered from their neighbors.
I became instant friends with Michael and Joanna and consider them to be some of the truest people I have ever met.
Current projects include making the hotel a model of sustainability. They have an impressive, organic garden and hope to build a ‘center for sustainability’ where people can learn about and practice the concepts of sustainability.
Please visit them at http://vistadelvalle.com.
Planning Your Costa Rica Honeymoon
Sep 16th
Planning Your Costa Rica Honeymoon
Are you and your soon to be spouse interested in honeymooning in Costa Rica? If you are, you may want to start making your travel arrangements right away, if you haven’t already done so. Costa Rica is known as top honeymoon destination; therefore, you will want to make your honeymoon travel arrangements well in advance.
When it come to making your Costa Rica honeymoon travel arrangements, you will find that there are a number of different steps that you will want to or need to take. Perhaps, the most important step is deciding on your date or dates of travel. When it comes to booking your airline reservations, overnight accommodations, or even the activities that you would like to participate in while in Costa Rica, it is important that you know when you will be traveling to Costa Rica and for how long you will be staying there. Once you have decided when and for how long, you can then focus on planning the rest of your Costa Rica honeymoon.
Although your first thought may be to book your overnight accommodations, as it is important to know where you will be staying on your Costa Rica honeymoon, you may want to hold off with doing so. Instead, you may want to take the time to plan your Costa Rica honeymoon activities. For instance, are you interested in going on hiking, boating, or rafting while in Costa Rica? If you are, you may want to think about making your reservations in the form of an adventure package. What is nice about many Costa Rica adventure packages is that many include an adventure tour, as well as overnight accommodations at a popular hotel or vacation resort. That is why you may want to wait to make your overnight accommodation reservations.
Speaking of Costa Rica adventure tour packages that include overnight accommodations, you will find that that you have a number of adventure tour packages to choose from. When making your decision, there are a number of factors that you may want to take into consideration. A few of these factors include cost, length of the tour, and the overnight accommodations. As previously mentioned, the overnight accommodations included in a Costa Rica adventure tour package may include a stay at a traditional hotel or a vacation resort. If you would like to spend your Costa Rica honeymoon at a vacation resort, you will want to look for Costa Rica adventure tour packages that provide those accommodations.
Should you decide to book your Costa Rica honeymoon in the form of a Costa Rica adventure tour package, you will soon find that your whole honeymoon isn’t planned out for you; you are also given your own “free time.” For that reason, you may want to start researching Costa Rica attractions to visit or activities that you can participate in on your Costa Rica honeymoon. To do this, you may want to think about requesting a free Costa Rica vacation guide or research the area of Costa Rica that you will be visiting online.
