hotel review: belmar hotel, monteverde, costa rica

so i think the way to my heart is with a welcome tropical juice drink. and with a tray of fruit in the room when we get back from supper. belmar hotel up in the mountains in monteverde was lux. 

price: it doesn't even matter, since this place was the best place we have ever stayed. but it was around $350 a night i think
bathroom: so good i took a picture. the shower was huge and the shampoos and conditioners all had smells like mango dream cream, banana flowers, etc. fluffy robes and slippers, of course
pool: none, but there was a big hot tub outside for everyone to use
breakfast: included. buffet, with omelets, homemade granola, pancakes, etc. and fresh juice. and the amazing costa rican coffee
location: up in the cloud forest. the roads to this hotel were terrible, and the temperature is way cooler than along the coast where we were before

notes:
it may be clear that j and i fell in love with this place. this is the one place that i can see us returning to on our 5 year anniversary. maybe sooner. the staff were all super friendly and helpful. and there was a free coffee service, so anytime you felt like having coffee, you called the restaurant, and they delivered it to you all fancy-like. also, the towns of monteverde and santa elena were so lovely. there were so many little coffee shops and bakeries, and there were tons of students reading and chatting all over the place. and it felt really clean, maybe because of the colder, rainier weather.

things to do in nosara, costa rica

1. search for howler monkeys at one of the area's many reserves
2. surf or chill at playa guiones
3. hang out at your hotel's pool
4. take a guided tour at night to see the sea turtles doing their thing (no flash photos allowed)
5. have lunch or drinks at casa tucan restaurant (we ate there at least 3 times) at the beach.
6. have smoothies at robin's cafe or harmony hotel juice bar
7. yoga
8. surf 'til you are sore
also, the zip-lining seemed popular

proud

my little brother is graduating today. our family is driving/flying in to watch, and so excited. he has been in the military since i can remember, starting with cadets when he was very young. as his sister i have always admired his soldier's loyalty and his positive attitude. he did a tour in afghanistan a few years ago by choice, because he felt that he should do his part for his country. he is so amazing, and he is now officially a paramedic. congrats, guy.

hotel review: giardino tropicale, nosara, costa rica

we ended up staying in nosara for another night at a hotel closer to the beach and downtown, giardino tropicale. 

price: average for the area. around $85 per night
bathroom: well, there is a sign on the wall that says to put paper in the garbage can, not the toilet. i think this is really normal for costa rica. also, this hotel is really eco-friendly, so maybe that's part of it
pool: awesome. when we were lounging in the pool, the owner came over to chat with us. i asked her if we could bring a beer to the pool, and she went and got us two imperials in beer cozies. so beer+pool=amazing afternoon
breakfast: not included, but i think it was $7 of something, and looked really good. coffee is free.
location: awesome. you can walk to the main strip with all the ice cream shops and smoothie bars. and really close to the beach

notes: this room felt a little like the beach cottage j's family has. it was nice, but everything seemed aged. i liked that. the owner was really nice. she has this old dog named after her that follows her around. the whole scene was very welcoming. this hotel is maybe not fancy honeymoon appropriate, but definitely beach-vacation-worthy. for a fancier hotel in nosara, the harmony hotel looked the part.

hotel review: costa rica yoga spa, nosara, costa rica

we travelled from la fortuna to nosara on the coast of costa rica. the drive was long, and the last hour or two were the worst roads i have ever experienced. we stayed at the costa rica yoga spa. it gets really good reviews on tripadvisor.

(enjoying the small pool overlooking the mountain) 

(yoga hut) 

(our room)

price: we ended up paying close to $400 per night. this includes all your meals. still, that is pretty steep for the area

bathroom: new and beautiful

pool: small but the view was amazing

breakfast: included, along with lunch and supper. breakfast was really good. lots of fruit, fresh juice, pancakes, etc. served at 8:30 am

location: ok, it is up in the mountains. people usually go to nosara to surf, but this hotel is at least a ten minute drive to the beach. and the roads are soo bad. the view is awesome, but j and i are pretty much all about the beach.

notes: 

cons: the other thing we weren't really into was the meal situation. meals are served at specific times. we never made the trek back to the hotel for the lunch, so we lost out on that. and supper was served at 6:30, which meant we couldn't chill and have a beer at the beach in the early evening. we had to go back for supper, since the meals are included in the price of the room. 

also, there was yoga, but only once a day at 5 pm. that was totally fine for j and i, but if you are going for the yoga, maybe you would want more yoga.

pros: the howler monkeys. they came so close to the breakfast table (which is outside), and there were at least ten of them, including babies. it was an amazing experience. 

and the dude who owns the yoga spa was really cool about preparing us water to take to the beach, renting us towels and boards, etc. 

i think this place would be perfect for a big group of people, but maybe not so ideal for a honeymoon