Costa Rica Resort Question

[3kids4me]

There is a new resort in RCI called:

Breeze Private Residences Club (D930)

Carrillo,GUANACASTE


I realize it's new so no one here will have stayed in it - but does anyone have any thoughts on the area, or perhaps know if this is a renamed old resort?

Thanks!!

 

[gnorth16]

http://breezecostarica.com/


The place looks nice. If I didn't have Xmas 2015 booked for Cabo, I would book it since my parents aren't to far away in San Ramone.

 

[Seaport104]

I have been to that area of Costa Rica a few times so am familiar with the resort. This seems to be the new timeshare portion of Pacifico Resorts. Pacifico Resorts were built around 8 years ago so the development itself isn't new, just the timeshare portion. If it's like the condos, they are nicely equipped and furnished.

The downside is not on the beach but it is a nice central location with lots of shops and restaurants in walking distance. I assume the timeshare guests will also have access to the beach club. It is in the town Playa del Coco if you want to research tripadvisor to get an idea of the town.

Here is the website to the development-

http://www.pacifico-costarica.com/photo-gallery/


The beach is ok, beach at Playa Hermosa the next town over is much better. In RCI, there is Condovac (not as nice and upscale) which is non all inclusive and Villas Sol which is now AI mandatory.

 

[mtm65]

I have been to that area of Costa Rica a few times so am familiar with the resort. This seems to be the new timeshare portion of Pacifico Resorts. Pacifico Resorts were built around 8 years ago so the development itself isn't new, just the timeshare portion. If it's like the condos, they are nicely equipped and furnished.

The downside is not on the beach but it is a nice central location with lots of shops and restaurants in walking distance. I assume the timeshare guests will also have access to the beach club. It is in the town Playa del Coco if you want to research tripadvisor to get an idea of the town.

Here is the website to the development-

http://www.pacifico-costarica.com/photo-gallery/


The beach is ok, beach at Playa Hermosa the next town over is much better. In RCI, there is Condovac (not as nice and upscale) which is non all inclusive and Villas Sol which is now AI mandatory.

Agree with Seaport104's points. We stayed at a private condo last April and had a great time in the area. We did not like the beach and drove to Playa Hermosa and other beaches. We rented a car and would recommend you do the same. There are adventure parks in the Liberia area which offer horseback riding, ziplining, tubing, etc. which are a lot of fun. If you go, check out Java 654 on the other side of town, we really enjoyed the iced coffee. You can head to the next beach south and have a meal on the beach at Father Rooster's, you won't be disappointed.

We would go back in a heartbeat!

 

[Seaport104]

We would go back in a heartbeat!

I second that! Actually, after checking out the TPU's in RCI for the resort (less than 20), I might actually stay at Breezes/Pacifico since it's such a bargain rather than our previous stays of renting a condo/villa! Costa Rica is for enjoying the tons of outdoor activities and the nature so not having a beachfront location isn't a necessity for a CR trip.

Thanks to the OP for posting the question and the new resort in RCI :whoopie:

 

[3kids4me]

Thanks very much for the input! I have a unit for next Christmas!

How was it to rent a car? I sort of viewed renting a car in CR to be sort of like renting one in Mexico - where one might have to worry about "pricing issues" at the rental place or at gas stations. I was sort of hoping a car wouldn't be needed but sounds like it's important. Any tips for this would be appreciated! (For example, did you get a GPS with the car and if so, I'm assuming that you need to remove it and carry it with you when you go somewhere?)

Thank you again!

 

[ronandjoan]

Thanks very much for the input! I have a unit for next Christmas!

How was it to rent a car? I sort of viewed renting a car in CR to be sort of like renting one in Mexico - where one might have to worry about "pricing issues" at the rental place or at gas stations. I was sort of hoping a car wouldn't be needed but sounds like it's important. Any tips for this would be appreciated! (For example, did you get a GPS with the car and if so, I'm assuming that you need to remove it and carry it with you when you go somewhere?)

Thank you again!

Our very best vacation was in Costa Rica. We stayed in a vrbo property's in Samara.

We would never consider rentng a car.... We would have never found our way from. Liberia and there were so many animals and people on the narrow roads , we would have not been able to enjoy the scenery, we would have been constantly concentrating on driving.

 

[mtm65]

Thanks very much for the input! I have a unit for next Christmas!

How was it to rent a car? I sort of viewed renting a car in CR to be sort of like renting one in Mexico - where one might have to worry about "pricing issues" at the rental place or at gas stations. I was sort of hoping a car wouldn't be needed but sounds like it's important. Any tips for this would be appreciated! (For example, did you get a GPS with the car and if so, I'm assuming that you need to remove it and carry it with you when you go somewhere?)

Thank you again!

Our travel agent recommended renting a car. I do not speak any Spanish other than what I have learned from cd's in the car while driving. I was very apprehensive but took the TA's advice.

We rented a Toyota 4 wheel drive from Avis. I only took the mandatory insurances. I did not take the optional insurances. We rented a GPS for two of the nine days we were there.

I had researched the areas we were traveling very thoroughly and the condo owner gave us some advice also. There are some youtube videos of driving in CR, Playa del Coco and on the International highway. After watching the videos and studying the area, I felt that I could drive without too much concern.

Most of the driving in the Playa del Coco area was on paved roads. Some roads were on the narrow side. Yes, you will encounter people and animals walking on the side of the road. I adopted a very laid back attitude while driving and had no problems. The route from the airport to PDC is simple. I did not need a GPS to get around the Playa del Coco area.

Our TA booked our flights for us and was able to get a better flight deal if we bought a package that included one night at the Monteverde Cloud Forest. We chose to travel out to Monteverde for two days/one night. This was very adventuresome and I would not recommend a drive to the cloud forest for the faint of heart. We were on stone and dirt roads for nearly two hours. Many had washout ruts and the roads were very windy on the side of the mountains. However, having our own car allowed us to visit some of the local towns for a meal and to stop along the way to really enjoy the scenery. We are a blend of conservative and adventurous when traveling and I would rate the drive around an 8 on a scale of 10 (10 very adventurous). I would do it again because the cloud forest was absolutely beautiful.

We did not leave anything in plain sight when we parked the car. Put everything under the seats or in an enclosed storage area in the back. We avoided any shady looking areas and did not have any theft issues.

Although we walked to most of the Playa del Coco shops and restaurants, we drove to the beaches we liked the most.

You will need a car to get the most out of the Playa del Coca area.

If you have more questions, please feel free to ask. We will gladly help. If you would like some adventure, there are a couple of somewhat secluded beaches that the locals frequent that are worth finding

 

[3kids4me]

We are saving so much by staying in timeshare that I wouldn't mind hiring a driver for our trip. RonandJoan - is that what you did?

Thanks again for all of the input!

 

[ronandjoan]

We are saving so much by staying in timeshare that I wouldn't mind hiring a driver for our trip. RonandJoan - is that what you did?

Thanks again for all of the input!

We had a shuttle van from the airport, almost 1 1/2 hour to our beach town -- and we could walk the many places we wanted to go. When we went to other places, we took the bus, which stop was right at the end of our street.

To go and see the turtle nesting, etc, we took a tour, again in a van......about a 2 hour trip through DIRT roads - glad we weren't driving that trip.

All recommended by our condo owners, who were so helpful and the transportation tours were by local companies,

more info

http://ronandjoanjourney.blogspot.com/2012_10_01_archive.html

 

[ronandjoan]

Our travel agent recommended renting a car.

Travel agents seem to like recommending renting a car. When we went to Italy this spring, the agent kept saying OVER and OVER -- "I think you should rent a car."

Again, we are soooo glad we did not,. Once we learned the train system, it was great (granted there was a learning curve to learn it!) But parking would have been a nightmare...and the trains generally stop at every village....


We did rent a car in Normandy, which worked out perfectly since we wanted to go to the beaches ourselves rather than relying on where a tour night want to .. and parking there was easy.

 

[mtm65]

Travel agents seem to like recommending renting a car. When we went to Italy this spring, the agent kept saying OVER and OVER -- "I think you should rent a car."

Again, we are soooo glad we did not,. Once we learned the train system, it was great (granted there was a learning curve to learn it!) But parking would have been a nightmare...and the trains generally stop at every village....


We did rent a car in Normandy, which worked out perfectly since we wanted to go to the beaches ourselves rather than relying on where a tour night want to .. and parking there was easy.

I don't think it is right to generalize travel agents that way. A knowledgeable TA is a great asset. I have developed a good relationship with our travel agent and do appreciate his recommendations. He has advised against a rental car for some of our trips so when he made the recommendation to have one, I took his suggestion seriously. And I agree he was right for us, maybe not everyone is interested in driving in CR.

I do think you are comparing your trip to Samara to Playa del Coco which are obviously different areas. PDC is less than 45 minutes from the Liberia airport. The roads are all paved from the airport to the resort being discussed. Parking at the resort will not be an issue. The resort is not very close to the beach club. I would not want to walk between the two during the hot part of the day. I would prefer not to rely on a shuttle (assuming a shuttle is available). A trip to Playa Hermosa would be on paved roads and an easy drive also.

My travel agent was absolutely correct (in my opinion) in recommending a rental car. We would have missed out on several of the local experiences we had. A tour bus would not have stopped at the market for some of the best pineapple and cantaloupe I have every had. We ate at several local sodas with excellent CR food and an authentic atmosphere. The rental car gave us the flexibility for an experience we enjoyed.

The decision to drive in another country needs to be made by the OP. As BB posters, we should try to give as much factual information so a wise decision can be made. I hope I have done so. RonandJoan have more life experience than we do and move travel experience than we do. However, we have been to PDC and plan to return someday. We will rent a car again without a second thought about it.

 

[Seaport104]

We are saving so much by staying in timeshare that I wouldn't mind hiring a driver for our trip. RonandJoan - is that what you did?

Thanks again for all of the input!

We did both our all our Costa Rica trips. To fully experience or see certain locations in Costa Rica, you really need a driver or a tour guide. For example, driving to Arenal or Monteverde (for best ziplines, volcano, hot springs, hiking/rapelling in the rainforest), seeing the giant leatherback turtles nest onshore in the more southern part of CR and even some of the sights closer to Playa del Coco (PDC)/Guanacaste region, you need to know where you are going since there are very little signs and/or dirt roads.

To go to the neighboring towns from PDC, it is quite easy with a rental car and as long as you are not going during rainy season (Aug-Oct), you can get by with a car. Literally, there is one road that goes along that coast and you just get off the road to the little towns. Also minimizes the hassle of getting a taxi for each run to the grocery store, allowed us to go into Liberia to get groceries at the main supermarket and jut drive around to enjoy the scenery.

What we did was we booked private tours which was not a lot more or at times the same cost as booking a group tour. The private tour included a private driver and tour guide for the day. Having the private tours allowed us to experience things on our schedule and we were able to stop at local places along the way.

I highly recommend Avispa's Adventures. Used them for all 3 of trips to Costa Rica. They are highly rated in tripadvisor.

 

[Seaport104]

I do think you are comparing your trip to Samara to Playa del Coco which are obviously different areas. PDC is less than 45 minutes from the Liberia airport. The roads are all paved from the airport to the resort being discussed. Parking at the resort will not be an issue. The resort is not very close to the beach club. I would not want to walk between the two during the hot part of the day. I would prefer not to rely on a shuttle (assuming a shuttle is available). A trip to Playa Hermosa would be on paved roads and an easy drive also...

Agree- Playa Samara is very different from Playa del Coco. Samara is about 3-4 hour drive from Liberia airport (might be more since I've not gone down the coast of CR that far) while Playa del Coco is 45 minutes tops and all on paved roads.

If you were going to Samara, I would agree to Joan in that you're better off with a private transfer and rent a car from there. But Playa del Coco is a very easy drive.

Everyone's comfort level of driving in a foreign country is different. I am always hesistant to and felt very comfortable in CR.

My travel agent was absolutely correct (in my opinion) in recommending a rental car. We would have missed out on several of the local experiences we had. A tour bus would not have stopped at the market for some of the best pineapple and cantaloupe I have every had. We ate at several local sodas with excellent CR food and an authentic atmosphere. The rental car gave us the flexibility for an experience we enjoyed..

This is exactly why we opted for the private tours. It allowed us to have local experiences and the driver also gave us tips on where to go with our rental car Both really maximized our experiences and still remains as one of best vacations.

 

[3kids4me]

Can anyone tell me about the weather in December? One of my kids has some health issues and is very heat sensitive and I see that it can be in the 90s there. I understand humidity is not that high but I don't have a good handle on what that really means from a "feel the heat" standpoint. It looks like it's a touch cooler in the summer, but the whole idea is to go somewhere warm during the winter.

Thanks for any input on this!

 

[Seaport104]

Can anyone tell me about the weather in December? One of my kids has some health issues and is very heat sensitive and I see that it can be in the 90s there. I understand humidity is not that high but I don't have a good handle on what that really means from a "feel the heat" standpoint. It looks like it's a touch cooler in the summer, but the whole idea is to go somewhere warm during the winter.

Thanks for any input on this!

December is the start of dry season so although in the 90's it is low humidity and not a constant 90's and will not be as hot as Feb-April. December is perfect in that there is no rain but the scenery is still very green from the rainy season.

 

[3kids4me]

Thanks Seaport - appreciated! 90s usually scares me a little.

 

[gnorth16]

I called for More Info...

So it is contained within the Pacifico development of condos, townhouses and homes with some small businesses. The TS is located about 1/2 a mile from the beach but there is a scheduled shuttle that will pick up/drop off every two hours. Use of the beach club is included for all TS guests, just as if you owned within the complex.

http://www.pacifico-costarica.com/

The entire complex looks very nice and the condos and townhouses look reasonably priced! I have a week on hold for my parents in February and if they decide to use it, I will get pictures and a detailed review of the TS.

 

[3kids4me]

Thanks gnorth! Hope it works out for your parents. I'm excited about the exchange but it will be nice to get some TUG tips before we go.

My confirmation says "L" on it which I'm assuming means the "Lifestyle Condos" but not sure of course!

 

[gnorth16]

My parents didn't take me up on the offer of a free 2BR/2BA for a week!!! They have been to the area several times and wanted to explore a different part of the coast.

If the week was earlier I would fly down to get out of this deep freeze, but it overlaps with an existing trip with the family to Florida.

 

[3kids4me]

I got some information from the resort for anyone interested:

-------------------------------------
We are a very new Project in Pacifico, Playas del Coco. We have full equipped rooms, located just ½ mile from the beach, and walking distance to supermarkets, restaurants and all kind of services, and with full access to our Exclusive Beach Club.

There is place for parking your car, and all the swimming pools are really close to the units.

We are located 20 minutes away from the Daniel Oduber Airport in Liberia (LIB), and we provide free shuttle service from the airport to the property.

We have a snack bar in the main pool of the property, that also offers room Service, at the Beach Club also there is restaurant.

As a Residence Club, we have a Sales presentation, but it is not mandatory, just if the guests want to join us. (NOTE - I asked about this - it was not mentioned "out of the blue.)

------------------------------

Hope this is helpful.

 

[MaryH]

I was in Costa Rica over new years 2015 with some university friends and their family and we were over 30 people. I was one of the ones who voted originally for Costa Rica vs cruise after some other friends raved about their trip(s) there. Our trip was organized by a travel agent due to the size of size.

They left 5 days before on Dec 26th but I had some family stuff on so could not join them for the 1st part of the trip and flew Dec 31 to San Jose and took a shuttle to Tamarindo in Guanacaste. In Tamarindo, we were split between a rental villa and a small hotel run by a french woman. I think timeshare could give you more comfort and some eat in meals.

I missed the portions that covered Arenal including
* ARENAL SKYTRAM & SKY TREK + LA FORTUNA WATERFALL + DANAUS BIOLOGICAL RESERVE
* ARENAL VOLCANO LAVA FLOW & NATURE HIKE + ARENAL VIDA CAMPESINA ORGANIC FARM + ECOTERMALES HOT SPRINGS
* HELICONIAS HANGING BRIDGES

Many of my friends raved about the first part of the trip and so I think a car would be very useful if not necessary if you want to do more than lie on the beach.

Local ground transport to Tamarindo was $50 from SJO but there was 2-3 pick up, transfer or drop off points on mine which added 1-2 hrs. I think private transfer was $200-300 from SJO for Tamarindo. But economically a rental car would give you more flexibility and likely be less expansive.

You should fly to Liberia LIR from what you wrote last. I could not get the LIR schedule to work for me on Dec. 31 since the local flight SJO-LIR showed no space being available. I think Jetblue and United fly directly there from NYC (I think JFK and EWR respectively). Be prepared for expansive flights over the holidays. With the free shuttle from LIB maybe you only need a rental car for a few days rather than the whole week. Or maybe you can tag on a few days in addition to the TS..

It was pretty hot but humidity was reasonably vs New Orleans's high humidity on my 1st trip on a Labour day weekend.

If you have more questions, PM me for my personal email..

 

[JackieD]

Thanks very much for the input! I have a unit for next Christmas!

How was it to rent a car? I sort of viewed renting a car in CR to be sort of like renting one in Mexico - where one might have to worry about "pricing issues" at the rental place or at gas stations. I was sort of hoping a car wouldn't be needed but sounds like it's important. Any tips for this would be appreciated! (For example, did you get a GPS with the car and if so, I'm assuming that you need to remove it and carry it with you when you go somewhere?)

Thank you again!

Rehashing an old post--How did your stay go at the Breeze Private Residence? I will be staying there in June. Did you end up renting a car or hire drivers? Did you fly in and out of Liberia?

Thanks!

 

[Conan]

I have a pretty ambitious itinerary planned for next year that ends with a week at Breezes.

We fly Newark to San Jose on a Monday morning, and stay three nights at Monte Verde Lodge in the cloud forest.
http://www.monteverdelodge.com/

Then we transfer to a three-night stay at Hotel Silencio del Campo in Arenal.
http://www.hotelsilenciodelcampo.com/eng/index.html

And then to Breezes Private Residences on Sunday for a six-night stay, and we fly home Liberia to Newark.

The flights each way are non-stop on United, and it looks like fares have fallen since we bought our tickets some months ago. Maybe Zika is keeping people away?

If anybody has any tips or advice, I'm all ears!

 

[Lazz]

I read on Tripadvisor forums that you have to pay a pretty good sum of money for things like the Beach Club and Maid service if you do not attend the timeshare presentation. It was also stated that the presentation can go on for over 2.5 hours. Can anyone provide anymore information on this? Also, we if we prefer to do our own cooking, is their a grocery store nearby?