OK, I was all ready to book my babymoon to the fab all-inclusives that you guys suggested in Mexico, but too many people are telling me that it is still to dangerous to go... so now I'm a bit off the Mexico train, but still really want to book something!
My requirements: can sit on a beach and/or pool and do nothing. Hot (in late March) Preferably with no children (as mine with be with grandparents). Eat good food. Spend (airfare and everything) under $2500.
A few people have suggested Costa Rica... has anyone been? Which areas would you recomenned? I know nothing about the place! Can anyone suggest somewhere to stay? I'd love an all inclusive, but I'm open!
TIA!
Re: Costa Rica? All-inclusives? Other warm places?
I spent 5 weeks in CR 12 years ago. With that in mind...
CR is amazing. I think it has changed a ton in the past 12 years in that it is much more developed. That's not such a bad thing, though. I would say to go to the Volcano (Arenal) and sit in the hot springs, but since you are pregnant that won't work. You could go to Manuel Antonio on the Pacific side. It's a gorgeous beach. We also visited Puerto Viejo on the Carribean side. At the time it was a teeny little town and was very cool. It's hard to find a bad beach in CR. If conditions are safe (check the US Consulate's office, it wasn't when I was there due to racial tension), Tortoguero is cool and you might be able to see the big turtles lay their eggs if it's the right season.
We went in June '09 for our honeymoon and absolutely loved it!! We were in Tambor in the Nicoya peninsula at an AI that was not adults only (Barcelo). As much as we loved it, the beach in that area was pretty rocky, so I'd prefer to stay on a sandier beach the next time around. But all in all, we LOVED CR soo much. We want to live there forever! The weather was amazing--80s with daily rainstorms that didn't last very long (we'd either wake up to a rainstorm, or take an afternoon nap to one). We could hang out by the pool for hours and drink fresh drinks made with pineapple cut right in front of us. And my husband is not a "hang out by the pool" kind of guy.
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We went to Manuel Antonio last spring and had a great time. We stayed at the Tulemar Bungalows. I've also been to the beaches at Tamarindo, Cahuita (near Puerto Viejo on the caribbean side), Malverde (surfing beach) and Montezuma
We did our babymoon in Zihuatenejo in Mexico, which was super easy to travel to (only 15-20 minutes from the airport in Ixtapa) and stayed at an amazing 4 room adults only hotel. I think it was called Tentaciones. Incredible.
We just went for Christmas and took DD and the IL's with us. We stayed in Tamarindo (northwest coast, beach/surfer town) for 4 days and Arenal (volcano area, central part of country) for 3 days. I really liked Tamarindo, but if I were going to go back just me and DH, I would go to a beach that is a little less touristy, like Playa Conchal (just north of Tamarindo). We weren't at all-inclusives, but we did get apartment-type places so that we could all stay in the same place and have a kitchen to cook for ourselves a bit. Are you talking $2500 for a week? I would think that would be totally doable. Late March is still going to be their dry season (which translates to warm there), so that should be not problem.
Let me know if you want more specifics from our trip and I can email them to you.