Occidental Costa Smeralda

Province of Guanacaste

Playa Buena, Papagayo Gulf, Province of Guanacaste, 5000, Costa Rica

 

33%

of people enjoy staying here

2.5 our of 5 stars 3 Opinions

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More about Occidental Costa Smeralda

A Heavenly Place

by sanscott about Altos de Eros

There is a place, a secret place between heaven and earth, but like all secrets it is best when shared. On the Altos de Pinella in Guanacaste, Costa Rica is Los Altos de Eros where guests can luxuriate in heaven. It is the epitome of decadence.

The day begins with the call of the howler monkey and ends watching the stars reflecting in the shimmering pool. The strains of Andre Boccelli make it so magical you will think you can fly.

But between the howler monkey and Boccelli is a spa day that is a dream.. The Spa has been meticulously carved from the side of a hill. The views of the ocean and the tropical forest are breathtaking and calming, inducing feelings of tranquility. Truly a place between heaven and earth, actually it is heaven on earth.

The water falls over the natural stone from the hilltop infinity pool splashing into a small pool where hibiscus flowers float. The scents of jasmine and sandalwood fill the air. Soft music melds with the sounds of nature.

Just when you think it can’t be any better – it does. While soaking in the Jacuzzi gazing in wonder at the view, the gourmet lunch arrives. And, what a lunch it is! The array of fresh
Los Altos de Eros is a treat for all one’s senses. The staff of this luxurious property focuses on personal attention. It is a special place where the location, the service, and ambiance are unsurpassed. Amazing location between sea and mountains
personalized service
small, intimate

Guanacaste, Costa Rica

by scheuer1

"Beautiful Country and People."

Costa Rica was more than I expected it to be. The country was very beautiful and we found the locals to be very friendly and helpful during our travels. We learned about travelers checks and how it is better to take cash instead. Visited many exotic beaches that were empty of other people. We stayed at the Playa Langosta in Tamarindo and were completely satisfied with the service, food and accomodations.

"Tabacon Hot Springs."

A very beautiful place to visit. Well landscaped and at the base of Arenal. The water is very hot and becomes hotter the farther up the stream you travel. Don't miss this location. Bring $$$$ or go to one of the smaller springs in the area,

"Volcano Rincon de la Viejo"

Just a short drive north of Liberia and well worth the trip. We did a fifteen minute hike to this beautiful little waterfall and saw many birds and flowers. The waterfall has an excellent little pool at its base for a nice cool swim on a hot day. Even the small downpour was welcome and lunch at a nice little cafe on the way back down. Photos of the waterfall to follow when I get time to download my camera.

Playa Guanacaste, Costa Rica

by celina_lin

"On way to Playa Hermosa"

Just stop at the midway to Playa Hermosa.
I didn't believe my eyes. Here fulls of a lot of natures...

Photos

Liberia - Eugenio And His Truck (2009)Liberia - Eugenio And His Truck (2009)

1/4 zipline1/4 zipline

Miravallas WaterfallMiravallas Waterfall

Rainbow on the beachRainbow on the beach

Forum Posts

Guanacaste, Costa Rica?

by abarcas

I am looking to book a trip at the Giardini Papagayo hotel in Guanacaste. Anyone have any information on it? It looks like a beautiful place. Also, we are planning on traveling in late August. Is this a bad time of year to travel there? Should we be concerned about hurricanes?

Amanda

RE: Guanacaste, Costa Rica?

by slimcr

The place is beautiful, very good quality in my opinion, one of the best here in Costa Rica. August is only bad because its right smack in the middle of the rainy season but overall Guanacaste is a dry province so you shouldnt be affected by rain. Regarding hurricanes, nope, you should not worry whatsoever, for several reasons, Guanacaste is on the west coast, canes come in from the Caribbean so there is 0% chance of getting hit in Guanacaste, and hurricanes naturally tend to go west and north, thats why they hit Fla and the gulf coast states like LA and TX... Costa Rica is south and is protected by the northern part of South America so its very difficult for a hurricane to hit us. Some like to be stubborn and try to maintain a level path but they always go northward, the closest we were to getting hit by one was one in 89 or 90 called Juana and that one just went north as it approached us and hit Nicaragua, but believe me, in Guanacaste there is nothing to fear, at least regarding hurricanes, earthquakes are a whole differente story ;)

If you have any questions feel free to write, Im George and live in Heredia. Address is hallgeo@yahoo.com

First stages of planning

by rickd11

Traveling next Jan to Costa Rica for one week with my wife and two kid (ages 20 and 18). Need suggestions on what region to stay in for nice accomodations, outdoor activities and good restaurants.

Re: First stages of planning

by Suzie3

One week isn't going to give you much time. If you can fly into and out of Liberia you could hit one of the hotels on the Guanacaste/Pacific coast and a couple of days at Arenal volcano.

How nice are we talking. You can spend a lot or a little in CR. Arenal offers places like the Kioro which is new and upscale. Or they offer smaller more established places but still nice like Arenal Paraiso. There are more remote places like the Arenal Observatory Lodge.

Manuel Antonio is another place that has nice hotels and good restuarants. Fairly easy to get to from the San Jose International airport. Beautiful beaches in the park, lots of options for day activities.

You could combine a couple of days in Arenal with a few days in Manuel Antonio. This is a very popular combo. Live volcano, monkeys, hot springs, rafting, horseback riding, ATV, waterfall repelling, great zip lines, slow wildlife tours by boat in Cano Negro, caving. sunset cruises, deep sea fishing, just to name a few of the activities for those two places.

Manuel Antonio is a little easier to maneuver around in for the kids. Arenal is pretty spread out so it is a little less user friendly for getting out. Arenal does offer some great activities though and I always enjoy a stop there.

Re: First stages of planning

by rickd11

Thank you so much .... can you tell us anything about this Hilton and the surrounding area.

Thanks, Rick and Family

Re: First stages of planning

by rickd11

Sorry, forgot to add the Hilton.

Hilton Papagayo Resort Costa Rica
Playa Arenilla, Golfo de Papagayo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Tel: 0 11-506 2-672-0000 Fax: 0 11-506 2-672-0133

Re: First stages of planning

by ranielle

my husband and I did a week long honeymoon in Costa Rica and were able to squeeze in a wonderful diverse vacation. I would highly recommend both places we visited: The Arenal Rain forest and The Nicoya Peninsula

The Arenal area offers a ton of activities for adults and children. We rented a car and drove from San Jose with no problem. We stayed at The Lost Iguana and LOVED it. Our room overlooked the volcano and we were steps away from an amazing rain forest hike and the hanging bridges. Not to mention we were close to The Tobacon Hot Springs which are def. worth visiting. Also look into The very family friendly The Tobacon Resort.

We spent three days in Arenal, drove back to San Jose and hopped a plane to the Pacific coast. It was easy to travel but would not recommend driving any other routes aside from that b/w San Jose and the rain forest. Roads are rough in most of the country.

Re: First stages of planning

by kzapanta

pacific side.

Travel Tips for Liberia

JUST PASSING THROUGH

by Sininen

Liberia was not a place I had planned to visit and yet I spent a couple of days in two occasion. It was a pleasant place though nothing remarkable. I could have skipped it on my way back to San José but as I didn't want to travel too many hours on a bus I decided to stay there again. I would think that it is mainly used as a base to visit Parque Nacional Rincón de la Vieja and Parque Nacional Santa Rosa, both of which I missed because of the heavy rains.

Sunset Cruise

by daffodil

"Papagayo Gulf"

A view of the parched flora from the boat. The coastline is rugged and picturesque.

"Second stop"

After going to the mangrove forest (photo in the tip section), and swiming at the Four Seasons beach, we stopped off at this secluded beach. This beach had the most beautiful white and black sand, but was home to millions of hermit crabs.

"Caving"

Another feature of this secluded beach was this cave that went under the point to the other side. It was high tide when we were there so we didn't go all the way through.

"Great vistas!"

The final feature of this beach was the awesome view from the top of the point. The climb was fairly easy, although steep, and the view was worthwhile.

"More coastline"

It is just so pretty, I had to put another photo.

"Dolphin time"

The highlight of this cruise was of course playing with the dolphins. It was hard to tell exactly how many there were, but at least eight. This is the only photo that actually shows one.

"The Pacific"

I think that this was suppose to be more dolphins, but it turned out to be a nice photo of the Pacific.

"Sunset"

The whole purpose of the cruise was to the see the sunset unobstructed (view was blocked from the resort). The sun sets very fast in Costa Rica, because of the proximity to the equator. I think it was less than 5 minutes from the last photo to this one.

The Place

 

Questions and Answers

ANDRINGA profile photo

Q: Off resort interests "Are there any villages to walk to or thnigs to do near the resorts. If so, which resorts. We don't want to be confined to a..."

TexasDave profile photo

A: "You list your question under "Liberia" but really that city is quite a distance from the beach resorts of Guanacaste- a good 30-60 minute drive (maybe more since roads..."

Read 2 Replies »
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