Our Honeymoon in Costa Rica – PART 1

This trip was my second time in Costa Rica. I was there for a volunteer program a few years ago and was stationed in San Jose at the time! I loved it so much that I knew I had to return with Rohan. Up until this point, Rohan loved an all-inclusive holiday while I loved to have an adventure packed trip. Once we decided to visit Costa Rica for our honeymoon, our next big worry was what kind of a trip would this be? It was our honeymoon and we both needed to be satisfied with it! After reasoning for days without reaching any conclusion, we decided to do both! A week at the luxurious Dreams Las Mareas Resort & Spa in Playa El Jobo followed by a week of exploring in San Jose.

A luxurious week in Costa Rica

Lets start by how we did this! We booked an all-inclusive package from Toronto that included flights and a week at the Dream Las Mareas. We forfeited our return flight and booked an one-way return from San Jose. The reason being, it was cheaper going this route. Once we were on the resort, we asked the locals about transporting to San Jose. We found out that there were AC coach buses that left Liberia every hour. The bus terminal was located close to the airport.

There was a direct bus San Jose that would costs us USD 20$ for both of us. Renting a private car with a driver would have costed us USD 450$. Even though we were going to forfeit our flight, we spoke with our vacation providers. They were kind enough to drop us off at the bus terminal after being picked up from the resort. We then spend a week in San Jose and did lots of day trips from there! You can read PART 2 of our honeymoon travels here but first lets start with Dreams Las Mareas.

Dreams Las Mareas

Dreams Las Mareas had opened it’s doors a couple of months ago. It was located on an untouched beach in El Jobo. As the name suggests, this place was absolutely magical and stunning. Being the first hotel on the strip, the entire beach belonged to the resort at this point. The property was massive, the pools were never ending, the rooms were phenomenal, the spa was world class, the food was to die for and the drinks were some of the best we had ever had!

The hotel was an hour and 45 minute drive from Liberia airport and the shuttle drove us to the resort. We went during Christmas time and the entire resort was lit up with striking Christmas lights. There was picturesque décor to share this festive feeling with their guests. We were warmly welcomed with a drink and check in was a breeze. The people were so kind and the staff was outstanding and always willing to help. This massive resort came with 2 humongous pools, 8 dining options and 6 bars.

Dining

The dining options included: a barefoot grill, Coco Café, a Mexican restaurant, an Asian restaurant, a fresh seafood restaurant, an Italian – adults only restaurant, a seaside grill and an international buffet. With lots of food choices, we did not come across any unhappy soul we came across during our entire stay. We were one of the first few guests that had visited the resort. This could have surely added to the exceptional service we received. This was the perfect resort for our honeymoon in Costa Rica

Rooms

The rooms were stunning with views of the pool and the beach! Everything about that room screamed of luxury and comfort. Each room had their own balcony where you could sit and enjoy the dazzling views of the resort. You can sit in hot tub in the balcony and sip some fresh cocktails. The only downfall to the room was the toilet area. It was not partitioned and there is absolutely no privacy. This could definitely be a problem for those travelling with older children or those sharing the room with someone else.

Beach

The beach was lovely with nice warm water and tons of cabanas and beach chairs available for all the guests. One day, jellyfish had made their way to the water close to shore and I missed the warning they had there! It is definitely not fun being stung by them. What I absolutely loved about this resort was that being the first of its kind on that stretch of the beach, we got to see a wide array of sea creatures either in the water or on the shore.

We were lucky to see stingrays, starfish, sea urchins, jellyfish and tons of different kids of fishes in the water. There was also a wide range of wildlife that surrounded the resort and every now and then we would see monkeys running around on treetops.

One day I saw a baby sea turtle in the pool and when we asked the staff we found out that the beach was a nesting ground for sea turtles who often visited the beach at night to lay eggs. They were still not used to humans being on the beach and this had been going on for years. Seeing sea turtles had been a childhood dream of mine! Well, guess what?

From the second night on, every single night, we rushed through dinner to walk on the beach for hours. The first night we had no luck finding any turtles. The next day, I did some research and Rohan and me left on a mission. That night we came across 2 baby sea turtles making their way from where they hatched to the water AND we saw two giant turtles digging a hole to lay eggs. We stood there and watched for hours at how glorious these creatures were. I was so happy to have seen turtles on our honeymoon in Costa Rica. After this sight, we made it a point to walk on the beach every single night and we were lucky enough to see turtles all those nights.

Activities

During the day, there were tons of activities at the beach and the pool while the staff made sure to keep the guests entertained. The nightly local entertainment was brilliant. Every evening came with a new show and we got to watch a wide display of local artisans flaunting their talent. From fire shows to local Guanacaste regional dancers, they had it all! The gift shops had some really nice finds and we were able to find something small to bring back for family from there.

The Spa

When we decided to go on our honeymoon to Costa Rica, I knew we had to have a couples massage. The spa was one of the best ones I have been to. The masseuse assigned to us had hands filled with utter magic. The serenity surrounding the spa, the beautiful pool with the waterfalls, the coconut chairs, the luxurious cabins and the relaxation area was nothing short of a dream! Till today I picture myself sitting in one of their coconut chairs or taking a dip in that lovely pool. While I sit here writing of my experiences in this magical place, I am literally taking day-dream breaks to picture myself sitting there, I literally have Goosebumps at how luxurious, comfortable, lavish and special this place was.

Honeymoon special

One night we were given a private dinner for two at the cabana on an island located in the middle of the main pool. This was the perfect night during our honeymoon in Costa Rica. We had a private butler with a luxurious dinner and champagne flowing! This was part of our honeymoon package and that experience was absolutely outstanding and romantic.

It has been 5 years since this trip and every single memory of it still sits fresh in our minds. Do you have a place you have been to that has brought you Goosebumps? Or have you been to Dream Las Mareas and have a story to share? Don’t forget to leave them in the comments below. Meanwhile, more on our second week in Costa Rica coming soon!