My husband and I went to Costa Rica this past Thanksgiving. We arrived in San Jose on Thanksgiving Day around noon. Our private driver that we booked through the resort was waiting for us just outside the terminal which is always a relief when you are arriving for your first time in a foreign country. Our driver was very informative, friendly and accommodating during the three our drive to the resort.

After the(not going to lie) long, but beautiful 3 hour drive, we arrived at the resort. The staff was very friendly greeting us with a fresh cool towel and some tropical fruit juice. A woman went over our package (we chose the Adventure package – make sure you check out the packages they have available before booking) that we reserved which included all of our breakfasts and dinners. She gave us a list of activities that we could book, and pointed out the ones that we included in our package. Our room was large, beautiful and secluded. My husband mentioned that he was disappointed that there were two double beds instead of a King and immediately the Bell Boy offered to move us to another room with a better view and a King bed. The resort was full so we stayed the night in that room (#46). Despite the double beds, the room was actually pretty fantastic. It had a nice view of the rainforest (no volcano view) and was very quiet. I am glad that we were able to stay in two different rooms because it gave us a chance to see more of the Resort. Thanks to our 3 a.m. start to our travel day, we decided purely out of exhaustion to order room service. The food was very good and arrived quickly, but the menu for room service is VERY limited. Unfortunately, we missed out on the traditional Thanksgiving meal which was prepared in the restaurant.

We moved rooms around noon the next day. Our new room was just as nice as the first one, but had an amazing view of the volcano and the always important, king-sized bed!

We spent a lot of time relaxing and scheduled our activities around the weather. Since it is a rain forest there was really only one day that was completely clear, but the resort was very flexible on scheduling our activities. On the clear day we went on the Arenal Volcano walk. The guide was very informative, and the hike was fairly simple. You only hike to the base of the Volcano which the guide explained that it was for our safety. When we got to the base we got a excellent view of the Arenal Lake. On our final full day we went ziplining, which I HIGHLY recommend. I certainly wouldn’t classify us as adrenaline junkies, but wow, the views and rush from going those speeds over a canyon are indescribable.

The food was delicious and made from fresh ingredients. The breakfast buffets served a variety of American and Costa Rican foods. We tried several new fruits and enjoyed plenty of pastries and hot foods. The restaurant had a very relaxed feeling in the mornings and a romantic ambiance in the evenings. For dinner they had a full menu of international foods, and each night of the week had its own specialty. We felt comfortable wearing casual clothes, but there were some people who chose to dress up. The sushi bar was excellent, and it’s comparable or better than most sushi I’ve eaten.

Overall, the resort was amazing. It offered more amenities than we had time to take advantage of. The rooms were clean, private, and had everything you could need. They even provided a razor with shaving gel, and toothbrush and toothpaste. The resort was very private only having 50 rooms, and you really only run into other guests on activities and meals. Since it is more of a couples resort than a family it is a really romantic retreat. My husband and I were sad to leave, and will definitely have a return visit.

We had a wonderful stay at Nayara. Getting there, in a THICK fog, during a 3 hour drive was a stressful challenge, but well worth it. Everything that has been said about the outstanding service and beautiful grounds is true, so I'll try to touch on other aspects. It was our 1 year anniversary and the hotel did many special touches to make it memorable - a bottle of champagne, rose petals on the bed with a 'Happy Anniversary' sign, and a cake! Our room was 2 Queen beds, which was odd to give a couple over a King bed, but we decided to just stay. We found a couple who was in our room who moved after they requested a king bed instead. The pictures on the website are a bit deceiving size wise. They are big rooms, however, not nearly as large as the photos make them appear.

We were in Room 11 - I do not think it was hotel, but there was construction nearby that was extremely loud. You can understand my disappointment when I expected to relax on the balcony and read to nature sounds, and instead was only met with loud construction and chainsaw noises. It is worth asking the hotel when booking what was going on with this and request a room further away. Since we werent staying long and didnt plan on spending too many afternoons in the room, we just let it be, but looking back, it would have been nice to be able to nap or relax in our room during the day - which the construction did not allow.

Our wine dinner was our favorite. Elquin did a wonderful job pairing the wines with a delicious 5 course meal. We spent another night with Elquin in the wine bar. You can sample all of the wines as you please at a reasonable price. Elquin was friendly and made us a delicious drink that only he knows how to make... asking for it at the wine bar is a must - it is called "The Dancer". Elquin was our favorite staff member!

The spa was wonderful!!! We tried the 'Volcanic mud massage', not really knowing what to expect, and we were SO glad we did. It was a wonderful massage with the mud, that felt like warm oil with an exfoliate, followed by a shower after.

As far as 'must dos' in Costa Rica- I would recommend the Sky Adventure (the Trek and the Tram), the Arenal Hanging Bridges, hike to La Fortuna waterfall and dinner at Don Rafinos. It rained every day, so be prepared. We also never seen saw the even 1/2 of the volcano because of the clouds. Everything was so beautiful all around it didnt even matter.

The Nayara was great overall, the size of the hotel and the level of service seemed only possible at the Nayara. All of the small touches here and there made it stand out amongst the others. The staff went above and beyond for their guests! We would absolutely stay there again, and recommend it to friends and family.

My wife and I stayed at Nayara on the first leg of our Costa Rican honeymoon. The reviews don't even begin to do this resort justice. The service, ambiance, rooms, staff, food, and accommodations are amazing. I can't say enough about this place. If you want luxury, romance and a friendly atmosphere without breaking the bank, then this place is for you.

What a WONDERFUL hotel! It is now one of my favorites!! I would definitely come back here. I love the size and luxury (without necessarily breaking the bank) the hotel affords. Service is bar none! (And my husband and I have traveled the world, and have stayed in many, many service-oriented hotels.) From the bell people greeting you to the managers, including one of the owners! (The owner never failed to greet us even when he was in the middle of a meeting, and graciously pulled the chair out for me to sit in the restaurant. Everybody was accommodating and ready to serve. Our only regret, we only stayed for 2 nights. You will be happy you stayed here.

Kauai, HI has always been my heaven on earth, which is slowly being replaced by Costa Rica as each day goes by. Friendliest people, USD widely accepted, clean environment, democracy, free-market, safe food (even the stalls in the central market), same time zone as US, easy 3 hours from the US, most people speak English, accent-neutral, beach, mountains, coffee, and many more... PURA VIDA!!