We stayed at the Condovac (6/21/08-6/28) thru RCI and had a great time. Ten old friends from Virginia. The hotel may not be the Ritz, but the rooms were sizable and more than comfortable enough. The 2 bed bedroom is nice, but the futon in the front room isn't. Ask for a room that has a second AC in the front room and you'll be glad you did. Most rooms have just the one in the bedroom, and it won't really cool both rooms. The kitchen is a hot plate, microwave and fridge/freezer. Our bathroom was all tile and nice. No stoppers for the tub or sinks, so it was all showers.
Fresh sheets and towels every day.
The view is spectacular, the staff friendly and accommodating. Most of the negatives noted by other reviewers were there, but didn't seem to matter to us all that much. Here's a summary:
1. The whole thing is located on the hillside above the beach and the incline is extremely steep, but the shuttles ran constantly and without interruption.
2. The restaurant is more than adequate, although there is a wide choice of excellent alternatives within easy reach. Finesteria & Gingers in Hermosa were fantastic. Papagayo Seafood in Coco was a treat. Perhaps the best of all was the El Ocotal, high above Playa Ocotal, which had the most spectacular view I have ever seen. Take the time to find this place, only a few minutes farther away than Coco. The food and service were 5 star, but the view...the view!
3. The beach is family friendly. Protected with little surf. The dark sand is just that - dark sand. People who complained about the color need to get a life. We snorkled daily among the rocks to the right of the hotel area and had a ball. Lots of sea life to see. We also took short trips on a local boat to the small island about 500 yds offshore for clearer water, about $20 per person for a couple of hours, and the guide dove for oysters for the gang. Locals hawk tours and other personal services constantly, but they are polite and you should quickly learn to simply say no. Their prices are negotiable, and usually lower than the tour services. We did go with Adolfo on a pontoon boat trip down the Tempisque river which turned out to be the tourista highlight of the trip. Monkeys eating bananas out of your hand kind of thing. On the contrary, our visit to the national park (Rincon) was a bit of a bust. If you do this one, don't go on your own, like we did. Use a tour or a guide.
4. The cats are everywhere around the hotel, but again, they are friendly. We love cats, so it was cool. We also made friends with the Coatimundi wandering the property, a cross between a cat, a racoon and an anteater, also remarkably curious and tame, though we remained cautious with these guys. Big teeth.
5. We did the Congo Trail zip line which was nearby. It proved to be a bit too much (heights and strenuous) for a few of our group (we are all over 50), while the others had a ball. Here we learned a vaulable lesson about the locals. One of the locals hooked us up for this one, and we totally missunderstood her. She had us convinced we were going to fly on a sea plane to a far away canopy tour, all for $35.00 each for 10 people. No such animal. She was saying zee pline (zip line), not seaplane, and, to her, zipping was flying. We confronted her when we got back with what we thought was a rippoff, even though we ended up having a good time for a fair price. A few hurt feelings later, we all realized it was simply a language thing. Same thing happened to me with one of the maids who came to clean the room. I asked her to come back in 5 minutes because someone was in the shower. I thought she barked "Clean it yourself" and I was miffed. Later that day I noticed that a lot of guests were telling her "We'll clean it ourselves" and realized she was simply asking me, not telling me. I think most of the negative reviews about the staff are caused by the assumption that the folks who try to speak English are more fluent than they really are. The locals were almost universally pleasant. We Americans can be a bit arrogant.
6. Bar hop and shop in Coco, about 15 minutes away. The Luperon there is the best local market with plenty of local and American brands. The beef is lean and often tough, though the taste is very good. The high end restaurants and exporters get the good stuff, but even there, "tender" is a hit or miss thing. Again, the taste is great. Lobster and shrimp are plentiful here, though usually overcooked in my opinion. The sea bass is to die for, mahi excellent. Costa Rican cuissine is, in my opinion, pretty simple and uninspiring. The best restaurants put a foreign flair on local ideas.
7. The Ticos drive like maniacs, and all road signs are simply suggestions. A fender bender is handled like a diplomatic crisis, so be extremely careful with your rental. Buy all the insurance they offer and you won't have to buy the car when you check out. According to expatriots we talked to, petty theft is the national passtime. Don't leave anything worth anything anywhere. Pay the $3 a day for the safe in the room and use it. Never leave anything in the car and try not to park in the street. They target rentals. This area appears to be the safest for tourists (stay away from San Jose!), but caution is the word throughout the country.
8. A couple of us did visit Montesuma, others had no problem. With me, I think it was the sevieche (sic?) sold by a local on the beach. Everyone down here has their own version of this dish, which offers seafood, fruit and veggies that are "cooked" using citric acid, usually lime juice or lemon juice. It is not raw. Most of it is perfectly safe, but perhaps buying it from a street vendor isn't all that bright. The stuff is really good and all the different recipes are worth checking out.
We had a great time, and the Condovac was well worth the price. If you want caviar and silk sheets, try the Four Seasons at $700 to $3,000 a night. If "nice" is good enough for you, you'll be happy here.
