Costa Rica honeymoon - Hotel Entre dos Aguas?

[The 12th Commandment]

Years ago someone here on the board recommended a place called Hotel Entre Dos Aguas (manager was a skins fan I think I remember?) in Samara, Costa Rica to me in a private message that I can no longer find. I'm planning my honeymoon and was thinking about that place and also soliciting ideas for neat things to do from anyone that's been there.  Plan on doing the usual things, zip line at monte verde and fishing and snorkling etc.  

 

Middle aged and tying the knot for the first time.  Right when I had pretty much written it off, lol.  Life is funny...and good.

 

 

Edited April 14, 2022 by The 12th Commandment

[Dan T.]

Congratulations!  Never been, but friends who have say the beauty is breathtaking.

[Die Hard]

I’ve been to Costa Rica about 7-8 years ago for a destination wedding of my brother-in-law.

 

I found the beaches to be lacking (supposed to be black sand but more the dark brown and not very inviting) and the water to be choppy (typical greenish/dark blue sea water…. I just love that light blue turquoise transparent water).

 

Good food, nice people… and the best coffee I’ve ever had.

 

I went zip lining. It was okay but not really my thing. I skipped the horse ride to the hot water spring…. and I was told it was a good decision. Hot springs (with mud baths) were nothing special… but I like to try new things.

 

Congratulations and have an amazing trip!!

[TradeTheBeal!]

I’ve been hearing it’s a nice place for Americans to retire…and I’m getting a little long in the tooth of late.

[Bang]

Congratulations! No advice on Costa Rica, but I'm happy for you. 
Good luck to you both!

 

John

[purbeast]

1 hour ago, Die Hard said:

I’ve been to Costa Rica about 7-8 years ago for a destination wedding of my brother-in-law.

 

I found the beaches to be lacking (supposed to be black sand but more the dark brown and not very inviting) and the water to be choppy (typical greenish/dark blue sea water…. I just love that light blue turquoise transparent water).

 

Good food, nice people… and the best coffee I’ve ever had.

 

I went zip lining. It was okay but not really my thing. I skipped the horse ride to the hot water spring…. and I was told it was a good decision. Hot springs (with mud baths) were nothing special… but I like to try new things.

 

Congratulations and have an amazing trip!!

You weren't at a Double Tree were you?  Your explanation of the beach sounds very similar to my experience when I went for a wedding.

 

I have only been to Costa Rica once and it was for a wedding that was at a Double Tree and the beach there was super lacking.  We were told the city was basically between two volcanoes so the sand was all dark there and the water was rough so it made for basically like an Ocean City looking beach.  It was super disappointing and the hotel wasn't any better.  The food was garbage but it was all inclusive so we ate there most of the time but towards the end of our stay we went out to eat at other places.

 

We did go on an excursion though where a boat took us to this other island called Turtle Island and the water there was super calm and clear.  It was awesome there.

 

That said, Costa Rica is huge and this was only a tiny part of it.  We were like 90 mins from the airport.  I know there are definitely nicer beaches and places to go.

 

Also, if you have never ziplined before, it's super overrated.  It's basically like 95% waiting around and 5% ziplining.  And it takes a long time.  The only place I ever did it was in Costa Rica and I will never do it again unless it's just one of those really long ones that like goes over a super scenic area.  We did it through the jungle/woods and it was weak as hell.  And don't get me started about the 2-3 repelling parts.  Waiting for 10 people in front of you to try and figure out how to do it was a chore.

Edited April 14, 2022 by purbeast

[Die Hard]

9 minutes ago, purbeast said:

You weren't at a Double Tree were you?  Your explanation of the beach sounds very similar to my experience when I went for a wedding.

 

I have only been to Costa Rica once and it was for a wedding that was at a Double Tree and the beach there was super lacking.  We were told the city was basically between two volcanoes so the sand was all dark there and the water was rough so it made for basically like an Ocean City looking beach.  It was super disappointing and the hotel wasn't any better.  The food was garbage but it was all inclusive so we ate there most of the time but towards the end of our stay we went out to eat at other places.

 

We did go on an excursion though where a boat took us to this other island called Turtle Island and the water there was super calm and clear.  It was awesome there.

 

That said, Costa Rica is huge and this was only a tiny part of it.  We were like 90 mins from the airport.  I know there are definitely nicer beaches and places to go.

 

Also, if you have never ziplined before, it's super overrated.  It's basically like 95% waiting around and 5% ziplining.  And it takes a long time.  The only place I ever did it was in Costa Rica and I will never do it again unless it's just one of those really long ones that like goes over a super scenic area.  We did it through the jungle/woods and it was weak as hell.  And don't get me started about the 2-3 repelling parts.  Waiting for 10 people in front of you to try and figure out how to do it was a chore.

We were at Riu Palace. They had 2 resorts side by side… we were at the kid free high end one with access to the other (younger and more of a party destination). 
 

I could have written your post in verbatim.

 

But like you said, that’s just my experience in one hotel. So obviously it may not apply to others.

[Destino]

1 hour ago, Die Hard said:

 

 

 I skipped the horse ride to the hot water spring…. and I was told it was a good decision.

I heard a fun story about one of those romantic horse rides through the water.  When the water was high enough to reach their legs, the horse in front of them took a big dump.  They got to experience the unparalleled romance of sloshing their legs around in manure infused water.  

[purbeast]

6 minutes ago, Destino said:

I heard a fun story about one of those romantic horse rides through the water.  When the water was high enough to reach their legs, the horse in front of them took a big dump.  They got to experience the unparalleled romance of sloshing their legs around in manure infused water.  

I did a non-romantic horse ride through the water in Turks and Caicos in like 2014 and that happened with the group we were with.  One of the 12 or so horses sea dumped and it just floats right on by lol.

 

Generally speaking, I don't know which is more overrated - horseback riding (even though the water or on land) or ziplining.  They both look/sound a lot cooler than they actually are.

[Dan T.]

Crappy brown beaches, choppy green water, meh zip line, horse manure water, manure scented horseback rides... you guys are painting quite the romantic picture for this poor guy. 

 

 

Edited April 14, 2022 by Dan T.

[purbeast]

4 minutes ago, Dan T. said:

Crappy brown beaches, choppy green water, meh zip line, horse manure water, manure scented horseback rides... you guys are painting quite the romantic picture for this poor guy. 

 

 

To be fair, he said he's THINKING of going there and he also said he was looking for things to do.

 

I've got a pretty long list of places I've traveled outside of the CONUS to in tropical locations, many multiple times.

 

Maui (honeymoon in 2008)

Aruba

Grand Cayman

Turks and Caicos

Barbados

Bahamas

St. Thomas (and St. John)

Belize

Cancun

Costa Rica

Puerto Rico

 

I'd pretty much go to anywhere other than Cancun or Puerto Rico for a honeymoon over Costa Rica.  If I went to Bahamas, I'd go to Exuma which I have never been to, only been to Nassau twice and probably won't be back there ever.  But it also just depends what you want on a honeymoon too.  Costa Rica has a lot of hiking and jungle stuff that is really cool and a lot of people are into that.

[Die Hard]

43 minutes ago, Dan T. said:

Crappy brown beaches, choppy green water, meh zip line, horse manure water, manure scented horseback rides... you guys are painting quite the romantic picture for this poor guy. 

 

 

I vouched for the coffee. 😂 
 

I guess I was expecting something different. 
 

I mean one of the excursions was to travel by bus all day to exchange currency in Nicaragua. Not really but something like that.

 

We also did a hike in the jungle that was uphill and led us to a skinny concrete water slide. That thing was dangerous. And we were warned during the hike not to touch the plants…. because of poisonous insects or snakes. It made for an anxiety-filled hike.

[Destino]

Fine fine I’ll address the honeymoon aspect of this instead of dwelling on horse poop.  Wherever you go, stay in a place with a view and room service. If you’re fortunate, and your honeymoon goes well, you’ll be spending a lot more time in the room than on a zip line.  Plan accordingly.  
 

A breakfast of champagne and chocolate cake while marveling at an amazing view, is a great way to catch your breath.  
 

congrats on the wedding. 

[Jabbyrwock]

4 minutes ago, Destino said:

A breakfast of champagne and chocolate cake while marveling at an amazing view, is a great way to catch your breath.  

 

Also try and look at the scenery 😉.

[Destino]

11 minutes ago, Die Hard said:

I vouched for the coffee. 😂 
 

I guess I was expecting something different. 
 

I mean one of the excursions was to travel by bus all day to exchange currency in Nicaragua. Not really but something like that.

 

We also did a hike in the jungle that was uphill and led us to a skinny concrete water slide. That thing was dangerous. And we were warned during the hike not to touch the plants…. because of poisonous insects or snakes. It made for an anxiety-filled hike.

danger seems to be the way of Latin American vacation spots.  I signed up for an ATV tour in Dominican Republic that said is was for beginners, no experience necessary.  This mattered as I’d never been on one in my life.  The guide told us how they worked for like a minute… then took us right onto the damn highway.  He told us not to worry, that it’s safe as long as the suns up.  What happens at sundown that’s more dangerous than possibly drunk tourists on ATVs for the first time on a highway?  Impossible to know. 

[The 12th Commandment]

Some here are a little soft perhaps, but then again with big city liberal elites it's to be expected. 😉

 

Being very familiar with Latin America (Mexico mostly) I'm happy with the putting your life in your own hands thing, so long as there aren't cartels shooting up the joint.  Happened while I was on the Sonoran coast once, henchman of Chapo's staying in a condo right down the beach when the Mexican Marineros opened up with the door mounted fifty cal from a helicopter.  It was craaaazy.  No trial was necessary.

Costa Rica is high on the list for me partly for the safety but mostly for the price.  It is a consideration  for me and it takes many of the Caribbean and the Hawaiian islands off the table.  Belize would be pretty comparable to CR I think except for the language thing, but I'm ok with Spanish and it feel kinda good when I can communicate and those I'm with can't.   

 

I'm liking what I can find about Samara, it's kind of a laid back place and town, with restaurants, bars and shops a couple blocks from the hotel. It's not the sort of place with room service tho.   It's also quite a bit further from the airport than you guys are referencing.  I'm reading 4.5 hours.   Be an exciting drive in a rental car.  My fiancée isn't the sort to require pampering, thankfully.

 

Really hoping whoever it was finds this and can expound on their previous recommendation.

Edited April 14, 2022 by The 12th Commandment

[Riggo-toni]

I heard Venezuela is cheap these days...🤪

[The 12th Commandment]

13 minutes ago, Riggo-toni said:

I heard Venezuela is cheap these days...🤪

I'm thinking the movie Hostel.  

 

Refinancing the house and getting some cash out so I'm not in quite that dire of straights.

[purbeast]

1 hour ago, The 12th Commandment said:

Some here are a little soft perhaps, but then again with big city liberal elites it's to be expected. 😉

 

Being very familiar with Latin America (Mexico mostly) I'm happy with the putting your life in your own hands thing, so long as there aren't cartels shooting up the joint.  Happened while I was on the Sonoran coast once, henchman of Chapo's staying in a condo right down the beach when the Mexican Marineros opened up with the door mounted fifty cal from a helicopter.  It was craaaazy.  No trial was necessary.

Costa Rica is high on the list for me partly for the safety but mostly for the price.  It is a consideration  for me and it takes many of the Caribbean and the Hawaiian islands off the table.  Belize would be pretty comparable to CR I think except for the language thing, but I'm ok with Spanish and it feel kinda good when I can communicate and those I'm with can't.   

 

I'm liking what I can find about Samara, it's kind of a laid back place and town, with restaurants, bars and shops a couple blocks from the hotel. It's not the sort of place with room service tho.   It's also quite a bit further from the airport than you guys are referencing.  I'm reading 4.5 hours.   Be an exciting drive in a rental car.  My fiancée isn't the sort to require pampering, thankfully.

 

Really hoping whoever it was finds this and can expound on their previous recommendation.

English is the primary language in Belize just FYI.  

[The 12th Commandment]

Just now, purbeast said:

English is the primary language in Belize just FYI.  

And Spanish in CR, that's what I meant by them being different in that respect.  I speak reasonable Spanish.