Doin the "I Do's"

For those of you who are interested in seeing where all the action will take place, visit www.casamuygrande.com We've rented the house for the first week in September and will be sharing it with the fam, but the idea is for friends to stay nearby and use Casa Muy Grande as a base. The property was a boutique hotel that has been converted into a private residence, so it's got all the amenities and features of a hotel - Tiki bar and foosball table included!

Beach Bunks

The ‘save the date’ has gone out and we’ve been getting inquiries about accommodation specifics, so I’ve included some more information below on some of the accommodation in the area. I sent out emails to a few of the places inquiring about rates and availability for the first week in September 2007 and these were their responses:

Hotel Cantarana
Marlies and Manfred Margraf
mmargraf@racsa.co.cr

Thank you for your inquiry, and your interest in visiting Playa Grande

We are happy to offer you the following:

Double room with breakfast US$ 80,00 + 16% tax per day .

If these arrangements are suitable please send us your credit-card-information to reserve the first night.

We are looking forward to hear from you soon!



Hotel Bula Bula
Todd Redeker
frontdesk@hotelbulabula.com

We do have hotel rooms available and we also property manage a number of houses in our neighborhood. Many of the houses are located a short walk from Casa Muy Grande. We can offer discounts on hotel rooms, but need to know how many people would need accomodation.

The rate for a double-occupancy (2 pers) room with one king-size bed and served with a gourmet breakfast each morning, is $95 plus tax.

Each guest room has one king-size bed, private bath, air-conditioning, mini-fridge, in-room safe and coffee maker with complimentary coffee. Most rooms have a TV with cable and DVD. Each room is decorated with native art and pottery. All rooms have views of the pool and garden area.

Here's some house info. All houses are located in our neighborhood and 5 minute walk to either the beach or the hotel. As guests of the houses, you also have access to all amenities here at the hotel. Daily maid service is provided at the houses. Just let me know which houses sound of interest and I can forward pictures.


Casa 54 - about 3 minute walk to the beach access - 2 bedroom, each one king bed. 2 bath. Swimming pool,A/C in bedrooms and living area. Living room has two built in couches which easily accommodate kids or teens. Fully equipped kitchen, cable television, dvd/cd player. $250/night

Casa 82 - beachfront - 2 bedroom, each one king bed. 1 bath, A/C in bedrooms only. Living room has two built in couches which easily accommodate kids or teens. Fully equipped kitchen, cable television, dvd/cd player. $275/night

Casa 134 - about 4 minute walk to the beach access - 3 bedroom (King, King, Queen) 2 bath. Swimming pool. A/C in sleeping areas. Living room has two built in couches which easily accommodate kids or teens. Fully equipped kitchen, cable television, dvd/cd player. $300/night

Casa 151 - across the street from the beach - 3 bedroom (King, King, two Twins) and separate pool house with one King bed (total 4 rooms). 4 baths total. Swimming pool. A/C throughout the living and sleeping areas. Living room has two built in couches which easily accommodate kids or teens. Fully equipped kitchen, cable television, dvd/cd player. $450/night

Casa 141 - across the street from the beach - 4 bedroom, 4 bath. Renovation scheduled to be completed by Jan. 15. Swimming pool. A/C throughout the living and sleeping areas. Owners are detail oriented and plan high quality furnishings. $450/night.

Casa Dorado - Beachfront, 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms ( King,Queen,Queen and two twins).pool in front of the beach, a/c living room and all bedrooms. Fully equiped kitchen, TV with satellite
$450

Thanks again for contacting Hotel Bula Bula and if you have any further questions, please let me know.

Thanks,

Todd Redeker
Proprietor
www.hotelbulabula.com
Hotel Message & Fax (In USA & Canada): Toll-free 1-877-658-2880
Hotel Phone (In Costa Rica): 506-653-0975Fax (In Costa Rica): 506-653-0978


RipJack Inn
Dave & Annie Corredor
info@ripjackinn.com

Our rates for that week would be $55 plus tax per night. If you were to rent four or more rooms we could offer you a 20% discount on each room.

Let me know if we can be of any further assistance or if you would like to make any reservations.

Thanks,
Annie

Dave & Annie Corredor
RipJack Inn
Playa Grande, Costa Rica


Hotel Manglar
Tatiana
hotelmanglar@yahoo.fr

We do have different accommodation:

1- Apartment with 2 bedrooms (1 king size, 2matrimonial size), up to 6 people, equipped kitchen, hot water, a.c., $165 per night.

2- Villa rooms, double bedded, equipped kitchen, hot water, a.c., t.v., $64 per night

3- Standard room, 3 individuals beds, cold water, fans and a mini fridge, $46,55 per night.

We do not have restaurant at the hotel, so prices don’t include breakfast.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you,

Tatiana
Hotel el Manglar-Playa Grande
Guanacaste-COSTA RICA
Tel/Fax; (00 506) 653-09-52
Visit us; http://visitplayagrande.com/elmanglar
www.hotel-manglar.com
TOLL FREE 877-623-3198

Costa Rican Nuptials

Ok everyone – if you haven’t already heard, we’ve finally decided to get married! We’ve chosen Playa Grande, Costa Rica for the wedding because it’s a place we’ve both always wanted to visit, it’s got great beaches, and of course the kicker…it’s got great surf! And as you know – we hate a holiday…

About Playa Grande http://www.govisitcostarica.com/region/city.asp?cID=23

GETTING THERE
The closest airport to Playa Grande / Tamarindo is Liberia; however this is not a big internationally serviced airport. The main airport in CR is San Jose. From the research that we’ve done (thanks Fran!), these are the options that we’ve found:

1. Fly into Liberia and stay in a Playa Grande / Tamarindo area hotel or house and pay separately for flight / lodging

2. Stay at an all inclusive hotel in the area with (Air Canada Vacations has a few offers, but check your local airline) - the package would include flights to and from Liberia airport

3. Fly into San Jose airport and take a 45 minute shuttle flight to Liberia airport and pay separately for flight / lodging

4. Fly into San Jose and drive from SJ airport to Tamarindo / Playa Grande, which is about 4.5hrs and pay separately for flight / lodging

Option 1 - Flight to Liberia, hotel or house in area
According to their website, Air Canada does not fly directly to Liberia at that time of year. Sites such as Expedia and Travelocity show flights with Continental and Delta Airlines from Ottawa and Toronto that connect at least once in the states. The duration for these flights varies from 6.5hrs to 22hrs. These include at least one or two stops at airports in the states and cost about $1100-1200.

Our thoughts - not a good option for those of you in Ontario, but if you live in Denver - right on!

Option 2 - All Inclusive package at hotel in area
The AC Vacations book for 2007 show three vacation packages in the area of Playa Grande near Tamarindo. There are three hotels that you can check out: Paradisus Playa Conchal (5 star AI), Tamarinfo Diria (3 star - not an all-inclusive), and Barcelo Langosta Beach (3.5 star AI). These are all within 45min of the Wedding House with Tamarindo Diria being the closest. Check out the CR map for an idea of where the beaches are in the area.

As far as Air Canada's website goes, they are not booking for September 07 dates (or any others around that time) right now, so it might be a good idea to go to a travel agent with this information to be sure that these packages still apply.

For those leaving from Ottawa, AC Vacations is great because departures from Ottawa are included in their packages.

www.aircanadavacations.com
www.solmelia.com/solNew/hoteles/jsp/C_Hotel_Description.jsp?codigoHotel=5891
www.tamarindodiria.com
www.barcelo.com/BarceloHotels/en-GB/Hotels/CostaRica/Tamarindo/LangostaBeach/Home

Option 3 - Flight to San Jose with Shuttle, hotel in area
This is, from what we’ve seen, the best option to get there.

Air Canada offers a return flight to San Jose for $610.00, departing on 01/09/07 and returning on 08/09/07. “Sansa Regional Airline" in Costa Rica does flights between cities domestically, and will transfer from the airport in San Jose to Tamarindo. You can go to their website www.flysansa.com to see that they have daily flights for $86US each way. This option is a lot quicker and less expensive than option 1 (flying into Liberia). You will have to book the regional flight separately for your travel between airports.

Option 4 - Flight to San Jose and Car Rental
This is an option for those who would like to make a road trip out of it! The coast is beautiful, I'm sure, and this might be a great idea to get around and see a lot while in CR. Be warned though, all reports say that the roads are pretty bad so unless you’re into off-roading, this may not be an ideal option. After the flight to San Jose (above), the drive is about 4.5hrs from San Jose airport to Tamarindo.

From Australia
Flights are in the range of $2500 to $3000. From Sydney, Qantas flies to San Jose with a stop-over in LA and Dallas – that flight is approximately $2660. Air Canada also flies to San Jose, and is approximately $2550. I’m speaking with a friend who works for Flight Centre who might be able to arrange a group rate, so let me know if you would like to contact her directly.

If you've got the time, the cash, and itchy feet, I'd even suggest looking into getting an around the world ticket - they're not that much more!

WHERE TO STAY
Playa Grande isn't a resort beach - it mostly has villas on the beach for rent, or small hotel accommodation. It's a surf beach, and the hotels aren't luxurious (sorry - no all inclusives here), but rather moderate and chilled out - very Costa Rican authentic...

If you are thinking of renting a villa on Playa Grande or another beach nearby, a good site is:

http://www.vrbo.com/ and search under Costa Rica, Playa Grande

Hotels nearby include:
www.ripjackinn.com
www.hotelcantarana.com
www.hotelbulabula.com
www.cabinascasaverde.com
www.hotel-manglar.com
www.hotelitosisisi.com
www.cool.co.cr/usr/turtles/

These are only a few choices of spots in the area - there are probably more, depending on how far you will be willing to stay from the party! From what we can figure out, Casa Muy Grande looks to be across from Hotel Cantarana.

Be sure to check out trip advisor - they have a few descriptions of a couple of the places.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g309245-Playa_Grande_Province_of_Guanacaste-Hotels.html

I’ll be updating this site with more info as I get it. Please let me know if you have any other questions, and feel free to post any comments / additional info that you want to share to help others organise their trip.

Can’t wait to see you all there!