Feast or famine? After a long time away from the ocean I have been privileged to spend the last 2 weekends at 2 prime locations and the accomodation wasn’t bad either.

I spent this past weekend at the newly refurbished Ocotal Beach Resort, which is located less than 45 minutes from Liberia International Airport in the Northwestern region of Guanacaste. As we arrived late on our first night it was too late to take in our surroundings so we took a cab, kindly organized by Priscilla in reception, down to the nearby town of Cocos for a bite to eat at the Papagayo Steak House, which was very good and reasonably priced.

When I got up the next morning I was taken aback by the spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and Papagayo Bay. We were staying in the Panoramic rooms which were clean, comfortable and have a 32′ plasma screen tv, coffee maker, free Wi-Fi and a private terrace from which to watch the amazing sunsets.

Facilities at the resort include three swimming pools, the infinity pool by our rooms also has a cocktail bar specifically open for the sunset and the larger pool by the beach has a wet bar and snack restaurant, two Jacuzzis: one hot and one cold; a gym with personal trainer and a Spa offering massages. The other restaurant, the Roja Bruja, is about halfway up the bluff and like the Panoramic rooms has great ocean views which can do wonders for a head delicate from the night before, the buffet breakfast was good and there was a lot of variety to suit all tastes. Their Cordon-Bleu chef is from Peru and specialties include sea bass and lobster.

If you’re an active person then there is plenty to keep you occupied while here, from the swimming pools to the gym, tennis courts, Sportfishing and Diving on offer and it has probably the best swimming beach I’ve been to in Costa Rica with black, volcanic sand and beautiful warm water. You can even take a 4 day PADI (internationally recognised scubadiving course) scuba course while you’re there or if you’re already experienced you can dive with Bull sharks and Mantas. They also offer Sportfishing from one of their three 32ft boats which can hold four passengers comfortably and game in the area includes sailfish, marlin, roosterfish, dorado, tuna and many more.

If you want to head out for the evening; Cocos has some interesting bars and restaurants such as La Dolce Vita Pizzeria and bar Zouk Santa Ana which has a good mix of locals and tourists alike.

Overall it was a very enjoyable weekend and somewhere I’ll definitely be recommending.

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Filed under: Hotel Reviews on August 24th, 2007