This past weekend I took part in a fam trip to Manuel Antonio hosted by Rancho Los Tucanes. The trip began at around 2:30 in San Jose as the charter bus departed for what was supposed to be a three and a half hour drive.  Needless to say, six hours later we were still on the road.  The 2 hours of gridlock behind an accident wasn’t nearly as painful as the acting and dialogue I witnessed in the horrible movie they call “The Transformers”.   I would have rather watched “Gigli”…twice. 

When we arrived in Manuel Antonio we ate dinner at El Gato Negro.  The food was decent, nothing to write home about. I did particularly enjoy their house salad dressing that consisted of a garlic mayonnaise base. The fried plantains were hard but the Imperials were quite cold which always makes up for a lackluster supper.

I’d been looking forward to staying at the Buena Vista Villas for a while as I hadn’t heard one review of the place that was less than glowing. We stayed in a 2 bedroom house (#402). The views of the pacific and the surrounding tree line of the rainforest were spectacular. The furniture was new; the decoration was contemporary with a lot of bright whites and contrasting blacks. The common living area was spacious and served as a great setting to experience the first weekend of college football. There was an outdoor Jacuzzi and it’s a shame it wasn’t working during our stay. 

Another positive aspect of our house was it’s proximity to a centralized restaurant and pool for breakfast.  The bacon was crispy and the honeybuns were delicious and a pleasant surprise that you don’t find in every breakfast buffet.  I have to say thanks to Buena Vista Villas and Rancho Los Tucanes for their hospitality and the numerous other partners who hosted us this past weekend.

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Filed under: Hotel & Restaurant Reviews on September 5th, 2007