Pura Vida!!
About Costa Rica
The simple English translation is “pure life” but in Costa Rica it is more than just a translation – it’s a way of life. I travelled to Costa Rica July 14-19 and pretending that I was a local, I copied them and used Pura Vida to say hello and good bye. I guess you can say that Costa Rican’s say Pura Vida and Jamaican’s say “Irie”.
Costa Ricans, also called Ticos, have giving its country the designation of being one of the happiest in the world. They have a very relaxed and simple way of looking at life. They are simply thankful for what they have and they don’t worry about what they don’t have. I remember our tour guide on one of the excursions that I took stating that “you will rarely meet a Costa Rican in other countries. We may go on vacation but we always find our way back home.”
Located on Costa Rica’s magnificent North-Pacific Riviera, The Westin Golf Resort & Spa, Playa Conchal is set on 2,400 acres and offers everything you can possibly need while on vacation. Before you continue reading, head over to Instagram and FOLLOW @westinplayaconchal and thank me later.
In celebration of my friend’s birthday we (me and 3 friends) went to Costa Rica for 6 days of fun! We stayed in the Royal Beach Club at The Westin Golf Resort & Spa, Playa Conchal from July 14th and July 19th, 2016 and if I didn’t have a husband and a dog at home I would’ve probably extended my stay. Some of the features that helped in my decision to stay at the Westin included the lagoon-styled pool, gardens, tennis courts, a championship golf course, several fine dining restaurants, personal concierge service for guests in the Royal Beach Club, WestinWORKOUT® facilities, THE SPA and much more. I highly, highly recommend that you stay at the Royal Beach Club; it is the adult only portion of the resort and offers things like a private adult-only pool!
We scheduled an airport pick ahead of time and there was a man waiting with a sign that had my name on it after we exited immigration and customs. We arrived at the resort after a 50-60 minute drive from Liberia Airport. Just an fyi….the airport does not have WIFI. Upon arrival at the Westin, we were escorted to the adult-only Royal Beach Club where we were greeted with Mojitos and cold towels. We received a personalized 10 minute presentation about the resort and its amenities and then we were escorted to our rooms. My room was situated directly across from the adult – only private pool which had a swim up bar and cabanas. Our bags were waiting in our rooms so we changed and headed straight to Spirula, one of the resorts 8 restaurants, for pizza and cocktails!
About The Westin Golf Resort & Spa, Playa Conchal
The overall staff at the resort went above and beyond to ensure that our every need was met. Every single person working at the resort were extraordinary and the level of customer service was exceptional. The rooms were very comfortable, temperature controlled and pristine. The resort had greenery that was well manicured and had stunning scenery, a vast array of local wildlife and decorated with mango trees and exotic flowers.
The beach, although not private and not viewable from your room, is simply amazing. The resort offers chairs, umbrellas and seaside drink service. There are local vendors on the beach offering things like massages and crafts. There is no lifeguard on duty at the beach and the waves are pretty huge.
As mentioned, there are 8 amazing restaurants on the resort and you will need to make a reservation in advance for dinner for all except Mitra and Spirula. The main buffet is called Mitra and the food there is obviously buffet style but exceptionally good. Oh – they have green juices at the buffet!!! There were dining options for whatever your taste-bud called for; Faisanella and Catalenas for Italian, Manglar for Mediterranean, Spirula for pizza and pasta and Bamboo for Asian. In the evenings the resort offers entertainment such as local dance shows, music shows, magic shows and they even have a disco (nightclub).
The below images are courtesy of The Westin Golf Resort & Spa, Playa Conchal.
Weddings at The Westin Playa Conchal
I had the absolute pleasure of meeting The Westin Golf Resort & Spa, Playa Conchal exceptional onsite Wedding Specialist, Heidy Quesada. Heidy was nice enough to take me on a tour of the resort’s and it’s amazing wedding options.
Heidy and I did a Periscope and you can see the entire video {HERE}. We also did a walkthrough of a wedding ceremony site that is off the beaten path of the golf course.
At The Westin Golf Resort & Spa, Playa Conchal you have a variety of indoor and outdoor venues to choose from for your ceremony and reception including the beach, a lake-view gazebo, an open air cabana or one of their many restaurants like Manglar. The Guanacaste Convention center is the largest ballroom on the resort and spans 8,432 square feet and offers a semi-enclosed space with stunning garden views. The Guanacaste ballroom can separate into a total of 5 rooms and has a maximum capacity of 800 guests. The Arenal ballroom holds up to 100 guests.
The below images are courtesy of The Westin Golf Resort & Spa, Playa Conchal.
I also had the opportunity to meet Javier Catadenda from Art Wedding Memories while I was in Costa Rica. He was at the resort photographing a wedding and many of the couples that get married at the Westin Playa Conchal use Javier as their wedding photographer.
Below is a gallery of images that Javier has captured at the Westin Playa Conchal.
- You do not need an outlet converter
- Take lots and lots of bug spray and mosquito repellent. I had the Clip On Mosquitto Repellent, the Superband bracelet repellent and the spray…at the same time
- The entire resort is all-inclusive; the restaurants the mini bar (which is customizable btw), the pool bar – any bar, EVERYTHING is all – inclusive
- Make dinner reservations early. There are four sittings between 6 and 8:30. We made our reservations before we got to the resort
- The resort has 24 hour room service but it usually takes approximately 90 minutes to receive your food
- You will see and hear a lot of animals – do not be alarmed and do not feed the animals
- The beach at the resort has sand that is majority shells so wear water shoes or sandals if your feet are sensitive
- Tamarindo is pretty much a tourist trap with expensive restaurants but the beach is beautiful
- If you can – stay at the Royal Beach Club; personal concierge service, private pool and adult only sections
- The Disco is not a Las Vegas night club
- You can book your excursions directly through the resort. We did the zip lining, hots prings, rainforest, snorkeling, canoeing, ATV and sunset catamaran excursions
- Bring a backpack, hat and poncho or other rain gear if you plan on going to the rain forest
- Don’t drink too much on the catamaran sunset cruise – the drinks are watered down but you will get motion sickness
- Sneakers and work out gear can be rented for $5 USD from the resort via the Starwood Hotel New Balance Gear Lending program; pack light and stay fit – which I did!
- Sunsets in Costa Rica makes the sun look like its on fire. – Amazing!!
Here are some pictures from my vacation! #NamasteOntheBeach Pura Vida!!!
