Thanks to Zul at Travel Spectrum Online, my family had an amazing week in Costa Rica. I told him that we wanted a family friendly, all-inclusive hotel located near all of the best activities. He got back to me immediately with reservations at the beautiful Riu Guanacaste Resort near Liberia, Costa Rica. He even managed to get us an upgraded 2-bedroom suite at no extra charge. Flights, hotel and transfers were set up ahead of time so we had no responsibilities to deal with. Everything was perfect! The hotel is exquisite and extremely well maintained. You couldn't go a day without seeing someone painting a worn area on a wall or trash can or trimming a hedge. They were constantly improving the look of the place although to the average guest you couldn't see anything out of place. The hotel entertainers had games going on constantly during the day and a variety of terrific dance musicals every night. The hotel has 4 restaurants with a
wide variety of delicious food complete with ""food art"" from melons on every buffet table. They also serve lunch at the pool which is really a massive collection of several pools, including a hot tub and a swim-up bar. Just down the walkway from the pool is the beach. Kayaks, paddle-boats, snorkeling equipment and more were available free of charge. Local merchants were there in case you wanted to buy souveneir toys, purses, jewelry or get an inexpensive massage on the beach (which was amazing by the way.)
You could also find locals willing to take you on the same excursions as the big tour guides located at the front of the hotel, but set up for just your family or small group and at a much lower cost. One adventure we went on was a Jungle Boat Cruise. Our tour guide stopped for chicken and bananas on the way and we were able to feed crocodiles right off the boat and Capuchin monkeys right off our heads! The other ""official"" tours don't allow that. We also went deep sea fishing, catching 2 tuna and 2 mahi-mahi, that the chef in the restaurant cooked up for us. In addition, we also went on an ATV ride/zipline tour, and on a mega-tour including more zip lining, hot springs, mud bath, horse ride, lunch and an outdoor water slide through the jungle. Everyone was incredibly friendly and we had an amazing time. Even the weather cooperated and even in the ""rainy season"" it only rained twice, luckily on the two days that we didn't have an excursion
planned. I
would highly recommend Zul at Travel Spectrum and the Riu Hotel to anyone planning their next vacation.
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