I recently had the pleasure of traveling to Costa Rica as part of a familiarization trip with Apple Vacations. We were hosted by Dreams Las Mareas, up near Las Cruz, I along with a group of 12 other travel agents had a jam packed 3 nights, 4 day trip all mapped out, we saw multiple properties in the region, some being Adult only, Some Family friendly Resorts, all of them being All inclusive on the pacific side of the country in the region of Guanacaste and Papagayo.
My honest review of Dreams Las Mareas is that of fairytales, nestled down along a full jungle lined road, if you look out across Salinas Bay on the way in you will see Nicaragua and at the very end lies this dreamy quiet resort on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, in Jobo Bay. Playa El Jobo is the beach that lines this beautiful resort, standing on the beach on a clear day you will be able to see out to Isla Chancleta a small volcanic rock formation that is visible above the surface of the waters, it is named after the spanish word for Flip flop due to the shape of the formation. If you look closely while snorkeling or diving in the area you will see some of the fauna around the rock hiding in the crevices of the formation, some common marine life in the bay includes octopus, butterfly fish, round rays, lobsters, arrow crabs, dolphins, seahorses, and turtles. Once in a blue moon, if the season is right, you can catch a glimpse of whales during their migration.
We were shown multiple room categories on our tour of the resort. My favorite being the Preferred club Master Suite Swim Out Tropical View. Staying in a Preferred Club suite allows you access to an elevated tier of service at the resort including a Preferred club lounge to check in that is separate from the normal check in desks, most days this is where I enjoyed having my breakfasts, in this lounge you also have access to the Preferred club Bar where you could order a specialty drink with premium liquor. The preferred club category rooms are also stocked with premium snacks and sodas, and to make reservations a day in advanced to the Hibachi tables and French restaurants. My room category was unfortunately not the Preferred Club Master Suite Swim Out, a girl can dream! I was privileged to be in the Preferred club Junior Suite with Pool View, but I did have a stunning view of the bay. The way the rooms are at this resort is, the entry level rooms are towards the bottom, usually with the less then stellar “Tropical View”. Truth be told I would’ve been more then fine with the Tropical view with all the Monkey’s running around the property! There were three different kinds on property, The white faced Capuchin(we saw these ones the most), the Howler monkey(we could hear them, but couldn’t see them up in the Tamarindo tree), and the Spider Monkey(These guys mostly hung out towards the outskirts of the property, towards the hills- they were pretty quick so you really had to sit an watch for an extended amount of time to catch them.) I made it a point to try to eat at all the restaurants, the buffet was delicious, there is something for everyone. Himitsu was my personal favorite, then again who can say no to Sushi and Asian Fusion? My favorite for late night snacks was Coco Café, lattes, mochas, coffee, and ice cream, do I need to say more? Directly across the way is a beautiful Piano Bar, we sat and enjoyed a few cocktails before one of the evening shows near the nightclub and spa recreation area.
Dreams Las Mareas spa has this out of body feeling about it, you walk in, and you’re greeted with a cold towel and Pura Vida, they lead you into a changing room. You walk into this open-air room that has a beautiful reflection pool down the middle, it smells like eucalyptus, and a blend of other scents that I can’t place, maybe orange, all of a sudden you instantly feel relaxed when this fragrance hits you. They have an array of spa treatments with different products that you will absolutely fall in love with, make sure to bring extra money to bring the lotions and products home because they do have them for sale in the lobby of the spa and you will kick yourself if you don’t. I know I still kick myself for not getting that lotion!
Dreams Las Mareas offers an array of amenities for adults and children alike, they offer a morning hike of the little peninsula they’re nestled into, as well as a sunset kayaking excursion that’s guided by a expert that the resort employees as an additional benefit to staying with them free of charge. Specifically for the kids 3-12, they have a kids club, that is always monitored by trained staff. The kids club features a movie theater, indoor play area, outdoor playground, swimming, video games and so much more! I haven’t even gotten to the best part of being a kid at this resort yet- or a kid at heart! Dreams las Mareas features a one-of-a-kind water jungle slide. You zoom through 3 tiers of landscape and into the pool below. That’s pretty cool!
Now I know I’ve made it sound like the Disneyland of Central America, right? Fun for the whole family, but there are a few things I need to mention for full transparency. The transfer from the airport to this resort is long- an hour plus at least, it’s north toward the border of Nicaragua. The road has a lot of twists and turns at times so make sure you have Dramamine. Most of the Volcano excursions or Ziplining excursions are going to be closer to the airport, so again, it’ll be a long ride to do pretty much anything outside of the resort. The majority of the people who stay at this resort stay on property the majority of the time and limit their excursions to one or maybe two, It’s the trade off for the spectacular location and views.
Please let me know if you have any questions or if you need help planning a Costa Rican adventure through the travel inquiry form on my bio!
Pura Vida!
