We took an early flight out of DFW on AA to LIR this trip; the last two we used Southwest through Houston. We lucked out—it had been raining pretty hard due to Hurricane Sara (Nov 2024). The runway and airfield are not great, and heavy rain messes up the runway. The airport was completely closed two days prior to our arrival, opened the day we got in, and then closed again until the day before we left. This time, we got in, made it through immigration in 20 minutes, and skipped the hoard of helpers angling for tips to carry your bag. When you exit security with all your bags, you’ll see lots of people standing around with signs, and others with papers trying to “help” you. I don’t think they are scammers—they just want tips—but we didn’t need help, just our shuttle. I walked up to the Hyatt kiosk and asked about a Sixt shuttle. The guy pointed me in the right direction. I walked outside and saw the bus—Sixt had sent it just for us. We were their only customers. It was great, no wait, we walked in, and had our car in 10 minutes. My platinum status didn’t get me an upgrade, but the 4×4 SUV was nice, and it was the price they said online. It’s difficult in Costa Rica to get an accurate rental price online.
We drove up north to the Guanacaste Province where the Andaz Papagayo is, about a 40-minute drive. As always, we got an awesome welcome with coconut water and refreshments.
 | Check-in is under a beautiful arched foyer designed to blend seamlessly into the landscape. The entire resort is built to integrate with nature, and I think they did a fantastic job with that. The check-in area reminds me of a treehouse, only much cooler, as it overlooks the ocean. We used a suite upgrade because their base suites are amazing—they’re huge! |
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After check-in, we had dinner at Rio Bongo, their main restaurant, which is also where breakfast is served. It was a bit underwhelming. I ordered wings, and while they weren’t bad, they weren’t amazing either. During our last visit, I sent the Mahi-Mahi back because it wasn’t good. Honestly, I would skip dinner here. Lunch is fine, but where they really shine is breakfast.
| The breakfast spread at Andaz Papagayo is the best I’ve ever seen, and you can also order from a menu, as seen here. As a Globalist, you also have the option to have breakfast at Ostra, their seafood restaurant. On the first morning, we had breakfast at Rio, then went to Ostra and continued to do so every day after that. It’s like a buffet, but they bring small, made-to-order dishes, so everything is really fresh. As a Globalist, you can eat as much as you want for free and enjoy the best coffee in the world. They just keep bringing little plates until you’re full. The quality of breakfast is excellent, exactly what you’d expect from a $500+ per night property. Fair warning: try to get a Globalist certificate if you book here, as breakfast can run $40-$50 per person. |  The veggies were so good I ordered them every day. |
On the first day, we decided to repeat our last trip and visit Rio Celeste, one of my favorite places on Earth. They say the blue water comes from where God dipped his paintbrush after painting the sky. Science explains it with some nonsense about minerals. We decided to forgo the tour guide, as last time a full-day tour with a driver and private guide cost $1,000, and that was our budget for the entire trip. We planned to drive to Rio Celeste and hike by ourselves. When we arrived, we found out that there was plenty of availability, but we had to buy tickets online. We had no cell service, so we walked to the restaurant across the street and ordered a Fresca. We struggled to book the tickets online, as the website was hard to use unless you knew exactly how it worked (or had a good home internet connection). After 15 minutes of frustration, a tour guide approached and offered to help. I initially declined, thinking nothing is free, but he assured me that for a small $5 tip, he’d be happy to assist. I let him help since I couldn’t do it myself. He had our tickets in five minutes. After talking with Alonso for a few more minutes, I decided to take him up on his offer for a $65 tour (plus tip) for 3-4 hours. Hiring a guide is always a great choice.
 |  Alonso Rivera (WhatsApp +506 6303 3920) |  Lots of wildlife like this pit viper everywhere! You won’t find these little guys without the help of a guide, unless you’re lucky or you poach on someone else tour. |
We would have missed seeing almost all the pit vipers and other animals. Guides have so much knowledge about the local flora and fauna, and it’s really interesting to spend a few hours with a good one. The hike wasn’t bad—just under 2 miles each way, uphill. To reach the waterfall, there’s a large staircase. It’s not fun, but it’s not too bad either. My 5-year-old did the hike without much complaining, last trip.
 Tree Of Life. | After we returned to the trailhead, Alonso wanted to show me a tree of life because I’m into woodworking and trees interest me. We took a short drive, and he showed us an incredible 900+ year-old tree I would have never seen. Afterward, he invited us to dinner with him and his wife, which was a great experience at a fish restaurant he recommended. I Highly recommend contacting Alonso, he can even get you a low cash price at a local hotel. We stopped at a souvenir shop on the way back. In Costa Rica, they have lots of animal paintings on wood, but the prices are all over the place. This time, I found a family that makes them, so I bought directly from them and saved 50%.  |
| After that, we went to a cafe in Liberia, a block from the main town square. The meal was excellent and only about $25 with dessert and a tip. The $5 tip went a long way, and they were so genuinely grateful. The meal as you see is simple, but fresh and delicious. My wife had the black bean patty, I had the Chicken. We asked about walking around the main square (since it was dark), and they said it was safe and a nice walk. We saw some Christmas decorations and walked around a bit before heading back to the car. On the way back, a drug addict on the side of the road asked for money. He wasn’t aggressive, but I didn’t want to stay around him, so we left quickly. |  |
We had planned to do Tree Chocolate after we visited Rio Celeste, as we’d heard good things about it, but we didn’t have time that day. On our third day at the resort, my wife convinced me to make the 1.5–2 hour drive each way, and I’m glad she did. This turned out to be the highlight of the trip for me. The tour cost about $25 per person, and it was the best value for a tour I’ve ever had. You start at the shop, and they take you on a UTV (Utility Task Vehicle – basically, a large ATV) to the plantation. The driver didn’t speak English, but our guide Eddy, who we met at the plantation, did. We began in the coffee bean area, where Eddy had us smash raw coffee beans and taste them. They were slightly sweet but otherwise unremarkable. The coolest part was the cocoa pods, which I harvested. When you cut them open, they look like garlic on a string but have the consistency of raw chicken. Sounds appetizing, right? Well, it turns out they are really sweet, and you can just suck on them, so we did.
 Our guide, Me, my Wife.  Harvesting a Cocoa Pod |  Vanilla beans, these have to be hand pollinated. In Africa they are pollinated via insects, not here.  Traditional Cocoa production tools |
My wife didn’t like the fruit from the pods, but I thought they had a pleasant taste. Afterward, we toured the grounds and saw army ants, bugs, toucans, other birds, cinnamon, black pepper, and even a few pineapples. Following the tour, the staff showed us how they make chocolate and gave us samples. Yum! They start by fermenting the pods for a few days in a box, then drying them in the sun, followed by roasting, de-husking, grinding, and pressing. We ended up buying vanilla beans, black pepper, and cocoa powder, which were well worth it. The entire tour took about two hours.
Afterward, we went back to the hotel and relaxed. We had dinner at the Tapas restaurant on property—Chao Pesaco. This restaurant was great. My wife is a vegetarian, so options are often limited, but here they had plenty. She had veggie empanadas and an avocado salad, while I had chicken with rice and beans and jerk chicken. Everything was top-notch.
 Ruben Soza, Artist, Costa Rica | The hotel staff at Andaz Papagayo is amazing. Jerry, the valet, set me up with an art professor, Ruben Soza. Jerry had the hotel contact Ruban to take photos of his available paintings, and I picked a few. He then had Juan drive two hours to deliver them to me at the hotel. I spent just under $300 for three paintings. Anywhere else, this would be way more expensive, and you wouldn’t get to meet the artist. I’ve provided his contact info below, in case you’re interested. You can reach out for a custom piece. Expect to spend $100–$1000 per painting, depending on size/complexity. This painting was $150. After receiving my art, we decided to stay on the property and do some activities. |
We took a yoga class, which showed me just how inflexible I am. My wife really enjoyed it, but it was a bit painful for me. We spent a few hours at the pool, then went kayaking for free (covered by the resort fee). Due to a lot of rain, the bay was murky, and we didn’t swim this time. Last time it was nice (with 20-foot visibility), but it wasn’t anywhere near the Caribbean or Hawaii.
On our last day, we just walked around the property, enjoyed the nature, and packed. We did have a minor problem with theft. A pesky monkey walked into our room, threw a soda on the ground, and stole my banana! Little jerk. I closed the door and turned around, and he promptly opened it! I slammed it shut and locked it. I’ve seen Outbreak, so I kept my distance.
Our flight back was uneventful, although I did spend about $100 on hot sauce (Caribbean Sabooor Pineapple) at the airport. You can’t get this stuff outside Costa Rica, and it’s the best.
| Art: $300 | Food: $225 | Rental Car: $150 |
| Tours: $115 | Fuel: $50 | Tips: $100 |
| Tree Chocolate Souvenirs: $50 | Total: $990 | Plus, that hot sauce, so close to being on budget. |
Alonso Rivera – WhatsApp +506 6303 3920 // Tour guide near Rio Celeste.
Jungle Life Costa Rica – Rainforest Tours – WhatsApp +506 8697 3605 / junglelifecr.com
Provincia de Alajuela, Bijagua de Upala, Costa Rica
Sloth’s Paradise – WhatsApp +506 5006 4642 / slothsparadise.com
QXMF+878 El Salto de, Provincia de Alajuela, Bijagua de Upala, 21304, Costa Rica
Tree Chocolate – WhatsApp +506 8629 5537 / treechocolate.com
Santa Rosa de upala, Provincia de Alajuela, Upala, 21301, Costa Rica
ATV Beach Tours – WhatsApp +506 8581 9857 / atvbeachtours.com
Brasilito Beach Front, Guanacaste Province, Brasilito, 50308, Costa Rica
Rocket Frog Divers – 315-222-8801 scuba-dive-costa-rica.com
Guanacaste Playas Del, Coco, 50503, Costa Rica
Asociacion de Guias Locales de Ostional (Facebook) – WhatsApp + 506 6252 7412 or +506 2682 0428 // Turtle Hatching when in season
Native’s Way Costa Rica – 1-800-605-2806 / nativeswaycostarica.com
Tour agency, they will book a full package. This was the $1,000 all day tour we did. Expensive but easy.
Ruben Soza Artist – FB or IG
Sixt Liberia Airport – +506 4000 7496 Talk to Brian
Written by Sean @ CVPoints on all socials, Traveling the world on miles and points since 2021.
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