DAY TRIPPING IN COSTA RICA
Extravagant resort offers adventurous excursions
There is a certain irony to rushing frantically to see a sloth.
But that was the situation on a blazingly hot afternoon in Costa Rica this November, when a group of Canadian journalists were told that one of the stars of Diamante Eco Adventure Park, a two-toed sloth named Lucy, would be making her once-a-day feeding appearance to munch slothfully on some vegetables and entertain the tourists.
Sure enough, we made it just in time to see Diamante’s animal sanctuary staff feed Lucy, still hanging upside down and showing little if any interest in the growing crowd of tourists, strips of vegetables. A feeding frenzy it was not. But it was a relaxing, even meditative, experience and made for an interesting contrast that afternoon. Minutes earlier, I was making my way through the park’s occasionally heart-stopping zipline adventures, a series of mostly oceanview rides that included a spectacular one mile-long (1.6-km) segment known as the “Howler.”
Mild adventure. Lots of food. Even more sun. These were the prominent themes during our five-day trip to Costa Rica. The excursions were organized by our hosts, Sunwing, and set off from the two-month-old Planet Hollywood Beach Resort on the Papagayo Gulf in the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica, not far from Liberia. They tended to focus on adventure rather than historical or purely cultural treks.
With its Jurassic Park feel, Diamante certainly fit the bill. And while Lucy and the other creatures at the sanctuary, which included a collection of sleepy ocelots, margays, pumas and jaguars, a hammy toucan named Sam (“He LOVES to pose,” our guide informed us) and a gorgeous collection of butterflies in a separate observatory, were fascinating, the highlight was undoubtedly the zip-line adventures.
Granted, they are not for everybody. One person in our group refused to participate in any of the half-dozen or so rides. Another two bowed out after the rather mild practice run was followed by a slow shuttle up the steep and twisty road to what was the main event of the zip-line adventures: the aforementioned Howler. Also dubbed the “superman” because you experience it face down, it’s a descent over the jungle toward the Pacific Ocean.
After some semi-stern lectures from the young guides, including one who was reassuringly named Jesus (“You’re in good hands,” he said), we were set loose toward the ocean, two people at a time. Is it scary? Those who don’t like heights should obviously give it a miss. And, despite all the safety precautions, I will admit I still initially felt as if I was at risk of slipping out of the elaborate contraption used to strap me onto the line. (Obviously, I wasn’t.) But once you get over that, it is actually a fairly relaxing ride with a breathtaking view that, lasting just over a minute, is over far too soon.
It’s also the sort of activity that, while requiring no real discernible skill from its participants, can nevertheless turn cynical journalists into chattering schoolchildren excitedly comparing their experiences. It offers a glimpse into the differing philosophies of travellers. In our group that included people who seemed genuinely puzzled why anyone would put themselves through such a thing to others who thrived on it (“Faster! More dangerous! Can we set it on fire?” joked one traveller.)
But the trip where we were most tempted to succumb to our inner sloth was the sunset catamaran cruise that set sail right outside the resort and came complete with open bar, a pounding pop and hiphop soundtrack and what was likely the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever witnessed. As a bonus, the trip also offered a stunning, vibrant, double rainbow. Obviously, the main thrust is relaxation, thanks to the flowing booze and unbelievable vistas.
The two-man crew piloted us through the calm waters of Coco Beach past the wonderfully creepy looking Monkey Head Island, a rock formation and popular diving spot that is shaped like, well, a giant monkey’s head, and into the open Pacific. We did some light snorkelling, exposing us to some schools of colourful fish, at least one spotted tiger snake eel and, most disconcertedly, small wormlike jellyfish that eventually helped bring an abrupt end to our snorkelling adventure. (To be fair, the stings of these particular jellyfish were fairly minor. I hadn’t realized I had been stung until it was pointed out to me.)
With most of our meals provided by the Planet Hollywood resort — which boasted no fewer than seven restaurants, none of which specialized in local food — our experience with true Costa Rican cuisine was limited to one meal during the fiveday trip. (The country is not known for its gastronomy, one of our Costa Rican guides informed us.)
That was in a quaint restaurant that was part of our “volcanic adventure” — a daylong jaunt that included time spent in the hot mud springs in a spot nestled between the Miravalles and Rincon de la Vieja volcanoes. Rice and beans, a staple in Costa Rican cuisine, and a delicious potato picadillo were served with pan-fried tilapia, a simple but elegant meal that gave us plenty of energy for a brief hike and horseback-trek through the rainforest. While far from dangerous, the narrow pathways that took us through beautiful bromeliads, orchids, elephant ear trees and lichens and onto swinging, mist-covered bridges hovering above waterfalls and tree tops did occasionally give off an Indiana Jones-type vibe. So did warnings to not touch anything off the trail for risk of coming in contact with something disagreeable, including the charmingly named bullet ants.
But it was quickly back to luxury, as we visited the gurgling and decidedly foul-smelling crater (sulphur, it is a volcano after all) for its hot springs and mud bath. The facilities were suitably exotic, including stone showers shaped like naked and exceedingly wellendowed gods (“In Costa Rica, everything is bigger,” our guide explained) and beautifully relaxing natural hot tubs. The mudbath treatment, meanwhile, was a fairly surreal experience, at least for the uninitiated. Depending on the exuberance in which you apply the smelly volcano mud — reportedly good for your skin and pores — you will either look like a slightly messy child or some sort of Gollum-like creature emerging from the bubbling grey pits. In our group, there was a mix of both.
With tourism now eclipsing agriculture and electronic exports as Costa Rica’s main industry, the excursions organized by Sunwing are no doubt just a small sliver for what the country offers for tourists. But, if safe adventure and luxury is your thing (it helps, of course, if Sunwing and Planet Hollywood are paying for said luxury), the country is a great spot for both. This trip was sponsored by Sunwing and Planet Hollywood Beach Resort Costa Rica. Neither organization reviewed or approved the content of this story. Sunwing offers vacation packages to Costa Rica and Planet Hollywood Costa Rica with direct flights to Liberia from Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal and new this season Vancouver. For more information, visit sunwing.ca/en/ hotel/costa-rica/ liberia/planethollywood-beach-resort-costa-rica.
The trip where we were most tempted to succumb to our inner sloth was the sunset catamaran cruise right outside the resort.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the folks at Planet Hollywood take the star thing seriously.
Upon entering the barely twomonth-old Planet Hollywood Beach Resort in the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica, guests are ushered to a red carpet that is surrounded by Jurassic Park memorabilia. Photographers appear almost immediately, as does a tray of sweet Purple Haze drinks. The staff in the luxurious lobby stop what they are doing, turn to the guests and offer a round of applause.
Depending on your point of view, it’s either a typically cheesy Planet Hollywood-ish gimmick or a fairly accurate preview of the star-like treatment you will receive at the sprawling facility, which is the first all-inclusive resort under the Planet Hollywood umbrella and the site for a travel junket for Canadian journalists in mid-November. Paid for by Sunwing, the trip was to highlight travel packages to Costa Rica and the resort.
The resort’s slogan, Vacation Like a Star, also appears to be the operational mantra. You are assigned your own “agent.” There are chauffeured passenger carts on the hilly grounds, offered to spare guests from enduring even the slightest hint of exercise. There are extra poolside cabanas available for rent just in case the luxurious suites somehow aren’t ample.
And, to adhere to the Planet Hollywood brand, it is also chock full of Tinseltown memorabilia. As a film buff I seemed to pay more attention than most to the resort’s collection. Taken from the estimated 75,000 pieces of memorabilia Planet Hollywood owns, the collection represents a fairly broad spectrum of cinema. There are the classics, such as a white-jacketed tuxedo worn by Sean Connery in Goldfinger, Indiana Jones’s whip, hat and outfit from the Last Crusade, Ray Liotta’s ball and glove from Field of Dreams and Mr. Spock’s glittery silver jumpsuit from the original Star Trek series. There are pieces from hip, critically acclaimed films and TV shows such as a slinky, sequined number worn by Amy Adams in American Hustle and Paulie Walnut’s tracksuit from The Sopranos.
There are also custom cocktails, many of which are elaborate and named after movies stars or movie characters. It dawned on me that not all were appropriately named. As I impatiently waited for the bartender to top my cinnamonwhisky based Eastwood Sour with frothy egg whites I began to suspect that Dirty Harry himself would likely not have indulged in such a concoction, as delicious as it was.
Still, the main thrust at Planet Hollywood Beach Resort Costa Rica was a mix of the luxurious and, in a strange way, the familiar. For the former, there was the amazing spa, an oasis of extra serenity nestled beside the already-serene pool area. Massages, piped-in new age music, aromatherapy and a dimly lit pool and hot tub were among the highlights, enough to send even the most frazzled traveller into a blissful calm. There was also the aforementioned agents. Mine was named Reiner, a friendly and informative guide who, while never obtrusive, seemed to materialize out of nowhere several times a day to make day-trip suggestions and ensure I was satisfied. I also seemed to have a strange telepathic connection to a cheery driver named Julio, who would immediately appear in his cart whenever I set foot outside my suite. I was told this wasn’t everybody’s experience.
But it was an interesting insight into the mindset of the Western traveller as many of the guests preferred to complain about the 10-minute wait for a cart than take the steep three-minute hike to the lobby themselves. Granted, since the resort is built into the hills at the base of the breathtaking Papagayo Peninsula, the walking might be somewhat trying for the elderly or the unhealthy.
But there was also an emphasis on the familiar. Other than the spectacular scenery and occasional entertainment that featured regional dance, the Planet Hollywood Beach Resort doesn’t put a lot of emphasis on being in Costa Rica. One of the seven in-house restaurants was the Overtime, a sports bar and grill that was blasting Billy Joel tunes. The food was uniformly excellent throughout, although none of the seven restaurants seemed to specialize in local cuisine. There was a steak house, sushi and teppanyaki bar (which was entertaining), an Italian restaurant and a Guy Fieri’s Burger Joint. The sprawling buffets had samplings of Costa Rican food, but also seemed to have samplings of just about everything else.