In January of 2022, we traveled to the Dreams Las Mareas resort located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica with Steve's family. Paul, Sue, Karen, Andrew, Lorelei and Julian joined us on the first-ever Schur/Horan family vacation!
Costa Rica came about after our Alaskan cruise was cancelled for two straight years due to COVID. Sun, relaxation, and family time is what was on our mind.
Despite a few travel hiccups and a stomach bug that wreaked havoc on one particular family, we continued to enjoy the food, beach, pools, drinks, and most of all...each other!
Steve and I left a day early and stayed overnight at the Miami Airport hotel. In no way was it a 3, 4, or 5 star hotel, but it was the most convenient airport hotel we've ever stayed at, located immediately within the airport concourse.
The Horan family joined us next, and then Paul and Sue the following day (note travel hiccups above).
Breakfast at the World Cafe buffet is typically where we started...sometimes together and sometimes separate. It was nice to have the option to sit inside or outside.
Following breakfast, pool time consumed most of our mornings. There were several pools to choose from and the ground were kept immaculate.
Lunch was usually at Oceana or Barefoot Grill.
Then we all enjoyed dinner together every night.
El Patio was the Mexican restaurant, which was adjacent to the buffet.
Portofino was the adults-only restaurant. We visited here once (after our regular dinner) with Paul & Sue when the Horan family was ordering room service (note: stomach bug above).
Seaside Grill and Oceana were one in the same, and offered two separate menus - steak and seafood. We were able to order from both on this particular night. The tuna was the overwhelming favorite dish, but overall, our least favorite restaurant.
Coco Cafe was an ice cream shop, coffee shop and gift shop all rolled into one!
Steve and I upgraded our room to a "Preferred" room in building 8A, which also gave us access to the Preferred Club Lounge. This was the only bar at the resort offering top-shelf liquor. We enjoyed bloody Mary's in the morning and martinis at night! They had a nice outdoor patio that overlooked the beautiful grounds.
Our room had a large patio and it was neat to have an iPad in the room, which allowed us to view menus and order room service, among other things.
The rest of the group had standard rooms in the main building. They had the same exact layout, just a different location on the resort, smaller patio and no snacks.
The common space and bar situation at this resort was not what we're used to and not really conducive to a place to meet up before or after dinner for cocktails. We found the Preferred Club was perfect for this.
The wildlife here was fun, but the monkeys were the best!
Of course, we missed our beloved Gretchen, as we do every day...but celebrated her with pictures and many fond memories.
Love to all!
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