Steve and Julia were looking for a tropical honeymoon full of adventure and unique experiences that would give them stories for years to come. I knew the perfect place: Costa Rica! Splitting their trip between the new and unique Nayara Tented Camp and the beachy all-inclusive Secrets Papagayo allowed them to stay within budget while still having the luxury honeymoon they dreamed of! Here are their thoughts on their Costa Rica adventure:

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Nayara Tented Camp

So for me, I absolutely LOVED Nayara, I’m a sucker for service and I’ve never had better.  The privacy, little touches like water on the side of the bed, full breakfast in the room, secluded tents, and even when you were in public it somehow still felt a little private. There were more than enough hot springs to find one for just the 2 of us. 

The restaurants were great, imported steak from Japan (Waygu) and only for $40 including a glass of wine.  We were never hounded for tips, we did still tip and you should for the level of commitment but they didn’t expect it.  I will say their local meats are a little different, they’re good but just something a little off about the taste.  

The wildlife is amazing! We had a Coatimundi that would hang out near the outdoor shower, didn’t bother us just enjoying the sun, saw Toucans from the bed and we had the same yellow striped bird that would join us for breakfast every morning. We named him Henry and he brought over a friend and we called her Marie lol.  The Coati was Freddie.  

Secrets Papagayo

Secrets was very nice. But we did miss out on the nice private pool room which we wish we got when we were there. And it did have a little of the “Cancun All-Inclusive” vibe, it was great don’t get me wrong but it wasn’t near the level of Nayara.  We loved the shows at Secrets. They did a really cool Halloween performance, dinner and, of course, not paying for anything when you’re there is nice.  There were huge iguanas just walking around the place which was cool and the spa was amazing, again, excellent service.