It’s always exciting to return to a place where, when your mind goes to it, you are instantly smiling–and checking airline pricing to get there. Peninsula Papagayo in northwest Costa Rica is one of those places for my wife, Marilou, and me–due very much to the sublime week we had there three years ago when we celebrated her 40th birthday, along with our then one-year-old son, Liam.
As we trudged through the weird winter of 2012, during which Marilou returned to work after being home with 9-month-old Quin (who was born in the equally weird summer of 2011), we were giddy to plan a getaway in May. Naturally, we focused on the same resort where we were in 2009, since it had everything we wanted: exotic vistas, amazing accommodations, great options for entertaining kids, and kind, welcoming people.
Details emerged that increased the frequency and width of our smiles: some airlines–including United–added direct service from Newark to the brand new Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport in Liberia, which is a short drive from the resort. This eliminated the dreaded plane transfer with kids in tow.
The arrival process was now truly seamless and efficient: passport control and customs were a breeze. We quickly found ourselves on our way to paradise in a Four Seasons SUV complete with Wi-Fi, brand new car seats, and (to really show they get it) an iPad mounted at eye-level for kids.
Costa Rica, roughly the size of West Virginia, is one of a handful of neutral countries in the world. The idyllic Peninsula Papagayo is a private development with the Pacific Ocean on one side and Culebra Bay on the other, and far reaching eco-sensitivity at the forefront of its guiding principles. The Four Seasons Resort is its grand centerpiece.
And what a centerpiece it is, complete with a variety of accommodation options among the most flexible I can think of: rooms, suites, villas, and homes. During our stay, we were in a Pacifico two-bedroom resort residence nestled in the hills above the resort.
The villas and private homes are accessible by chauffeured golf cart–to the delight of Liam–or by a pleasant walk in the clean, sultry Costa Rican air. The location and style were absolutely perfect for our family, with the screened-in porches overlooking the water, fully stocked kitchen, huge bathrooms, comfortable living room, full dining area, huge TV with Bose sound system, and great division of space. It was so large that two families could easily share it and remain friends.
Kids eat for free at the Four Seasons, which is a very nice perk. Breakfast was a daily highlight for us in the open-air Papagayo’s restaurant. The buffet was complete with chefs crafting perfect omelettes (Marilou’s favorite), waffles, and pancakes (with M&Ms, chocolate chips or gummy bears—oh my!), alongside local cuisine (like chorizo empanadas and Tico rice), fruit, cereal, and pastries. As always, the service was warm and the understanding of how to manage kids was impressive. Not surprisingly, the French pressed coffee was amazing—pretty important for parents traveling with the kids.
With a good culinary start to the day, Liam would join the Kids for All Seasons program, which is free and offers full-time childcare for families with little ones ages 4 to 12 years old. There’s a large kiddie pool, indoor/outdoor play areas, and daily activities like beach soccer, crafts, and storytime. For kids 6 and up, there’s a summer camp that includes immersive activities like learning Spanish, day trips to volcanoes, surfing, and kayaking.
When we wanted to nest at the villas, we’d hire a babysitter (basically NYC pricing, depending on the number of kids, with minimums, etc.), allowing Marilou to do the Yoga, Spin, or Pilates classes at the Fitness Center.
With the sitter on board, I’d get caught up with the office (Costa Rica is on U.S. Mountain Time) using the excellent Wi-Fi and then focus on the daily tennis clinic at the extraordinary facility (they even have classes for kids)—which boasts the only grass court in the Caribbean. It was my first time hitting on that surface–it was challenging, fun, and quite a novelty for this New Yorker. It gave me a new appreciation for Wimbledon!
We took turns with the kids, allowing each of us to spend some time at the extraordinary spa—named one of the best in Latin America by Conde Nast Traveler readers. Aside from being visually stunning, the facilities—including hot and cold plunge pools overlooking the resort and the ocean—were exactly the relaxation we wanted. I loved the Rainforest Aromatherapy Massage and Marilou was smitten with the scrub and wrap package. The spa is a big part of why we‘re already dreaming of returning!
Afternoons in the early summer are usually 
punctuated with a profound, rapid-onset thunderstorm, dropping what seems like impossible amounts of rain. It is a delight to watch and, just as quickly as it started, it stops—rainbows abound. It’s a pretty magical cycle and we tried to enjoy it with a drink in hand.
The resort brilliantly times events (many of which are free) around these daily occurrences—including cooking classes, Spanish primers, and artisan markets. Concierges help plan excursions to zip line experiences, boat trips to local towns, scuba, and more. We enjoyed the Tour of the Giants, which is a dramatic drive in a golf cart caravan across the 18-hole golf course, which is equally dramatically carved into the diverse landscape of the Peninsula. We saw lots of wildlife (monkeys behaving badly!), breathtaking views (including clear to Nicaragua, which was once part of Costa Rica), and met a panoply of fellow resort guests—a nice social moment during an intimate family getaway.
Marilou and I went out to dinner each night, enjoying a variety of cuisine, including high-end Italian at Di Mare (which has to have one the best wine lists in the world), Caracol steakhouse, a sushi bar off the open-air lobby, and the traditional fare at Papagayo’s, which is very mild by Latin American standards. And we had the comfort of knowing that our kids were in the hands of excellent, CPR-certified babysitters, many of whom were nurses, teachers, and parents themselves.
Of course, a week in this relaxing environment goes by way too fast, but its power is strong. I find myself reliving, in vivid detail, moments from the trip—like the joy of watching beautiful Marilou and a smiling, squirming Quin descend the Villa hill as I lounged watching Liam play at the pool. To my left, I’d see the gorgeous blue Pacific sparkling in the sun; to my right was an insanely tasty frozen drink—the Coconut Vacation. I had a favorite novel on my iPad. My legs were pleasantly sore from tennis. The rest of the day, a blank slate.
Clint White is a NYC based entrepreneur and writer who focuses mostly on arts, culture, and education marketing. Besides his family, his greatest joy in life is figuring out how to get by on (almost) no sleep, working 23 hours a day, writing songs, and traveling the world. His project culturadar.com recently launched in Chicago, DC, and NYC.
