You might remember that last week we were reminiscing about our unforgettable experience at The Springs Resort & Spa in La Fortuna, Costa Rica. Today, we’re shifting perspectives - from the base of the active Arenal Volcano to the lush, tropical beaches of Guanacaste. While on the Pacific side of Costa Rica, we made Dreams Las Mareas our homebase. And with a robust slate of entertainment and activity offerings, delicious dining and incredible sunsets over a gorgeous beach, there’s really no need to leave the property!
Here are five reasons why we’re dreaming about Dreams Las Mareas.
Tropical Beach
The beach at Dreams Las Mareas is stunningly raw. Natural. Unmanicured. It might be the most beautiful beach I’ve visited. The water is certainly not crystal blue like in The Bahamas, and the sand is not pure white like in the Gulf Coast of Florida. BUT, Las Mareas seems untouched; the beach is surrounded by lush jungle with large rocks jutting out of the water. With no high rises or other resorts on the beach, your walks along the long beach are serene and peaceful. As Las Mareas is on the Pacific Coast, the sunsets are simply spectacular - taking your breath away with the vibrant pink, orange and blue colors cast above.
Dreams Las Mareas beach at sunset
Pools
When you’ve had enough sand in between your toes (is that possible?), the pools at Dreams Las Mareas continue the beach’s lush, tropical landscaping. The serene vibes float from the beach to the pools too - the music isn’t too loud or thumping; there’s ample seating including a few cabanas scattered about, so no need to stress about waking up too early on vacation to “save” seats; and poolside service is attentive but not overbearing. As Dreams is a family-oriented resort, keep in mind that towel and drink service ends at 6 pm although the pools are still officially open for guest use.
Poolside view at Dreams Las Mareas
Entertainment
Although we’ve described how peaceful the beach and pools are, Dreams Las Mareas is a lively resort. There is a diverse slate of activities happening in the daylight hours including water aerobics, organized beach soccer and volleyball games, cooking/cocktail/Spanish language classes, and non-motorized water sports rentals included in the price of your stay. At night, the Rendezvous bar is a hot spot for a pre-dinner drink, while Desires nightclub is where you’ll want to dance the night away.
Families, don’t fret. The nighttime action is not limited to adults-only lounges. During our stay, the entire family savored gelato from the Coco Cafe while enjoying live musical entertainment al fresco. There are also dance performances - we saw the tropical and international shows - from the resort’s entertainment crew. It was a fun way to end the day.
Before you depart for Dreams, download the Unlimited Connectivity mobile app. In addition to providing free WiFi access at the resort, the app has a schedule of daily activities so you don’t miss a thing, like yoga on the beach!
Kayak rentals are included in the price of your stay.
Delectable Dining
Usually, all-inclusive resorts are not renowned for their cuisine; however, the food at Dreams Las Mareas surpassed our expectations. We enjoyed tuna tartar and ceviche, a Costa Rican specialty, at Seaside Grill - a casual outdoor eatery that transforms into the elegant Oceana at night. When we had no other option than eat at the buffet-style World Cafe (because we lingered at the beach for too long!), we were initially disappointed. But after tasting the food, we were delighted at the quality and freshness of the food. Surprisingly, our finest meal was at Himitsu, the Pan-Asian restaurant. The sushi was on point, but the ginger soup and fish entree were incredibly flavorful and rich. The star at Himitsu is the hibachi show which requires advance reservations. Portofino, the adults-only Italian restaurant, is the only other place where you’ll need a reservation. (If your kiddo loves Italian, don’t worry. Kids can eat on the patio of the restaurant.) The resort concierge can help you book a table at Himitsu and Portofino. At the other resort restaurants, you just need to put your name on a waiting list the evening of your dinner.
Pan-Asian cuisine in Costa Rica
Preferred Club
To elevate your experience at Dreams Las Mareas even further, you might want to consider staying as a Preferred Club guest. For an additional cost, you receive benefits that include accomodations in closer proximity to the beach, as well as access to an exclusive lounge serving premium liquor and a nice selection of food throughout the day. During the breakfast hours, the buffet features bacon and sausage, omeletes, pastries and cereal for the kiddos along with juices and coffee. Of course, the bar is open before noon in the Preferred Club. Nothing better than starting your vacation day with a Costa Rican coffee spiked with a shot of Costa Rican liqueur!
Preferred Club afternoon spread of delectable delights
In the afternoon and evening, the options were savory items like grilled octopus in a puttanesca-type sauce. It was one of the tastiest foods we ate during our stay!
In my opinion, the most valuable benefit to Preferred Club is the VIP check-in and check-out. Rather than standing in a traditional line, we sipped a welcome glass of bubbles and noshed on hors d’oeuvres in the lounge while our luggage was transported to our room. The experierence set the tone for our stay. On check-out day, we had a leisurely breakfast rather than a rushed, stressful exit.
A virgin Pina Colada in the Preferred Club can make your moody tween smile too!
Despite how smooth and easy check-out was, we were sad of course to leave Dreams Las Mareas. The remarkable sunsets, delicious food, gorgeous beach and pools, and diverse entertainment made it extremely hard to depart paradise and resume normal life. Everyone in our multi-generational travel party - from nine to 70+ years old - had a blast. Dreams Las Mareas was the perfect destination for our family, and it could be the right spot for you too!