Sarapiquís Gardens Tours

The views from Shana by the Beach were stunning, and the beach adjacent to the hotel, Playa Biesanz, was lovey and not overly crowded. The winding, narrow road leading to the hotel is certainly not for the faint of heart, and we were never brave enough to venture out after dark because of it. Additionally, the hill on which Shana by the Beach property sits is very steep, making walking it on foot challenging for the able-bodied and I would think impossible for those needing accessible accommodations. Hotel staff do have golf carts for transporting guests and luggage, but except at check-in, they were never visible to us until we had already arrived on foot to our destination (pool, restaurant, beach or registration desk). The room in which we stayed was not as clean or well appointed as I would have expected. The tile floors throughout seemed dirty and in desperate need of mopping, which never occurred during our stay. The seal on the shower door was loose, which led to the bathroom floor being dangerously wet after our showers, and despite being booked for four guests, we were repeatedly given an insufficient amount of towels, hand towels and wash cloths. There are no beach amenities offered by the hotel, but locals “staff” the beach area, offering chair and umbrellas as well as kayaks and stand up paddle boards for rent. (Be sure to take cash—colones or US dollars are accepted—if you’d like these). It was nice, but not quite as nice as expected.

The property is very unique in that you will see wildlife everywhere. People who have issues walking should avoid the villas . There are just too many steep steps leading to the main lodge. The roads are not paved so be prepared for bumpy rides.

We had a great honeymoon at Xandari! The grounds were absolutely breathtaking, and really easy to maneuver around. We wish we would've taken advantage of the spa during our stay, hut we didn't have time. Only issues we had were that our power went out a couple times when it rained and one night we had to wait till the next day for it to come back on. Other than that, everything was beautiful and an exciting way to experience Costa Rica for the first time!