Chips and Dips Recipes!

Our guests often tell us how much they enjoy the freshly made chips and dips at Arenas del Mar.  Here are a few recipes for you to try out for yourself.  Be sure to share a photo of your creation on our Facebook page!!

Jalapeño and Cilantro Dip

250 g cream cheese
250 g sour cream
75 g jalapeño
10 g fresh cilantro

Finely chop the jalapeno with fresh cilantro, mix together the cream cheese and sour cream, salt, pepper to taste

Mushroom garlic Dip

250 g cream cheese
250 g sour cream
150 g mushroom
5 g garlic

Cook the mushroom and garlic, then chop finely, mix with the cream cheese and sour cream, salt, pepper to taste

Chips:

To make chips, yuca (cassava) tiquisqui (cocoyam) platano verde (green plantain) papa (potato):

Do the same procedure for all tubers:
Slicing very thin, then put in hot vegetable oil lowered one by one, leave it until crisp, salt to taste

 

Hammocks at Playitas

There is a new Costa Rican attraction at Arenas del Mar...hammocks hanging from the trees on our famous Playitas beach. The hammocks are located in one of the most beautiful and secluded locations of our property. Now guests can enjoy a sangria, reading their favorite book or even just taking a siesta under the shade of the trees, listening to the sounds of the waves nearby.

Recent Guest's Adventures!

A guest blog fom one of our recent guests!  Read all about their experiences at Arenas del Mar!  Thank you Lisa for sharing your stories and photos with us!

My husband and I are not the typical middle aged New York travelers.  According to all of our family and friends we are 'crazy'.  Our idea of a vacation is not sitting on a beach sipping pina coladas.  We like to occupy every moment with an adventure - whether it's searching Florida lakes for alligators or lifting rocks in the Nevada desert looking for rattlesnakes - it's always an adventure. Someday maybe we'll have our own TV show - 'The misadventures of the middle aged travelers'. 

Costa Rica is an adventure and Arenas Del Mar was our destination.  I mean it doesn't have to be an adventure, you can keep yourself occupied just by sitting on the beach with an umbrella drink, watching the monkeys and listening to the ocean or you can do what we do - look for moments that you will remember for a lifetime.  And we will remember every moment of this trip for a lifetime.  We were there in late September 2011 - the 'green season' - meaning the 'rainy' season. It doesn't rain all day every day it usually only rains in the afternoon so take your tours as early as possible.

Upon arrival we were driven up to the reception area and were greeted with a cold refreshment and smiling faces. Then we were taken to our Ocean View PremiumSuite which was our own little paradise - if you can swing it - book it - you won't regret it - there's nothing like sitting on your deck in your private jacuzzi listening to the ocean waves.  And the beds, you won't want to get out of them in the morning.  They also give you a mini fridge which they stock daily with refreshments and 'tico' snacks - but don't forget to lock it up because the monkeys know how to open them.  

We stayed at this resort for 4 nights - which was not long enough - we didn't want to leave. The staff was friendly, the food was delicious, the grounds are beaming with wildlife, the room spectacular.  We felt like royalty.

Take advantage of every minute - Book a couples massage at the spa to relax you after a day of hiking - Go down to the beach in the afternoon to watch the monkeys - Ask the staff to show you the sloths that are out every morning - Get room service at least one night - Take the Manual Antonio National Park Tour - explore the landscaping - you will not regret staying here.

We rented an SUV which was a good choice - even though it was quite expensive - as it enabled us to explore the area. The ride from the airport is a little rough but it was worth it.   Also - invest in a good camera for your trip - you will be glad you did and if you have a telescope bring it (although you will always find Ersel around the property with his telescope for your viewing pleasure).  

Also - bring rain ponchos - and remember to bring them on your adventures - don't be like my husband and I who went on a rainforest adventure by ourselves without out them.  We got caught in a wild thunderstorm 2 miles into our 4 mile walk - I mean where do you run for shelter in the middle of a rainforest during a thunderstorm?  The answer is nowhere - you just run - hoping to come to the end of the trail. The paths became streams and the trees that surrounded us became lightning rods.  I kept telling my husband that if we didn't survive this our friends and family would say 'Well, they die doing what they loved'.  It wasn't so funny then but we can laugh about it now.  When we finally got to the end of the trail we were a bit disappointed that there weren't people applauding us for surviving. Oh - and at that moment it stopped raining - of course. We were soaked to the bone - but we survived without being washed down the mountain or bitten by snakes.   Would I do it again?  Sure, I'll skip the lightning though. 

We will remember every moment of this trip for a lifetime - so much so that we are coming back in September 2012 to 'finish' our trip - although I don't think this beautiful paradise could ever be finished.  There are so many places to see - and so many places to re-visit.  Arenas del Mar being one of them - I am so looking forward to our return.

-Lisa

Interested in being a guest blogger and sharing your experiences at Arenas del Mar with others?  Email socialmarketing@cayugaonline.com for more information!