The more I write about travel here at The Simple Proof, the more I am approached by travel industry brands to work with them in some capacity or another. Each time I talk with a travel industry brand I reflect upon what direction I envision this little space of mine to go. Yes, this is part a personal history of our family’s life and travels. But it is also a place where readers from all over the world have come as a resource for their own family travel experiences. I won’t being doing hotel, restaurant or travel company reviews here. But if I find one that I believe adds to an overall travel experience I will certainly share it with you. I am never paid to endorse a product or service. All opinions are always my own and based entirely on our personal experiences. I love including travelogues families can replicate. When we are planning our travel especially to somewhere we’ve never been, there’s nothing better than personal recommendations. Our favorite places, spaces, and things to do are often included in these posts whether sponsored or not. What I hope to convey more than anything is our family’s love of travel, my love of sharing, and my love of nature.
Occasionally, I come across a brand that inspires me to know more, inspires me to see something new and learn from their approach, niche or speciality. In travel, this could be a hotel brand, a travel planning site, a restaurant or destination. For this reason, I’m sharing with you The Cayuga Collection. When I first began talking with them, I knew they’d be a perfect fit here. And while I’d long hoped to travel to Costa Rica, they inspired our stay in ways that I believe will also captivate your interest and inspire a family adventure in Costa Rica.
The Cayuga Collection invited us to try a few of their properties. They have family-friendly and adults-only sustainable hotels and eco-lodges in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. We visited three of their Costa Rican locations on our trip and can’t wait to explore the others. Our first stop was the lovely, understated, green surfers haven, The Harmony Hotel on the pristine Playa Guiones beach.
Southward bound along the Pacific Coast, we arrived next at the open air rainforest property just outside of National Park, Miguel Antonio. This hotel seamlessly blended it’s beachfront location with its rainforest environs. We spent our days playing in the ocean or exploring the vibrant animal and forest life.
Arenas del Mar, like The Harmony Hotel, has a well-balanced vibe mixing clean welcoming rooms and staff with simple luxuries and fresh delicious food. The concierge staff was well adept in setting up itineraries for our stay both onsite and nearby. One of the highlights was a night hike on property through the forest with personal guide, Bernie. Aside from positive and joyful pura vida that was pervasive throughout Costa Rica, Bernie was incredibly knowledgeable about even the smallest of creatures. Thankfully, we spotted the enormous boa constrictor the next evening while in a golf cart rather than on its path. Yikes, I’d never be able to sleep again if we had!
Aside from two beautiful beaches to walk, play catch, body surf, boogie board or surf on, the forest itself was brimming with animal life all over the property. We spotted two kinds of monkeys, sloths, hermit crabs, land crabs, iguanas and toucans during our stay. From here we spent a day in Miguel Antonio National Park and a day zip lining through rainforest canopies.
I do not share most of the brands that contact me or that I come across in my work or travels. You can be confident that those I do share here have something special about them I want you to know about. Although we’ve only been to three of The Cayuga Collection’s properties, I’m certain they are each equally worth a visit. I was thrilled to discover this hotel collection and their fine balance between luxury and sustainability.
