Costa Rica weddings honeymoons. Rancho Armadillo Newsletter June 2008. Rancho Armadillo has been Chosen as One of the Top Honeymoons Destinations in the Most Popular Tourist Area of Costa Rica by Brides Magazine!! We were featured in the Sweet Spots Section of the July/August 2007edition of Brides magazine as one of (if not the) best honeymoon destinations in Costa Rica. So whether it's your first, second or third honeymoon - stay at Rancho Armadillo and see why we are the #1 choice of all the major Guide Books, Trip Advisor and now Brides Magazine (We also do great destination weddings). Low key couples who want a more authentic atmosphere choose centrally located inns like Rancho Armadillo, a Spanish-style estate, where the owner welcomes guests like family by dictating down to the mile marker directions to secret waterfalls, Places like this remind you that, despite the buzz, Costa Rica will never be a high-rise mecca. You can still find a hammock where the only sound will be a breeze rustling the trees. And if you listen closely, a howler monkey's screech. Lexi Dwyer - Brides. Rancho Armadillo has been included in. SLEEPING WITH THE TOUCANS: 100 GREAT PLACES TO STAY IN COSTA RICA featuring Rancho Armadillo as one of the 100 great places to stay in Costa Rica. The guide book is available from internet booksellers (Amazon.com, etc) and from major bookstores in the U.S. For information and for ordering the book please contact the publishers at: www.sleepingwiththetoucans.com. Wireless Internet Golf Packages now available at Rancho Armadillo. Last November Playas del Coco finally received high speed internet service so we installed wireless internet connection so that our guests can check their flight status, hotel reservations and mom's dad's can keep tabs on the kids while they enjoy their second honeymoon. Some guests might even be tempted to check their work emails, but mixing up a batch of pina coladas usually quashes that temptation. No need to bring your lap top, we purchased a new HP lap top for our guests to use not only for the internet but also to down load pictures onto CD's or send pictures of the great time they are having in Paradise to all their friends. We are now hooked up with SKYPE, the internet VIOP phone service, so now our guests can make receive international phone calls for free. We have a membership to the Papagayo Gulf and Country Club just outside of Sardinal, about 10 minutes from here. The newly completed 18 hole course is set among rolling hills with views of 3 volcanoes. Hazards include howler monkeys loudly commenting on your swing and the occasional iguana sunning himself on the green. For guests at Rancho Armadillo 18 holes with cart club rental will cost $50 per person. Considering 18 holes at the Four Seasons runs $250, Pinilla $175 and at Conchal $225, this is a great deal. Tennis courts are to be added in the near future. Introducing Escuela de Coco Girls Soccer Team. In conjunction with Projecto de Luz, Rancho Armadillo with a generous donation from a guest who wishes to remain anonymous, has purchased complete uniforms and equipment for the first Coco Elementary School girls soccer team. There is no Title IX in Costa Rica and the girls are often left on the sidelines when it comes to extracurricular activities. Having raised 2 daughters who participated in sports as children and one receiving a full scholarship to college under Title IX for soccer. I realize the importance of learning team work at an early age. The girls first game came at a 2 day tournament sponsored by Projecto de Luz in conjunction with the annual Sandfest / beach clean-up festivities. The participants at the tournament were local area schools from Filadelfia, Guardia and Paso Tempisque. The 1st round had the girls playing Paso Tempisque and not only did they look good but they shut out Paso Tempisque 5-0. The following day they played Filadelfia for the championship of the Canton. The girls were the underdogs against the much larger school but once again dominated the filed and shut out the favorite 4 -0. Not only were they the best looking team but they are now champions of the Canton Filadelfia in the Province of Guanacaste. Not bad for their first team effort. Donated soccer balls Thanks to 2 of our guests, Aida Johnny Shirley, The Coco School now has 3 brand new NIKE soccer game balls. A Special Thanks to Brams United Girls Soccer Club of Brampton, Ontario. First time guest Christina MacLean coordinated through a local Ontario girls soccer club to donate 22 complete soccer uniforms and soccer balls. Playas del Coco Guanacaste News. The rainy season started with the first named Pacific Tropical Storm to ever hit Costa Rica in recorded history. Since then it has rained every day. Our dry river beds that usually don't flow until the September/October rains were flowing after just 3 days of rain. The central and southern parts of Costa Rica took the brunt of the storm with Samara and Carrillo getting flooded. Our front lawn went from brown to green in 4 days and required cutting, something that I don't usually have to do until the end of June. What this means for the rest of the rainy season is anybody's guess. I gave up trying to predict the weather a long time ago. Last October brought devastating rains to our area, the rising waters of the Tempisque River flooded over the bridge. The Tempisque River is normally a good 100 feet below the bridge. The picture was taken about an hour before the bridge was submerged. Note the huge concrete slabs being lifted to almost a 45 degree angle. Proyecto de Luz (Project of Light), the local charity that Debbie works with, is always looking for donations of either money or school items. If you would like to contribute please contact us. We will be happy to let you know what is needed. Currently we are looking to fund another girls soccer team, this will be for the 4th 5th grade boys. The cost to purchase the uniforms, shoes and balls is around $2,500. We will gladly accept donation on behalf of Proyecto de Luz. The average cost of sponsoring a child in the public school is $260, this covers books, supplies and uniforms. This cost is prohibitive for many family's, without uniforms the children cannot attend school. This past February, as the school children returned from their summer vacation, Proyecto de Luz, passed out 65 uniforms and over $4,000 worth of supplies for the children and for the teachers. The Coco Club is passing out piggy banks to business's and hotels around town for tourists to get rid of their loose change. Donations - large or small are needed and welcomed. There is so much we can do to improve the educational lives of these children, but funds are limited. Please help us out. Music at Rancho Armadillo. We are now in the 21st century when it comes to pool side entertainment. Our Apple iPOD and loaded it up with over 7,000 songs covering almost every musical taste (we still won't allow Rap or Hip-Hop) So if you have an iPOD feel free to bring it along with you. The month of May saw Lee Novak became Mrs. Tim Green here at Rancho Armadillo. Their guests came from as far away as London. In addition to the wedding we had 5 couples start the new lives together by having their honeymoons here. The month of May saw our guests traveling from France, Switzerland, England, Norway, California, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York Oregon and as close as San Jose, Costa Rica.. Every six months we have our pool water tested and the latest results were spectacular! Our pool water is cleaner than the Crystal brand bottled water sold here in Costa Rica. We use the ionizing method of cleaning our water and have cut the chlorine level to less than 1/8 of the chlorine that is generally used in a pool our size. More Fun than a Barrel of Monkeys. A must do favorite of all of our guests is The Congo Trail Canopy Tour, one of the original canopy tours in Costa Rica...

We are currently featured in the July/August 2007 issue of Brides Magazine as one of the top destinations for honeymoons in Costa Rica. See what the top Guide Books have to say about us. Low key couples who want a more authentic atmosphere choose centrally located Rancho Armadillo, a Spanish-style estate, where the owner welcomes guests like family by dictating down to the mile marker directions to secret waterfalls, Places like this remind you that, despite the buzz, Costa Rica will never be a high-rise mecca~.You can still find a hammock where the only sound will be a breeze rustling the trees. And if you listen closely, a howler monkey's screech.. Lexi Dwyer- Brides Magazine. This place is an entrancing hotel~ the view from the common areas is the best in town. Easily the most unique property in the Coco area, this is a true respite from daily life~it's the best of both worlds ? tranquility and ease of access.. The Bradt Travel Guide. Stands out as a comfortable luxury hotel in the foot hills above the beach~view incredible sunsets or star gaze at night~ the gardens are manicured. For peaceful exclusivity, I recommend Rancho Armadillo~This home away from home is a beautiful Spanish-colonial-style hacienda~spacious bungalows~with magnificent hardwood furniture~rainforest showers~voluminous bathrooms are adorned with exquisite tile work and stained glass~The honeymoon suite is huge. All of the testimonials below were unsolicited from former guests and now new friends and are displayed here to give prospective new guests honest opinions of what they can expect from us here at The Rancho Armadillo Estate. We have included the email addresses; Please feel free to contact any of them. Please click on the link below for more testimonials on the web site. Hi Rick, Thanks again for the wonderful hospitality and making our trip to Costa Rica that much more memorable! We really had a great time, and are looking to plan our return trip. As soon as we have dates we'll run them by you to check for availability. James Meredith Marzano. My husband and I recently stayed at Rancho for our honeymoon and loved it. I did a ton of research on many different destinations for our trip and decided on Costa Rica and Rancho Armadillo b/c of the beautiful scenery, exotic location, friendly locals, exciting excursions and great reviews from Trip Advisor. If you are used to staying in a large all inclusive and having a tour guide drive you and 20 other people to an excursion this is not the place to stay. If you love adventure and can handle renting a car and driving with the locals then you will love this vacation. Rick the owner went so above and beyond from the first email I sent to him. He will give you great advice and ideas for planning your trip. If you are planning to stay there I suggest you get his advice before you make any plans. I did all of the planning so when my husband and I arrived in Costa Rica he was a bit nervous. Rick took all of our worries away. The resort was a little hidden paradise. Rick gives you a great at home feeling and also has so much knowledge of the plants and animals on the estate. The rooms are very low key but well kept and you don't ever have to worry about your stuff getting stolen. The pool and bar/restaurant area was so relaxing and beautiful. Melissa Phillip Peterson. Hola Rick, Tom, Nancy, and I all arrived safely in the US with all of our luggage. It was a most uneventful trip home as compared with our travel in Costa Rica. We miss the fresh fruits for breakfast with conversation and all the fun that we had while visiting with you. Thanks for all of your helpfulness with our travel plans. We really appreciated your going the extra mile for your guests. The dinner was superb and we will never find one that will compare. We will pass the word along and maybe one day we can return. We miss it already. Thanks so much for all you did, Pura Vida, Molly, Tom, and Helen. Dear Rick and Debbie, yes we are alive and doing well and how time fly's and how many times do you think Diane and I said we?ve got to email Rick, then we had a glass of vino and what do you know, the night was over. To you both an incredibly big thank you for all that you did. The entire gang had a great time and all want to go back. We said no problem, just buy yourselves a ticket. Your ideas, efforts, and warmth made our trip. Diane was so lucky to find you on the web. Resort hotels are not our game. Take care, Booth and Co. Rick and Debbie, you truly are wonderful hosts, and have a beautiful paradise. You have done a fantastic job on my Scott and Roseannes wedding, and fullfilled all of our needs so well. I had such a great time, and I cannot wait to come back. I cannot thank you enough for the experience. For the first time in my life, I learned to relax. Thanks Again. All the superlatives from previous reviews are true! We spent some of our honeymoon at Rancho Armadillo, and had an incredible time. One of the best things about it is the friendly atmosphere, which is all due to Rick, the owner. He spends time with and gets to know his guests, and helps the guests to get to know each other. He'll even help you plan your trip before you go, and gives great advice! He directed us to some less-touristy and very worthwhile activities. The grounds are very pretty, and the rooms comfortable. We'd go back in a second! Hi Rick and Debbie, Buenos Dias! Thank you again so much for all your hospitality during our stay in Coco! We loved your place - Rancho Armadillo, and your company! Rick, I also appreciate all your input and advice on our trip, all your suggestions made us have a wonderful tip and fall in love with Costa Rica! We all look forward to coming back! Pure Vida! Nancy, Glen, Mike and Rhonda. Rick Debbie, Thank you again for a great time at Rancho Armadillo. This was my third trip, and as always, you made me feel at home. I really appreciate all the wonderful advice, comfort, and guidance you give. Plus, it's really nice to just hang out with you both. Looking forward to the next trip. Sr Vay, Thank you for the wonderful experience last week. I have heard so many things about Rancho Armadillo and Costa Rica that I thought it couldn't be as good as the stories but it was! You really know how to take care of people and that is greatly appreciated. Visiting another country can sometimes be daunting but not in your hands. I am recommending the country and especially Rancho Armadillo to all friends, family and co-workers who are thinking of visiting Costa Rica. Be sure to also give Debbie my thanks - her guidance to a newbie was also appreciated! All the best, Hi Rick - Our stay was so much better than we ever imagined and your constant input and recommendations made all the difference between a good vacation and an outstanding one. We cannot think of anything negative at all. Your place really feels like being in someone's neat home, the rooms were comfortable, your dinner was outstanding, the other guests were interesting and varied, your tour and restaurant recommendations were right on. And your extra efforts on our behalf to find out about Midnight mass and local fiestas were really appreciated. Our teenage kids enjoyed themselves tremendously. It was the right balance between chilling and interesting activities. Your hammocks seem like a very distant memory by now. I hope you keep up the good work because we have passed your info to a number of friends already. Michele, Les, Dean and Noelle Janka. Rick and Debbie, An email subject header of thanks just doesn't really do justice to how much I appreciate being welcomed to Rancho Armadillo every January. This trip was exactly what I needed, right when I needed it. It was so great to be back in a place that I feel so welcomed and at home in. Rick, I am going to put the pasta tip to the test tomorrow night. Hopefully my dish will turn out as awesome as yours. If you have any more of those kin...

 Guest rooms have air conditioning
 Luggage storage
 Rent-a-car service
 Central situation
 Clothes dry cleaning
 Conference and meeting room
 Credit cards accepted
 Currency exchange service
 Facsimile services
 Fitness hall
 Games room
 Hairdryer
 Access to internet
 Ironing facilities
 Kitchen
 Laundry services/washing machine
 Licensed bar
 Smoke-free guest rooms
 Around-the-clock recetpion
 Parking lot
 Private park, garden, courtyard
 Quiet surroundings
 Fridge
 Private/Ensuite bathroom
 Swimming pool
 Tea and coffee making facilities
 Phone at reception
 TV sets in rooms
 Patio, summer terrace
 Cheques accepted
 Common room with a TV set