Resort Food

In Costa Rica, we ended up staying at this fancy spot called Paradisus Playa Conchal. We found a good deal at this all-inclusive spot that I took to calling the compound for its absurd 2,400 acres and small fleet of roving golf carts.

It's not exactly the ideal spot for getting a sense of "real" Costa Rica, but I was more looking for sunshine, beaches, pools, and comfort. It suited our needs well enough, which is to just book flight and accomodation and not deal with much else.

There are eight restaurants at the compound, and surprisingly I didn't manage to try all of them. Getting a stomach ache for two days and being exceedingly lazy will do that. I will say this for the compound though, all of the water is cleaned and filtered, so one doesn't need to get her panties in a bunch every time she brushes her teeth.

As you can see, some of the restaurants can get rather fancy, and the first night we dined in a place called the Gabi Club. I think my favorite thing about the air conditioned dining options was that I didn't have to worry about mosquitoes sniping at my ankles. I dined at a buffet for lunch, and as the sun sank, the bugs would partake of their own feast.

This is not to say that the compound was particularly buggy. If that's the sort of thing one likes, I can point you to a certain resort in Curacao that will suit you just fine. I'm just particularly delectable to the bloodsucking little buggers. The romance of Twilight notwithstanding, thank goodness vampires aren't real, or I'd be a goner for sure.

The food at Gabi Club is better than your average resort fare, but it certaintly wasn't up to the models it was trying to emulate. The flavor of this tuna tartar was passable, but the tuna itself was stringy as it had not come from an ideal cut, nor had it been properly sliced.

This chocolate mousse was fine, but who doesn't love chocolate mousse? One of our companions has a true sweet tooth, and it was funny watching her each night as she delighted over the dessert menu. It's enjoyable watching someone else's mood considerably perk up over the prospect of something delicious. I know mine often does!

Paradisus Playa Conchal, Guanacaste, Costa Rica