Costa Rica with Kids: Using Hyatt Points on Andaz and Rio Perdido Resorts

I fell in love with Costa Rica last year when my husband and I visited the country for the first time. I can honestly see why so many Americans choose to retire there. Beautiful landscapes, varied wildlife and most importantly, super friendly people. I’ve never felt so welcome as a visitor and no, it wasn’t just about tourism money. I can tell when someone is faking interest.

So, I decided then that we absolutely had to come back and bring the kids. But this time I wanted to explore Guanacaste area, since we’ve already been to Arenal. The best part? I could use my Avios  and Hyatt points to minimize out-of-pocket costs (read my post for more details) Note that I’m not saying that the trip was free. I wish! In fact, I plan to do a separate post with a deep dive on how this hobby can fool us sometimes, and use this trip as an example.

Annoyingly, my husband’s car broke down the day before we were about to leave for Costa Rica. I still don’t know what it will cost us to fix it. Could be $300 or $3k. But at the time I figured there wasn’t a whole lot we could do to change things. Might as well enjoy ourselves, and we did.

That said, I’ve decided to redeem 35k Hyatt points to offset $500 in dining costs at Andaz. I realize that for most folks it’s a terrible value, but I couldn’t be happier to have that option. It made the trip much more enjoyable knowing that I won’t have a $500 bill on top of car repair costs when I get back. YMMV

Originally, I was planning to spend all three nights in Andaz Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo It’s a property I wanted to check out for a long time. I booked our stay when it was a Category 5, so we paid 17k points per night/per room. We had my MIL tag along, and she had the kids stay with her. I do plan to write a separate post describing highs and lows but suffice it to say, Andaz is a magnificent property. 

No, it’s not perfect, but it’s pretty darn close. How can you beat this view from your private balcony while listening to gentle waves crashing across the shore?

Oh, and did I mention that there are monkeys?!

One was carrying a baby on her back, which made my kids and MIL squeal in excitement.

Bottom line: this resort is still a relative bargain at 21k Hyatt points per night/per room in low season. But the food costs are another story (more on that later).  We were very fortunate to get beautiful weather during our trip, with very little rain. I personally would not hesitate to go back during  summer and fall months. Of course, I suspect that most folks come here during the winter in order to escape bad weather back home, which is completely understandable. Winter season is when I actually love living in Florida.

Anyway, right before the 2023 Hyatt category changes took effect, I noticed that Rio Perdido resort (SLH property) became bookable via Hyatt points. I was intrigued, and after some research knew we had to stay there. The resort is located near the town of Bagaces, about 1.5 hours from Andaz, which is doable in my book. Plus, I was already planning to visit the Sloth’s Ecological Farm in Bijagua (no website, Google it). It’s located in the same vicinity, so I figured why not check out Rio Perdido instead of backtracking to Andaz. My husband says I have a bad habit of combining too many things that are “on the way”, and he is not wrong.

It meant that we would only have two nights in Andaz, but I simply couldn’t pass on this opportunity. So, I booked one night in Rio Perdido at the end of our trip (21k Hyatt points in low season). Naturally, I plan to review the property separately, but let me mention some highlights now. In a word: Breathtaking.

This is a place for folks who like to explore nature, but don’t want to rough it.

There are many nature trails, and even a thermal river right on property.

You can also have a refined dining experience in their open-air restaurant, listening to the sounds of howler monkeys. Amazing breakfast is included when you use Hyatt points to book your stay.

If you asked me to choose between Andaz and Rio Perdido, I would have a hard time doing so. My advice is to stay at both if at all possible. The properties are quite different, and complement each other. That said, I would probably start the trip at Rio Perdido since the rooms there (container homes, actually) are relatively basic. Andaz is way more plush IMO.

But my husband actually preferred Rio Perdido to Andaz. He loved the “rustic luxury” vibe of the place, and the whole tiny-home concept.

Also, since there are only 30 cabins total, it means having less people around. In fact, he loved this place so much, he actually asked that we go back someday without the kids. Keep in mind that the resort only accepts children over the age of 8, and starting in November the age minimum will change to 12.

Note that bungalows at Rio Perdido  (via Hyatt points) fit three, and we booked two separate units, located next to each other. However, the resort does have more expensive cabins with two queen beds, so I’m sure it’s possible to use points and pay a supplement to upgrade.

I give two thumbs up (way up) to either resort, and highly recommend you stay at both if at all possible.

The logistics of transportation and sightseeing

With both resorts booked, I had to decide whether to rent a van or book transfers through the local company. Obviously, the first one would be considerably less expensive since we had a lot of driving in store. But I resisted the urge to go cheap, and opted for ease and convenience. In the end, I think we paid only about $130 more compared to car rental (including tips) and it was worth every penny. We had to go down some rough roads, and I was happy not to be behind the wheel. It also saved us time.

We booked van transfers though Costa Rica Best Trips and I highly recommend the company. Nancy and a few of our readers had a good experience with them, so I felt comfortable going with these guys. Plus, they gave me the cheapest quote. Here are the details below:

 

The driver named Ronnie who picked us up in Liberia airport spoke very good English, so I sent an email to Adriana asking her to hire him for our  transfer from Andaz to Rio Perdido with a Sloth Farm stop along the way. The guy was happy to show up and we started off on our adventure. He first took us to an amazing local restaurant for lunch. It had a beautiful view of the mountains with cows grazing in the distance.

We then went to the Sloth Farm where sloths and many other species live happily in their natural habitat. This is not a traditional zoo in any way, shape or form.

A baby sloth

A poisonous frog

I reached out to the manager ahead of time via WhatsApp ( +50662625496) to confirm that the farm would be open on the day of our visit. He mentioned that it would cost us $10 per person, which I was happy to pay. Our guide Anjelica was wonderful, and I recommend you ask for her if you decide to visit. She was very knowledgeable and engaging with my kids. She even convinced my daughter to eat a termite! Tips are appreciated, but not required.

At the end of the tour you are welcome to hang out on the patio and drink complimentary iced tea. Not a bad deal for $10 per person, wouldn’t you agree?

Afterwards we drove to Rio Perdido, which took a bit over an hour. The road was horrendous, but on the plus side, we spotted  a toucan.

We got to Rio Perdido at 3:00 pm, and me and the kids explored the resort, while my husband took a nap. The following morning we left for Liberia airport, and the drive took one hour. A very packed three-night getaway, but I honestly wouldn’t change a thing. My husband is another story.

I miss Costa Rica already and look forward to going back someday, probably to Rio Perdido since my other half requested it. I just wish we didn’t have to fly from Miami. What a mess that city is!

Final thoughts 

As I’ve mentioned earlier, I plan to write more in-depth posts on both resorts at some point in a near future. But I’m hoping this introduction gave you a nice preview, as well as some useful information. I can’t recommend Costa Rica highly enough, and Hyatt really has a strong presence in the country via its own hotel network and partnership with SLH.

If you have access to Chase Ultimate Rewards, you can book some high-quality resorts via Hyatt at a very favorable rate. Of course, the real star in Costa Rica is nature itself.

A reminder: Chase Ink Business Preferred (our affiliate link) still has an increased sign-up bonus of 100k points after spending $8k in three months. That’s an incredible deal that can almost cover five nights at the properties mentioned in this post.