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Notes from October 7, 2004 Meeting:
- Airlines: Flight schedules, costs and board transport. See handouts (links below).
- Ruled out US Air and
Continental due to govt schedule approval or bad flight options (e.g.,
in-transit all day); American Airlines does not have many flight options
- Delta Airlines flies everyday to/from BWI-Liberia, CR and is price competitive
- Surfboard transport, American $70, Delta $60, each way
- In addition to surfboard you are allowed 2 checked bags NTE 70 lbs each
- April/May are not sports equipment embargoed
- Month/Week/Day of Week: Tentatively set for sometime in May. Is April an option?
- Mix between April and May; May is definately bad for one or two.
- Hotel room is a little more expensive in April (see below); airfares and car rental are the same
- Offshores in March/April and on-shores more regular during day in May
- Rainy season begins in May, but NW Guanacaste (Tamarindo) is drier and usually only rains late afternoon/evening
- Swells start to roll in consistently in May, but you will have surf in April
- Preference for 8 nights/9 days
- Try to avoid weekend travel
- Proposed date: Wed, Apr 20 - Thu, Apr 28
- Destination: Tamarindo was general consensus from the 2003 participants for the next trip. Discussion.
- Liberia Int'l Airport/Tamarindo was the general consensus
- Generally more central and flexible for a wide range of surf breaks, restaurants, kiosks
- Overflow group could base out of house in Playa Negra
- Lodging: Everyone liked Jardín de Eden, but we can stay in more than one place. Discussion.
- Jardín de Eden is hard
to beat. Good rooms, pool, excellent breakfast, walk to Tamarindo
beach/reef break for dawn patrol and price is hard to beat when sharing
rooms
- Overflow option is in house in Playa Negra (second 5 people), 3BR each with 2 beds. Linens, no meals. About $165/night
- Car rental: How many people=how many vehicles? How to share costs?
- Full size 4WD for up to 5 people; 6 to 10 people = 2 cars
- These cars will run about $550/week and ~ $100/day, with taxes, fees, mandatory insurance
- The group will equally share the combined total costs of rental cars on a per capita basis
- Wave riding vehicles: Rentals are available.
- Side trips/excursions.
- Surf spot research.
- Is your passport up-to-date?
- Read the Hot Wash report from our 2003 trip to Costa Rica.
- Other items?
Lodging Costs for Jardín de Eden:
High Season: March 28, 2005 - April 30, 2005
| Single regular room | $ 85 | | Single large room | $ 105 | | Double room | $ 125 | | Apartment | $ 135 |
| Adult extra | $ 20 |
Green Season: May 1, 2005 - June 30, 2005
| Single regular room | $ 65 | | Single large room | $ 75 | | Double room | $ 90 | | Apartment | $ 105 | | Adult extra | $ 20 |
The apartment is basically a very large room and can sleep 4 persons; includes a kitchennette. All have patios.
Handouts on Airline Flights:
Flight Price Matrix for May 2005
- Wednesday Departure | Saturday Departure
- USAir Subject to Country Approval
Old Notes:
Wed., Mar 13, 2002, 7pm at
Casa de Robb
George, Neal, Robb, and
Rod attending.
Consensus was to meet the
wide needs and interests of the group:
select a location that would
offer a wide range of wave and break types (sandbar, reef, point, lefts
and rights, etc.)
site should accommodate the needs
and interests of economizing single travelers (huts, bunks, hammocks, cheap)
and members traveling with a gf/wife, but the two groups need not be co-located,
just very close
meals: including breakfast is
a bonus but we'd prefer more freedom in choosing dinner sites and not being
bound by a "camp schedule and menu"
ground transportation:
preference is for our group to rent 4WD vehicles instead of being dependent
upon a surf camp
boards: identify opportunities
for free surfboard shipping (and embargo exemptions) and inexpensive on-site
rentals
surf guide: a guide would
help us save time in selecting and finding breaks since we're only there
for one week
We discussed some locations
we've read about on the web, newsgroups, listservs, and other club (e.g.,
62nd St.); friends who have visited some of these locations and our own
experiences (Rod was in CR in 1988); surf camps or travel agents we contacted.
Costa Rica provides the best comfort zone for the group. Consensus
was also that although this is an ASC event that a limited number of special
guests would be welcome.
Decisions made:
Destination: we decided
to focus our efforts on Costa Rica's North and Central Pacific areas
Timeframe: April 2003,
but we need to confirm likely swell and crowd conditions in our destination
areas
Cost: keep it under $1,500
per person for a one-week trip, but target $1,000 p/p (air and ground transportation,
lodging, meals)
Wed., 11/20/02, 7pm,
at the Salsa Grill,
(Map)
Neal Carver, Pat Hoge and
Rod Rodgers attending. Kirk Mantay and Beth Rodgers are also going on the
trip.
We discussed the latest
pricing and plans. In a nutshell, here they are:
Flight cost: $500/RT + $70
surfboard each way, Costa Rica departure tax is included
Direct flight from BWI to
Liberia on a A320, meal included
Liberia is in Guanacaste
and within an hour of Tamarindo
Apr 2, Lv BWI 8:00am, Ar
LRI 12:10pm (surf on the day of arrival!)
Apr 9, Lv LRI 1:10pm, Ar
BWI 7:55pm (surf on the day of departure!)
This is part of a weekly
charter flight by AppleVacations.
Lodging cost: Two per room
(2 double beds) is about $250-$300 for the week per person.
Everyone likes the digs
at Jardin de Eden so we will stay there. Daily breakfast is included.
We have placed an option
for the one-bedroom apartment. Beth and Rod are getting their own room.
There is room for one more
person in the apartment!
Car costs: ~$525/wk for a
Toyota 4-Runner. If we overflow persons one of us will ride a cab or bus.
We will split transportation
costs evenly.
Food was good at Salsa Grill.
Washed down by some local craft brews :)
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