They paved paradise and put up a gaudy resort

We stayed at Makanda by the sea 18 years ago.  We found it by googling “Costa Rica” “monkey” “beach resort.” Last time, we went with our college-aged children and had a wonderful time. The rooms were individual villas in the trees and in harmony with nature. Monkeys did indeed come by every morning.

It has been completely remodeled since then and it’s now “insta-worthy.”  They remodeled every villa and made them ulta-luxurious.  They cleared a few trees. The dirt paths are now paved with travertine. We now have a balcony with an infinity pool with an ocean view 

It really is a stunning view.

The moon setting over the ocean was equally stunning.

Unfortunately, it’s not functional at all. They also put in a jacuzzi, two water features, and a sculpture that take up most of the balcony, leaving little room for lounging.

There are some comfortable chairs, but we’d love it if they left space for a couple of lounge chairs where we could stretch out.

The champagne vending machine is a nice touch.

Okay, enough with complaints.  We’ll survive and there are still capuchins, howler, and squirrel  monkeys and sloths.

We weren’t birders before and didn’t notice but there are quite a few chestnut-backed antbirds which are pretty cool.