text:
To: Mayor Allen Green
Vice Mayor Donald Burnette
Council Member Bob Ford
Council Member Drew Bastian
Council Member Dennis Kennedy
From: Gregory A. Kisela, City Manager
Subject: Agenda Commentary for Regular City Council Meeting of
December 10, 2013
Date: December 5, 2013
Item 1 - Pledge of Allegiance
Item 2 - Silent Invocation
Item 3 - Roll Call
Item 4 - PFM Asset Management, LLC Presentation to City Council – Annual Investment Performance Review Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2013
Each year the City's Investment Firm, PFM Asset Management, LLC prepares an annual report that portrays the City's investment performance for the past fiscal year to the City Council. A copy of this report is attached.
A Representative from PFM will be present to review this report with City Council and respond to any questions.
· Lease Renewal Agreement – Cardwell Funeral Home, 3571 Ridgewood Avenue
· Adult Center Annex update from City Attorney
· Concept Plan changes from Applicant
Item 5 - Citizen Advisory Committee for TPO
Bobby Ball will provide an update to the City Council related to the Citizen Advisory Committee for the TPO activities.
Item 6 - Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Report
Chairman Jack Wiles will be present to provide a report to Council.
Item 7 - Audit & Budget Advisory Board Report
Chairman Ted Noftall and other members will be in attendance to provide details of the Board's recent meeting and answer any questions Council may have.
E. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION (Agenda)
Item 8 - Estate of Diane Whelahan – Attorney Edwin Davis
Attorney Davis is asking for a reduction in the amounts of liens filed by the City against the property owned by the Estate of Diane Whelahan (see attached for summary of issues and relevant documentation).
F. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION (Non-Agenda – 15 Minutes)
G. FINANCE (Wayne Saunders)
Item 9 - Resolution No. 13-91 – Budget Appropriation – Russell Launch Phase II
Project QPC036, Russell Launch Phase II, is completed and this budget resolution reduces the revenue and expense budgets accordingly to close the grant.
This resolution will also correct the FY14 budget for project QPC050 since it is currently overstated. This happened because the carryover budget in the 315 fund for QPC050, Spruce Creek Baseball Field Upgrade, was approved separately by City Council on 11/5/13 (budget resolution 13-77) but it was also included in the main carryover budget resolution approved by City Council on 11/12/13 (budget resolution 13-78).
Project No.: QPC036 & QPC050 Funding Acct No.: 315-5100-572-63-97
Staff recommends approving Resolution no. 13-91.
Item 10 - Resolution No. 13-92 – Budget Appropriation – Neighborhood Investment Grant Program
This resolution appropriates additional funds for the Neighborhood Investment Grant Program.
Staff recommends approving Resolution no. 13-92.
Item 11 - Resolution No. 13-93 – Budget Appropriation – Traffic Control Improvement study
This resolution appropriates unrestricted Gas Tax funds needed for analysis and design work relating to Traffic Control Improvement studies for the Sunset Cove Subdivision and for City Center Circle.
Project No.: IMI008 & IMI009 Funding Acct No.: 301-4300-541-63-97
Staff recommends approving Resolution No. 13-93.
Item 12 - Resolution No. 13-94 – Cambridge Canal Construction/Stabilization project
This resolution appropriates additional drainage funds needed for the Cambridge Canal Construction/Stabilization project and budgets for Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) grant #LP64040, which is a State legislative appropriation, which is to be used for the same project.
Project No.: DIP053 Funding Acct No.: 412-1800-541-63-97
Staff recommends approving Resolution No. 13-94.
Item 13 - Approval of Minutes
a. December 3, 2013 – Regular City Council Meeting
Attached are the City Council meeting minutes from recently held meetings. Should you have questions, please feel free to contact Robin or me.
Item 14 - Update – Meter Replacement Program
As of November 16, 2013, staff has replaced 2,201 zero consumption meters and installed 1,714 Flex Units for remote reading using 1,762 hours ($68,386) of staff time. In addition, a total of $723,907 has been invested in this project.
Item 15 - Acceptance of Exclusive Utilities Easement from IBEW Local No. 756
Public Utilities staff is currently planning to construct a new regional wastewater pumping station that services the portion of the City west of Interstate 95 and south of Taylor Road. A projected need is currently for a pipeline connection to be constructed within this easement between the existing, under-sized regional lift station at Clark's Westport Storage and the City-owned property to the south across the rear of this property owned by IBEW Local No. 756.
IBEW Local 756 has graciously offered to the City, at no cost, an easement over the easterly 50 feet of its property for future underground pipelines. Copy of the fully-executed easement dated October 23, 2013 is attached for Council consideration.
Staff recommends accepting this permanent, exclusive utilities easement as presented.
Item 16 - PetSmart Charities Grant Award – Feral Cat Targeted Spay/Neuter Program
Recently, the City applied for grant assistance from PetSmart Charities to fund our Feral Cat Targeted Spay/Neuter Program. After reviewing the application, PetSmart Charities awarded the City a grant in the amount of $18,000.00. The funds will cover program expenses such as the surgeries, vaccinations, traps and other project-related items. There is no match required. Resolution 13-49 approved the grant application submission.
Funding Account No.: 001-3200-521.31-13
Staff recommends approving and accepting the PetSmart Charities Grant in the amount of $18,000.00, and authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute any contracts or agreements.
Item 17 - Addendum No. 96 to the 1980 contract with Quentin L. Hampton Associates, Inc. for Williamson Blvd. Regional Lift Station Project – Design & Construction management Services
The 5-year Capital Improvement Plan includes provisions for replacement and upsizing of wastewater lift stations within our utility system. The Clark Regional Pump Station constructed in 1998 has now been determined to be undersized due to the connection of the Spruce Creek Fly-in development and additional population growth / development along the Williamson Blvd. corridor south of Taylor Road. In addition, it is anticipated that the future Woodhaven Development may include up to an additional 1,700 equivalent living units during the next five to ten years. Construction of this new regional lift station will allow existing contributing lift stations in the area to continue to operate under projected increased flow conditions and maintain manageable operating pressures on our existing force main network.
This anticipated engineering design and permitting work will include the evaluation of the existing sewage flows currently being generated and projected future flows in order to properly size this regional lift station. Staff recommends that QLHA be authorized to provide the engineering design services as contained in Addendum #96, as included in the attached cost proposal and sketch. To that end, this addendum has been drafted for the purpose of formally adding this work to the existing Quentin Hampton and Assoc. contract.
Funds are currently budgeted in the R & R Lift Station Project for this needed project's design. It is also anticipated that the future 5-year CIP Plan for FY 15 and 16 will include adequate funding to bid and construct this highly anticipated public utility improvement in order to properly serve the future planned Woodhaven Development with wastewater collection and treatment without adversely affecting our existing lift stations and force main network within the Williamson Blvd. South corridor. Funds are currently available in our R & R Lift Station Replacement Project for this engineering work effort.
Project No.: SLS002 Funding Accounts 405/421-0401-535-6397
Staff recommends approving Addendum No. 96 to the 1980 contract with Quentin L. Hampton Associates Inc. in the amount of $55,650.00 and authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to sign all required contract documents.
Item 18 - Award for RFSQ #13-19 – Design and Permitting Services for sidewalk projects: Spruce Creek Road Sidewalk – South; McDonald Road Sidewalk; Victoria Gardens Blvd Sidewalk; and Spruce Creek Road Sidewalks (North of Nova Road)
RFSQ #13-19 was prepared for Design and Permitting Services for the four sidewalk projects listed above, one of which design funding has been secured through a Local Agency Program (LAP) agreement, and the other three are programmed in the Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) Tier "B" list for design funding over the next three fiscal years.
Proposals in response to RFSQ #13-19 were received from eight responsive firms on September 20, 2013. On November 5, 2013 a five person selection committee comprised of Mary Anderson, Michael Anderson, Tim Burman, Kenny Ho, and Margaret Momberger short listed Quentin L. Hampton Associates, Upham Inc., Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc., and Traffic Engineering Data Solutions, Inc (TEDS) for further consideration. All four firms were then invited to make oral presentations to the selection committee on November 14, 2013 and TEDS was ranked first unanimously.
Staff recommends award of RFSQ #13-19 for Design and Permitting Services to TEDS.
Additionally, Staff recommends approval of task authorization number one to TEDS in an amount not to exceed $32,077. The City has entered into a LAP Agreement with the FDOT for the design of the Spruce Creek Road Sidewalk - South project. The total project funding amount of $32,077 includes a City match of $4,812. Funds are budgeted and available for this purpose.
Project No.: OMI014 Funding Account No.: 312-4300-541.63-97 & Grants-312-4310-541.63-97
Staff recommends approving the award for RFSQ #13-19 Design and Permitting Services for the following projects: Spruce Creek Road Sidewalk – South (FPN: 430079-1-38-01), McDonald Road Sidewalk (FPN: TBD), Victoria Gardens Boulevard Sidewalk (FPN: TBD), and Spruce Creek Road Sidewalks (North of Nova Rd) (FPN: TBD) to Traffic Engineering Data Solutions, Inc. (TEDS), as well as approving task authorization number one to TEDS for the design and permitting of the Spruce Creek Sidewalk – South project (From Taylor Road to Central Park Boulevard) in an amount not to exceed $32,077.
Item 19 - 2013 Annual Concurrency Management Report
On November 21, 2013, the Planning Commission recommended to accept the 2013 Concurrency Management Report.
Concurrency is the finding that public facilities and services necessary to support a proposed development are available, or will be made available concurrently with the impacts of a development. All Florida municipalities are required to adopt and implement concurrency management systems in accordance with State law. In addition to the individual concurrency reviews for current development proposals, this report, prepared annually, is intended to monitor the cumulative effect of all approved Development Orders and Development Permits on the capacity of public facilities. Concurrency reviews evaluate a project's impact on the following seven public facilities and services:
• Transportation
• Sanitary Sewer
• Potable Water
• Stormwater Drainage
• Solid Waste
• Recreation
• Public Schools
As indicated in the report, the public facilities and services subject to concurrency review are at sufficient levels for FY 2013/2014, with the exception of one elementary school. Since 2011, Port Orange Elementary has exceeded the LOS standards; however, this is due to the gifted program offered at this school that draws students from outside the attendance boundary and not unplanned development. Last year the school district developed a plan to open a third gifted center within the Port Orange elementary schools in order to address the increase in enrollment at Port Orange Elementary, as well as the anticipated increases at Cypress Creek Elementary. With this program change it is anticipated that Port Orange Elementary will meet the LOS standard in the near future.
Staff recommends accepting the 2013 Concurrency Management Report, as recommended by the Planning Commission.
Item 20 - Neighborhood Investment Grant Program
Before the Neighborhood Investment Grant Program was suspended in 2007, the City awarded over $60,000.00 in matching grant funds to 16 different Port Orange neighborhood projects. The purpose of the program is to provide eligible neighborhood organizations with matching grants to improve the quality of life in the City by focusing on projects that would serve specific neighborhoods. Examples of funded projects include entrance signs, landscaping, and park enhancements.
Currently, there is $20,000 budgeted on FY 2014 Budget, and additional $30,000 is proposed to be appropriated from the budget savings that derived from the fire chief's election to opt out of the fire retirement plan.
Staff recommends authorizing the City Manager to move forward with the 2014 Neighborhood Investment Grant Program.
Item 21 - Piggyback Agreement with Remedy Intelligent Staffing for Temporary Employment and Employee Leasing Services
The City has a need to utilize temporary employment and employee leasing services to assist with seasonal and peak workloads, special projects, reducing personnel overhead expenses and other specialized temporary employment needs. Parks and Recreation utilizes the greatest number of temporary employees; however, other departments employ them from time to time as well.
The County of Volusia extended its contract with Remedy Intelligent Staffing effective September 6, 2012 through January 30, 2014 (Bid #09-B-86PW) and plans to renew for one final additional year through January 30, 2015. Remedy has agreed to allow the City to "piggyback" that contract under the same terms and conditions. The recommended funding for FY 2014 is in an amount not to exceed $240,000, based upon anticipated citywide use. Funding will come from the temporary services account from each department utilizing temporary employment and employee leasing services.
Primary Account Nos.: Parks 4400-3415 $58,000; Athletics 5200-3113 $63,800; Summer Rec 5106-3113 $67,000; Rec Adult Center 5109-3113 $1,000; Lakeside Community Center 5125-3113 $10,000. Total $199,800 for Parks & Recreation
Staff recommends approving a piggyback agreement for temporary employment and employee leasing services as established by contract through the County of Volusia and Remedy Intelligent Staffing, in an amount not to exceed $240,000, and authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute required documents.
Item 22 - Tenth Amendment to the Contract with Zev Cohen & Associates, Inc. for Professional Engineering Services for analysis, design, and presentation of findings for the investigations and recommendations of traffic control improvements on City Center Circle
The scope of work contained in the Tenth Amendment provides professional services for analysis, design and presentation of findings for the investigations and recommendations of traffic control improvements on City Center Circle. Services under this contract amendment include review of the existing site conditions at the City Center Circle intersections of City Center Blvd. and City Center Parkway, monitoring of traffic volumes and behavior under current stop conditions, monitoring of pedestrian movements, analysis of operations with recommendations to improve vehicular flow, pedestrian safety, traffic control compliance, and overall operation of the intersections. The scope of work includes an estimate of costs for the proposed improvements and a presentation of the results to City representatives.
Funds are available for this purpose.
Project No.: IMI009 Funding Account No.: 301-4300-541.63-97
Staff recommends approving the Tenth Amendment to the Contract for Professional Engineering Services for analysis, design and presentation of findings for the investigations and recommendations of traffic control improvements on City Center Circle with Zev Cohen & Associates, Inc. (ZCA) in the amount of $6,190, and authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute the Contract Amendment.
Item 23 - Eleventh Amendment to the Contract with Zev Cohen & Associates, Inc. for Professional Engineering Services for analysis, design, and presentation of findings for the investigations and recommendations of traffic control improvements on Sunset Cove Drive in Sunset Cove Subdivision
The scope of work contained in the Eleventh Amendment provides professional services for analysis, design and presentation of findings for the investigations and recommendations of traffic control improvements on Sunset Cove Drive in the Sunset Cove Subdivision. Services under this contract amendment include review of the existing roadway conditions, monitoring of traffic volumes and movements, analysis of operations and recommendations for traffic calming to improve safety, lower speeds, and deterrence of cut through traffic. The analysis phase includes an estimate of costs for the proposed improvements and a presentation of the results to City representatives. Once complete with the analysis, the consultant will develop construction related documents to be used for selection of materials and installation of improvements. The design phase will include coordination and oversight of the installation of the improvements as well as periodic monitoring and a closure report.
Funds are available for this purpose.
Project No.: IMI008 Funding Account No.: 301-4300-541.63-97
Staff recommends approving the Eleventh Amendment to the Contract for Professional Engineering Services for analysis, design and presentation of findings for the investigations and recommendations of traffic control improvements on Sunset Cove Drive with Zev Cohen & Associates, Inc. (ZCA) in the amount of $10,880, and authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute the Contract Amendment.
Item 24 - Award Cambridge Canal Phase I Bank Armoring Contract to P&S Paving Services
Early in 2013, the City of Port Orange pursued state funding for the Cambridge Canal improvement project, which has been studied over several years and determined to be a high priority drainage improvement. The State of Florida awarded the City a $500,000 grant for 2013. In June, the City awarded a design contract to Quentin L. Hampton Associates (QLHA), the same firm that completed the earlier study and proposed phased improvements throughout the more than 700 acre drainage basin area. The proviso for the funding required that the project be shovel-ready and under construction by December 2013.
The bid was structured to include a base bid and a bid alternate, breaking the construction into two sections in the event that the cost of the project exceeded available funding in the City's Drainage Fund. The specifications also included the opportunity to bid an alternate material to the Redi-Rock product that was used in the Cambridge Canal when the first project was completed in the 2008 time period.
A mandatory pre-bid meeting was conducted on October 24, 2013 and attended by representatives of 20 construction firms. An addendum was issued shortly thereafter to respond to the questions of the firms interested in bidding on the contract. A formal bid opening was conducted on November 8, 2013, and six bids were submitted. Two of the six firms also provided a deduction if the alternate to Redi-Rock (Allan Block) was selected. As the budget for this project phase was approximately $1 million to $1.2 million, and all of the base bids exceeded the budget, the alternate bid was not used to evaluate the overall price submittals. The low bid firm for the base bid with Redi-Rock was P & S Paving at a cost of $1,376,500.
Two firms submitted an alternate material using Allan Block (similar to the B-19 Canal in the Yorktowne Blvd. area). If the alternate material bid price was selected, the low bidder is Cline Construction, at a price of $1,262,695. Cline's bid for the base bid with Redi-Rock is $1,408,695. In evaluating this request, QLH considered both aesthetics and engineering data available. Upon completion of their review, QLH recommends the project be constructed with Redi-Rock.
City Staff and QLH representatives discussed value engineering alternatives to reduce the project cost and some of the impact on the City's Drainage Fund. The City will purchase the Redi-Rock material directly, saving $27,624 in sales tax. An additional $59,100 of savings was identified, resulting in a revised cost of $1,289,776 upon execution of Change Order No. 1 attached.
Work is scheduled to begin promptly upon contract execution, with this phase of work to be completed within six months.
Project No.: DIP053 Funding Account No.: 412-1800-541.63-97
Staff recommends approval of the Phase I Cambridge Canal project to the low bidder, P & S Paving Services in the amount of $1,376,000, approve deductive Change Order No. 1 in the amount of $86,724 and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute all associated contract documents.
Item 25 - Halifax Paving Contract Extension
The contract between the City and Halifax Paving, Inc. to excavate Reservoir A (B05-04) will expire on December 31, 2013; however, the City is still due fill material. As a result of approved change orders, the Coraci Park Settlement Agreement and utilization of the City's stockpile, Halifax Paving owes the City 139,459 cubic yards of fill. There is between 600,000-730,000 cubic yards of fill material left to be excavated from the reservoir. The attached contract extension requires Halifax Paving to provide the City with the amount of fill currently due as well as 25-percent of all additional excavation. The balance would be Halifax Paving's percentage. The extension sets performance benchmarks and requires that a minimum of 25,000 cubic yards of fill be delivered to the City on a monthly basis to avoid penalty. The permit is in the process of being renewed and should be valid by the end of the calendar year.
Staff recommends approving a one-year contract extension with Halifax Paving, Inc. to complete the excavation of Reservoir A and authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute all related documents, subject to receiving an executed extension from Halifax on or prior to December 30, 2013.
Item 26 - Agreement with AT&T for Wireless Communication Services and Equipment
The City currently utilizes AT&T, Sprint and Verizon for its wireless services and equipment including cell phones, air cards and other connectivity services. The City has been experiencing significant operational problems with Sprint that have not been resolved by the company despite multiple requests and efforts. The Information Technology Division has proposed streamlining the majority of services to AT&T to take advantage of better, more reliable service, as well as discounted equipment and consolidated billing.
The attached contract will provide for wireless communication services and equipment used by the City and is effective through October 31, 2016. It does not require the City to purchase in any set quantity and does not require the City to purchase unnecessary services. Although the Information Technology Division oversees the contract, actual costs are budgeted in and billed to each department as a part of their communication services.
Funding Account No.: multiple depts.(512.44-00)
Staff recommends approving a Participating Addendum with AT&T Mobility National Accounts LLC under the Western State Contracting Alliance in the amount of $73,000 for citywide wireless communication services and equipment and authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute required documents.
I. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (Wayne Clark)
Item 27 - First Reading - Ordinance No. 2013-25 – Adoption of the 2013 Comprehensive Plan Capital Improvements Element (C.I.E.) Annual Update, Case no. 13-27500001
Every year local governments are required to update their Capital Improvements Element (CIE), including the Five-Year Schedule of Capital Improvements (Schedule). The purpose of the C.I.E. and the Schedule is to identify the capital improvements in the adopted Capital Improvements Program (CIP) needed to implement the Comprehensive Plan and ensure the adopted level-of-service standards are achieved and maintained for concurrency-related facilities. The amendments to the C.I.E. include the updated Schedule (copied from the adopted FY 2013/14 – 2018/19 CIP) and amendments to update data related to the Schedule and other statutorily required information, such as:
• Projects included in the Transportation Planning Organization's (TPO) Transportation Improvements Program (TIP) that the City relies on for concurrency; and
• The Volusia County School District Five-Year Work Program.
PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: October, 24, 2013; Recommended approval (6-0)
Staff recommends adopting Ordinance No. 2013-25, amending the Capital Improvements Element of the City's Comprehensive Plan, in accordance with Florida Statutes.
Item 28 - Resolution No. 13-72 – 13-2 Comprehensive Plan Amendment/Cypress Head (Continued October 15, 2013 and November 5, 2013)
The proposed amendment is to change the Future Land Use (FLU) designation from Commercial to Urban High Density Residential (8-16 units/acre) for ±13 acres (amendment area) of an overall ±18.7-acre property. The ±13-acre amendment area is located on the southeast corner of Williamson Boulevard and Oakwater Lane. The remaining ±5.7 acres are not included in the proposed amendment and would retain the current Conservation designation.
The proposed FLU amendment is generally consistent with the City's Comprehensive Plan policies, such as the locational criteria for the Urban High Density Residential designation, public facilities have adequate capacity to accommodate the proposed amendment, no change to the Conservation FLU designation on wetland areas within the overall property, and it is compatible with adjacent land uses. However, the proposed amendment is not consistent with the policies in the Comprehensive Plan regarding the retention of the existing commercial acreage already designated on the FLU map.
PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: September 26, 2013, recommended approval, (7-0)
Staff recommends adopting Resolution No. 13-72, authorizing the transmittal of the 13-2 Comprehensive Plan Amendments to the required review agencies, as recommended by the Planning Commission.
Item 29 - Historic Tree Removal Request, FPL Magnolia Substation
At its October 15, 2013 meeting, the Environmental Advisory Board (EAB) recommended approval (6-0) of the proposed historic tree removal request to remove 3 of 14 historic trees located on the FPL Magnolia Substation site.
Alternate transmission line routes and siting for the substation were considered during the design phase to minimize large tree removal. The majority of the specimen and historic trees are located on the eastern portion of the site. The substation was pushed as far to the west as possible to avoid a cluster of 5 historic trees to the east. The resulting proposed plan was chosen to minimize the impact to historic trees while meeting the operational needs for the utility. The standards of review for tree removal include considering the extent to which the actual or intended use of the property requires removal of trees. The intended use of the property would be difficult to achieve without the removal of 3 historic trees due to their location and the route needed to be taken for high voltage transmission line connections to the substation.
Historic trees approved for removal on commercial property are to be mitigated pursuant to Resolution 02-71. Mitigation for the three historic trees is tabulated to be (67) 4-1/2" caliper, 14' tall replacement trees or a $22,667 tree bank contribution. Since the remaining site area outside of the required electrical clearance zone will remain forested the recommendation was made to accept the $22,667 tree bank payment instead of replacement trees. Staff recommends approval of the historic tree removal request to remove 3 historic trees subject to a $22,667 tree bank contribution as outlined in Resolution 02-71, as recommended by the Environmental Advisory Board.
Staff recommends approving the historic tree removal request to remove 3 of 14 historic trees located on the FPL Magnolia Substation site, as recommended by the Environmental Advisory Board.
Item 30 - Resolution No. 13-95 – Proposed Utility Easement Vacation, Lot 68 Sugar Forest Phase III Subdivision, Case #13-35000008
Staff has received an easement vacation application for a portion of a utility easement located on Lot 68 of the Sugar Forest – Phase III Subdivision development. The easement was originally established by the subdivision plat in 1978. The property owner has made this request in connection with a proposed above ground pool.
The easement vacation application and legal description have been reviewed for completeness and accuracy. The area has been inspected with respect to City codes and possible effects to adjacent properties resulting in no outstanding concerns. A building permit application has been received for the proposed above ground pool. City departments have reviewed this proposal and have no outstanding concerns. There are no utility improvements currently proposed for the area to be vacated. The subdivision is fully served by the existing utilities. Franchise utility company release letters have been obtained for the area of the easement described in Exhibit "A".
Staff recommends approving Resolution #13-95, vacating a utility easement located on Lot 68 of the Sugar Forest – Phase III Subdivision development per the attached legal description Exhibit "A".
J. PARKS & RECREATION (Susan Lovallo)
Item 31 - First Reading – Ordinance No. 2013-27 - Cast netting
Council asked staff to bring back an ordinance that would make it unlawful for any person to use a cast net to capture fish from any pond, lake, creek or otherwise watercourse owned by the city.
By amending chapter 50, article I to establish section 50-6 of the code of ordinances relating to prohibition of cast netting; providing for repeal of conflicting ordinances; providing for severability; and providing and effective date.
Staff recommends approving ordinance No. 2013-27 to prohibit the use of a cast net to capture fish from any lake, pond, creek or other watercourse owned by the city.
K. PUBLIC WORKS (Mary Anderson)
Item 32 - First Reading - Ordinance No. 2013-28 – Amendment to Ordinance No. 2013-18 for Non Exclusive Franchise for Roll-off containers (Bid No. 13-27)
Ordinance No. 2013-18, Granted Non-Exclusive Franchise Agreement for Roll-Off Containers (Bid #13-27), to Republic Services of Volusia County. Republic Services of Volusia County has opted not to accept the terms and conditions of Ordinance No. 2013-18. Staffs recommend amendment to Ordinance No. 2013-18 to remove Republic Services as a Non-Exclusive Franchise Roll-Off Container Provider.
Staff recommends approving Ordinance No. 2013-28.
L. CITY ATTORNEY (Margaret Roberts)
Item 33 - Second Reading – Ordinance No. 2013-22 – Residency requirement for Administrative Officials
The City Council in its meeting of October 1, 2013 requested an ordinance requiring newly hired administrative officials to reside within the City of Port Orange. The Code of Ordinances Section 2-186 sets forth the list of administrative officials.
Staff recommends adopting Ordinance No. 2013-22, relating to residency requirements for administrative officials.
Item 34 - Release of Utility Easement – Walter & Gail Green
The city received a request to relocate an existing fire hydrant from the applicants, Walter and Gail Green. An easement for utility purposes was previously granted to the city and recorded. The Public Utilities Department has reviewed the request and has approved the abandonment of the existing water line and the relocation subject to the city's engineering requirements. The applicant has requested that the city's interest in the water line be removed from the public records. The easement is not a part of a platted subdivision within the city and therefore a vacation of the easement is not appropriate in this case. However, a release of the easement is typically executed and recorded, if the Public Utilities Department has no concern or need for the water line.
The City Attorney has prepared a release of easement and recommends approval.
Staff recommends approving the release of the utility easement and authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute the Release attached hereto.
Item 35 - City Attorney's Report
The City Council asked that the Agenda format include an agenda item that would allow the City Attorney to report and update City Council members.
M. ADMINISTRATION (Greg Kisela)
Item 36 – Resolution No. 13-87 – Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Grant Award (Project #1840-7-R) Dunlawton Avenue Drainage Pond Phase II (Construction)
The City applied for and was awarded a Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) grant to assist with the construction of the Dunlawton Avenue Drainage Pond Phase II project. This is the third grant that supports the drainage work. HMGP dovetailed the Phase II award under the Phase I project that was approved by the City Council in 2011.
After numerous reviews by FEMA and the State for environmental, historical, Tribal and the wildlife resources, especially the Eastern Indigo Snake, the project was approved. Because of the review delays, and the project starting construction in January of this year, the current eligible HMGP grant reimbursable amount is $102,119.03. The City's match is $77,037.17.
Project No.:DIP048-P Revenue Account No.: 421-0000-334-49-10
Funding Account No.: 421-0400-535-63-97.
Staff recommends approving Resolution 13 – 87 and accepting the Florida Department of Emergency Management, Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) Phase II grant award to construct the Dunlawton Avenue Drainage improvements, and authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute any agreements or contracts and provide a match.
Item 37 - Resolution No. 13-96 – Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Grant Award – Cambridge Canal Phase I
The State Legislature appropriated funds to construct the Cambridge Canal Stormwater Improvements to address flooding and water treatment needs of the Cambridge Canal. The FDEP grant award amount is $500,000.00.
Project No.: DIP053 Funding Account No.: 412 Fund Revenue
Staff recommends approving Resolution 13-96 to accept the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Grant to construct the Cambridge Canal Stormwater Improvements Phase I and authorizing the Mayor and the City Clerk to execute any and all agreements.
Item 38 - Daytona Beach Shores Billing Dispute Settlement Implementation
On November 5, 2013 the city council approved the settlement offer and resolved the dispute with the City of Daytona Beach Shores regarding the utility billing through September 5, 2012. The City of Daytona Beach Shores City Manager has requested a joint agreement releasing the City of Daytona Beach Shores upon receipt of the payment of $454,448.01.
The city manager and city attorney recommend council approve and authorize the execution of the attached document upon the city's receipt of the payment in the amount of $454,448.01.
Item 39 - City Manager's Report
This has been placed on the agenda so that the City Manager can bring items to the City Council attention and to provide information to the City Council about ongoing city activities.
Item 40 - Comments/Concerns from Council Members
At this time council members may discuss various matters or concerns.


text:
Zulfahmi Khairuddin sealed his first front-row start in second, with Le Mans winner Louis Rossi in third.
Vinales (Avintia FTR-Honda) was already leading the timesheets with 10 minutes to go when he shaved nine tenths of a second off his best, dropping down to a 1m52.160s - at the time putting him more than six tenths of a second clear of the field.
Both Khairuddin and Rossi were able to close that deficit slightly, but neither looked truly capable of deposing Vinales.
Championship leader Sandro Cortese (Ajo KTM) bounced back from a hand injury suffered in a fall in FP3 to qualify fourth, ahead of Monlau Honda's Miguel Oliveira, who fell with one minute of the session remaining.
The Spaniard had been part of a four-bike draft but ran into the back of Alexis Masbou and fell, taking out Brad Binder (RW Kalex-KTM) in the process.
Neither he nor Masbou were able to improve their times as a result, but they had done enough to seal fifth and seventh - Luis Salom (RW Kalex-KTM) separating them.
Hector Faubel (Aspar Kalex-KTM), Niccolo Antonelli (Gresini Honda) and Efren Vazquez (Laglisse Honda) rounded out the top 10.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The chief executive of the Sydney Opera House, Richard Evans, is switching sides of the harbour, quitting Bennelong Point to become managing director of the privately owned BridgeClimb.
The surprise move after only four years at the Opera House will see Evans shift from the not-for-profit into the commercial sector, and out of the arts after more than 20 years during which he had slightly longer stints running the Australian Ballet and Bell Shakespeare theatre company.
He will take over a company with nearly a third the revenue of the NSW government-owned Opera House, which in 2010/11 had an operating turnover of $93.5 million, an operating profit of $3.2 million, and permanent staff of 263.
His new employer will however offer a bigger salary than the NSW public service. Owned by founder Paul Cave and multi-millionaire entrepreneurs Jack Cowin (who brought KFC and Hungry Jack's to Australia) and Brett Blundy (Adairs, Pie Face and Bras N Things), BridgeClimb had revenue of $35.5 million, staff of 195 and made a $10.3 million profit in 2010/11 according to financial statements lodged with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission. It has since 1998 run 2.75 million climbs of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Its owners are believed to want to expand the business beyond bridge climbing, including potentially buying into other tourist-related outfits.
The chairman of trustees at the Opera House, Kim Williams, said the search for a replacement CEO will be "comprehensive'', and that while his preference is for an Australian, either living here or offshore, it is not mandatory. He expects the search could take anywhere from two to six months.
The New Zealand born, 44-year-old Evans leaves the Opera House significantly transformed, but still without a NSW government commitment to its much-needed Opera Theatre re-development. Successive governments have baulked at the cost, which was once touted as close to $1 billion, with smaller jobs getting the green light instead. These have included the $38 million western foyers and disabled accessibility improvements, which were completed in 2009, and the $152 million vehicle access and pedestrian safety project, which will move traffic off the forecourt. That project began in 2010 and is due to be finished next year.
The opera theatre redevelopment has been on the cards for more than a decade and including other improvements is now thought to be a less than $700 million ask. A new bid is expected to go into this year's NSW government budget process, with the hope that the O'Farrell government is willing to bite the bullet in a way that its Labor predecessors did not.
Having got to the top of the arts sector, Evans was keen to test his skills in the more lucrative commercial arena, which doesn't always value not-for-profit experience, hence what some might see as a sideways move to a lower-profile job. He has a new baby and fiance and is keen to ditch the punishing evening schedule which sees most arts managers in a theatre foyer three to five nights a week.
Gone too will be the need to schmooze government funders, sponsors and philanthropists in a bid to get them to open their wallets, an increasing part of any arts manager's job and one which Evans has been particularly good at. In its place will be the need to deliver profits to BridgeClimb's hard-nosed owners, two of whom were listed in BRW's 2011 Rich List and are worth $618 million (Cowin) and $938 million (Blundy).
"It's an amazing opportunity to work with three entrepreneurs, and for the second half of my life to be a new adventure,'' Evans told the Australian Financial Review.
Under his leadership the Opera House has expanded moves begun by his predecessors to do more of its own programming, and vastly improved its food and drink offerings under the new Opera Kitchen banner. It has also improved a sometimes tetchy relationship with its major hirers, and hosted events such as the YouTube Orchestra and taping of the Oprah Winfrey show, which took Australia's best-loved building around the globe. New programming instigated under his tenure included the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, Graphic, Spring Dance and, in partnership with Destination NSW, Vivid Live.
A statement from the Opera House said annual commercial revenue had grown by 25 per cent during Evans's tenure. The post-global financial crisis tourism downturn hurt the venue, however, and in 2010 Evans restructured it operationally and retrenched about 20 staff.
"I am sad to see Richard go – he will be missed and will always be remembered for the many positive changes that have taken place under his leadership,'' said Williams in a statement. Also in a statement, NSW arts minister George Souris said Evans leaves "on his own terms and with my very best wishes for the future''.
Evans will leave the Opera House on February 24. He replaces Todd Coates at BridgeClimb, who left in October 2011.
* In other cultural news, the NSW government has appointed professor John Shine as president of trustees at the Powerhouse Museum. Professor Shine recently retired as executive director of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. It has also appointed Telstra Corp chairman Catherine Livingstone as president of the Australian Museum Trust, along with five other new trustees.
The Australian Financial Review


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The Return to the Sea
Trip Start Nov 20, 2006
16Trip End Apr 10, 2009
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Late next week I am going spearfishing with one of the best spearfisherman in the world. Between him and his sons they have won countless international competitions and hold or have held just as many records. He can dive to over 100 feet (without gear other than mask and fins and wetsuit) and then shoot a fish as big as 150 pounds then drag it to the surface, stab it in the head and throw it in the boat. To say the least I was rather impressed when i watched his videos of this. He happens to be one of the friendliest people I have ever met and he seems to be willing to take me under his wing and show me how to kill fish with a speargun.
I've come up with a new theory of evolution...well not new, just definetly true.
Fish evolved into bigger fish.
Bigger fish evolved into fish-dogs.
Fish dogs evolved into dog-dogs.
Dog-dogs evolved into goats.
Goats evolved into monkeys.
Monkeys evolved into creepy smart monkeys with three heads and lasers.
The creepy smart monkeys died out but then the original monkeys evolved into Americans.
Americans evolved into Canadians.
I've decided to take up spear fishing and return to the ocean.
The Fish-dog decendant is back and hes mad as hell.
So wish me luck in my spear fishing endeavour. I dont think we will be in rediculously deep water but who knows. The guy im with ahs killed a 13 foot tiger shark with his spear gun. I'm in good hands. Soon I will control the seas and all the coast of Australia will bow down to me. And my good mule Kyle.


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Day 2:
Boy oh boy… Did we GAY it up!!! hahahahahahha
I entered the footwork battles for fun and I ended up doing really well haha. I mixed in some waaking and vogue moves with my footwork ahhahaha. Everyone loved it. I ended up losing in the semi-finals. I never entered a footwork battle and even though I had a lot of moves left, I ended up just blanking out towards the end. Oh well. I was the crowd favorite! hahaha.
Domkey, Isaiah and I did really well in our battles. The 3v3 battles had some tough competition! In our first battle, we went up against a Russia crew called Mafia13. They had some very clever moves and good power but we ended up edging out in the end. Our second battle we went up against a Danish crew. Can't completely remember their crew name. Oops. We won that battle for sure. In the semi-finals we battled Jinjo crew. There was only 2 of them, Skim and Fe. Wing was there but he hurt his back so he couldn't battle. It was a very close battle but Jinjo was cleaner overall. I messed up really bad in my first round. We pretty much lost because of ME. It's such a sucky feeling. Then my second round I was SOOOO discouraged and I ended up doing nothing but footwork. It was a clean round but definitely was not enough to win against Jinjo. SIGH* Better luck next time. We were the crowd favorites in the crew battles too. I don't think any of the other crews had as much charisma or character as we did. We definitely made an impression in Denmark, especially Isaiah.
The after-party sucked honestly. Way too packed. So Jinjo, Roxrite, Isaiah, Domkey and I ended up going to a couple of bars around our hotel. The first one we went to had this DOOGIE 40 year old lady trying to dance with Isaiah. It was hilarious. We finished our beer and moved on to get away from this crazy woman. The second bar we went to was more chill and I bought us all a round of StrongBow (really yummy cider beer). We got Isaiah fairly drunk! He was doing a lot of gay dances and was falling in love with Ukrainian B-Boys hahahahaha.
Day 3:
The LOZ Squad woke up early next morning and grabbed some lunch with the Koreans. Jinjo was being very generous and bought us our lunch! WoOt! Shortly after we linked up with Rox-Rite and went around exploring the city. Rox and I got some good pics all around the area. I felt pretty crappy standing next to him with his Canon 7D and his 3 different lenses and professional mic. I had my T2i and my basic starter lens haha. I need to invest in a good wide-angle lens and a nice telephoto lens. We walked all around until it got dark and super cold outside. After our little adventure, we grabbed some pseudo Korean BBQ. We went back to our hotel at the end of the night and packed out bags………..
Day 4:
It is day 4 as I am typing this. We missed our flight… yea…. We're still in Denmark…. yes.. no…. poop…


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I'm exploring the web to find sites I like
Playa Manzanillo, Gulf of Papagayo, Costa Rica
"We loved it!"
Posted by: Lindy on Mar 22, 2011
see all reviews
This all-inclusive resort offers never-ending fun with activities from aerobics to SCUBA lessons in the freeform pool, all at no extra cost. Guests eager to explore Papagayo Bay's can take shuttle boat (extra charge) to the Private Beach Club.
Share your experiences with others. Don't forget to send your review to Debbie by using an easy form.
"We loved it!"
Posted by: Lindy
on Mar 22, 2011 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Mar, 2011 | Leisure | Family and Kids
612 people found this review helpful
Really nice resort! I would recommend it to others. With the good comes the bad, so there may be little things Id change about the resort, but it is really nice.
There were 8 of us that went, my 2 sisters and their husbands, my brother and his friend and my fiancé & myself. 2 years ago we went to Punta Cana, Dominican (Barceló Punta Cana Resort - 4&1/2 *), we all agree we like Allegro Papagayo, Costa Rica better. My brother has also been to Cuba and liked Costa Rica better. And one of my sisters has been to Mexico and although she did prefer Mexico, she said it was very comparable.
My sister & her husband even said theyd come back to this resort.
We went during the week of March 8th-March 15th 2011. The weather was AMAZING! Between +37C - +42C (but feeling like +52C). Never a drop of rain!
Biggest thing to remember about this resort is yes its beautiful and has an amazing layout built into the cliff, but that means all cement pads and walking up a very steep hill! There are little bus-stops throughout the resort that you can wait at and the van shuttles go by every 10 minutes to take you where you want to go. They has have phones at each bus stop so you can call the front desk to order a van if you need to. The only time we took the van was when we were taking our suitcases to the top to go home.
They do not give away water bottles, to get 12 water bottles its $20US. At each bus stop, they have large water hugs that you fill your own water bottles with and they are not plugged in, so the water is warm. But they do have ice machines there. We still had our water bottles from the airport so we kept filling those up. They did serve water at the buffets and restaurants, so you get glasses of water there. You just get used to it; wed fill up our water bottles on the way down to the pool and on the way back up. In Dominican they gave away water by the handfuls, so this was a little different, but again like I said, you just go with it and its fine.
I had read other reviews before going about how the lobby staff are not friendly, but the workers and everyone by the pools, restaurants, etc are. And this is true. Below Ill talk about the safe, and they really didnt seem to care and on one phone call they told me that I had to wait my turn, well after 3-4 days of waiting, no Im not waiting my turn.
But the other works were really nice and friendly, theyd joke around with you and they would teach you some words of their language too. We took turns tipping at each meal, about $3-$5 and they would remember you and give you really good service.
Room Number:
Room Block:
Building 7
We flew with Air Transat, and flew from Edmonton to Panama to drop off and pick up people. We had to get off the plane there and had a lay over for about 45 minutes and then we were off to Costa Rica, about an hour flight. Between the flight & the layover, it was 9 hours, so felt very long! But we were on time and never had any difficulties, so can't complain there.
After getting our luggage, etc, we went and found our bus, when in line to board the bus, you gave your luggage and they gave you your hotel info (room key, info, wrist brands, etc), to save you time for checking in. The only people they forgot were myself & my fiancé, but they reassured us as soon as we got to the hotel, we could check in there.
The bus ride was about 30min, but I really enjoyed it because the entire way the Rep was talking and giving you different info; history of Costa Rica, what the exchange is for $$ ($500 colonies is $1 US or Canadian), the different animals, birds, etc, it was interesting. When getting to the resort, we went & checked in, which was quick, because everyone else was already checked in.
We found out we had to pay for our safe in our room, $2US/night (wouldn't accept Canadian cash), but they told us they wouldn't be able to send anyone down tonight to open the safe, we would have to wait until tomorrow.
They have little van shuttles that will take you to your rooms, but we chose to walk to ours.
We were all in building 7, which is nice because it's halfway to the top to the lobby or halfway down to the pool, restaurants, etc. We had rooms 724, 730, 731 & 732. They were clean and looked good to us, pretty standard to other rooms in resorts. Our view from our balconies were AMAZING! The amount of comments we got for the pictures showing our view from our rooms shows how amazing it really was! Because the hotel is built into a cliff, you are able to see overtop of the other room buildings, so we could see all the scenery, ocean, etc, so nice!
They cleaned the rooms every day, except they take turns starting at different ends of the building, so youre never sure when your room will be cleaned. Only once did they miss cleaning our room, because we were the last room for the day and the workers have to meet the bus at 5:30pm to leave the resort, otherwise it was fine. Our cleaning lady did a really good job, lined everything up from our shoes to the stuff in the bathroom. We left tips and presents on the pillow for her. Nothing ever went missing, although our important stuff was locked up.
For our safe...that was fun. We had gone back up the next day to book our A La Cartes and ask to get our safe opened. They never came down to open it. So we called the front desk to ask again, they never came. The next day I called again to ask, they never came. Later that day I seen a guy working in another room so I asked him to come to ours, he said he would and he never. Maybe I shouldve pushed it more then that, but we just kept our stuff in my sisters safes, so at leas they were locked up. When we left the resort at the ending of the week, we told the staff at the front desk about it and they said to get a refund we needed the receipt we got for paying for the safe, which we gave to them. It took a while to get our money back, but we did. I know it was only $12, but really, why should I be paying the resort for something they didnt do and could be using that money towards tipping the workers or something.
They fill your fridge every 3 days with 2 water, 2 beer & 2 juice (not pop). The guys made friends with the workers filling the rooms and would tip them and our fridges would be loaded with beer every 2nd day or so.
Also a reminder, there are no elevators, so you are climbing the stairs to the 2nd or 3rd floors.
Restaurants and Bars:
The food was AMAZING! Breakfast opened at 7am, and they always had a good selection; fruit, yogurt, pancakes, French toast, bacon, sausage, hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, rice, breads, croissants, fresh made omelettes (if you wanted to stand in line they made it to however you wanted it), meats, cheese, etc. Lunch opened at 1:00pm and again a very good selection; pasta, fruit, breads, chicken or pork chops (whatever they made for the day), salads, rice, beans, soups, etc. The snack bar was also open before and during lunch until 4:30pm and then opened again that night at 11pm, and there was always homemade pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos with bean dip & cheese. The pizza was really good! The buffet at dinner was so good too, again having salads, pastas, steak/pork chops or chicken (again, whatever they were making), veggies, rice, beans, bread (homemade bread very popular), etc. And they always had a really good dessert tray too, with at least 5 different desserts and they were always changing them. My sister is very allergic to strawberries and the first day we noticed everything had strawberries on them, so I asked them if they had anything without because she is allergic and they didnt that day, but everyday after they made sure at least one dessert didnt. The fruit there was also very good!
They have 2 A La Cartes, one was Italian & one was Mexican. We our vacation pkg we were allowed to book 3, so we did 1 Italian & 2 Mexican, both were really good. When we had booked our reservations we were told they couldnt accommodate 8 people, so we would be split up with 6 at one table & 2 at the other, but both restaurants when we got there volunteered to put tables together, so we always were able to eat together. Our second reservation for the Mexican restaurant was on Sunday, but we had been left a note in our rooms saying the Buffet was having a Mexican theme night that Sunday and because we had already tried the A La Carte, we cancelled there for the Buffet and again were not disappointed.
At the Buffet or the A La Cartes, our waiters/waitresses were really god, always getting us drinks, joking around with us and just having fun.
In Dominican we were very pool people, because the ocean always had huge waves you couldnt just go in to swim, just jump waves. Here in Costa Rica, we spent more time in the ocean and spent maybe 1 day in the pool. Our ocean was more in a bay, so the water was calmer and we loved to swim in it. When the tide was out, you had to go a long ways to get deep in the water, when the tide was in, not so much. The beach is all black sand, which was different, but nice too. At first it felt like you were walking in dirt, but your feet never got dirty. When the tide was down, you could walk a long ways down the beach. The beach isnt all wide open like Dominican or Mexico, its got trees and all that, but since we dont play in the sand, it still worked for us.
The chairs filled up very quickly, so if by 9am you didnt have your chairs reserved with towels, you were out of luck, even if just looking for a spot for 1 or 2 people. What we did was when we went down for breakfast at about 7 or 7:30am, we brought our towels and laid them on chairs to reserve our spots. Our towels were never moved, wasnt a problem with that.
The monkeys are on the beach and jumping from trees to trees, but they left everyone alone and was easy to take pictures of them. There are black & red crabs that run around the beach too, just small ones.
At night, raccoons will come out and come around the resort; sometimes they came into the Buffet restaurant, but would get chased out.
There are also large iguanas running around the resort, at first they scared the sh*t out of me, but after I realized they arent gonna eat me, lol.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
My brother & his friend booked a tour through our Flight Rep, Air Transat and did a full day tour of zip-lining, rock climbing, tubing down a river, mud bath, hot springs, etc, they said it good.
The other tours we did, we went through Charlies Adventures to book. They are located by the pools, in the same room as you get your towels from. I would definitely recommend booking through them.
One day all 8 of us went to Coco Beach, which is a 45 min boat ride. We left at 8am and it was a very scenic tour and they served water and pineapple along the way. Got to Coco Beach and they tell you about how you can go shopping and to meet them back at the beach at 1:45pm to get back on the boat. We walked down the streets to shop souvenirs, cigars, etc. The guys enjoyed going from bar to bar to drink. You have a choice of going to lunch with the tour guides to a restaurant deeper into Coco Beach, or finding your own to eat at. We went with the guides and the restaurant was amazing, the food was so good. And you got 10% off with going with the tour group. Definitely recommend, if you go to Coco Beach, go to that restaurant (dont remember the name now)! The food and service was very good!
Another day all 5 guys went Deep Sea Fishing for ½ a day, and it was only the 5 guys on the boat. They had a blast and were back by noon. My fiancé caught a Mahi Mahi and my brother-in-law caught a tuna. They are no longer allowed to bring the fish to the resort to for the chefs to cook, because a couple months ago at some resort (not this one) someone got sick and no one is sure where the blame should lay. So the tour guides took this fish back with them. You are able to take your fish to Coco Beach and someone there would cook it for you, but they didnt.
While the guys went to Deep Sea Fishing, us girls went to the Spa, and got the Seaweed Paste Wrap. It was good; normally Im not too much into these things. They did too a good job and my skin felt amazing after.
And the last tour I did was, myself, my fiancé, my brother & his friend al went zip-lining. They had already gone zip-lining, but it was another tour. This was a 20min boat ride over and at first it seemed really sketchy, they drop us off and you are just on this beach with locals and there is nothing around. But eh bus showed up and took everyone, some people went horse back riding and some went ATVing. We were taken to another resort, just the 4 of us. A BEAUTIFUL resort! Again, I dont remember the name, but it was so nice! Just the 4 of us went zip-lining and the guides were so nice and a lot of fun. It was 8 lines, and we were able to go upside down and they even put myself & my fiancé into a Karma Suta position (as they said), with him in regular position and me upside down with my ankles around his head. They asked to take my camera to take pictures and videos of us, so we never had to pay to get it done. The guides definitely made the tour what it was.
Other Comments:
The grounds are clean; you will see workers walking around picking up garbage off the beach and around the resorts. They clean the pool every morning too.
Each night they have entertainment between 9-10pm. We never went to any shows, although I did hear some people complain they were just doing the same kind of thing, dancing over & over.
I never went to the disco, but the guys said it was fun. They also had a beach party one night, again we never went, but they said it was really good.
Pablos Bar was a hit. That was where the swim-up bar was, also where the regular bar was and it had 2 pool tables, a foosball table and lots of room to sit down.
Twice during the week a guy came in to sell his freshly rolled cigars.
Also, twice during the week if when they let the locals in to set up tables to sell their stuff. What was really nice is that they are not pushy at all! They stand there and answer your questions or whatever you want (unlike Dominican when they are so pushy they grab your arms or are in your face).
I really enjoyed this resort, absolutely beautiful and I loved Costa Rica, definitely will go back again sometime! I loved the whole luscious jungle feel, rather then just a few palm trees here & there.
The people here were so friendly; maybe because it was a smaller-ish resort, we made a lot of friends.
I wouldnt recommend this resort if you have a disability of sometime for walking or in a wheelchair, because its so steep for walking and going down to the pool and restaurants there are only steps, no ramps there.
Just remember when reading the reviews, you take the good with the bad and really, you make it what you want it to be.
In my tour book it said it was a 4*, others said it was a 3&1/2*, but I went to Dominican and stayed in a 4&1/2* and I prefer this resort to the one in Dominican. Each to their own.
"Wonderful experience!"
Posted by: Melissa
on Feb 9, 2011 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Jan, 2011 | Leisure | Family and Kids
592 people found this review helpful
Room Number:
Room Block:
We traveled from Toronto on Sunwing and were delayed 1 hour 40 minutes leaving. We had prearranged our transport through Avispas Adventures and they were there waiting when we arrived. Customs was no problem and we were through quite quickly.
My only complaint was lack of hot water in my room but had someone within 20 minutes of calling the front desk to fix the problem. They take complaints seriously and do everything they can to make things right. The hotel is built on a hill and we were lucky to be in building 11, which is right in front of the stairs to the pool, restaurant and beach. .
Restaurants and Bars:
We decided not to attend any of the a-la-cartes and just ate at the buffet. The food was a little repetitive but very good. There was plenty of fresh fruit with every meal and the staff was eager to please with drinks arriving promptly. We found line ups about a half hour after the buffet opened for every meal but it was never a long wait.
The heat was intense while we were there (Jan 31-Feb 7, 2011) so beds with a shelter were a must. The pool was well maintained and the pool bar had plenty of shade. The bartenders were generous with the alcohol and the bar was well stocked.
The beach was at low tide for a good part of the day and was very nice to walk on. There were no other resort close so we could walk a long way. The sand is black, due to the volcano's, so you can't really lie on it but close to the ocean it isn't too hot to walk.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
On to Avispas Adventures. I can't say enough good things about this company!! Amy is American born and married to a Costa Rican. They provide private and small tours to places the larger groups (booked through the hotel) can't go to. We did a full day tour which included horseback riding, canopy tour (ie ziplining) and volcanic mud baths. This was the absolute best part of our trip! Amy provided background info as we were driving to the site and made sure we were all able to do everything we wanted to do while we were at the site (including a not planned waterfall walk). It really helped having an English and Spanish speaking tour guide. Her prices are much less and you get so much more with her tours. Highly recommended!!
"Do not go to here to scuba dive or learn to dive"
Posted by:
TRACY on Jun 30, 2010 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Apr, 2010 | Leisure | With Group
610 people found this review helpful
The hotel is nice
Food is good
Rooms are nice
Staf is very friendly and helpful
The PADI dive centre is not well run-poor instructors-not patient and reassuring to beginners
Too much current for new divers
For experienced divers the dives are always combined with new divers as low volume
This is ok for 1 or 2 days but gets tiresome after 3 days
Long trips to diving sites as many detours to pick up other divers and drop off people going on other excursions-ie horse back riding
The white tipped sharks are interesting and there are lots of them
Also say sea horse-first time in 120 plus dives
Resort nice for holiday
Monkey's on beach and excursions very good
But not the place to dive
They never have enough volume for trip to sea manta rays
"Hotel Good Value-Avispa's Adventures in the Best Tour Company Ever!!!"
Posted by: Amanda
on Feb 13, 2010 >
1 contribution(s) United States of America
Visited on: Jan, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
624 people found this review helpful
This hotel is pretty nice and a good value for your money. Everything is clean and staff is nice. The pool and swim up bar are great and the beaches are decent. The food is pretty repetitive and not very good. Overall, I would stay here again. While here, we did the Miravelles volcano/ziplining tour, palo verde river tour, and nicauragua tour. I would especially recommend doing tours with Avispas Adventures rather than the tour companies promoted by the hotel. They made our trip wonderful and made sure we had a great time on every tour we did! We spoke with others at the hotel who did the same tours through other companies and they did not have nearly the same experience we did. Amy from Avispas works tirelessly to make sure you get everything you want and they are very flexible about letting you take your time and see whatever you want while on the tour. They take you to places that are not overly crowed and always have snacks and drinks in their vans. Their guides are knowledgeable and they take you to see more of traditional Costa Rica than the big tour companies. They were awesome and I can't find enough good things to say about them!!!!! They made sure we got to see the wildlife close up on the palo verde tour and stopped the van on the way to get out and see monkeys, birds, etc. We got to feed and pet monkeys who came onto the boat!! The ziplining was awesome and you absolutely have to do this if you are in Costa Rica. We were originally hesitant about the Miravelles Volcano tour, but decided to do this because of the travel time to get to Arenal. It was a great tour and you get to hike up in the rainforest to a waterfall, ride horses if you want, take a mud bath and relax in the hot springs after a day of activity. Nicauragua was also nice as you get a chance to visit another country and culture close by and the tour guides make sure you are always comfortable and safe. They took us to 3 cities and two volcanos and we got to experience a lot their. All the staff make you feel like you are family and work very hard to make sure you are having fun. I wish tour companies like this existed everywhere I traveled to.
"I found the prices somewhat outrageous"
Posted by:
Amy from Oklahoma on Aug 1, 2009 >
1 contribution(s) United States of America
Visited on: Aug, 2009
594 people found this review helpful
Arrival: August 7th- August 31st
I stayed the first 2 days at the Hilton Papagayo, it would have been equal amount to stay for 7 nights as it would have been for Occidental Allegro Papagayo IF it wouldnt of been for a "sale" that the Hilton was having!!! I tell you what- the lady who asked about my stay is NOT going to like what I had to say about her hotel.
It was beautiful. The hotel surroundings was beautiful. I loved the comfortable beds!!! But I did however leave because I found the prices somewhat outrageous. I will always remember paying $60 U.S. dollars for a meal for 3 that left us still feeling very hungry. Even just after we ate we were still very hungry. I decided to pay an extra $575 U.S. dollars and switch hotels to the Occidental Allegro Papagayo. I was extremely stressed at your hotel and felt as if I was going to run out of money very quickly when the prices for food were so expensive for so little food.
My first few days stay in Costa Rica were extremely stressful. I honestly couldn't enjoy my time there at all. I paid $30 U.S. dollars for 3 basic alcoholic drinks.
If you were to get one alcoholic drink a piece (3 drinks) and 3 meals for 3 people each day you would be spending over 200 U.S. dollars a day!!! With your belly still hungry too!! $60.00 U.S. dollars each meal, 3 meals a day= $180.00 U.S. dollars $30.00 U.S. dollars for 3 alcoholic drinks add with the $180.00= $210.00!!!
The gift shop was also a lot more expensive than the Allegro. $8.99 U.S. dollars for a key chain. The exact same key chain at Allegro was $4.99 U.S. dollars- half the price!! Not to mention the phone charges are fairly cheaper at the Allegro. But I didn't spend much time on the phone over there, seeing as though I was happy with my stay at the Allegro and my phone charges at the Hilton were over $50.00 because I was using it solidly to try to switch hotels so I would "enjoy" what was supposed to be a "vacation".
I did however enjoy my stay very much at the Allegro. I was very glad I paid the extra $575.00 U.S. dollars. Most of the staff at Allegro also understands English A LOT better than most staff at the Hilton Papagayo. I came to find that most people that visit Costa Rica speak English with very very little spanish knowledge on words. It is more important for the staff to know how to speak English than the visitors, seeing as how the majority of people who stay in Costa Rica (for tourism) are fluent in English. We are there to get our needs met and this is hard to do when staff doesn't understand you. We are only there for a week, most people are only there for a short amount of time. So it wont do us any harm to not know or learn spanish, however your staff will be dealing with people who speak English on a day- to- day basis for as long as they work with you!!! Which could be years!!!
Overall- I would not recommend this hotel to anyone I know. Unless- they want to run their bank account dry. The only thing worth staying for again at the Hilton Papagayo, would be the extremely comfortable beds.
P.S. The view was the exact same if not more beautiful at the Allegro, but they had tons of wildlife right there on premises!! Monkeys right by the beach guaranteed every day!! :) Crabs and Raccoons also. But it wasn't overflowing or annoying with wildlife- everyone else staying there loved it also!!
The beds were not comfortable at all at the Occidental Allegro Papagayo, but I do agree with the lady almost 100 percent who stayed from May 16-22!! The room did have a whole lot of tiny tiny ants which yes- was annoying considering I was waking up in the middle of the night to one crawling somewhere it shouldnt of been crawling! lol. But they are so small and dont bite, that it didnt bother me. Because as the lady from that review (May 16-22) said- you should use the room more as a place to sleep, you shouldnt be camped in it all day. Also like she said, there was no alarm clock which was kind of annoying to have to call every 20 minutes to the front desk (is how we found out the time, since our phones dont work over there) when you are getting ready to go to dinner at the fancy restaurant that you have 'reservations' for by a certain time, or have to be at the tour by a certain time.
Restaurants and Bars:
The food "was" different every single day !!! I just got back- I am telling you how it 'really' is! -some- of the food was the same every day, such as most of the fruit or the beans and rice. But all the rest of the food (which is alot) switched around on a day to day basis. I stayed for 7 nights and only ate the same things by choice. The bars were pretty nice. I wasnt going with the "all inclusive" so I could get hammered, so I am just telling you from a 1-3 drinks a day perspective. I tried the dirty monkey and it was great!!! However, not ALL the bartenders know how to make it!! :)
I recommend the steak at the mexican restaurant! very good !! Pay attention to the italian menu- it is soooo funny how many things are mispelled! lol
Oh the black sand was very pretty. I dont have any clue how Jay from Canada says its like black mud..... It was actually lighter than sand to me! The pools were great! They clean them at least 3 times a day that I saw!! I wish they had a place for people to rinse off like one of those outside shower things, before you get into the pool though, so the black sand wasnt in the pool as much.
The grounds- omg let me thell ya - monkeys outside the hotel by the beach every single day !!! In the mornings gauranteed and sometimes afternoons. Even though they have signs up not to feed them... they love food from ya like bananas!!! lol. What an experience it is to feed the monkeys!!
That's the last thing my mother did beore we left was see the monkeys right next to the hotel !! :)
I took her and my little brother there for vacation since I could afford it but she couldnt. :)
The monkeys were by far---- the best part of the whole Costa Rica trip!!!!! :)
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
My mother and little brother went kayaking! They said they loved it!!! This was "at" the hotel, that came with it for free. The other "excursions" we did was-
1.($115.00/person US dollars) View the rainforest by the Arenal Volcano, meet the Maleku tribe, eat lunch, go to a hot springs at a beautiful brand new hotel called The Springs with a spectacular view of the Arenal Volcano and dinner at that hotel (The Springs). I did not, repeat- did not, like the rainforest- it had "NO" flowers or color to it, other than green. The Maleku tribe wasnt 'that' friendly of people nor was their little show very interesting. However there is room for improvement. The hotel with the hot springs, OMG this made the day!!!!! It was sooooooo beautiful. I took tons of pictures there and there is a water slide there also- look for it cause they dont tell you about it!!! The lunch and dinner on this excursion were very awsome!!!
2. ($125.00/person US Dollars) Buena Vista Combo tour- OMG, soooooooooooooooo awsome!!!! My favorite overall of the tours!!!! Zipline, Water slide through the rainforest, horseback riding, mud bath with steam room and hot springs, and lunch. Not in that order lol. The Zipline was fun!!! I felt very safe at all times! The water slide was a BLAST, especially for kids (my lil brother is 14 and he loved it!) however there was a man at least 45 who was running 'up' the natural man made (out of dirt from the rainforest) steps ALL the way up to go do the waterslide as many times as he could!!! Very thrilling to see! Lunch was very good!! Not alot to choose from though... The horseback riding was beautiful. succcch a pretty view !!! I couldnt seem to get 'enough' pictures of just 'how pretty' it was!!! The mudbath- wow... such an experience !!! for all ages !! We had a blast!!!! However, there is quite a bit of walking upwards (which is hard for me.. walking down is easy, even at a steep angle, previously shattered foot,ankle and heel) my mother had a hard time also with the walking up to the zipline and waterslide and walking up the steep angle to go back from the hot springs. Overall- I looked past my foot and I made it fun !! It was awsome !! An experience of a lifetime !!!
3. Papagayo floating and zipline- ($45.00/person also includes transportation) oh yeah, now here's something that is soooo much fun for you thrill seekers, but it is quick and fun!!! Most of the excursions are half a day, this one is just a few hours, but sooo worth it !!!!!!! The staff at the place is soooo nice and it was private too, I was able to do just me and my little brother without a huge group like at the Buena Vista!! We were able to zipline upside down and superman style!!!!! I highly recommend this one!!! Plus, they are adding a resteraunt and a gift shop. The best part - It was all hand made!!! They dont even get to use any bulldozers or any large machines!! It's all done with a mashetI!!!!! Restaurant, Zipline landing pads, Gift Shop, all hand made!!!!!! Which is very impressive when you 'see' it.
4. Butterfly Garden- My mom went. ($60.00US cab ride, $10.00US to enter) The one that is closest to the Occidental Allergro Papagayo- the one with the cage of monkeys at the end of the butterfly garden. My mom loves butterflys...... but she said that was nothing to be happy about- however she said she will always remember the monkeys, (as described by my mom) you walk into this large cage and the next thing you know, you have monkeys all over you !!! Wanting you to hold them like babies and holding on to you like your their mother. Feet and arms wrapped around you. My mom said the best part is, they dont want you to leave!! You put them down and they get right back on you and when you finally do leave, they hold on to the cage and look at you as if to say "... but... dont leave me..." picking through your hair for fleas, taking spare change out of your pockets, playful little boogers, but sooo cuddly.
We sent her to the butterfly garden while me and my brother did the Papagayo Zipline! :) Shopping at coco cay was worth it 100 percent!! Souvenirs are so much cheaper !!!
Other Comments:
If you have a hard time with someone not understanding English at the Occidental Allegro Papagayo- ask for Pedro at the front desk, he speaks it very very good and understands it also ! and Gilbert/tour guy is from California, so he understands very very well and can speak it, but isn't available that often at all.
"We never had a problem with anyone on our trip"
Posted by:
Rheanna from Minnesota on May 1, 2009 >
1 contribution(s)
Visited on: May, 2009
618 people found this review helpful
Arrival: May 16 - 22
After the swine flu struck the world, we had to cancel our plans to Mexico and decided to rebook to vacation to Costa Rica. We are so glad everything happened the way it did and we had a amazing, beautiful stay at the Allegro Papagayo Resort. When we arrived we couldnt get into our room right away but they stored our luggage for us. We changed into our suits and went down to the beach.
We were sort of leary about the rooms at first but we definitely got use to it. The rooms are kinda old and we did experience some ants. But its no big deal and I dont understand why people make such a big fuss out of the rooms. You shouldnt be in your room that much anyway. Its just a place to sleep and it did the job. One thing - there was no alarm clock and our cell phones did not work so we never really knew what time it was. but we just checked the clock that one of the channels on the TV had.
Restaurants and Bars:
The buffet was nice. Everyday they have a different theme such as "Tropical", "American" and others. There is always tons of fresh fruit - we've never eaten so much pineapple in our life! There is food that is repeative - they eat lots of beans and rice - so get use to it! We liked the food and never starved. For the Italian restaurant and Mexican restaurant, they allow you to reserve 2 nights for your stay. If there is more room after 4:00 that day they will let you add a night - which we did so we got 3 nights! The food at both is very good. No compliants here! The bars are also very nice. You can get a drink or pop wherever you want and take it with you wherever.
The pool is awesome. Nice to just relax and cool off. There was always a place to lay on the lounge chairs. Never had a problem with that. The beach is beautiful. We loved the black sand. We walked the beach about two times a day - taking pictures and picking up seashells - loved it! It is not really a swimming beach but it is nice for getting your feet wet and watching the sun set nightly. = Beautiful. The resort grounds are nice. There are quite steep hills but we found it as an excerise after eating a big meal! We absolutely loved the wild life around the resort. There are iguanas everywhere! So cool! Also we did find the white faced monkeys, frogs, birds and geicos.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We did the "Beach Club" which takes you to a local beach that is for swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, relaxing and they even feed you! It was a great experience. The tour guides are great. One of ours went looking for exotic fish and found 2 puffer fish! They puffed up and we got to hold them and take pictures. We also went to "Coco Beach" about an hour boat ride. We walked down the streets and shopped. There are many shops to buy sounviors, get something to eat, and lots of other things! We also did the White water rafting down the Tenorio River = ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would do it again in a heartbeat. We had Sam as our tour guide - made it so much fun and laughed the entire time! Totally worth the money spent!
Other Comments:
All the staff and guides that we had on our trip were extremely friendly and nice. We never had a problem with anyone on our trip. Edgar at the front desk with TAM tours is really helpful. When it was time for us to leave, we found out that at the airport we were required to pay $26 per person for departure taxes. If you wanna return home you have pay it! All in all we had a wonderful trip and want to go back right now! It was worth every penny spent and are so lucky to have experienced Costa Rica in such a beautiful way! :)
"The "black" sand beach was more like a mud pit."
Posted by:
Jay on Apr 1, 2009 >
5 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Apr, 2009
562 people found this review helpful
Arrival: April 2009
We arrived at the resort and had to wait two hours to get into our rooms, for they had not been cleaned yet.
The rooms were old. there was mold in my room along with an infestation of small ants.
Restaurants and Bars:
The restaurants served the same food every night, no change. They had a snack bar that served, pizza, fries and chicken wings, and that was it. there was nothing ot eat after 9:00, which is not good when you are at the disco drinking til 2:00.
The "black" sand beach was more like a mud pit. the pool was nothing special and the grounds were also nothing special. there was no where to sit other then right by the pool.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
There were few activities for the guests. we did 2 tours off resort both were disapointing. the first started off nicely however one of the sights we payed to see was a waterfall and the road was closed to it, therefore we had to pay for it and did not get to see it. the other was a small safari. this one was a disaster. we waited for over an hour, the car never came, we said we wanted our money back and was not given it, after fighting the trip was bumped to the afternoon, but we still had to pay full price. Other Comments: The managment of the resort was horrible. You were never able to talk to anyone in charge, they dodged your calls and drop-ins. No one ever had an answer to your questions. this resort was such a disapointment. I would never recommend it to anyone.
"Just go, you will love it."
Posted by:
D & K on Mar 1, 2009 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Mar, 2009
588 people found this review helpful
My wife and I were at the Allegro Papagayo from Mar. 5-12. The last hour of our flight was really awful with lots of turbulence. The airport was a real hoot and so welcome after the Toronto experience. We were met on time and took the ride to the resort which was about 1/2 hour. We were immediately impressed with the look of the place. Especially when they met us with a welcome drink. They were upfront with telling us that the rooms would not be ready for about 3 hours which we did not mind at all as it gave us time to check the place out. We were very fortunate to arrive on a week that was not busy at all. There were no line ups for food, drinks and you could always get a great spot at the pool. The beach has black sand and even had trees on it which was great for monkey watching. I got a couple of bites but in general bugs were a non issue. We are used to making our own adventure and this was our first all inclusive and we were both nervous after we read the reviews. I have to say I don't really see what there was to complain about. I guess maybe if you were expecting real opulence you would be disappointed. There were no issues at all with our room except there was only coffee in it one day. This is only an issue if you are taking a trip early in the am and the restaurant is not open. We found all the staff really amazing, very willing to accommodate your every wish and really friendly without being sickening. Special kudos must go to Gilbert (the Signature rep.) who greeted us at the beginning and was an excellent source of information, truly a prince of a fellow. Also Maria, a waitress was amazing. We are not the type of tourists to just lie around by the pool so we rented a car. We rented a small Daihatsu Bego 4x4 to explore the country with. We drove out to Monte Verde which I highly recommend. Don't be afraid to rent a car. the speeds are generally low and the roads once you get off the two lane highway just have to be experienced. Renting a car also allowed us to explore a national park called Rincon de la Viejo. If you are into hiking you really really enjoy this trip. Waterfalls, volcanic activity, lots of wildlife and not crowded.
Things I heard people complain about (but didn't do) were the trip to Coco beach, Arenal was a real hit and miss and it made for a very long day. Another couple were not impressed with the trip to Nicaragua. We did do the zip line (Witch's Rock) which is only a couple of miles out of the resort. I must admit I was glad when it was over. I do have a fear of heights and I try to beat it. My wife on the other hand loved it. In short food and drinks were great. The climate was perfect. Ticas and Ticos so very friendly and my high school Spanish started to come back to me. We really had a blast. Don't forget your wallet though as the trips tended to be quite expensive especially with our Canadian dollar. But we only go around once and you can't take it with you. Just go, you will love it.
"It is a long way out from anywhere"
Posted by:
Rodney from California on Feb 1, 2009 >
1 contribution(s) United States of America
Visited on: Feb, 2009
582 people found this review helpful
It was 94 degrees when we arrived so to be met with a drink wwas very nice. It was quite a drive from the airport with not much in between. Check-in was easy and quick and we were off to our room.
The room was smaller than I had liked but the air conditioned space was just right for me. The beds were firm and that was a plus.
Restaurants and Bars
I didnt spend any timne in the bars but they always seemd to have quite a few people around. The Italian restaurant was terrible. The look and flavor of the place was not up to code. The Mexican restaurant was the best! I wanted to try all the menu had to offer. Everyone was was right on the ball and the food was not to be forgotten.
The beach was cool with its trees and shade. The pool was very nice. The grounds were so manicured and neat. Very pleasant to the eye.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We took a couple tours with CAT tours. Edwardo was very helpfull. Whatever they said was on the tour...well, it was. One morning we did not get a wake-up call so missed the bus. They rescheduled for us at a later date. No problem.
Other Comments
I asked for an iron for my shirts for five days in a row speaking to every department and seven people. I finally got ahold of one. I think the reason being that they charge about a dollar an article to press for you. If they give you an iron they loose that dollar. So irons are hard to come by. The airconditioner one day started to pour out water onto the floor. Called maintenance and they came very quickly and remedied the problem. Most of the staff was so friendly and helpfull. The people working the Buffet were extra nice. If I came to Costa Rica again I would not stay here. It is a long way out from anywhere. If you just want to stay at a nice place and not go out except on tours, not on your own then this is the spot. I like to rent a car and drive around a bit. This place added to the mileage.
Posted by:
Stacey from Edmonton on Jan 1, 2009 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Jan, 2009
565 people found this review helpful
Arrival: Jan 1 - Jan 8, 2009
Very organized, received our room keys on the bus while driving to the resort from the airport. We were presented with a welcome drink upon arrival also.
A bit dated, we had some trouble with ants and termites. Nothing too major. Not bad enough to complain and move. They were getting in via the balcony doors. Safe worked fine. Pay $2 US per day, they give you the instructions on how to set up your own code for entry. Easy.
Restaurants and Bars:
Fantastic!!! The a la carte restaurants were excellent, make sure to make your reservations. The buffet was great, the kids loved the abundance of fresh fruit every day. The snack bar was also really good, we ate lunch there almost every day. Homemade pizzas, burgers, hotdogs, nachos..... great food. The staff at the buffet and bars were so friendly and SO good with the kids. My kids took a real liking to Jimmy and we couldn't leave for the airport until they had said their goodbyes and gave him a hug. He was the best!!
The pool was great. The beach was nice, the ocean water was warmer than the pool. Water aerobics every morning at 11. We even played bingo a few times while at the pool. Lots of fun.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We found that the entertainment staff were all very dedicated. Always something to do. These people were there in the morning and were still there to put on the show at night. All very friendly, especially with the kids.
Other Comments::
Overall, a great experience. If we were to stay at this resort again, I think we would put out the extra $ to stay in the premium rooms (Bldgs 10 & 11). The people I spoke to that were staying in those rooms, had no ants, termites or any other bugs to complain about. They were all quite happy with their rooms and also received fresh fruit in their rooms upon arrival. Gift shops are not related to the hotel, I found them to be quite pricy. I bought a photo album in a small town called La Fortuna (a stop on the Arenal Volcano trip) for $13 US. The exact same album in the gift store at the hotel was $32 US. So, if you are planning any excursions outside the hotel, try and do your souvenir shopping there. It will be much cheaper. Also, a word to the wise, get your bottled water from Pablo's Bar, they will charge it to your room and it is much cheaper than buying it at the gift shop. There are water machines everywhere, so if you just keep refilling the ones you bought, you won't need to buy too many.
Go on day trips... the best one by far for us was the Palo Verde River tour. It was a day that we will never forget. And, if you are fortunate enough to get Sergio as a guide, it will also be a day that you will never forget. He is a wealth of knowledge about his country and will show you things that other guides would never even think of. He goes the extra mile for his tours. For instance, he showed us some termite nests and how they grow on the trunks of trees and then he ate some of them right off of a stick. He was also able to get a troop of White faced Capuchian monkeys to come on the boat and we fed them bananas. That is just a small glimpse into the day that we will always remember. Sergio rocks!Overall, we had a fantastic vacation in Costa Rica and are hoping to get back there again. One week just isn't enough time to see such beauty. For a small country, there is alot to see. 2 weeks would be nice. PURA VIDA!!


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The richly flavored red braises characteristic of Chinese cooking make warming winter meals that can be adapted to a slow cooker. Typically, seasonings of anise, cinnamon and ginger distinguish these dishes. Pork shoulder becomes meltingly tender during the slow braise. Serve over noodles or brown rice, with stir-fried napa cabbage.
Nutrition Profile:
Diabetes Appropriate
Gluten Free Diet
Healthy Weight
High Potassium
Low Calorie
Low Carb
Serves 6
Prep Time 40 min
Total Time 225 min.
Step 1
Place carrots and turnips in the bottom and up the sides of a 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Top with pork and scallion whites. Bring broth, water, soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, ginger, vinegar, chile-garlic sauce to taste and garlic to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour over the pork and vegetables. Nestle star anise pod (or aniseed) and cinnamon stick into the stew. Cover and cook until the pork and vegetables are tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours on high or 5 1/2 to 6 hours on low.
Step 2
Discard the star anise pod and cinnamon stick. Skim or blot any visible fat from the surface of the stew. Add the cornstarch mixture, cover and cook on high, stirring 2 or 3 times, until slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve sprinkled with scallion greens and sesame seeds.
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James C. 'Jimmy' Shelton
WAYNESVILLE — James C. "Jimmy" Shelton, 83, of Belle Mead Drive, passed away Sunday, March 2, 2014 at Maggie Valley Nursing Home.
A native of Haywood County, he was the son of the late Floyd and Iva Lee Sisk Shelton and was also preceded in death by his wife, Fannie McClure Shelton, who died in 2008. James was a retired carpenter.
He is survived by two daughters, Susan Chappell of Norlina and Betty Jean Green and husband, Eddie of Waynesville; a son, Floyd Cecil Shelton and wife, Jo, of Reidsville; grandson, Greg Shelton and wife, Carolyn; one sister, Bobbie Jean Kelley, of Clyde; four grandchildren; and 11 great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 4 in the Waynesville Chapel of Wells Funeral Home with the Revs. Bobby Rogers and Barry Willett officiating. Burial will follow at Green Hill Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 p.m. on Monday at the funeral home.
Visit www.wellsfuneralhome.com.