McDougall Adventures

Costa Rica McDougall Adventure February, 2011

WOW! There probably aren't enough adjectives to describe how much we enjoyed the trip. What a grand way to spend our 25th wedding anniversary!! It was at a perfect location with the perfect weather. The hotel staff was absolutely incredible. The food: fantastic. We were never hungry, but never overstuffed, even sampling all the deserts! Loved the lectures. The information reconfirmed our beliefs in the vegan diet and we learned a lot of new things. Excellent! The tours were great and the guides were helpful, funny and informative. We had so much fun talking with everyone from all over the country, and even other parts of the world - this was a major highlight. We formed friendships we feel we will have for life. For us, it was a trip of a lifetime. Thanks for putting this together. We are so glad we went!

Pura Vida! And God bless, Gary and Jill Aderhold

This was absolutely the best trip I have ever taken. It was my first time going on the Dr. McDougall Adventure Trip and it exceeded my expectations. The food was so delicious; I wanted to try some of it all. I didn't know vegan food could be prepared so beautiful and delicious. The adventures were so exciting and fun. I'm 68 years old and felt like a kid doing all the fun things on this trip. The resort was so beautiful and relaxing, and everyone there was extremely friendly and accommodating. Of course, the lectures by Dr. McDougall were very informative and motivating. I especially enjoyed sitting with different people each evening at dinner and hearing about their experiences with healthy eating. It was really inspiring. I've been on many different tours over the years, and I can honestly say this was the most fun and the best organized trip I have ever been on. I will definitely plan on going on another Costa Rica Adventure Trip again.

Nancy McDuffie

For me, the trip was a great introduction to Costa Rica - you've done a really good job of selecting adventures to get everyone a bit out of their comfort zone and still kept things tame enough we all had fun. The food as I'm sure already know makes the trip just that much more relaxing . . . someone else has asked all the questions about what's in it and answered the age old questions, "what's for dinner.

Ann Fox

I was very impressed with the quality of the professional guides that you use for these adventures. They were so passionate and knowledgeable about the things that they were showing us. Thank you. I have never met so many people that were so easy to talk to on the very first meeting. I am sure that there will be some long-time friendships built during that brief week. The food program really re-enforced my understanding of how to eat. I now feel much more comfortable being a (relatively new) vegan now that I eat more starches compared to the fruits and vegetables. I had it backwards before and always felt hungry and ready to eat the wrong foods. Thank you for a successful and fun week on many different levels.

Cathy Church

Costa Rica was such an adventure. I loved swinging through the trees with a 20 year old to keep me on track. I loved seeing dolphins on our way to snorkel, I loved the Vegan food, though I'm probably only going to take the first flying leap into vegetarianism. Sergio's trip to the Santa Rosa National Park was a wonder. People asked me why I was there and I never could quite explain, except that Costa Rica is a wonderful place, I love speaking Spanish and the Papagayo Hilton with its free beverages at the bar all day and night has to have been a drawing card. It was a trip to write home about. I could have stayed longer and had more strange and wonderful juices, gallo pinto and chocolate desserts. Don't forget that chocolate comes from a bean so it's an important pillar of the vegan food groups.

Thanks so much, Mary Frances Baugh

The Costa Rica trip exceeded our expectations. I would have liked a morning and afternoon lecture. Your presentations were not only informative but also very convincing to me and only served to move Karen and I toward more significant diet changes. Other than your lectures the Zip line was a trip highlight for us. I expected the meals to be more stringent since our vegetarian shift has been more conservative and somewhat tentative. We both agree that a stronger shift toward the Vegan side will be necessary but expect the change to be gradual. All in all the experience has strengthened our desire to modify our eating habits in line with your philosophy.

Ray Schlueter DO

My husband and I have been following a (not so good –still eating fish, eggs and cheese) vegetarian diet for 1 1/2 years. I had been receiving Dr. McDougall's newsletters for some time. I knew our diet needed some improvement and we both love to travel. When I saw the Costa Rica Adventure trip it just fit our needs. For me, eating the plant based diet for seven days in a row with someone else making the meals was what I needed to see how appetizing, interesting and filling the meals could be. The resort and adventures were great and now we are home to continue our new 'eating' adventure!

Karen Schlueter

As I sit here in Chicago with below zero temps and 2 ft. of snow, I can't help but remember our sensational trip to Costa Rica with the McDougall group. From the superb meals (I was never hungry and enjoyed all the interesting menus), to the people we met (always encouraging and willing to help with valuable information), to the great hotel and staff (always smiling and accommodating), to the wonderful John and Mary McDougall (who for without their hard work and knowledge there would be no trip), we could not have dreamed of more fantastic week. It literally has been life-changing.

Linda and Mike Hurney

The Costa Rica Adventure trip was much more than I expected. Besides just loving all of the adventures each day, the food was great, and the lectures were fascinating. I was not a vegan when I came, but after eating the delicious food, and listening to the persuasive, convincing lectures, I have committed to being a vegan. If everyone could go to this, our world would be so much healthier.

Scott Cummings

It was a great week with soft adventures, McDougall lectures to remind us to stay Vegan, and loving the vegan food three times a day. The huge display of food choices gave me new ideas for cooking. I found the people in the program to be very interesting, inspiring, and upbeat people. We live in a retirement complex of 700 people, which will eventually have 2000 people, and I'm on the Menu Planning Committee, feeling all alone in being sure that there's a Vegetarian Option on the menu every day. I also am in the Wisdom Writers' Group here and read to the group a draft copy of our Costa Rican experience. An unexpected result of that was a request for an interview about our trip, to be put in the monthly Gazette. People are very interested, and now 700 people will read about The McDougall Plan. And possibly become vegans? And our doctor is buying The China Study.

Marilyn Borton

Thank you so much for another wonderful adventure trip. We can’t wait to go again. The Papagayo Resort is absolutely wonderful. The staff was all terrific. They were so attentive, professional and caring. The resort is beautiful with great beaches and plenty of places to lounge around and enjoy the beauty and serenity of the ocean. The high point of course was your daily lecture; I always learn something new. The trips were always fun and well managed. The guides are simply the best. I am always impressed by their knowledge. They are real experts. The food was fabulous. It is so great to be able to go someplace and not worry about the food or where one can eat and stay on the program. Not only did the food follow your guidelines, but it was all so really good and beautifully served. We loved the homemade tortillas and the guacamole, the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables at every meal, and I appreciated the absence of “Franken-foods” (fake meats and cheese). And the desserts!!!! We can’t forget the display of desserts at every meal. Of course I had to try everything, in the name of scientific research. I was so sure that I had gained weight, but when I weighed myself when I got home I found that I did not, even though I ate my fill at every meal. I probably would have lost weight if I had not had my evening mojito and wine with dinner. It’s really nice to be able to talk to so many like-minded people. Sharing recipes and experiences with new friends who understand the value of what you are doing is a huge part of the whole event.

Ola and Jim

What a great week! The entire Costa Rica experience was a fun-filled education. There is nothing like enjoying the warm tropical air and exciting adventures shared with the nicest possible group of people. The food was outstanding and it was difficult to believe that I could eat that much and still loose weight. We came home with many creative ideas to add to our menus we get from Mary's section of the McDougall Newsletter and Johns books. My husband has been on the McDougall diet for almost 30 years but I was not as committed... until this trip! We are looking forward to next year in Costa Rica!

Mary Kay King

The Costa Rica Adventure trip was the perfect guilt-free vacation. As a base of operations, I can't imagine any place that would top the Papagayo Hilton Resort where we stayed (and as a former Rolling Stone Senior Writer I have stayed at quite a few "luxury" hotels). From our room we had a view of the beautiful Bay of Papagayo. I loved waking each morning to the sun shining down on the water and the beach. I think of the trip as guilt-free, because it combined delicious healthy low-fat meals that I, as a vegan, could totally enjoy without concern as to how it might impact my blood sugar (I'm a Type 1 diabetic who has had that illness since I was nine years old), along with Dr. McDougall's excellent, highly informative lectures and smoothly executed daily adventure trips. We had a blast horseback riding to the hot springs, and had the best time on river rafting. While the rest of my family (we brought our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter along) went off on zip line and hiking adventures, I took advantage of the shaded lounge chairs to read Fitzgerald's "The Beautiful and the Damned," a book I've been meaning to get to for, oh, thirty years I'd say. At nearly every meal we made new friends conversing about health and diet. I also took advantage of the gym, where I put in my time on the treadmill and did some weightlifting -- it's a more than adequate facility for working out while on vacation. I really can't imagine how the trip could have gone any smoother, and I applaud John and Mary McDougall for perfecting their Costa Rica Adventure trip.

Michael Goldberg

It was great. Our whole family had a wonderful time, including our seven-month-old grand daughter, Norah. We so enjoyed being together on this adventure. I also liked meeting all the folks who came on this adventure which included the die-hard vegans, the curious and "dragged-alongs." There was room for all. All were welcome. At home, I don't have much opportunity to really discuss this stuff. So it felt like a luxury to be able to talk freely at the meals with other participants without worrying about starting a contentious debate or argument. The weather in Costa Rica was, in my opinion, perfect and I've never had such good service at a hotel. I was amazed by how erudite the guides were and very much appreciated their talks. Also, I liked the nightly lectures from Dr. McDougall. Even though I've heard talks before, I still got info that was new (and useful!) to me. I really liked going to the gym, jumping in the pool and then lounging around by the beach. My only regrets were not going snorkeling and not booking a couple or extra days at the Hilton before flying back.

Leslie Goldberg

We did indeed have a wonderful time in Costa Rica. The setting was lovely, the excursions well-organized, the guides fun and interesting. We learned a lot about Costa Rican history, ecology, people. I was looking forward to a vacation where I did not have to find the one thing on the menu that I could eat, or asking the waiter to hold the cheese. But the food far exceeded my expectations! The volume and variety was amazing. I do hope you are able to get many of the recipes! I have been following your diet for 16 years via books and your website with Mary's wonderful recipes. Weight has not been a primary issue for me. I ate much more than I usually eat (hard to resist trying all the desserts each night!) but I didn't gain any weight. An unexpected benefit was meeting a very interesting, diverse group of people. They were from all over the US, Canada and even Europe. We got to know many new people, chatting during the day trips, at meals and into the evening. Many told stories of how they came to be on the trip and why they were following the McDougall diet. We also swapped information on websites, books, recipes, how to plan meals, etc. But we also just got to know each other - work, family, and hobbies. Many had such amazing outside activities from running a bed and breakfast, to rafting, mountain climbing, sailing, and planning a sustainable farm. We came away feeling we had made new friends. My husband came on the trip reluctantly. He was assured he could get meat at the other restaurants if he wanted to and that not all of those who came were enthused about a plant based diet. There were several reluctant spouses as it turned out. However, he never went to another restaurant. He said that he felt satisfied at every meal and felt no need to snack. He enjoyed his wine with dinner and a beer at lunch, and an occasional rum punch. We stayed on at the resort a few extra days and the staff was very accommodating when we asked for a "McDougall meal". These were elegantly presented as well as tasty. Surprisingly, my husband is still following the diet! And he's already talking about going to Costa Rica again next year. John and Mary, you were wonderful hosts. We felt like welcome guests and that you were genuinely interested in everyone. The whole trip went very smoothly, an amazing feat!

Anne Curtis

This was my second time to the Costa Rica Adventure trip and it was even more fun than before, I loved the places, the weather, the people I met, the Costa Ricans, the food and… the lectures… of course. I give thanks to the McDougall’s, the tourist guides and to the wonderful staff at the Papagayo Hilton, specially the smiley tortilla lady, who made my breakfast glorious, Anais at the spa area, who prepared tons of healthy fruit and vegetables juices, no sugar added, of course, and kudos to the maestro: the chef, who recently came from the Margarita Hilton, located in that beautiful island of my home country, Venezuela. I cannot wait to go back… again…

Mireya Esqueda

All I can say is it was great and hearing the lectures in person gave me such a better understanding of the how and whys of this way of nourishing self.

Natalie

This was a great vacation. Not only did I escape from snow, sleet and freezing temps, but I got to stay in a beautiful resort, in a warm, sunny, beautiful place. The adventures were a kick! This grandma can't be such an old phart after all, because I did all the zip lines and rafted past actual crocodiles! I met a lot of really interesting, cool people, and ate a truly obscene amount of new and delicious foods (without gaining an ounce, by the way.) And in the evenings, Dr. McDougall gave us talks about how and why to eat the way humans are designed to eat. As an added bonus since I got back, my blood pressure is now normal, without the blood pressure meds I've taken for the past 4 years.

Mary Genz

I can't think of any suggestions for improvements, which you might make. We participated in all of the organized activities and received an excellent education about Costa Rica and the "natural" world from your well-informed guides. We really enjoyed getting to know the others in our assigned group and learning from their stories and experiences. I stuffed myself with delicious food three times per day and still, as you predicted, returned home several pounds lighter. The highlight of Joan's and my experience was your daily lectures. You are an excellent teacher and your topics were certainly relevant to our lives. I have been following your diet since October and have already lost 35 of the 60 pounds I intend to lose. I would have done almost anything, and been willing to spend a significant amount of money, to achieve the goal that I now feel sure that I will reach. I can't believe that the solution is so simple and that I can eat all of these starchy foods that I love. I am extremely appreciative of the revolutionary ideas to which you have introduced me and only wish that I had known about them many years ago.

Peter Bours

This was a Five Star experience for us, and a fabulous way to celebrate my daughter's 25th birthday. From the initial contacts with Carol, to get us there with the appropriate "stuff,” to coming back to the cold US (and actually getting out of Houston just one hour before the airport closed due to weather,) the entire experience was totally positive! The Hilton Papagayo is a wonderful facility with spectacular views and very friendly, attentive staff. (Great massages too!) Even though we both lost weight, it certainly wasn't because we held back on eating. The large selections of items at the buffets were both delicious AND nourishing. As far as activities, there were plenty of fun things to do, with participants from age seven months into their eighties. All the adventure trips were extremely well planned and conducted by top-notch guides (Conrad, Sergio, Freddie and Dennis.) There was also ample time to be able to just sit by the pool or beach and relax. One major highlight of the trip was getting to make so many new friends that we will continue to be in contact with. Like-minded, interesting people with equally interesting backgrounds and experiences. Another highpoint was Dr. McDougall's evening lectures; always new information and insight. Bottom line: This was a great vacation. All the hard work done by Dr. McDougall, Mary and Tiffany made it effortless. We'll be back! THANKS!!

Mitzi Cruickshank

I recently returned from the McDougall Costa Rica Adventure Trip and I must say that it was one of the best vacations of my life. I was a little concerned about going because I was the only solo male in a group of 108 people but that concern quickly melted away as everyone was so friendly and approachable. I can't believe how many great people I met and befriended. In addition to the great people, the resort was very nice, the adventures were a blast, the weather was outstanding but most importantly the meals were incredible and the McDougall's were great and informative hosts. Dr. McDougall's evening lectures were interesting and very enlightening to a relative vegan newbie like myself. I am incredibly inspired to lose a lot more weight and get very fit and healthy. I've been checking out a lot of McDougall recipes and yesterday morning I made Gallo Pinto for my family and it was a big hit. I plan to go back to Costa Rica for the winter 2012 McDougall trip to soak in some more vitamin D, eat some delicious Costa Rican cuisine, and meet a new bunch of wonderful people.

Ken Beadling

We enjoyed the wonderful food and interacting with people who shared our same interests in health and diet. We met many people who shared their experiences with the McDougall Diet. We made friends with whom we will continue to communicate. The resort and the staff were very accommodating and nice. The rooms were especially comfortable and pretty. The all-inclusive plan was a very good deal. The guides were very professional and shared the history and their love for their country with us. The McDougall staff was very well organized and fine-tuned down to the minute with each detail, which was much appreciated too. Thanks for an unforgettable trip.

Nancy and Rob Faulkner

I had followed the McDougall Plan in the past, but after sliding back into many of my old habits and regaining much of my lost weight, I decided I needed to get back on track. The McDougall Adventure trip seemed like it would be the perfect way to do that. I have wanted to see Costa Rica and the trip sounded like fun. I enjoy traveling with my parents and they agreed to come along. We were a bit apprehensive that we would be surrounded by thin healthy people, but the reality is there are all kinds of people on the trip; people of all ages, sizes, and abilities. All aspects of the trip are very well organized and flexible. The adventures are wonderful. We had world-class guides whose love of nature and their amazing country was evident. The days are busy, but not overwhelming: a trip in the morning and free afternoons to swim, hike, socialize, or relax at the beautiful resort. You are free to do as much or as little as you choose. Dr. McDougall’s evening lectures are interesting and enjoyable. The food is spectacular. A buffet of healthy delights is available at every meal. It was so nice to be able to choose anything from the buffet and know that there would be no unhealthy surprises. As I was hustling through the airport to catch my connection home, I was not nearly as breathless as I would have been a week earlier. My parents and I are all reinvigorated by the trip and back on the path to better health. I hope to enjoy my parents’ company for many years to come.

Kathleen Sioui