DH and I will be leaving in about a month for our cruise in Costa Rica. We have friends down there, a retired couple who chucked everything a few years ago and relocated to Costa Rica after they fell in love with it during a vacation. We'll be staying with them for a few days pre- and post-cruise, and they have developed a fabulous itinerary for showing us around.

I've asked her to send me a list of items she can't purchase down there, that I can bring for them. She did so, but she is insisting that we allow them to pay for it all! I completely understand how she feels -- I would probably say the same thing, and I will respect her wishes.

However, I would really like to give them something to show our incredible appreciation for all that they're doing for us. I was wondering of all of you well-traveled folks have any ideas of things that we can purchase here they might not be able to get down there. I thought of bringing a bunch of very American food items, but I know that they are both dedicated low-carbers (one of the itmes she's asked me to pick up is a particular brand of low-carb ketchup), and I'm not that familiar with low-carb diets.

So I turn to my wonderful friends here on LCT -- any suggestions? Thanks!

I'd go to Trader Joe's and buy some interesting things that they definitely could not get there - they have all theose yummy sauce items or I'd check out one of the Low Carb aisles of Whole Foods or even Von's.

Look here for the low carb options from Kraft.

Great -- I'll try out both suggestions!

How about non-food ideas? I'm open to anything!

How about some kind of lotions or Gift soaps? Bath and Body Works or Crabtree and Evelyn (my favorite)- both in the Oaks Mall? You can make gift baskets there. Or Trader Joes and Whole Foods had some unusual ones. There is also a new store on Via Colinas in the Canfield Persons center called Simply Unique.

Good idea! I love Crabtree & Evelyn. I'll head over to the mall. And I especially like the idea of putting together a gift basket -- stroke of genius, Kathy! Because I really want to be sure to separate what they asked us to pick up for them, versus what we are giving them as a token of our great appreciation for all they are doing. A gift basket is a loving gesture from people who care about you, as opposed to a bag of goods, y'know?

They live in a compound that includes a Costa Rican family, whom they befriended when they were down there for a vacation. I was reading that in Costa Rica (as in many other cultures) it's expected that when you visit someone's home from out of town, you should bring something as a gift that is unique to your home. So I'll put together two gift baskets, -- one for them, and one for the family we will surely meet.

I like this store the best. Great stuff.

Well, that didn't work but you can get the general idea...

L'Occitane is in the Oaks mall right across from Crabtree and Evelyn. They have nice stuff too. Just gift wise, Crabtree has some nice assortment packages in smaller sizes for gift baskets. Aside from those stores, there is a Body Shop, Bath and Body Works, Victoria's Secret with a big lotion/perfume, Sephora and a few others inlcuding some Mall Carts too.

For anyone who lives near the Palm Springs Desert Outlet Mall area - L'Occitane recently opened an outlet store there. Fabulous buys! I spent over an hour in there earlier this month, buying bath gels and lotions for less than $3.00 a bottle! That equates to about 75% off retail! They had a great selection of items at dirt cheap prices!

We're going to visit the units this weekend in PS so it sounds like a stop is in order for sure!

Hey, I just found out that Windstar (the cruise line we'll be on down there) puts L'Occitane bath products in their cabins!

Great ideas everyone -- I'll be putting together a couple of really nice gift baskets, including various bath-type products, as well as low-carb foods. I'll be hitting Trader Joes later this week to find some.

Thanks so much! :)

You'll find some great deals, Robert. The store did carry men's products, too.

LeeAnne, the store also had many smaller-sized items good for travel. I think they would work well for gift baskets, too. If you have time to drive to PS, it may be well worth your while to check it out (and stock up on some presents for yourself!).

I got hooked on L'Occitane after trying them out during our stay at the Amstel InterCon. They had a wonderful array of products in our bathroom.

Happy shopping to you both!

Do they have a DVD player? DVD's might be nice for a gift basket. My 2 favorite concert DVD's are the Eagles Farewell Tour (it's great!!) and Andrew Lloyd Weber at Royal Albert Hall (all the great songs from Cats, Evita, Phantom, and all of his other famous plays performed by the actual stars (including Glenn Close). I love these DVD's. Of course there are always movies. Anyway, just a thought....

And another great idea! I especially like the ALW songs -- I might want to get one of those for myself. ;)

Just a cautionary note about scents - MANY yrs ago, my son got me a lavender scented something from Crabtree & Evelyn which I put in my lingerie drawer; this many yrs. later, I can still smell it and I wasn't crazy about it to begin with!

LeeAnne - Probably more information than you ever wanted to know but this DVD is so great if you are an ADW lover. The title is "Andrew Lloyd Weber -The Royal Albert Hall Celebration (1998)" You can buy it at amazon.com and it is great for company, everyone loves it. Here is a description:

"The video contains... Whistle Down The Wind ~ Tina Arena; Joseph Fanfare ~ the Orchestra; Any Dream Will Do & Close Every Door ~ Donny Osmond; Variations On A Theme By Paganini ~ Julian Lloyd Webber; Requiem For Evita ~ National Youth Choir; Oh What A Circus & High Flying Adored ~ Antonio Banderas; Don't Cry For Me Argentina ~ Elaine Paige; Light At The End Of The Tunnel ~ Ray Shell; Hosana (from Jesus Christ Superstar) ~ National Youth Choir; Hosana (from Requiem) ~ Dennis O'Neill; Pie Jesu ~ Sarah Brightman & Ben De'Ath; Jesus Christ Superstar ~ Marcus Lovett; Gethsemane ~ Michael Ball; Phantom Overture ~ the Orchestra; Phantom Of The Opera ~ Sarah Brightman & Antonio Banderas; All I Ask Of You ~ Sarah Brightman & Michael Ball; Music Of The Night ~ Sarah Brightman; Tire Tracks And Broken Hearts ~ Bonnie Tyler; No Matter What ~ Boyzone; Vaults Of Heaven ~ Michael Ball; Car Chase On Sunset Boulevard ~ the Orchestra; Once Upon A Time ~ Glenn Close & Marcus Lovett; With One Look & As If We Never Said Goodbye ~ Glenn Close; Love Changes Everything ~ Michael Ball & the Cast; Memory ~ Elaine Paige; The Heart Is Slow To Learn ~ Kiri Te Kanawa; Happy Birthday ~ the Cast; Whistle Down The Wind ~ Lottie Mayor & Andrew Lloyd Webber, and The Jellicle Ball ~ the Orchestra. You absolutely can't go wrong with this video. There is something for everyone, and you'll find yourself watching it repeatedly. The performances by Antonio Banderas, Sarah Brightman, Michael Ball, Glenn Close, Boyzone & Bonnie Tyler are all definitely highlights, but there isn't a disappointing performance in the entire 2 hour+ show."

Sorry for this being such a rave review - just couldn't resist. If you are an ALW lover this is sure to please. Hope this isn't too off subject and doesn't kill the thread :)

Sally

Well Sally it doesn't kill it for me! I'm definitely an ALW lover, so I'll be going out to get that CD.

Sally, I wanted to let you know that I ended up not getting the DVD, but I did pick up an Andrew Lloyd Weber CD that has 18 songs done by the original cast members. It has songs from Jesus Christ Superstar, Phantom, Evita, and others, and performances by Barbra Streisand, Michael Crawford, Glenn Close, Madonna, and others. It's great, thanks for the suggestion! I think they'll love it.

Your welcome and I hope they enjoy it. Have fun!

Hi LeeAnne,
Just thought of another possible gift.
If they enjoy candy, maybe a box of See's. Can you tell I'm always thinking "chocolate"? It woouldn't take up that much room, easy to pack and just yummy for all.
Enjoy your visit and cruise. Eager to hear your report.
Happy sailing.
Joanne

P.S.
Just realized they are low carb, so candy may not be a good suggestion after all. Sorry.
Joanne

How much more convenient could it BE?? ;)

You are very sweet to think of doing something for your friends! I hope you have a fabulous trip and visit.

Thanks Kim!

Joanne, actually I like the idea of bringing them some Sees Candy. Even dedicated low-carbers occasionally treat themselves. And if they don't want to eat them, they can make great gifts for their friends down there.

LeeAnne

Lee Anne, Just a thought.
You might make sure they own a CD player ( or DVD player).. they are very expensive to buy down there ..might want to bring them one
Also, if they have them there is a possibility that they are not compatible with our tapes/CD's

CDs should be OK. DVDs might be a problem depending on the DVD and the DVD player.

Masaki

Thanks for the thought Claudia! I do know they at least have a portable CD player, so the CD gift should be okay. Not sure about a DVD, so I won't get them one.