2004 Trip Report - SJ, Tortuguero, Montezuma, La Paz
Oct 27th, 2004, 08:00 AM
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2004 Trip Report - SJ, Tortuguero, Montezuma, La Paz
This report is a several months late! However once returning my AOL and Fodors seemed to not like one another. While researching for our 2005 trip - I find many of the same questions - Hope this will help someone!
What a wonderful trip we had! Thanks to all on this board for the great tips and advice. Also, thanks to Pat Hewitt - Costa Rica Travel Exchange, Costa Rica Concierge!
We had 11 fun filled days! This was our 3rd trip to CR, destinations this trip were San Jose, Tortuguero, Montezuma and La Paz.
Day 1 - flew into SJ, arrived 1:30 PM - I was totally amazed at the changes to this airport since our trip 2 years ago. Getting through the airport was quite easy, quick and efficient.
We took a cab, there is a booth where you tell them what hotel you wish to be transported to, the rates are set, quite simple. Off to the Hotel Britannia in downtown SJ. Check in at the hotel was very pleasant. Room was quite nice, large room with 1 King and 1 Double bed. A view of the city. Nice large bathroom. Hot Water, TV, AC, Fan, Phone. Hotel staff quite pleasant. Internet Access at front desk $3. Small gift shop. Pleasant lobby seating areas. Restaurant with nice atmosphere, food was a bit disappointing and a bit pricey; service was quite slow and seemed a bit disorganized. However I did have a Tenderloin with Mushroom Sauce that was nice and a couple of really good desserts!
This hotel is 6 blocks from the National Theatre and Gold Museum. We walked to these for a visit. Too late in the day for a City Tour.
Day 2 - Early wake up call and off to the Pacuare River with Rios Tropicales for some white water rafting Class III/IV.
What a Fabulous Day!!!
We were picked up around 7 AM, and taken to their Operations Center, which was a very nice setup with open air dining areas, nice large bathhouses, with warm water showers; a gift shop and bar.
We had a good breakfast, quite a few choices, the typical, along with omelets. After changing we boarded the bus for the river. Fitted with lifejackets and helmets, a short training/safety session and off we went - Incredible, lots of excitement and beautiful scenery. We stopped along the way for a snack of fruits and cookies. And off again for more excitement.
At the end of our run, we again boarded a bus and were taken back to the Operations Center, where a hot lunch was waiting. A chance to take showers, change and share stories - We were the only raft that did not have anyone fall out!
(Tips for this trip - Bring towels, none are supplied, although they do supply soap and shampoo. Wear Teva Sandals or water shoes, you need something with a grip for walking and gripping that raft! You do not need anything in the raft - other than what is medically necessary, which will be stored in a water proof pack. You may want a water proof camera, straps to hold your sunglasses, and maybe a cap, apply sunscreen!)
They have someone taking digital pictures the entire run - this CD sold for $40 and was well worth it!
Back to SJ
Hotel Britannia - would recommend, however we will never overnight in SJ again. Too many other wonderful places within an hour of the airport.
Rios Tropicales - would highly recommend this tour company and this trip! It is a must!
Day 3 - Another early morning! Picked up at 6:30 AM by Groupo Mawamba, boarded a tour bus to the Tortuguero Canals for a 3 day/2 night stay at Mawamba Lodge. We stopped off at an open air restaurant for a typical breakfast of Black Beans and Rice, Eggs, Fruit and Wonderful Costa Rican Coffee. On the road again, we stopped at a Banana Packing Plant, which was interesting, learned a bit about the production, harvest and packing of bananas. Back on the road, we finally got to the canals. It was quite funny to have to pay 50 colones to go to the bathroom! There is a place here to get a drink and snack, while waiting to board your boat. The boats move along fast enough to get quite a nice breeze. The canal trip was very pretty, saw a couple of crocodiles.
Finally arrived at Mawamba Lodge! Greeted with a fruit drink and short introduction to the property. Found our room - which was a rustic lodge style room, with 3 or 4 rooms per building, basic room, nice amount of shelving for storage, hot water in shower only, nice tile bath, poor lighting in room and bath, extremely efficient ceiling fan, terrible bed.
Lunch was waiting. After lunch we were off to town, toured the small town, got caught in an afternoon shower, nothing much here, a couple of gift shops. On to the beach and learning a bit about the turtles. And back to the lodge.
Meals here were all family style buffet (you sit with your group) and surprisingly delicious. Breakfast at 7:30 AM, Lunch 1:30 PM and Dinner 7:30 PM. Each night at 5 PM they have a buffet of appetizers. There is a bar with very friendly bar staff.
Actually the entire staff was wonderful.
Day 4 - You will start your morning to the sounds of planes coming in. So you might as well start the morning with a 6 AM canal trip and then back for breakfast, a hike at 9 AM and then a canal trip at 2:30 PM. All or some - you choose.
We saw birds and more birds (sorry birders I don?t know which ones, I can only say they were pretty!), lizards, crocs, caimans, and monkeys (I swear if I did not no better I would swear they had been paid to perform). The canals themselves were just beautiful.
There is a very inviting pool, hammock houses, a gift shop, nice walking trails, pretty grounds. Before dinner we found people gathering at the entrance to the beach, to watch the moon, or just to socialize. Remember you cannot swim in the ocean here.
We met so many interesting people here and really enjoyed our time.
Day 5 - Flying out - We boarded a boat to the airstrip and flew Sansa to SJ. First small plane experience. And it was ok, a little fearful, but not terrorizing. I was looking forward to seeing Costa Rica from the air and it was breathtaking.
At Sansa Terminal we had a 2 hour layover and then onto Tambor. Picked up at Tambor airstrip by private transfer and delivered to the El Sano Banano in Montezuma. What an entertaining journey and driver!
Check in at El Sano seemed to be disorganized; several people had to speak to one another, with us not knowing what was going on! But anyway it worked! So we were being taken in a truck down the beach to our bungalow. Before heading out, we had a wonderful lunch and visited the next door supermarket for snacks and drinks. There is a small fridge in the room. Off we go!
We were booked into a beach bungalow, which I believe means on the beach! However our bungalow was further up the hillside in some thick jungle - beautiful, but hot with no breeze! Not at all what I had expected since I could not see the beach.
The Bungalows are an unusual dome style, pretty, different. These are supposed to have mosquito netting ? ours did not. There is a tiny bathroom, our bungalow was very small, small balcony or terrace, small fridge, coffee maker w/coffee, a few utensils, room safe, no hot water (which we already knew), outdoor shower (not as private as I had thought it would be, I could see into the next bungalow). All in all they were okay ? just wanted to be on the beach. We have decided to give it a night.
The grounds here are very well maintained, very lush tropical landscape, with a good bit of wildlife to observe.
All the beach bungalows at El Sano and the suites are approximately 10-20 minutes walk to town. Now the trek into town at high tide was troublesome, in the loose sand. During low tide was no problem at all.
We scheduled some tours with Cocozuma Tours, just 3 doors down from El Sano. We have booked horseback riding for $25 per person, and Tortuga Island trip for $40 per person!! FYI there is an Internet Café? next door to the restaurant and then a boutique and then the tour company.
Wonderful dinner tonight, the food at El Sano is very delicious. El Sano also has a movie. So we had Dinner and a Movie! It was fun.
We were in Montezuma during a full moon, so the beach walk back to our Bungalow was well lit and then all the pathways are lit, very romantic setting.
Day 6 ? After some discussion and a sleepless night, we walked into town for breakfast, talked with the management about our room concerns, after much discussion, got Pat Hewitt on the phone, more conversation and they agreed to move us. However we would be going to a suite, no vacancy in an ocean front bungalow, disappointing but I have to see & hear the water, so a suite it is. Thanks Pat, once again the travel professional rescued us!
Since the hotel staff is moving us to our new room, we threw everything back into our duffels, and spent the rest of the day being lazy, at the pool, very pretty with manmade rock formations and waterfall, lots of vegetation, and a hammock house. Very peaceful and secluded.
We were put in the upstairs suites. These had a loft and great air circulation. Room was large, 3 double beds, a small fridge, hot plate, little kitchenette area, coffee maker, even a corkscrew. Large bathroom, huge shower, nice balcony w/table and chairs, room safe. View finally! Nice breeze. Now I can unpack! (I know I am fanatical about having things organized). 2 hammocks just out front ? very inviting!
Dinner tonight was at Café Montezuma, fresh lobster and shrimp ? pretty good but have had better ? but incredibly inexpensive!
Day 7 ? Woke up this morning to white faced monkeys playing just outside our balcony. We can hear the howlers each day. Incredible ? just want to be here and relax.
Beach day and Horseback riding. Meals were once again at El Sano, again everything was delicious ? from the meals to all the different drinks and coffees even the wine was good! Spent much of the day on the beach, the beach directly in front of the suites is mostly made up of shell, not good, however just a few feet away in front of the bungalows, you will find some nice sand.
The surf is extremely rough, with lots of rock - there were people swimming, but I was not one of them.
We have arranged for the horseback guide to pick us up just in front of our suite at 4 PM. Off we go, the tour took us over several different beaches and through the jungle, to a small waterfall. In all it took 3 ? 4 hours. The horses were pretty rough riding, did not ride at all like the ones we have at home. I was a bit spooked, since our ride took us through the jungle in the pitch dark of night! I thought the moon would never show up. But all in all it was very interesting, pretty and glad we did it.
Day 8 - We are scheduled to leave for a Snorkeling trip at 9 AM - However there were extremely high winds, so it had to be rescheduled. So after breakfast, we will shop and purchase our souvenirs, since tomorrow is our last day.
Had Dinner and Movie again tonight. I cannot say enough times how good the food is here at El Sano.
Day 9 ? The snorkeling is a go. We headed out just after 9 AM to Tortuga Island; Cocozuma Tours has the largest boat of the Montezuma operators. These are however small boats, carrying approx 12-15 passengers. But this boat also had the largest canopy, which is quite nice after being in the sun all day. We snorkeled for a little over an hour. Saw some beautiful fish, the plant life and coral formation was not great (as expected), but an incredible show of fish, even a sea snake that freaked me! The water was so calm. Over on the island, soft drinks and beer were available at no charge. Tuna was grilled and served with vegetables and fruit. And then some relaxation time ? enjoy the beach, snorkel some more, or take a hike and explore. It was a great trip, met some very fun people and the guides were very good. No crowds ? we did see the catamaran load of people ? but they went on around the island. Believe it or not ? there is a gift shop on this deserted island! This trip is a must do!
Got back in at around 4 PM,
We had dinner tonight back at Café Montezuma, excellent meal tonight. And they even had Crème Brule!
The moon is changing and beginning to be a bit dark on our beach walk. So don?t forget your flashlight. The hotel supplies one, but we took our own compact one.
(Montezuma is a place that I am glad I visited. You have most likely read that this is a ?Funky little hippie type town?. Yes it is. I most definitely saw more hippies than I have ever seen since the 60?s. But there were plenty other plain people just like me. For those of you interested in night life, yes there were a couple of loud and active bars. We enjoyed ourselves.)
Day 10 ? So we are headed out today, we have arranged for an 8 AM pickup, packed our bags and left them for the staff to pick up. We wanted to walk the beach just one last time. After breakfast and check out, our transfer picked us up and took us back to the Tambor airstrip. Our flight was out at 11 AM, and back to SJ. Car Rental Company picked us up at the Sansa Terminal, and after getting our vehicle we headed off for La Paz Waterfall Gardens Peace Lodge.
Stopped for lunch just down the street from the car rental place at something like Rosta Pollo ?? just across from the Hampton Inn. I guess it is a local chain of sorts, anyway pretty good. Our drive to La Paz, took just right at an hour. There is security in their parking lot full time. Our check in was very pleasant, efficient knowledgeable staff, unbelievably accommodating and helpful.
Off to our room ? OH MY GOD! ? WOW!- This is the most beautiful place. The room, the view, the feeling, incredible. They have thought of everything. Ice is in the bucket, A CD player with just the right music. Rocking chairs & hummingbird feeders on the balcony ? as well as a Jacuzzi. The chase lounge ? so comfortable, the bed ? absolutely stunning. And I have not even told you about the bathroom! 3 stained glass windows! And the lighting! The waterfall shower! This place assaults your senses! I did not want to leave the room! We have had a pretty packed trip and this place is so inviting and so relaxing. Perfect!
The clouds are pretty thick today, so we explored the hotel, gift shop, terraces etc. You have to make reservations for dinner, which was a delightful experience; Walter our waiter was so good. It is quite strange, you are in Costa Rica, and this is so elegant and I am in jeans and a rain jacket and it is OK! Dinner comes with soup, salad, your entrée and dessert! Don?t worry you can get your dessert to go!
After dinner we went back to the room, sat in front of the fireplace, enjoyed coffee and dessert and just being! What a fabulous experience!
Day 11 ? Extremely restful night! Woke this morning to an incredible view. Then off to breakfast which is included in your stay. And then off to the falls, before the day crowds arrive. Breathtaking waterfalls! And what incredibly ingenious walking trail design! So easy. Explored the grounds a bit more, had lunch and then down to Doka Coffee Plantation for a private tour. I love coffee! Drove up to Poas, but the cloud cover is very dense. So back to La Paz. Again our dinner was delicious. Again I ate too much. Back in our room, I love sitting in front of the fireplace, sipping a good glass of wine, with some great music, and my dessert. I am really feeling pampered.
Day 12 ? Well this is it the last day. We enjoy another good breakfast this morning. Then visit the Butterfly gardens and Hummingbird gardens one last time.
(As you can tell I enjoyed the Peace Lodge, however I wished they had a gathering place for their guest. I really missed not having the opportunity to sit around and share stories of the day?s adventures. Hopefully this has changed.)
Now off to the car rental drop off and then to the airport. We had lunch at the airport, normal fast food junk. And then ran into friends we had made along the way. Shared some delightful stories. And now we are once again on our way home. There is always next year!
What a wonderful trip we had! Thanks to all on this board for the great tips and advice. Also, thanks to Pat Hewitt - Costa Rica Travel Exchange, Costa Rica Concierge!
We had 11 fun filled days! This was our 3rd trip to CR, destinations this trip were San Jose, Tortuguero, Montezuma and La Paz.
Day 1 - flew into SJ, arrived 1:30 PM - I was totally amazed at the changes to this airport since our trip 2 years ago. Getting through the airport was quite easy, quick and efficient.
We took a cab, there is a booth where you tell them what hotel you wish to be transported to, the rates are set, quite simple. Off to the Hotel Britannia in downtown SJ. Check in at the hotel was very pleasant. Room was quite nice, large room with 1 King and 1 Double bed. A view of the city. Nice large bathroom. Hot Water, TV, AC, Fan, Phone. Hotel staff quite pleasant. Internet Access at front desk $3. Small gift shop. Pleasant lobby seating areas. Restaurant with nice atmosphere, food was a bit disappointing and a bit pricey; service was quite slow and seemed a bit disorganized. However I did have a Tenderloin with Mushroom Sauce that was nice and a couple of really good desserts!
This hotel is 6 blocks from the National Theatre and Gold Museum. We walked to these for a visit. Too late in the day for a City Tour.
Day 2 - Early wake up call and off to the Pacuare River with Rios Tropicales for some white water rafting Class III/IV.
What a Fabulous Day!!!
We were picked up around 7 AM, and taken to their Operations Center, which was a very nice setup with open air dining areas, nice large bathhouses, with warm water showers; a gift shop and bar.
We had a good breakfast, quite a few choices, the typical, along with omelets. After changing we boarded the bus for the river. Fitted with lifejackets and helmets, a short training/safety session and off we went - Incredible, lots of excitement and beautiful scenery. We stopped along the way for a snack of fruits and cookies. And off again for more excitement.
At the end of our run, we again boarded a bus and were taken back to the Operations Center, where a hot lunch was waiting. A chance to take showers, change and share stories - We were the only raft that did not have anyone fall out!
(Tips for this trip - Bring towels, none are supplied, although they do supply soap and shampoo. Wear Teva Sandals or water shoes, you need something with a grip for walking and gripping that raft! You do not need anything in the raft - other than what is medically necessary, which will be stored in a water proof pack. You may want a water proof camera, straps to hold your sunglasses, and maybe a cap, apply sunscreen!)
They have someone taking digital pictures the entire run - this CD sold for $40 and was well worth it!
Back to SJ
Hotel Britannia - would recommend, however we will never overnight in SJ again. Too many other wonderful places within an hour of the airport.
Rios Tropicales - would highly recommend this tour company and this trip! It is a must!
Day 3 - Another early morning! Picked up at 6:30 AM by Groupo Mawamba, boarded a tour bus to the Tortuguero Canals for a 3 day/2 night stay at Mawamba Lodge. We stopped off at an open air restaurant for a typical breakfast of Black Beans and Rice, Eggs, Fruit and Wonderful Costa Rican Coffee. On the road again, we stopped at a Banana Packing Plant, which was interesting, learned a bit about the production, harvest and packing of bananas. Back on the road, we finally got to the canals. It was quite funny to have to pay 50 colones to go to the bathroom! There is a place here to get a drink and snack, while waiting to board your boat. The boats move along fast enough to get quite a nice breeze. The canal trip was very pretty, saw a couple of crocodiles.
Finally arrived at Mawamba Lodge! Greeted with a fruit drink and short introduction to the property. Found our room - which was a rustic lodge style room, with 3 or 4 rooms per building, basic room, nice amount of shelving for storage, hot water in shower only, nice tile bath, poor lighting in room and bath, extremely efficient ceiling fan, terrible bed.
Lunch was waiting. After lunch we were off to town, toured the small town, got caught in an afternoon shower, nothing much here, a couple of gift shops. On to the beach and learning a bit about the turtles. And back to the lodge.
Meals here were all family style buffet (you sit with your group) and surprisingly delicious. Breakfast at 7:30 AM, Lunch 1:30 PM and Dinner 7:30 PM. Each night at 5 PM they have a buffet of appetizers. There is a bar with very friendly bar staff.
Actually the entire staff was wonderful.
Day 4 - You will start your morning to the sounds of planes coming in. So you might as well start the morning with a 6 AM canal trip and then back for breakfast, a hike at 9 AM and then a canal trip at 2:30 PM. All or some - you choose.
We saw birds and more birds (sorry birders I don?t know which ones, I can only say they were pretty!), lizards, crocs, caimans, and monkeys (I swear if I did not no better I would swear they had been paid to perform). The canals themselves were just beautiful.
There is a very inviting pool, hammock houses, a gift shop, nice walking trails, pretty grounds. Before dinner we found people gathering at the entrance to the beach, to watch the moon, or just to socialize. Remember you cannot swim in the ocean here.
We met so many interesting people here and really enjoyed our time.
Day 5 - Flying out - We boarded a boat to the airstrip and flew Sansa to SJ. First small plane experience. And it was ok, a little fearful, but not terrorizing. I was looking forward to seeing Costa Rica from the air and it was breathtaking.
At Sansa Terminal we had a 2 hour layover and then onto Tambor. Picked up at Tambor airstrip by private transfer and delivered to the El Sano Banano in Montezuma. What an entertaining journey and driver!
Check in at El Sano seemed to be disorganized; several people had to speak to one another, with us not knowing what was going on! But anyway it worked! So we were being taken in a truck down the beach to our bungalow. Before heading out, we had a wonderful lunch and visited the next door supermarket for snacks and drinks. There is a small fridge in the room. Off we go!
We were booked into a beach bungalow, which I believe means on the beach! However our bungalow was further up the hillside in some thick jungle - beautiful, but hot with no breeze! Not at all what I had expected since I could not see the beach.
The Bungalows are an unusual dome style, pretty, different. These are supposed to have mosquito netting ? ours did not. There is a tiny bathroom, our bungalow was very small, small balcony or terrace, small fridge, coffee maker w/coffee, a few utensils, room safe, no hot water (which we already knew), outdoor shower (not as private as I had thought it would be, I could see into the next bungalow). All in all they were okay ? just wanted to be on the beach. We have decided to give it a night.
The grounds here are very well maintained, very lush tropical landscape, with a good bit of wildlife to observe.
All the beach bungalows at El Sano and the suites are approximately 10-20 minutes walk to town. Now the trek into town at high tide was troublesome, in the loose sand. During low tide was no problem at all.
We scheduled some tours with Cocozuma Tours, just 3 doors down from El Sano. We have booked horseback riding for $25 per person, and Tortuga Island trip for $40 per person!! FYI there is an Internet Café? next door to the restaurant and then a boutique and then the tour company.
Wonderful dinner tonight, the food at El Sano is very delicious. El Sano also has a movie. So we had Dinner and a Movie! It was fun.
We were in Montezuma during a full moon, so the beach walk back to our Bungalow was well lit and then all the pathways are lit, very romantic setting.
Day 6 ? After some discussion and a sleepless night, we walked into town for breakfast, talked with the management about our room concerns, after much discussion, got Pat Hewitt on the phone, more conversation and they agreed to move us. However we would be going to a suite, no vacancy in an ocean front bungalow, disappointing but I have to see & hear the water, so a suite it is. Thanks Pat, once again the travel professional rescued us!
Since the hotel staff is moving us to our new room, we threw everything back into our duffels, and spent the rest of the day being lazy, at the pool, very pretty with manmade rock formations and waterfall, lots of vegetation, and a hammock house. Very peaceful and secluded.
We were put in the upstairs suites. These had a loft and great air circulation. Room was large, 3 double beds, a small fridge, hot plate, little kitchenette area, coffee maker, even a corkscrew. Large bathroom, huge shower, nice balcony w/table and chairs, room safe. View finally! Nice breeze. Now I can unpack! (I know I am fanatical about having things organized). 2 hammocks just out front ? very inviting!
Dinner tonight was at Café Montezuma, fresh lobster and shrimp ? pretty good but have had better ? but incredibly inexpensive!
Day 7 ? Woke up this morning to white faced monkeys playing just outside our balcony. We can hear the howlers each day. Incredible ? just want to be here and relax.
Beach day and Horseback riding. Meals were once again at El Sano, again everything was delicious ? from the meals to all the different drinks and coffees even the wine was good! Spent much of the day on the beach, the beach directly in front of the suites is mostly made up of shell, not good, however just a few feet away in front of the bungalows, you will find some nice sand.
The surf is extremely rough, with lots of rock - there were people swimming, but I was not one of them.
We have arranged for the horseback guide to pick us up just in front of our suite at 4 PM. Off we go, the tour took us over several different beaches and through the jungle, to a small waterfall. In all it took 3 ? 4 hours. The horses were pretty rough riding, did not ride at all like the ones we have at home. I was a bit spooked, since our ride took us through the jungle in the pitch dark of night! I thought the moon would never show up. But all in all it was very interesting, pretty and glad we did it.
Day 8 - We are scheduled to leave for a Snorkeling trip at 9 AM - However there were extremely high winds, so it had to be rescheduled. So after breakfast, we will shop and purchase our souvenirs, since tomorrow is our last day.
Had Dinner and Movie again tonight. I cannot say enough times how good the food is here at El Sano.
Day 9 ? The snorkeling is a go. We headed out just after 9 AM to Tortuga Island; Cocozuma Tours has the largest boat of the Montezuma operators. These are however small boats, carrying approx 12-15 passengers. But this boat also had the largest canopy, which is quite nice after being in the sun all day. We snorkeled for a little over an hour. Saw some beautiful fish, the plant life and coral formation was not great (as expected), but an incredible show of fish, even a sea snake that freaked me! The water was so calm. Over on the island, soft drinks and beer were available at no charge. Tuna was grilled and served with vegetables and fruit. And then some relaxation time ? enjoy the beach, snorkel some more, or take a hike and explore. It was a great trip, met some very fun people and the guides were very good. No crowds ? we did see the catamaran load of people ? but they went on around the island. Believe it or not ? there is a gift shop on this deserted island! This trip is a must do!
Got back in at around 4 PM,
We had dinner tonight back at Café Montezuma, excellent meal tonight. And they even had Crème Brule!
The moon is changing and beginning to be a bit dark on our beach walk. So don?t forget your flashlight. The hotel supplies one, but we took our own compact one.
(Montezuma is a place that I am glad I visited. You have most likely read that this is a ?Funky little hippie type town?. Yes it is. I most definitely saw more hippies than I have ever seen since the 60?s. But there were plenty other plain people just like me. For those of you interested in night life, yes there were a couple of loud and active bars. We enjoyed ourselves.)
Day 10 ? So we are headed out today, we have arranged for an 8 AM pickup, packed our bags and left them for the staff to pick up. We wanted to walk the beach just one last time. After breakfast and check out, our transfer picked us up and took us back to the Tambor airstrip. Our flight was out at 11 AM, and back to SJ. Car Rental Company picked us up at the Sansa Terminal, and after getting our vehicle we headed off for La Paz Waterfall Gardens Peace Lodge.
Stopped for lunch just down the street from the car rental place at something like Rosta Pollo ?? just across from the Hampton Inn. I guess it is a local chain of sorts, anyway pretty good. Our drive to La Paz, took just right at an hour. There is security in their parking lot full time. Our check in was very pleasant, efficient knowledgeable staff, unbelievably accommodating and helpful.
Off to our room ? OH MY GOD! ? WOW!- This is the most beautiful place. The room, the view, the feeling, incredible. They have thought of everything. Ice is in the bucket, A CD player with just the right music. Rocking chairs & hummingbird feeders on the balcony ? as well as a Jacuzzi. The chase lounge ? so comfortable, the bed ? absolutely stunning. And I have not even told you about the bathroom! 3 stained glass windows! And the lighting! The waterfall shower! This place assaults your senses! I did not want to leave the room! We have had a pretty packed trip and this place is so inviting and so relaxing. Perfect!
The clouds are pretty thick today, so we explored the hotel, gift shop, terraces etc. You have to make reservations for dinner, which was a delightful experience; Walter our waiter was so good. It is quite strange, you are in Costa Rica, and this is so elegant and I am in jeans and a rain jacket and it is OK! Dinner comes with soup, salad, your entrée and dessert! Don?t worry you can get your dessert to go!
After dinner we went back to the room, sat in front of the fireplace, enjoyed coffee and dessert and just being! What a fabulous experience!
Day 11 ? Extremely restful night! Woke this morning to an incredible view. Then off to breakfast which is included in your stay. And then off to the falls, before the day crowds arrive. Breathtaking waterfalls! And what incredibly ingenious walking trail design! So easy. Explored the grounds a bit more, had lunch and then down to Doka Coffee Plantation for a private tour. I love coffee! Drove up to Poas, but the cloud cover is very dense. So back to La Paz. Again our dinner was delicious. Again I ate too much. Back in our room, I love sitting in front of the fireplace, sipping a good glass of wine, with some great music, and my dessert. I am really feeling pampered.
Day 12 ? Well this is it the last day. We enjoy another good breakfast this morning. Then visit the Butterfly gardens and Hummingbird gardens one last time.
(As you can tell I enjoyed the Peace Lodge, however I wished they had a gathering place for their guest. I really missed not having the opportunity to sit around and share stories of the day?s adventures. Hopefully this has changed.)
Now off to the car rental drop off and then to the airport. We had lunch at the airport, normal fast food junk. And then ran into friends we had made along the way. Shared some delightful stories. And now we are once again on our way home. There is always next year!
Oct 27th, 2004, 07:13 PM
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Thanks for posting your report. I am staying at PL for 3 nights in 2 weeks and I just love to read about it- I hope that my expectations aren't too high!!!. Thanks for all the details. Do you have any pictures??
Oct 28th, 2004, 06:24 AM
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Ally - I understand! I seemed to have misplaced the info on La Paz, but at El Sano my notes are - Casillero del Diablo Chardonnay. It was a Chilean wine as normal for CR. I am not sure if it was really good or I was just tired of coffee, water, Imperial!
Wofiesmom - I can't imagine your expectations being to high! As for pictures, yes, but not a clue as to how to post them. PL website photos are true to what you will see. Only that the experience is OH so Wonderful!
Thank you all for your kind remarks.
I love Costa Rica!
Wofiesmom - I can't imagine your expectations being to high! As for pictures, yes, but not a clue as to how to post them. PL website photos are true to what you will see. Only that the experience is OH so Wonderful!
Thank you all for your kind remarks.
I love Costa Rica!
Oct 28th, 2004, 11:12 AM
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dfarmer : To post digital photos online for free, I suggest worldisround.com or pbase.com - - thanks for posting your trip report, great stuff!
http://www.worldisround.com/login/register.html
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gannetmusic
Mexico & Central America
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Jan 20th, 2005 10:06 AM
