Cmac3

I've been encroaching on someone else's thread with my questions, so I'll start my own. Going to CR for 8 days in late June. After reading soooo many Fodor forums and trip reports, I'm narrowing down to Arenal Observatory Lodge for 3 nights, a travel day to Corcovado, then three nights at Bosque del Capo (if reservations available). Any suggestions on best way to get to Bosque del Capo from Arenal? Would we be able to stop at Monteverde Cloud Forest en route back to San Jose if that is best airport for our transfer? We will probably rely on shuttles in the north, then take a domestic plane to Bosque del Capo. Will review flight schedules to catch a plane to SJO on last day with our international departure at noon. Are domestic flights reliable despite probable heavy rains? My family travel group is all very active and multigenerational from 14-85. Thanks for any advice. I read these threads for hours!

tully

Sounds like a good trip with a little bit of everything for a variety of ages. I will be at BdC late June as well (June 29th) for 2 nights, and then there again July 2nd for 7 nights.

Best way from Arenal would either be to fly to SJ and then fly to Puerto Jimenez on Nature Air or Sansa; or to drive from Arenal to SJ. Only problem with driving is their set schedule may leave too late for you to catch your flight to PJ. But if you have a group, it may be cheaper and easier to arrange for a private driver, then you can leave as early as needed.

Monteverde isn't a stop in route kind of place, it takes a good 3 hours to get there from Arenal and is out of your way.

If you're flying out of SJO same day as departing BdC, I would take the earliest flt available to be safe, and you may be better off taking Sansa, which is right next to the Int'l airport rather than Nature Air which about 30 minutes away at Pavas.

Unsure what you mean by a travel day to Corcovado?

shillmac

Awesome combination! There is a Fodor GTG (get together) at Bosque starting July 2. It would be fun for you to join us with your group!

You have 7 nights? 8 night? On your travel day, leave Arenal early by domestic air, then connect on down to Puerto Jimenez. Two airlines:

www.natureair.com

www.flysansa.com

Both good choices. Sansa is adjacent to the international airport--Nature Air is about 25 minues from SJO, nearer the city.

Scrap Monteverde from the plan--it is difficult and time consuming to get to and once there, it's worth a couple of days at least.

Rain is not usually an issue unless your flights are scheduled for afternoon. We usually try to book the earliest flight or 8:30 a.m. flight. Even flights departing at noon are generally okay. Most of the time.

Sounds like a winner to me--come on down!! BdC is incredible. . . .your group is in for a major treat!!

shillmac

tully, it's time for us to get to work!!

Cmac3

If we cut out a day at AOL and went to the Cloud Forest, could we catch a direct flight from somewhere in the north near Monteverde to Puerto Jimenez? Are we missing alot by only booking two locations? Staying waiting to hear from BdC. Wish we could link up with another fun group, but our dates are set. Maybe next time...

volcanogirl

We love Arenal and the Osa; both great choices. You can't really go to Monteverde for a day. It's a long bumpy road to get there, and Nature Air and Sansa don't fly there. If you wanted to, you could spend a night at the Peace Lodge or Xandari - those are both beautiful properties with a cooler environment. Xandari is only about twenty minutes from the airport, and the Peace Lodge is about an hour away. Poas volcano is fairly close to the Peace Lodge. Either one would be a nice way to end your trip. They both have beautiful grounds with nice hiking and restaurants on site.

BAJJ

Maybe we'll run into each other! We'll be visiting for two weeks in mid to late June in this sequence: Monteverde, ARenal (AOL), Bosque del Cabo, Manual Antonio. We are hiring a private driver to pick us up early in Arenal in order to catch a noonish NatureAir flight in SJ down to PJ. If I recall correctly, the flight times from Arenal to SJ didn't work with the SJ to PJ flight times. Bosque is a bit slow with emails and it did take a while to figure out the availability and book it. But, it is the green season so hopefully they still have openings for you.

Cmac3

You all are sooo helpful. I love BAJJ's itinerary, but not enough time this trip (first, hopefully not last). Will call out "Bajj!" a few times when I see some Fodorite-looking folks . Would you share the name or company and cost of your private driver from Arenal to SJ? AOL has offered to book a direct shuttle upon our arrival for $170 SJO to AOL. Is that a good price? Also can anyone suggest hike guides that charge by the group, not person, at AOL, on lava flow or hanging bridges and for a daytrip to Cano Negro? I've read it is better to book your own rather than go through the hotel. Does this apply to AOL rates also? One last (ha!) question: some threads suggest AOL dinners can get monotonous. Where in the reasonable vicinity are good alternatives? I have no idea what one can expect to eat for $10-$20 a meal? We love all types of food and good red wine!

volcanogirl

AOL is really isolated. I don't think there are a lot of other options for dining unless you want to drive to town. We like Don Rufino, El Novillo, Soda la Parada, and La Choza de Laurel. Cafe Nene gets good reviews too.

http://destinos-encantados.com/ is the info. for Carlos Bogarin - very nice, reliable driver. He waited hours for us at the airport when our flight was delayed so I really appreciate him. Most people will probably charge a little extra to go all the way to AOL since it's away from town. We've booked tours through our hotels and the price was the same as what I found listed on the websites, may vary by hotel though. If you can't find someone to charge a group rate, both Sunset Tours and Desafio are good, but they usually will charge per person.

BAJJ

We are using Tucan Limo and were quoted $160, but I forgot to add that we're splitting our time in Arenal between AOL and Silencio del Campo. So the cost is lower because we're not getting picked up at Silencio, not AOL which is further away. The only Arenal guide that I found that did group rates was Erick Guzman and he told me he would be out of the country when I inquired for our June dates.

shillmac

In your shoes, I would look really hard at trying to fly from Arenal to San Jose to Puerto Jimenez all in one morning. Check the times on Nature Air and Sansa both. You should be able to connect. And it doesn't matter which you choose for your flight down there. You can absolutely book a different airline for your flight back to SJO.

My goal for getting to BdC (now that I've been there many times) is to arrive as early as possible in the day to enjoy all the property offers. Remember, you will require a 45 min. transfer from the Puerto Jimenez airport to the lodge, so that will eat up some of your time. I'd hate for you to arrive in mid-afternoon because you would lose so many hours of relaxing or exploring time.

So it would be perfectly reasonable to use Nature Air to get to Puerto Jimenez and use Sansa to get back to SJO; as Tully mentioned, if you are connecting back to the states that day, you might wish to arrive at the Sansa airport right next to SJO. However, the drive from Nature Air airport at Pavas to SJO isn't far--about 25-30 min.

gordandmichele

There is no "in the reasonable vicinity" at AOL. It's a 20-30 minute drive down a bad road to get back to the main road.

mlgb

Dinners in Costa Rica can be monotonous no matter where you stay. It isn't really a foodie destination. I though the food at AOL was fine, just stick with the basic stuff grilled meats chicken etc. The fresh veggie sides were a nice change from the usual beans and rice and the breakfast (included) was really quite good. Do the free morning walk, you will see a lot. Horseback riding is quite reasonble there as well, and their horses looked in much better shape than those at Don Lulo's.

Cmac3

Yippee, got reservations at BdC, so I'm firming up plans. Couple more questions - will we regret staying 3 days at AOL since it is so remote (instead of another Arenal hotel)? In addition to hikes and volcano viewing, we want to take day trips to Hanging Bridges, Ecothermale and Cabo Negro. Does anyone know if the tours booked from AOL are reasonable? The 30 minute bumpy ride doesn't bother me too bad. Are the dinners there more than $20 a person? Maybe we can stop for dinner in La Fontana after a tour. Is there a free shuttle back and forth down that bumpy road? What does a taxi charge? We then have the option of 5 nights at BdC. Where do you find the transportation from Puerto Jimenez airport to BdC? What is the cost? And re domestic airfares, that luggage allowance is very low! Guess I only need a bathing suit and hiking boots! Thanks for all the continued detailed info!!

volcanogirl

BdC will pick you up at the airport for a fee; just e-mail them for the details. Tours will charge extra to pick you up at AOL, probably about ten extra dollars per person. A lot of the tours operate in zones, and in zone A, you pay x; in zone B, you pay x plus an additional fee, etc. Check out the Sunset Tours website, and you can see the fee for each hotel/zone. The closer to town, the less you pay. We love the Lost Iguana. It's extra, but not as much as AOL is. To me, it's worth it.

BAJJ

Based on my research, a one-way taxi ride from AOL to La Fortuna is $25. For us, we compromised and decided to spend one night at AOL and two nights at SdC. What are your travel dates? I'm so glad BdC had availability for you!

mlgb

I think my dinner at AOL was right around that $20, you could spend more or less.

I spent two nights at AOL and one night in a place in town closer to the waterfall and hot springs. If you haven't yet been you don't realize how much better the wildlife is on the AOL side.