If you go back to Monteverde, we really liked Fonda Vela; they have some new junior suites that are big and nice and pretty affordable. Our room had a frig, t.v. (didn't use it), and a bathtub, plus a nice sitting area with a view of the garden. We saw a lot of beautiful birds on the property, including toucans.

We're thinking of going to Tortuguero for our next trip. I think your husband would really enjoy all the wildlife there. It might be pretty warm though.

Have you been to the Peace Lodge? Damaged in the earthquake but supposed to reopen soon.

I vote for Tortuguero. We were just there last month, absolutely perfect weather, warm, sunny, but not too hot or humid, rain only one night/early AM. We were super lucky with weather and wildlife viewing. I see from your other posts that you are very concerned about bugs and snakes. Your hubby could get his fill of snakes hiking in Tortuguero National Park, you could relax on the boat trips. We had no issues with bugs in our cabins at Laguna Lodge. If you liked Cano Negro, then to me Tortuguero was an extended version - 3 days of wildlife viewing via boat, but also time for pool, walking, visiting village and just chilling out. You have to make an effort to get there - no roads so you either take the boat or can fly in/out one way.
Since you loved MV, have you thought about going around Cerro de la Muerte, Savegre Valley and those areas south of San Jose? Not nearly as developed as some other areas of CR.

La Selva Biological Station!!!! Honestly, the Sarapiqui area is the best wildlife area we've been to in the country, and I can't imagine other places (other than Osa) being any better. You see more there just walking between your car and your room than you do in most other wildlife spotting places.

RAC, would you advise waiting to visit that area since they were hit by the floods, or do you think things are fairly back to normal now?

VG, Two weeks ago the only sign we saw of tours not being offered in the Sarapiqui area was at Selva Verde. Their bridge going over the river to their private reserve has been destroyed and is lying in pieces in the river debris, so you can't go hiking there. There are still a lot of tree trunks and limbs in the river, but the water was running much clearer than I expected. Right after the earthquake and landslides, it was almost pure brown, just full of soil/mud. I didn't ask when they were planning to replace the bridge. Rafting trips were not being offered, but are being done on other rivers. La Selva and Tirimbina were offering several options for tours, Heliconia Island is nice. I think I read about a private birding reserve nearby - maybe Rara Avis or something like that? I loved the area and want to go back - mainly because I didn't see any frogs and it's supposed to be frog heaven!

Volcanogirl:

We were there in the middle of the floods and rain. We still saw a ton of wildlife. La Selva's bridge is over the Puerto Viejo river, not the Sarapiqui.

At any time there are dozens of biologists and students conducting research at La Selva, so not only would Melissa5's husband find people to talk to, but the animals themselves are accustomed to people.

To put things in perspective, here's what we saw the morning of our La Selva tour during the rain before and after our tour even began, i.e. without taking a step on the actual tour.

Howler monkeys (Selva Verde)
Green and black poison dart frog (path from our room to the parking lot at Selva Verde)
Crested Guan (in the trees by the La Selva reception desk)
4 BIG Iguanas (trees by the La Selva suspension bridge near the reception desk)
Chestnut-mandibled toucan (trees by the La Selva suspension bridge near the reception desk)
Keel-billed toucan (trees by the La Selva suspension bridge near the reception desk)
About 6-8 different kinds of tanagers and other birds like the Montezuma's Oropendola (area around reception desk)
A pack of 10 Peccaries--(area around the reception desk and bridge)
Slaty-tailed trogon (road leaving La Selva)

We saw tons more on the tour itself, which was limited the day we went because the rain had caused tree branches to fall and block several trails. If a person were to stay at La Selva itself for 2-3 nights, I can't even imagine how much wildlife they'd see.

Thanks, guys; that area is still on our to do list.

I should also add that we saw about ten collared aracaris that morning at breakfast as well as a bunch of tanagers and some euphonias as well.

Rara Avis is on our to-do list. WAY remote, difficult to get to, with tons of creepy crawlies! Makes Bosque del Cabo look like the Four Seasons--or so I understand. LOL

Costa Rica has expanded my comfort zone considerably! Now I'll try just about anything--once.

volcanogirl: I'd like to try Fonda Vela on our next visit to Monteverde; it sounds nice. Considering a return trip to Monteverde for this visit. I didn't know Peace Lodge was damaged in the earthquake...haven't kept up with news lately.

colibri: Thanks, lots of great suggestions! I'll check into those places. We never stayed at Cano Negro, by the way.

Time for dinner, so thanks everybody. I'm eager to look into all these suggestions. Haven't given up on the Osa yet...I just have to decide how adventurous I want to be...

Mel, Fonda Vela also had a nice little restaurant with a fireplace in the dining room; we loved it because it was cold and rainy while we were there. Hopefully Peace Lodge will be back in full swing soon.

colibri: Thanks for your suggestions of Tortuguero and those areas south of San Jose such as Cerro de la Muerte, Savegre Valley. Sounds like you had a great time and had nice weather and good wildlife viewing at Tortuguero.

RAC, La Selva & Sarapiqui area sounds like a great opportunity. I'm glad you had a memorable trip and I appreciate your list of the wildlife that you saw while waiting for your tour!

volcanogirl: Fonda Vela sounds cozy...I can imagine the fireplace would be welcome when it gets rainy up there. We had rainy afternoons and sunny mornings on our Monteverde visit. I'm thinking I should look more at Peace Lodge, Xandari, and Vista del Valle. We didn't stay at places like that on our first trip as it was a family trip.

shillmac: Do you really think that Bosque del Cabo is the Four Seasons of the Osa? That's a lovely thought.

I'm going to have another look at my Fodors guidebook. I also just bought the new National Geographic guidebook for Costa Rica. I'll see what I come up with this week. You all have given me lots of ideas. Thank you.

Mel, since you specifically say you're anti-creepy crawly, I'll tell you we had huge spiders in our room at Vista del Valle and didn't really like it there. Another recent review talked about roaches in the room. Other people have had better experiences there, but it wasn't our favorite. Our room was a little dark and depressing. Very nice grounds there though. Good luck finding your dream spot.

I know you said beside the Osa, but I have to plug one of my favorite spots on earth: www.drakebayholiday.com

My wife and I went back a second time because we enjoyed our stay so much. It's an adventure but in style and comfort.

The woman who owns this place is a biologist, specializing in bugs, so your husband might enjoy meeting her and taking her evening "bug tour."

weizen, that place looks stunning! Wow!

One of them--the Osa has several "Four Seasons"!

We stayed in he Guanacaste area last year and had a great time. We stayed at the Flamingo Beach Resort-beautiful beach and plenty of activities close by.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and ideas.

volcanogirl: I sure wouldn't like a dark and depressing room! I appreciate your advice on Vista del Valle.

Mel, if you stayed there, I would just be careful about which room you got. Ours was very dark with dark walls, dark bedding, even the bathroom was really dark with dark green fixtures, and the lights were those yellow bug lights. I've seen pics of other people's rooms that were much nicer, so it may have just been our room. My husband is the most laid-back person ever and always loves every place I pick, but he asked me not to book us there again. I think some of their rooms are more up to date than others.

volcanogirl: Thanks for the details on your room at Vista del Valle. It seems to me that there are bugs no matter where you go in Costa Rica. That had kinda faded from my memory of our first trip...I seem to remember the beauty and the "alive" greenness... But there were insects in our room at the Lost Iguana in Arenal, and we had a wonderful romantic time there. We also had insects in our room at the super friendly La Finca Que Ama when Neta was there...that didn't bother me that much. I remember staring at one large bug on the ceiling before I went to bed. My husband would scoop a bug out of the room if one looked particularly unfriendly. So maybe I have fogotten that I managed to make peace with those insects. they are pretty much everywhere I guess, but you know, not one of them actually crawled on me! They mostly seem to go about their own business.

I am going to try to make a decision about staying at Bosque del Cabo this weekend. I might post a question about how many nights are best for staying there...3 or 4.

We will still need an interesting place to stay in the airport area, but it doesn't have to be in San Jose.

Of all the other places I checked out, besides the Osa, I like the idea of a return trip to Monteverde a lot...or visiting the areas south of San Jose in the mountains...shillmac had recommended a mountain accommodation that sounded good.

Thanks everybody!

We've seen bugs in all our spots too. The Lost Iguana is one of our favorite spots. It's all part of the tradeoff for being so close to nature.

If you need a San Jose hotel, we liked Grano de Oro - wonderful restaurant and service there.

volcanogirl: It sounds like we have similar tastes in accommodations, and I really appreciate your taking the time to give me the benefit of your experience! I remember considering Grano de Oro for our first trip, but we decided to skip San Jose because the whole family wanted to maximize our time exploring nature.

But I'm interested in San Jose for the cultural experiences, and dining. Were you glad that you stayed in San Jose? Would you want to stay in San Jose again? Or did you feel, even though you liked Grano de Oro, that your time was better spent in nature? Did you have any time to hear music and go dancing in San Jose? I love music and dancing. I'm not a great dancer but we sure enjoy trying!

Hi, Mel - we really only stayed there because we were coming all the way from Manuel Antonio and needed somewhere to stay the night before our flight. We had a long drive there and didn't have time to eat. Within minutes of checking into our room at Grano de Oro, they delivered a beautiful fruit plate to our room as a welcome gift. They just had wonderful service. Neat little touches in the hotel like gardens and fountains. One little corner had a place to leave a book you were finished with a take a new book. Beautiful historic pictures throughout the hotel. And the rooftop had a neat little garden area with hot tubs. The room was comfortable and a good price, and it had a bathtub which I really liked.

I liked it that it's built in an old mansion, which made it unique. We didn't go out in San Jose. We ate at the Grano de Oro restaurant which was really nice and had very good food. I wouldn't stay there for an extended time frame personally because I want to be out in nature, but for a first or last night it was perfect for us. The rooms vary from basic to really elaborate with their own private patios and gardens. We had a pretty basic room, and it reminded me of a Marriott or something along those lines. I'm thinking of staying there again if we decide to raft the Pacuare. San Jose has some nice museums and the National Theater, but parts of it are just fast food restaurants and bars on all the windows. I'd rather be out enjoying a great view or seeing monkeys, but if I needed to be in San Jose, I would definitely stay there again.

volcanogirl: Thanks for your nice review of Grano de Oro. I would definitely like to stay there, as you say, if it looks convenient to stay in San Jose.

Funny thing, our favorite room at Vista del Valle is the Mona Lisa that Volcanogirl didn't like. What we loved about it was the completely private jungle patio overlooking the Rio Grande River gorge. We ate their heavenly nachos and drank rum punch while we read and watched Mot Mots, a Toucan, and huge birds flying down into the canyon. (Maybe the room wasn't that great and it was just the rum. I have to admit I've made peace with seeing spiders in my room. (Costa Rica has some of the most beautiful spiders). We loved the outside shower. The toilet and sink are a kind of ugly green, but whenever things are a little odd looking, we consider them "Costa Rican". If you like lush jungly gardens, and good food in an outdoor setting, it might be for you. I guess everybody likes different things, and you have to keep that in mind when looking for a place.

Boca, we did see a keel-billed toucan there, and that part was awesome. They also had beautiful grounds and a nice pool. The reviews I had read were very mixed. One review said, "if you love camping, stay here" and then the next review would be a rave. I think I just didn't know what to expect, and I thought it was overpriced for what we got. Or maybe I didn't have enough rum! Did you guys hike to the waterfall?

Hello, Im a travel agent and travel writer specializing in Costa Rica. Lived 8 years there and return every year for a couple months.
I highly recommend you visit the Tortuguero Canals. Mawamba Lodge has a two or three night tour-all inclusive out of San Jose. It's wonderful! Lots of wildlife and lush vegetation and lots tropical flowers. Great place for your biologist husband, and you would love it also. Go visit the Turtle Conservation Station in the little hamlet of Tortuguero.

If you will fly a small twin engine aircraft I recommend: the Osa has a place called Lapa Rios. It is located high up on the side of a monuntain surrounded by rainforest with a view of the ocean... I know several good places (a little more on the remote side) near by Corcovada National Park. It is as deep into the jungle as a tourist can get in Costa Rica.
Feel free to email me anncreed23@gmail.com

I write a travel blog about Costa Rica..just started it "full steam" www.costaricalearn.com Please take a look under the travel section. I have very good advice on a range of topics including Mawamba Lodge and the canals.
at bottom of posts there is a place for comments click on "no comment" Yes, it should say "comments" I need to change it when I learn more about wordpress.
My husband is a profession film maker, we spent 3 summers filming and "Costa Rica The Jewel of the Tropics" is to be released in May. I'm going to promote it on my costaricalearnblog Good luck, Ann