vsd

My husband and I want to go to Costa Rica at the end of July for 7-10 days and are having a hard time deciding on hotels etc. He would like to spend some time in the rain forest (Arenal area) and at or near the beach (he would like to do deep sea fishing). We have been looking at hotels on Luxury Link and Travelzoo - Rancho Pacifico and Gaia Hotel and Reserve and would like to know if these hotels are too far away from each other or other recommendations. We also have been looking at companies that are all inclusive - meaning provide pickup at airport to hotel and include hotels etc. and would like to know if anyone can recommend a good company. Thanks for your help!

MFNYC

Groupon recently had a great deal for Lost Iguana Resort in Arenal. I don't know if it's still available, but if it is, that is a lovely place to stay, at a great price, although no all-inclusive.

volcanogirl

That's our favorite spot as well; they can arrange to pick you up at the airport if that's what you'd like.

MFNYC

I haven't stayed at either of the hotels you mention, but had dinner at the Gaia and it was excellent.

incabod

Few companies I like in Costa Rica. Here is my short list.
Horizontes – http://www.horizontes.com/eng/ - Very green company, offers packages, involved with community programs, good company & good folks
Crreferals – http://www.crreferrals.com/ - Good for custom planning, has packages, involved with animal rescue, good company & good folks
Actuar - http://www.actuarcostarica.com/app/cms/www/index.php Off the beaten path rural tourism, involved with community programs, good company, good folks.
Caravan – http://www.caravan.com/ - Best for larger group tours up to 30. Excellent reputation and well respected. Awesome at what they do.
Costa Rica Expeditions – http://www.costaricaexpeditions.com/wl3/index.php - High end trip planner, owns some of there own lodges, has won many awards, great reviews in the forum.

vsd

Thank you all for your input. We are now looking at July 18-July 27 (9 nites) and going to Arenal and take the boat to Monteverde and be picked up by a private driver and go to Manuel Antonio. I have been in touch with Wilson Rojas who could take us to Arenal and pick us up in Monteverde and take us to Manuel Antonio. I also made inquiry with Danny Jimenez and would like to know if anyone has any input for either of these drivers/companies. We are leaning towards Wilson Rojas but would like input or other recommendations. I would have liked Leo Rodriguez but he is booked. Would like to know if this itinerary sounds okay and if we should book excursions through the hotels or with companies? Also does anyone have recommendations for hotels in Arenal and Manuel Antonio. Have been looking at Lost Iguana and it looks very nice. Thanks for all of your help.

volcanogirl

We like the Lost Iguana; if you want to be closer to town, Nayara is nice. Silencio del Campo is also very popular.

incabod

Both Wilson and Danny have excellent reviews. I have heard that Danny hs WiFi in his vans now, I think thats pretty awesome for Costa Rica.

If you can book direct with the tour companies you may get a discount. Offer to pay in cash and this is almost always the case.

Lost Iguana is a sweet hotel, all the hotels volcanogirl mentioned are pretty awesome in different ways. Silencio is very authentic, Nayara luxurious, Lost Iguana is I would call imaginative. Don't think you can make a bad choice between the 3. Have a blast
Cheers

vsd

Thank you all for your input. Is there a boat tour that you would recommend that would take us from Arenal to Monteverde? Also, incabod do you recommend any tour companies to use. My husband is interested in white water rafting but I am nervous about it since I'm not a good swimmer. Do any of you know if white water rafting is safe and what company to use in Arenal? Thanks.

MFNYC

Wilson is the best! He's a classy guy, with all kinds of information and recommendations, and can even assist with planning excursions and booking hotels.

volcanogirl

We used Desafio's Jeep Boat Jeep service to go between Arenal and Monteverde; it costs about thirty dollars per person, well worth it for us to avoid driving on that road, and it saves time by cutting across the lake. The views are really beautiful.

Two great tour companies in the Arenal area are Sunset Tours and Desafio. We've used Rios Tropicales for rafting, and they're excellent as well.

volcanogirl

You don't need to be a good swimmer to enjoy the rafting. They provide life jackets so if you wear those, you'll just float. We got tossed out of our boat twice, and the guide literally had us back in the boat in seconds. They tell you to just float and hold onto the rope, and the guide picks you up and puts you back in the boat. Pretty easy. We were impressed.

incabod

Desafio in Arenal all the way. I used to own a hotel here and so a lot of companies in general. FEW have ever impressed me as much as these guys. - http://www.desafiocostarica.com/

incabod

that should say "know a lot of companies" above....

They need an edit button on this forum, I think faster than I type!
Cheers and have a blast on vaca

volcanogirl

Desafio will often send Sunset Tours in their place. On our last trip, that happened on two of our tours so don't be surprised. They somehow share clients.

vsd

Thank you all for your recommendations. We are still deciding on an itinerary but are seriously considering Los Altos Beach Resort and Spa in Manuel Antonio. Does anyone have any pros or cons for this hotel? Also, we have been in touch with Wilson Rojas and he mentioned that Lost Iguana is nice but out of the way and taxis and tour companies charge more. He suggested Nayara or Arenal Paraiso. Nayara looks very nice and not sure if Arenal Paraiso is too basic. Does anyone have thoughts about this. We really liked Lost Iguana but wonder if it's too far from town. Thanks for your help.

volcanogirl

Lost Iguana is further from town, but it's closer to the things we like to do - it's right by the lake and the Hanging Bridges and close to Sky Trek. It's a huge beautiful natural property with wonderful volcano views that makes you feel like you're in the jungle which we love. The rooms feel more private to us than those at Nayara. Nayara is closer to town; it has a more designed feeling to it and feels sort of resorty to me. It's a very nice property, and their food is very good. When we were at Nayara, we personally missed all the trails and the jungly feel that Lost Iguana has. I asked the front desk if there was somewhere to go hiking, and the woman said, "Not really." There's also wildlife at the Lost Iguana - howlers, toucans, coatis, etc. At Nayara all we saw were their pet macaws. The town itself isn't that great - basically just one main road with hotels and restaurants scattered along it, a church, a park, a disco, etc. To me being closer to town isn't an advantage really, but if that's important to you then go with Nayara. Here's a map that will give you an idea of how things are laid out. Both places offer nice amenities; to me, Lost Iguana has a little more rustic feeling to it. The Lost Iguana runs a lot of great specials, so if you're interested ask about that. We paid substantially less to stay there than we did at Nayara so paying a little more for a taxi or tour balanced out for us. One thing we like that both properties offer is the private jacuzzi tubs - very nice. Have not stayed at Arenal Paraiso, but from what I've seen it's not as upscale as the other two properties. People that have stayed there seem to like it though.

http://www.arenal.net/arenal-costa-rica-map.htm

vsd

Thank you volcanogirl. I am still leaning towards Lost Iguana and they have a great "romantic" special for four nights that is about half the price of Nayara. Also looking at Nayara's website they don't have all the nights we like. Wilson Rojas has also recommended Villas Buena Vista or Hotel Costa Verde in Manuel Antonio. He mentioned that Los Altos (the one we were looking at) doesn't have a beach. Villas Buena Vista is pricey but that doesn't really matter if the location and facilities are good. Have you or anyone heard good or bad things about those hotels. We are also trying to decide if we should take the jeep-boat-jeep from Arenal to Monteverde and stay a night there or go to Manuel Antoni for 5 nights. We would be staying 4 nites in Arenal also. Thanks for all of your help. I really appreciate it!

MFNYC

The main advantage to being closer to town, is more restaurant options near by. That being said, we stayed at the Lost Iguana, and planned some of our days leaving us time to be in town for a meal between sight-seeing (we had cabs drop us off or pick us up from the town center), or asking to be dropped off from an excursion into town instead of back to the Lost Iguana when the excursion provided transportation. We spent 4 nights at Lost Iguana and ended up having 2 dinners there, and all our lunches were either in town or at a sight (Hanging Bridges has a decent restaurant with nice views for lunch).

vsd

Thank you MFNYC. For your excursions did you book them through the hotel or private companies such as Desafio that volcanogirl recommends? Did you do any white water rafting? If so which company did you use? Thanks