San Jose Itinerary
Jun 17th, 2011, 07:22 AM
#4
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Go to Poas early for best chance of seeing the crater. Even when it's a clear, beautiful day below the park clouds roll in at the top. It's still a great place for seeing the higher altitude landscape and plants.
I'm one of the few that is not a La Paz fan, thought it was too manicured/artifical, prefer nature in a more "natural" setting. You can only see 3 of the waterfalls now since the trails to the other 2 haven't been repaired from the earthquake. Our lunch was probably the worst food I've had in four trips to the country. I was happy we just did a day trip there and didn't spend money to stay, but most people love it.
For San Jose itself - Gold Museum is interesting, also enjoyed Costa Rica National museum on my last visit. There was a small crafts market next to it, but it was going to be moving in future.
I had dinner one night at the Alta Hotel w/ friends from Heredia, food was good, view of the city at night was beautiful. It seemed like it was pretty isolated, definitely not in walking distance to anything.
I'm one of the few that is not a La Paz fan, thought it was too manicured/artifical, prefer nature in a more "natural" setting. You can only see 3 of the waterfalls now since the trails to the other 2 haven't been repaired from the earthquake. Our lunch was probably the worst food I've had in four trips to the country. I was happy we just did a day trip there and didn't spend money to stay, but most people love it.
For San Jose itself - Gold Museum is interesting, also enjoyed Costa Rica National museum on my last visit. There was a small crafts market next to it, but it was going to be moving in future.
I had dinner one night at the Alta Hotel w/ friends from Heredia, food was good, view of the city at night was beautiful. It seemed like it was pretty isolated, definitely not in walking distance to anything.
Jun 17th, 2011, 07:57 AM
#5
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Poas has been having some activity lately (gurgling and whatnot). I think most tours do go there first, and early, but do look into that and try to choose a tour that gets you there early as possible. Most people seem to enjoy the museums and market mentioned above in the City. It can be gritty but still worth spending some time there if just to "see it". I'll be staying at Hotel Alta for the first time mid-July (usually stay at Orquideas Inn and then somewhere downtown, depending on my itinerary) so if I get back before you leave I will report back and let you know how it is. 
There's a new serpentarium or something like that nearby so I might check that out.
There's a new serpentarium or something like that nearby so I might check that out.
Jun 17th, 2011, 09:31 AM
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We did a tour similar to your day two and really enjoyed it. We got to Poas pretty early, but it was still clouded over. We lingered around, and the clouds actually lifted and parted, and we got a great view. Not sure how common that is. The crowd cheered when it happened! There's also a pretty lake there that you can visit. Love Doka and La Paz too. They have handfeeding of the hummingbirds at La Paz at certain times of day. If you can be there then, it's pretty neat. They will come land on your hand and drink nectar from a little tube. They have about 25 varieties of hummingbirds there. There's also an aviary you can walk through and a butterfly house and ranarium. The waterfalls are very pretty. It can get cool up in that area, so you may want to pack a light jacket. We actually wore fleece up at Poas. In addition to the museums mentioned up above, some people seem to enjoy the Jade Museum and the National Theater.
Jun 20th, 2011, 04:28 AM
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I have not stayed at Alta but it is considered a luxury hotel so it might be nice to relax and just enjoy the resort. It seems a shame to stay at what looks like such a beautiful place and not take advantage of some of the amenities.
We also arrived in San Jose at noon (but had to get up at 3AM to catch our flight)and totally enjoyed spending the afternoon at the Xandari, which has wonderful gardens, trails pools, nice restaurant.
We also arrived in San Jose at noon (but had to get up at 3AM to catch our flight)and totally enjoyed spending the afternoon at the Xandari, which has wonderful gardens, trails pools, nice restaurant.
