Trip Report - Escazu, Drake Bay, Monteverde, Arenal, Puerto Viejo
Dec 20th, 2005, 10:12 AM
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Trip Report - Escazu, Drake Bay, Monteverde, Arenal, Puerto Viejo
hi! My boyfriend and I (late twenties) just got back from 2 weeks (Dec 3 - Dec 18) in Costa Rica and we had a great time! It is true, there is not many places in this world like Costa Rica. We visited Escazu, Drake Bay, Monteverde, Arenal, and Puerto Viejo. A lot of our planning were derived from comments found on this site, hopefully you will find my trip report helpful to you in the future.
ESCAZU (2 nights)
Escazu is a suburb near San Jose. We chose this area to stay for the first 2 nights because it's proximity to Pavas International Airport (where Nature Air operates). Also, I wanted to book a few tours and thought this would be a good location to be based in. There is also nothing to see in Escazu for a tourist. I think this would be a good location to stay in if you are arriving to SJO late and had an early Nature Air flight. Or if you had a car, in which case, it's an easy drive to most of the tourist spots from Escazu.
Lodging: Casa de Las Tias - is recommended by Frommers. It is a very charming B&B located in the suburb of San Rafael de Escazu. A number of restaurants are within walking distance of the B&B. It is a beautiful victorian style house with I believe 5 rooms, each having their own private bathroom. Xavier is one of the owners and he live right on the premises. He also cooks a great breakfast in the morning. Soft drinks & beer can be purchased for a cheap price there. No TV in rooms but there is a small one in the dining area. Phones are in the rooms which you can use to make free local calls.
Tours:
Highlights Tour by Ecoscape - $79/person. they picked us up at the B&B at 6AM. This was supposed to be a 10-11 hour tour that spans a few tourist spots. There was 1 guide, 1 driver and 7 of us who joined the tour. First stop is a coffee farm tour. We saw the coffee plantation grounds and the guide talked in length about the coffee plant & coffee industry. We had a good breakfast near the coffee plantation. Second stop is the Paos Volcano. Great site, very surreal seeing the gases come out of the volcano crater. Lots of great photo opportunities. The guide told us that a year ago, the lagoon in the volcano crater was green. Then it turned white. Now it's a little grey with lots of gases coming out daily (looks like white steam). It was really amazing to me. Third stop is the La Paz Waterfall. La Paz waterfall garden is actually a park with 5 big waterfalls, where visitors can walk the grounds and get on observation decks that gets pretty close to the waterfalls. Unfortunately, this tour does NOT go into the gardens. It merely looks at the last waterfall from a roadside. I thought it was a bit lame. Fourth stop is a snack/souvenir shop where we had a small snack and looked at their hummingbird feeders. This shop has a nice view of the San Fernando waterfall. Fifth Stop is the Salva Verde Lodge for lunch. Lunch is buffet style. After lunch, we were encouraged to walk some of the private nature trails at the Lodge. The guide did not come with us. There weren't much to see, we only had about 20 minutes after lunch to wander around. Sixth stop is Sarapiqui River where we took a river boat and saw some widlife. Lots of iguanas, birds and sleeping howler monkeys. After the boat cruise, we went back to San Jose, got back to the hotel at 5:30PM.
I think this tour is good if you are on a time crunch and wanted to see the best sites around San Jose in 1 day. However, there are parts of the tour that is not worthwhile if you are visiting other areas of Costa Rica. For example, if you are going to Arenal, there is a cano negro reserve tour offered there. The things you see at Sarapiqui is similar to Cano Negro, except Cano Negro is much better. More flora & fauna and more wildlife. Also, in Monteverde, there are Coffee Plantation tours as well, coupled with a Banana plantation visit. Also, Xavier told me that there are bilingual drivers/guides who charge $15/hour for destinations around San Jose. We spent $160 for 2 at the Highlights Tour, I think it would have been better if we hired a driver/guide. If I went back to the San Jose area, I will definitely get inside La Paz Waterfall. Spend time walking the trails and getting closer to the beautiful waterfalls. I would also hire a private guide and revisit Poas Volcano and maybe Irazu Volcano.
ESCAZU (2 nights)
Escazu is a suburb near San Jose. We chose this area to stay for the first 2 nights because it's proximity to Pavas International Airport (where Nature Air operates). Also, I wanted to book a few tours and thought this would be a good location to be based in. There is also nothing to see in Escazu for a tourist. I think this would be a good location to stay in if you are arriving to SJO late and had an early Nature Air flight. Or if you had a car, in which case, it's an easy drive to most of the tourist spots from Escazu.
Lodging: Casa de Las Tias - is recommended by Frommers. It is a very charming B&B located in the suburb of San Rafael de Escazu. A number of restaurants are within walking distance of the B&B. It is a beautiful victorian style house with I believe 5 rooms, each having their own private bathroom. Xavier is one of the owners and he live right on the premises. He also cooks a great breakfast in the morning. Soft drinks & beer can be purchased for a cheap price there. No TV in rooms but there is a small one in the dining area. Phones are in the rooms which you can use to make free local calls.
Tours:
Highlights Tour by Ecoscape - $79/person. they picked us up at the B&B at 6AM. This was supposed to be a 10-11 hour tour that spans a few tourist spots. There was 1 guide, 1 driver and 7 of us who joined the tour. First stop is a coffee farm tour. We saw the coffee plantation grounds and the guide talked in length about the coffee plant & coffee industry. We had a good breakfast near the coffee plantation. Second stop is the Paos Volcano. Great site, very surreal seeing the gases come out of the volcano crater. Lots of great photo opportunities. The guide told us that a year ago, the lagoon in the volcano crater was green. Then it turned white. Now it's a little grey with lots of gases coming out daily (looks like white steam). It was really amazing to me. Third stop is the La Paz Waterfall. La Paz waterfall garden is actually a park with 5 big waterfalls, where visitors can walk the grounds and get on observation decks that gets pretty close to the waterfalls. Unfortunately, this tour does NOT go into the gardens. It merely looks at the last waterfall from a roadside. I thought it was a bit lame. Fourth stop is a snack/souvenir shop where we had a small snack and looked at their hummingbird feeders. This shop has a nice view of the San Fernando waterfall. Fifth Stop is the Salva Verde Lodge for lunch. Lunch is buffet style. After lunch, we were encouraged to walk some of the private nature trails at the Lodge. The guide did not come with us. There weren't much to see, we only had about 20 minutes after lunch to wander around. Sixth stop is Sarapiqui River where we took a river boat and saw some widlife. Lots of iguanas, birds and sleeping howler monkeys. After the boat cruise, we went back to San Jose, got back to the hotel at 5:30PM.
I think this tour is good if you are on a time crunch and wanted to see the best sites around San Jose in 1 day. However, there are parts of the tour that is not worthwhile if you are visiting other areas of Costa Rica. For example, if you are going to Arenal, there is a cano negro reserve tour offered there. The things you see at Sarapiqui is similar to Cano Negro, except Cano Negro is much better. More flora & fauna and more wildlife. Also, in Monteverde, there are Coffee Plantation tours as well, coupled with a Banana plantation visit. Also, Xavier told me that there are bilingual drivers/guides who charge $15/hour for destinations around San Jose. We spent $160 for 2 at the Highlights Tour, I think it would have been better if we hired a driver/guide. If I went back to the San Jose area, I will definitely get inside La Paz Waterfall. Spend time walking the trails and getting closer to the beautiful waterfalls. I would also hire a private guide and revisit Poas Volcano and maybe Irazu Volcano.
Dec 20th, 2005, 12:10 PM
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DRAKE BAY (4 nights)
LODGING: We chose Hotel Las Caletas because it was reasonably priced at $55/person per day which includes lodging and 3 meals. This lodge is owned by a costa rican couple. Yolanda and David, who have a cute 8 year old son Luca. Las Caletas is located on this beautiful beach cove with a jungle backdrop. It is a very small lodge, with only 5 different cabins. The main building has a dining room, kitchen and the owners live upstairs. They have a small lending library and internet at $3 for 15 minutes. Internet was super slow because it's satellite dial up. Dining area is 2 large tables so you get to meet the other guests and share your experiences during meal time. Las Caletas is right next to Delfin Armor Eco Lodge, which is next to Corcovado Tent Camp. Both are within walking distance from the lodge, but I definitely think Las Caletas had the best beach by far. Las Caletas also lends snorkeling equipment and kayaks for free. BTW, the beach had a terrific spot for snorkeling!
We stayed at the smaller cabin adjacent to the main building. It is the smallest of all 5 cabins but it has a super ocean view. We can hear the noises from the main building at times, but it wasn't bad nor at inappropriate times. Also, Las Caletas has more private cabins up the hill if that's important to you. These cabins were not completely enclosed, there was a screen mesh for windows and holes in the wooding for ventilation near the roof. Reminds me of the tool shed my parents have in their backyard! Bugs can and will get in so keep your luggage closed. We found a dead bug snuggled in our luggage once. At night, when we turn the lights on, moths and other insects become attracted to the lights and come flying in. So we basically slept after dinner & a few drinks with the other guests and got up with the sun (around 5:30-6AM). When it rained, which happened only 1 night, things in the cabin seem to get slightly moist. The bathroom had a standing shower which had ample HOT water. Perhaps the most dependable hot water in a hotel in Costa Rica, other than the San Jose area.
The food provided by Las Caletas was pretty good! There were ample food for all 3 meals. Plus they would make daily snacks for in-between meals. Alcoholic beverages available at a reasonable price.
I would definitely recommend Las Caletas. However, after saying that, I do know a number of friends who would hate to stay there for 4 nights because of it's rustic characteristics. My boyfriend and I knew we wanted to visit Drake Bay because of it's unspoiled nature and with that, we didn't expect a 5 star hotel or even a 2 star hotel for that matter. For the price they charged, it more than met our expectations several folds over.
WILDLIFE: AWESOME!! Just from our porch, we saw lots of wildlife!! There are these 2 toucans whose favorite tree seem to be right in front of our porch. They are always hanging out or eating fruits there. We also saw scarlett macaws on 2 separate occassions. Once, a family of 5 and the other time, as many as 10. They weren't as close, they flew to and fro from a big tree in the distance. You can see them clearly with binoculars and you can definitely hear them clearly as well. White faced monkeys also visited the lodge in the morning a few times. They sat in a tree, pretty close to us, eating fruits nonchalantly. Besides these, we saw agoutis and kinkajous run by the front lawn numerous times.
The beach right in front of Las Caletas has a very nice reef out by the rocks on the left hand side. Saw lots of puffer fish (yellow and black&white ones), moray eels, several big fishes, and a stingray! Go early when the waves are not as big because that'll disturb the sediments which will decrease visibility. Fishes in Costa Rica are not as colorful as Hawaii or Belize, but I thought it was pretty good. I had a lot to see.
TOURS: There are no tour operators in Drake Bay. Basically, each lodge has the capacity to lead you on a tour. Las Caletas had 2 people who could provide tour guide services, however, like other lodges, many of the activities cannot happen unless a minimum number of 4 -6 people wants to participate. Yolanda told me that if they are unable to bring you out on tours, they will arrange for you to go with another lodge. Also, there are nature experts around Drake Bay who work independently. If there is something you want to study in more detail, I suggest you do the research and make contact with a local nature expert before going to Drake Bay. Don't count on your lodge to introduce you, for they might not know. I met a woman later on who told me she got in touch with a marine biologist who took her out to sea and had a great informative day learning about dolphins. These type of "tours" are not cheap since you are hiring an expert privately, but it's worth it if you have the interest. We went to Cano Island, saw lots of fish (plus barracuda and white-tipped shark), also saw dolphins on the way back. Went on a few informative nature walks and saw more monkeys. Also went on the bug lady tour with Tracy Stice... very informative and creeepy!
more later...
LODGING: We chose Hotel Las Caletas because it was reasonably priced at $55/person per day which includes lodging and 3 meals. This lodge is owned by a costa rican couple. Yolanda and David, who have a cute 8 year old son Luca. Las Caletas is located on this beautiful beach cove with a jungle backdrop. It is a very small lodge, with only 5 different cabins. The main building has a dining room, kitchen and the owners live upstairs. They have a small lending library and internet at $3 for 15 minutes. Internet was super slow because it's satellite dial up. Dining area is 2 large tables so you get to meet the other guests and share your experiences during meal time. Las Caletas is right next to Delfin Armor Eco Lodge, which is next to Corcovado Tent Camp. Both are within walking distance from the lodge, but I definitely think Las Caletas had the best beach by far. Las Caletas also lends snorkeling equipment and kayaks for free. BTW, the beach had a terrific spot for snorkeling!
We stayed at the smaller cabin adjacent to the main building. It is the smallest of all 5 cabins but it has a super ocean view. We can hear the noises from the main building at times, but it wasn't bad nor at inappropriate times. Also, Las Caletas has more private cabins up the hill if that's important to you. These cabins were not completely enclosed, there was a screen mesh for windows and holes in the wooding for ventilation near the roof. Reminds me of the tool shed my parents have in their backyard! Bugs can and will get in so keep your luggage closed. We found a dead bug snuggled in our luggage once. At night, when we turn the lights on, moths and other insects become attracted to the lights and come flying in. So we basically slept after dinner & a few drinks with the other guests and got up with the sun (around 5:30-6AM). When it rained, which happened only 1 night, things in the cabin seem to get slightly moist. The bathroom had a standing shower which had ample HOT water. Perhaps the most dependable hot water in a hotel in Costa Rica, other than the San Jose area.
The food provided by Las Caletas was pretty good! There were ample food for all 3 meals. Plus they would make daily snacks for in-between meals. Alcoholic beverages available at a reasonable price.
I would definitely recommend Las Caletas. However, after saying that, I do know a number of friends who would hate to stay there for 4 nights because of it's rustic characteristics. My boyfriend and I knew we wanted to visit Drake Bay because of it's unspoiled nature and with that, we didn't expect a 5 star hotel or even a 2 star hotel for that matter. For the price they charged, it more than met our expectations several folds over.
WILDLIFE: AWESOME!! Just from our porch, we saw lots of wildlife!! There are these 2 toucans whose favorite tree seem to be right in front of our porch. They are always hanging out or eating fruits there. We also saw scarlett macaws on 2 separate occassions. Once, a family of 5 and the other time, as many as 10. They weren't as close, they flew to and fro from a big tree in the distance. You can see them clearly with binoculars and you can definitely hear them clearly as well. White faced monkeys also visited the lodge in the morning a few times. They sat in a tree, pretty close to us, eating fruits nonchalantly. Besides these, we saw agoutis and kinkajous run by the front lawn numerous times.
The beach right in front of Las Caletas has a very nice reef out by the rocks on the left hand side. Saw lots of puffer fish (yellow and black&white ones), moray eels, several big fishes, and a stingray! Go early when the waves are not as big because that'll disturb the sediments which will decrease visibility. Fishes in Costa Rica are not as colorful as Hawaii or Belize, but I thought it was pretty good. I had a lot to see.
TOURS: There are no tour operators in Drake Bay. Basically, each lodge has the capacity to lead you on a tour. Las Caletas had 2 people who could provide tour guide services, however, like other lodges, many of the activities cannot happen unless a minimum number of 4 -6 people wants to participate. Yolanda told me that if they are unable to bring you out on tours, they will arrange for you to go with another lodge. Also, there are nature experts around Drake Bay who work independently. If there is something you want to study in more detail, I suggest you do the research and make contact with a local nature expert before going to Drake Bay. Don't count on your lodge to introduce you, for they might not know. I met a woman later on who told me she got in touch with a marine biologist who took her out to sea and had a great informative day learning about dolphins. These type of "tours" are not cheap since you are hiring an expert privately, but it's worth it if you have the interest. We went to Cano Island, saw lots of fish (plus barracuda and white-tipped shark), also saw dolphins on the way back. Went on a few informative nature walks and saw more monkeys. Also went on the bug lady tour with Tracy Stice... very informative and creeepy!
more later...
Dec 20th, 2005, 07:51 PM
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Wwe were also favorably impressed with Las Caletas. We stayed in the more basic cabin up the hill - no hot water, but plenty of privacy. I agree, not for someone who wants luxury, but a perfect spot to experience unspoiled beauty. Oh, to be there right now.... dream on!
I enjoyed your report!
Hi Shillmac!
I enjoyed your report!
Hi Shillmac!
Dec 21st, 2005, 10:58 AM
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Great report! Just to point out for future reference, there is actually one really good independent tour operator in Drake Bay, Corcovado Expeditions. They are run by a Costa Rican naturalist guide and provide really good tours and information, unaffiliated with any of the lodges but they can give advice on that too. Useful to know when the lodge you're staying at doesn't have a tour to where you want to go, or if you're camping and want to go on independent tours. I'm a frequent visitor to the area and have had great experiences with them. www.corcovadoexpeditions.net
Dec 21st, 2005, 01:11 PM
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Thanks patapouf, I was not aware of www.corcovadoexpeditions.net!
OK.. now for the rest of my trip (I will try to keep more concise)
Monteverde (2 nights)
After flying into San Jose from Drake Bay on Nature Air, I ordered a private transfer through http://www.monteverdeinfo.com/, price was $110 from Pavas International to Monteverde, took almost 4 hours for us.
LODGING: We stayed at Arco Iris Lodge for 2 nights. Monika greeted us and was extremely helpful. Gave us directions around the town of Santa Elena and some of the attractions we should see. We got a 1 room cabin for $65 a night (including the taxes). Price does not include breakfast, but there is a nice bakery less than 1 block away. Everything was clean and comfortable.
Lodge is in the middle of the town of Santa Elena which has quite a lot of restaurants. Sophia's (raved by many guide books) is about 1000 colones away by cab.
TOURS/ATTRACTIONS:
1. Santa Elena Reserve -- we chose this because supposedly, it's less crowded than Monteverde Reserve. A cab there is 3000 colones one way. We went with the private guide, our group had 8 people. The guide carried a high resolution binocular on a tripod for everyone to use. We only saw owls there. Also, a peccary (wild boar) followed us around the whole way. I think it's pretty domesticated. I enjoyed this cloud forest tremendously, it was like walking in a misty dream. It's very unique and very different to all the other jungles/forests we visited in Costa Rica.
2. Selvatura -- After our visit to the Reserve in the morning, we walked to Selvatura Park. About 5 minute walk down the hill from Santa Elena Reserve. BTW, Selvatura offers free transportation back to town. There is a big Selvatura office in Santa Elena town. While there, we did the Canopy + Walkways package ($55/person). Their Canopy is supposed to be one of the longest with 15 platforms and a Tarzan Swing. At first, when I started the Canopy ride, I was extremely scared and almost gave up. I have a real problem with heights and coordination. I was definitely extremely tense for the first 8 or 9 platforms. And then, strangely, I started to get use to the rhythm of zipping through the lines. Also, the guides who are helping us, seem to be enjoying themselves so much, cracking jokes, that you start getting into it more. One of the last few lines were extremely long and it was rigged where you don't go that fast. And it takes you on a clearing where you see the canopies ahead of you and the mist. It was really a site that took my breath away. I felt so free and the feeling was so thrilling that I almost cried! (yes very cheesy). I would recommend it to anyone!
OK.. now for the rest of my trip (I will try to keep more concise)
Monteverde (2 nights)
After flying into San Jose from Drake Bay on Nature Air, I ordered a private transfer through http://www.monteverdeinfo.com/, price was $110 from Pavas International to Monteverde, took almost 4 hours for us.
LODGING: We stayed at Arco Iris Lodge for 2 nights. Monika greeted us and was extremely helpful. Gave us directions around the town of Santa Elena and some of the attractions we should see. We got a 1 room cabin for $65 a night (including the taxes). Price does not include breakfast, but there is a nice bakery less than 1 block away. Everything was clean and comfortable.
Lodge is in the middle of the town of Santa Elena which has quite a lot of restaurants. Sophia's (raved by many guide books) is about 1000 colones away by cab.
TOURS/ATTRACTIONS:
1. Santa Elena Reserve -- we chose this because supposedly, it's less crowded than Monteverde Reserve. A cab there is 3000 colones one way. We went with the private guide, our group had 8 people. The guide carried a high resolution binocular on a tripod for everyone to use. We only saw owls there. Also, a peccary (wild boar) followed us around the whole way. I think it's pretty domesticated. I enjoyed this cloud forest tremendously, it was like walking in a misty dream. It's very unique and very different to all the other jungles/forests we visited in Costa Rica.
2. Selvatura -- After our visit to the Reserve in the morning, we walked to Selvatura Park. About 5 minute walk down the hill from Santa Elena Reserve. BTW, Selvatura offers free transportation back to town. There is a big Selvatura office in Santa Elena town. While there, we did the Canopy + Walkways package ($55/person). Their Canopy is supposed to be one of the longest with 15 platforms and a Tarzan Swing. At first, when I started the Canopy ride, I was extremely scared and almost gave up. I have a real problem with heights and coordination. I was definitely extremely tense for the first 8 or 9 platforms. And then, strangely, I started to get use to the rhythm of zipping through the lines. Also, the guides who are helping us, seem to be enjoying themselves so much, cracking jokes, that you start getting into it more. One of the last few lines were extremely long and it was rigged where you don't go that fast. And it takes you on a clearing where you see the canopies ahead of you and the mist. It was really a site that took my breath away. I felt so free and the feeling was so thrilling that I almost cried! (yes very cheesy). I would recommend it to anyone!
