Trip Report: Manuel Antonio, Arenal & Peace Lodge
Nov 24th, 2009, 01:08 PM
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Trip Report: Manuel Antonio, Arenal & Peace Lodge
Thanks so much to everyone for all the help planning our first trip to CR -- we had such a blast, and are just now settling back into life at home and sorting through our whirlwind week of travels.
We flew into SJO and rented a car -- highly recommend. I was admittedly nervous about driving, but it was really not stressful at all. If anything, once you adapt to the anything-goes mentality, it's kind of hard to come home where passing on a blind curve with a double yellow line is frowned upon! We used Tricolor, and they were wonderful, reliable, everything exactly as described (and the rates are definitely negotiable...just something to keep in mind). We rented a 4x4 which may have been overkill, but was nice on some of the roads leading to our hotels.
Manuel Antonio:
We headed straight down to Manuel Antonio when we arrived -- our flight got in at 1pm, and we were checking in by 6pm (including immigration, rental car pickup and drive time). We stayed at La Mansion and it was really pretty nice. There are some minor hiccups and it is certainly in the middle of nature -- I freely admit that the first night, a ton of ants and tiny gecko on the ceiling almost caused me to have a nervous breakdown.
Other than that, breakfast was delicious, the views were breathtaking and the hotel is small, quiet and well-run.
Manuel Antonio Activities:
We spent our first day in the park -- took a guided tour with Juan Brenes of Aguila Tours, who I cannot say enough about. We were the only people on the tour, and it was beyond words. We saw incredible amounts of wildlife -- capuchins, squirrel monkeys, two- and three-toed sloths, caimans, jesus christ lizards etc., and Juan took spectacular pictures through his scope (he knew how to use my camera way better than I did!). He is so knowledgeable and my husband and I agreed the tour was one of our trip highlights. We spent that afternoon at the beach in the park, enjoying the scenery.
The second day, we were scheduled to go to the Rainmaker project and to Villa Vanilla, but ended up cancelling all our plans in light of the previous day with Juan. We had told him about some of the things that interested us, and he took us out for the day on a personalized tour. We went to a spectacular waterfall in the middle of nowhere (we were the only ones there!) to swim, jump off cliffs etc., and then to a turtle rescue project on Matapalo Beach, which was incredible. We got to hold baby turtles who had just been dug up out of the nests.
Manuel Antonio Restaurants:
Salsipuedes -- delicious. We really enjoyed the food and atmosphere (there was live music the night we were there). Seemed to be a lot of locals, and really inexpensive, delicious drinks too!
La Hacidenda -- we were the only people in the restaurant (seeing a theme here?) so we had wonderful service, and the food was fabulous. The mangotinis are a MUST, and the mango and brie quesadillas are to die for!
Gato Nego -- we were in the mood for Italian, and asked the front desk for a recommendation. I've seen mixed reviews on this, but we enjoyed it. It was a little on the pricey side, but the food was good and hit the spot.
Arenal:
We headed up to Arenal early one morning, and the drive didn't take nearly as long as we anticipated -- I think it was just under 5 hours from point-to-point. We stayed at the Arenal Nayara which is, overall, spectacular. It's beautiful and the service is impeccable, BUT, there is a substantial amount of construction going on and our casita was literally right next door. The hammering started at 6am -- not relaxing. I was disappointed at management's response (or lack thereof) and hesitate to recommend the hotel for that reason, but I wish I could because outside of that (fairly major) issue, it was a perfect stay.
Arenal Activities:
Our first afternoon/evening, we went on the Liquid Lava tour with Desafio. I think it might be slightly overpriced for what it is, but it gave us a nice history of the volcano, we hiked around the national park and waited (unsuccessfully) to see lava. From what I understand, there hasn't been lava in a couple weeks, ever since some kind of plate-shifting under the surface. Disappointing, but we did see some toucans and other interesting wildlife along the way.
The next day was whitewater rafting, which I was terrified of! We went through Sunset Tours, which took us to Pozo Azul at the Sarapiqui. In retrospect, we probably could have just driven ourselves, but it was nice to meet some people along the way and was really pretty inexpensive for all we got. When it was all said and done, I had a blast. The guides were great, we had chances to get out of the rafts, jump off a cliff and float down the river, which was all fun (even in the rain!). Afterward, we had a surprisingly good lunch at the onsite restaurant and returned to our hotel around 4pm. A long day, but worth it.
The following morning, we (well, my husband) did the SkyTrek zipline. I couldn't quite work up the nerve, so I did the SkyTram only, which ended up being nice -- after I saw my husband off, I took a hike around the mountain with a guide and saw some interesting plants etc., returning just before the zipline group zipped in. My husband has nothing but great things to say about the zipline -- very high marks for not having to worry about a hand-brake, which meant he could really enjoy it. It did rain which limited visibility (particularly when getting stung in the face with rain!), but he loved it overall.
After that, we went to the Hanging Bridges -- I have to say, I expected this to be a quick, easy trip, but it was kind of a long (and very uphill!) hike...maybe we were just tired from the previous hikes/activities, but I found myself wishing it would end about halfway through.
Views were great, but I'm not sure I'd do it again.
That night, we went to Eco Termales. It was beautiful -- I can't imagine going to a more crowded hotsprings, since this one was so lovely. The drinks were insanely cheap, and they have a fun variety -- we got to try coconut milk right out of the coconut, which we'd been wanting to do. It's well-landscaped, well-designed and VERY relaxing.
Arenal Restaurants:
Don Rufino's -- probably the best restaurant we tried during our time in CR. The food was great, the wine list was nice, and we had a great dinner.
Las Brasitas -- we drove into La Fortuna one night without much of a plan and ended up here because it seemed popular. In retrospect, I have no idea why! I was very underwhelmed, at both the food and the service.
After Eco Termales, we just grabbed a carryout pizza from a hotel I can't remember the name of -- nothing too exciting there!
Peace Lodge:
The earthquake damage on the way in is staggering -- we couldn't believe we were headed in the right direction, but we were! The hotel is gorgeous, and so is the park. We had a standard room, but it was spectacular. Loved the fireplace, the waterfall shower and the balcony jacuzzi.
Peace Lodge Activities:
We had a guided tour of the park included in our room rate, and it was INCREDIBLE. We saw everything with great detail and had experiences we never anticipated -- holding a baby anteater, hand-feeding marmosets, hummingbirds and toucans etc. Yes, there's a Disney-esque aspect to the grounds, but we had already seen so much in the wild that it really didn't bother us. I mean, when else will you have the opportunity to hand-feed a toucan??
We also took a night frog tour -- it was a trip! Just us, a guide, and a few flashlights...he found a ton of frogs and put them all over us while taking great pictures -- love the one of my husband with a frog climbing up his face! Saw some really different species that we hadn't seen in the wild, and enjoyed it.
Peace Lodge food:
Pretty limited experience -- we had room service delivered, and it was adequate, if a little pricey! Not much around there to choose from though, so you're pretty much stuck at the hotel. I heard good things about the Trout Bar, but it closed before we got down there.
Overall, it was incredible -- I can't believe how much we did/saw and how different CR is from one part of the country to another. I can't wait to go back! Thanks again for all the advice and assistance along the way...pura vida!
We flew into SJO and rented a car -- highly recommend. I was admittedly nervous about driving, but it was really not stressful at all. If anything, once you adapt to the anything-goes mentality, it's kind of hard to come home where passing on a blind curve with a double yellow line is frowned upon! We used Tricolor, and they were wonderful, reliable, everything exactly as described (and the rates are definitely negotiable...just something to keep in mind). We rented a 4x4 which may have been overkill, but was nice on some of the roads leading to our hotels.
Manuel Antonio:
We headed straight down to Manuel Antonio when we arrived -- our flight got in at 1pm, and we were checking in by 6pm (including immigration, rental car pickup and drive time). We stayed at La Mansion and it was really pretty nice. There are some minor hiccups and it is certainly in the middle of nature -- I freely admit that the first night, a ton of ants and tiny gecko on the ceiling almost caused me to have a nervous breakdown.
Other than that, breakfast was delicious, the views were breathtaking and the hotel is small, quiet and well-run.Manuel Antonio Activities:
We spent our first day in the park -- took a guided tour with Juan Brenes of Aguila Tours, who I cannot say enough about. We were the only people on the tour, and it was beyond words. We saw incredible amounts of wildlife -- capuchins, squirrel monkeys, two- and three-toed sloths, caimans, jesus christ lizards etc., and Juan took spectacular pictures through his scope (he knew how to use my camera way better than I did!). He is so knowledgeable and my husband and I agreed the tour was one of our trip highlights. We spent that afternoon at the beach in the park, enjoying the scenery.
The second day, we were scheduled to go to the Rainmaker project and to Villa Vanilla, but ended up cancelling all our plans in light of the previous day with Juan. We had told him about some of the things that interested us, and he took us out for the day on a personalized tour. We went to a spectacular waterfall in the middle of nowhere (we were the only ones there!) to swim, jump off cliffs etc., and then to a turtle rescue project on Matapalo Beach, which was incredible. We got to hold baby turtles who had just been dug up out of the nests.
Manuel Antonio Restaurants:
Salsipuedes -- delicious. We really enjoyed the food and atmosphere (there was live music the night we were there). Seemed to be a lot of locals, and really inexpensive, delicious drinks too!
La Hacidenda -- we were the only people in the restaurant (seeing a theme here?) so we had wonderful service, and the food was fabulous. The mangotinis are a MUST, and the mango and brie quesadillas are to die for!
Gato Nego -- we were in the mood for Italian, and asked the front desk for a recommendation. I've seen mixed reviews on this, but we enjoyed it. It was a little on the pricey side, but the food was good and hit the spot.
Arenal:
We headed up to Arenal early one morning, and the drive didn't take nearly as long as we anticipated -- I think it was just under 5 hours from point-to-point. We stayed at the Arenal Nayara which is, overall, spectacular. It's beautiful and the service is impeccable, BUT, there is a substantial amount of construction going on and our casita was literally right next door. The hammering started at 6am -- not relaxing. I was disappointed at management's response (or lack thereof) and hesitate to recommend the hotel for that reason, but I wish I could because outside of that (fairly major) issue, it was a perfect stay.
Arenal Activities:
Our first afternoon/evening, we went on the Liquid Lava tour with Desafio. I think it might be slightly overpriced for what it is, but it gave us a nice history of the volcano, we hiked around the national park and waited (unsuccessfully) to see lava. From what I understand, there hasn't been lava in a couple weeks, ever since some kind of plate-shifting under the surface. Disappointing, but we did see some toucans and other interesting wildlife along the way.
The next day was whitewater rafting, which I was terrified of! We went through Sunset Tours, which took us to Pozo Azul at the Sarapiqui. In retrospect, we probably could have just driven ourselves, but it was nice to meet some people along the way and was really pretty inexpensive for all we got. When it was all said and done, I had a blast. The guides were great, we had chances to get out of the rafts, jump off a cliff and float down the river, which was all fun (even in the rain!). Afterward, we had a surprisingly good lunch at the onsite restaurant and returned to our hotel around 4pm. A long day, but worth it.
The following morning, we (well, my husband) did the SkyTrek zipline. I couldn't quite work up the nerve, so I did the SkyTram only, which ended up being nice -- after I saw my husband off, I took a hike around the mountain with a guide and saw some interesting plants etc., returning just before the zipline group zipped in. My husband has nothing but great things to say about the zipline -- very high marks for not having to worry about a hand-brake, which meant he could really enjoy it. It did rain which limited visibility (particularly when getting stung in the face with rain!), but he loved it overall.
After that, we went to the Hanging Bridges -- I have to say, I expected this to be a quick, easy trip, but it was kind of a long (and very uphill!) hike...maybe we were just tired from the previous hikes/activities, but I found myself wishing it would end about halfway through.
Views were great, but I'm not sure I'd do it again.That night, we went to Eco Termales. It was beautiful -- I can't imagine going to a more crowded hotsprings, since this one was so lovely. The drinks were insanely cheap, and they have a fun variety -- we got to try coconut milk right out of the coconut, which we'd been wanting to do. It's well-landscaped, well-designed and VERY relaxing.
Arenal Restaurants:
Don Rufino's -- probably the best restaurant we tried during our time in CR. The food was great, the wine list was nice, and we had a great dinner.
Las Brasitas -- we drove into La Fortuna one night without much of a plan and ended up here because it seemed popular. In retrospect, I have no idea why! I was very underwhelmed, at both the food and the service.
After Eco Termales, we just grabbed a carryout pizza from a hotel I can't remember the name of -- nothing too exciting there!
Peace Lodge:
The earthquake damage on the way in is staggering -- we couldn't believe we were headed in the right direction, but we were! The hotel is gorgeous, and so is the park. We had a standard room, but it was spectacular. Loved the fireplace, the waterfall shower and the balcony jacuzzi.
Peace Lodge Activities:
We had a guided tour of the park included in our room rate, and it was INCREDIBLE. We saw everything with great detail and had experiences we never anticipated -- holding a baby anteater, hand-feeding marmosets, hummingbirds and toucans etc. Yes, there's a Disney-esque aspect to the grounds, but we had already seen so much in the wild that it really didn't bother us. I mean, when else will you have the opportunity to hand-feed a toucan??
We also took a night frog tour -- it was a trip! Just us, a guide, and a few flashlights...he found a ton of frogs and put them all over us while taking great pictures -- love the one of my husband with a frog climbing up his face! Saw some really different species that we hadn't seen in the wild, and enjoyed it.
Peace Lodge food:
Pretty limited experience -- we had room service delivered, and it was adequate, if a little pricey! Not much around there to choose from though, so you're pretty much stuck at the hotel. I heard good things about the Trout Bar, but it closed before we got down there.
Overall, it was incredible -- I can't believe how much we did/saw and how different CR is from one part of the country to another. I can't wait to go back! Thanks again for all the advice and assistance along the way...pura vida!
Nov 24th, 2009, 01:29 PM
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Wonderful trip - you did a lot of our favorite things. How did the waterfalls look at the Peace Lodge - were all 5 of them open yet? Last I heard it was only 2, so I'd love an update! Good to know you can hold the frogs again. We had done that before, but on our last trip, they said they no longer do that. I really loved it. Bummer about the lava. Agree that Don Rufino is excellent - we loved it. Glad you had fun!
Nov 24th, 2009, 04:47 PM
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Thank you so much for your report. I get so much out of them in anticipation for our first trip. Funny how we all fear different things. I lived in a place where geckos on the ceiling were common so that wouldn't bother me a bit. Even though I have a fear of heights but I am planning to do the zip line, but....jumping off a cliff...no way!!! It sounds like you had a fabulous time.
Nov 24th, 2009, 06:31 PM
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Volcanogirl, it's still just two of the waterfalls open, but honestly, after seeing two (and swimming in a different one in Manuel Antonio), we weren't dying for more. The only downside is that the traditional exit isn't open, so it comes with the joy of hiking back up 400 steps after you see them!
The frogs were amazing -- they actually included both tours in the room price since they're still recovering from the earthquake, presumably to drum up business. But it looked like they were totally full the night we were there, which was good to see.
The frogs were amazing -- they actually included both tours in the room price since they're still recovering from the earthquake, presumably to drum up business. But it looked like they were totally full the night we were there, which was good to see.
Nov 29th, 2009, 07:17 AM
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We are leaving for Costa Rica in a few weeks and have booked a 4x4 with Tricolor. We are probably already too late to negotiate a better deal. Did you negotiate a price with them before or after your on-line booking?
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