11 day Itinerary Trip Report - Volcano - 2 beaches in Guanacaste - San Jose
Aug 18th, 2010, 03:32 PM
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11 day Itinerary Trip Report - Volcano - 2 beaches in Guanacaste - San Jose
Many thanks to everyone who answered my questions on this site. It really helped make a wonderful trip for my family. This is my first stab at a trip report - hope it is ok!
Day1
We arrived in San Jose at 10AM and went to Thrifty to pick up the car I had reserved on line. The Thrifty rep proceeded to tell us that he did not have that car in stock but would give us a Jeep that was not as big or sturdy as the promised car. Called over to Avis and they sent a rep to pick us up at Thrifty and take us to Avis to rent our car. Ended up with a Mitsubishi Sport turned out to be a great car for the roads we ended up taking and for getting us out of the giant hole that we backed up into!
Decided to take the scenic route to La Fortuna and had the GPS take us to Zarcara. We were going to stop in Sarchi for some souvenirs but must have driven right through it without noticing. Stopped at the Maxi Bodega in Grecia for some supplies (water and snacks and tequila) and then headed towards La Fortuna. We stopped at our first Tipica on the way – and it was one of the best – can't remember the name but it was on the left hand side of the road about 15 minutes from the Maxi Bodega.
Arrived in Los Lagos - when we pulled up to the hotel the kids said “wow” and I immediately knew I had made the right choice. – We were in room 218, it was very large and each of the double beds had a pull out bed underneath it which was great. – Wonderful volcano view (we would learn in the morning). Took a swim in the fantastic pool. The bartender recommended we eat at Las Brasistas. Very good meal about 40 for a family of 4 with beers for the adults. Fresh roasted pork and chicken.
Day 2
Woke up at 6AM and saw the volcano either erupt or “gas off” - perfect cloudless view. We all got so excited to see it that we locked ourselves out of the room. The view was amazing and the hillsides had horses grazing as well. The Hotel breakfast was phenomenal and after breakfast we walked through the frog/butterfly/crocodile area that is on the grounds of the hotel. Went back to the tourist desk at Las Brasistas to book some tours. After they treated us to some beers and virgin pina colada for the kids.
Booked the Canyoneering tour with Desafeo. They picked us up at the hotel at 1:00 and took us to the lost canyon. We repelled down 2 waterfalls and hiked through the canyons. The guides were amazing and really treated everyone so nicely – they really watched out for my 11 year old. One of the guides – Elia – was particularly great. They gave us a delicious late lunch at the base camp and then drove us back to the hotel. We drove to the volcano observation area on the grounds of Los Lagos – did not see volcano but enjoyed the sign that warned about the dangers of being so near to the active volcano.We took another swim and then had a late night snack at La Parada which did not impress us at all.
Day 3
Woke up early to another great view of the volcano – this time there were cows on the hill along with the horses. Drove to Skytrak/Skytram for an 8:30 AM tour – I would try and book the time you want before you go on the trip as we could not book this time yesterday and it was the only open time today – at a time when I was told that Costa Rica is not at its busiest. We ziplined and loved it.
Stopped for lunch at Casajos on the way back to the hotel. This was a great meal and a great view of the volcano again. Highly recommend this restaurant – the menu is a bit more expensive then some other tipicas but portions are huge, quality is great and the service is friendly and welcoming.
We met 2 brothers who are hiking the world in 6 years and spoke to them for a while. Back to the hotel – kids swam and went on the slides for 4 hours.
Got into the car to try and find a restaurant with a view of the Lava and ended up driving around Lake Arenal on a road that gave us our first real taste of costa rican roads (route 142). There were trees and giant piles of dirt in the road many times and at one point the sound of frogs was so loud that we had to stop and take a video/audio recording. We ended up driving this same road the next day enroute to Guanacaste and most of the trees – but not all – had been cleared. Ended up eating at a tipica called El Moderno – it is next to Toad Hall (which was in the GPS but was closed). They have a wood burning stove but did not know how to advertise that in english on their sign, so my son helped them translate. Dinner was $5.00 per person for a huge homemade delicious plate of food.
Day 4
Up early again. The sounds of the volcano woke us up again – another eruption. How lucky. We walked to breakfast over the suspension bridge on Los Lagos property and it was really beautiful. Last breakfast before heading to our next destination. The food was great here once again. Decided to take 142 to Canas and then to decide from there which route to take to Tamarindo. Saw monkeys in the trees along the way and stopped to take some photos. Lunch in Canas at Soda Los Antojitos – another good and inexpensive meal.
Arrived at the JW Marriot – upgraded at a small cost to a junior suite ocean view – the regular rooms are really nice as well. The room was not ready so we went for a swim in the ocean – the water was warm and calm. The room was beautiful, a large living space and separate bedroom. Huge shower and claw foot tub. Small private pool outside our bedroom door. Ordered room service for dinner because it was actually cheaper to do that than to eat in one of the restaurants on the property and watched a movie – we were all tired. We had been confused before coming to CR as to whether we should stay in more local, typical beach hotels or one of the resorts and that is why we decided to have a few nights at the JW – in order to make an informed decision. My 11 year old daughter voted that she liked Los Lagos and the JW the best and the rest of the family voted for the other, cheaper, more bug filled hotels! Don't get me wrong, the JW is absolutely heaven on earth, the hammocks around the property are so fun to hang out in, the pool is huge and clean and gorgeous – probably the nicest infinity pool I have ever seen - , the towels are plush, the service is fantastic and friendly, the beach is private and clean. But if you really want to eat in Costa Rican restaurants and see the town you are staying in, you need to drive off of the property each time – it is about a 2 mile drive just to get out of the property.
Day 5
Kids woke up early and went out our back door right to the beach for a morning walk. We all went swimming in the pool and the ocean. Drove to Lolas on Playa Avellena for lunch. Good food – a bit more expensive then other places. Kids fed the pig and we enjoyed the ocean view. Back to the hotel – there was a rainstorm so we grabbed our books and layed around in the hammocks for a while and read. Once the rain stopped we took a walk on the beach to look for shells. Drove to Tamarindo - stopped at the supermarket and got some more snacks and water. Dinner at Nibbana – a great meal. Whole red snapper, wonderful escargot, very nice service – about $80 for the family for those of you who are wondering about prices.
Day 6
Kids and I slept late, husband went out for a jog and found a tree full of monkeys on the JW property. We all drove to the tree and watched the monkeys – there were about 20 of them. Drove into Tamarindo and had falafel at Falafel Mundo. Back to hotel for a swim and then back to tamarindo at night for dinner at El Coconut. Bartender Jorge let me go behind the bar and taught me how to make a frozen drink. Really a great meal.
Day 7
Morning swim then packed up to go to Playa Grande. Arrived at hotel Las Tortugas – room 5. Went to beach and found lots of shells. Ate lunch right on the beach next to the hotel at Taco Star, Abner was the “chef” and we set up some surf lessons with him. Great place for tacos and smoothies. Went swimming in ocean and pool, played scrabble, laid around on the hammocks and then ate at the hotel restaur.ant. There were many ants and other bugs in the room, the sheets were not slightly worn and one of them had to be changed because it was not 100% clean, but the room was spacious, the water was hot and we were 10 steps from the beach. We had a little private patio with a hammock, table, chairs and candles and for $100 a night it was a fantastic find.
Day 8
Boys took a 2 hour surf lesson from Guillermo in the morning, my daughter and I walked along the beach and found a private little area on the other side of the giant rock formation.
Went on an estuary tour in canoes with Jonathan from the hotel for 3 hours. Saw more monkeys and mangroves. Back to hotel for boogie boarding and body surfing then into town to eat dinner at Kikes restaurant - another great meal – about $50 for the family – the whole red snapper is amazing.
Day 9 –
Breakfast at hotel. My son took a private surf lesson with Guillermo for his birthday. We packed up and headed for Sugar Beach Hotel. Stopped for lunch on water in Playa Protrero – Las Brisas on the beach (from Fodors). Stopped at El Carillo bakery billed as the best peanut butter cookies in the country by Fodors. Had cookies and tres leches and carrot cake. - everything here was delicious and the cookies lived up to their reputation. Candles for my son's bday. Really great stop. Arrived at hotel and room was much too small and they did not have cot as promised, also did not have great internet and cell phone reception which we needed for some work to get done. Got back in car and called Guacamaya Lodge at Playa Junquillal. They still had the 2 bedroom villa for $100 a night so we headed there. The GPS took us on the back road over huge ruts and through puddles – our second encounter with the real roads of Costa Rica. The bartender at Guacamaya noted that he needed to tell the car rental place to adjust the GPS so that it took patrons on a safer route. Drove to Iguana Azul Hotel to check out the beach there, decided to come back the next day for snorkeling. Dinner at a tipica called Las Taquitas – pork cooked in wood oven. Really great food, very inexpensive too. Everyone sang happy birthday. About $40 for the whole family
Day 10
Spent the day at Playa Junquillal – gathered lots of shells and swam in the ocean. Ate lunch on the beach. Found sand dollars (that were confiscated at the airport!) Went back to the hotel and swam in the pool. Dinner at the dutch restaurant down the block from the hotel. One of the best meals of the trip. Called Mundo Mile Eco Lodge. Also – got homemade ice pops several times a day at Eliecer Alfaro Ch.1 – a little bodega on the road near the hotel (make a left out of the hotel and you will see it in about 2 minutes). The bodega was opened last year by an 87 year old man who makes all of the ice pops himself – the kids tried all the flavors and we really enjoyed the rum raisin! This is a worthwhile stop to talk to the owner who was one of the kindest people we encountered in this country full of incredible kindness.
Day 11
Breakfast at Iguana Azul hotel and then to a beach called Playa Blanca that is not even on the map. Amazing calm water. Snorkled and shelled for hours. Everyone had a blast. The hotel's dog was swimming in the ocean with us almost the entire time and even tried to give us a blow fish – which we ended up tossing back in and rescuing.
Back to hotel to pack up and leave for the last hotel. Drove to Hotel Bougenvillea checked in and then went for dinner at Ceviche Del Rey – a peruvian restaurant. Great last dinner.
Day 11
Woke up and had breakfast at the cafe next to Ceviche Del Rey – packed up and drove to return car. Had a bit of trouble finding an open gas station to fill tank before returning. Made it to the airport just in time. Don't forget that you have to pay your exit tax - we did not have a long line for this but if we had, we would have missed our flight.
Everyone agreed that this was the trip of a life time and that we wanted to come back ASAP.
What I learned.
Keens Newport H2O were all that were needed – hiking boots and rain boots were not necessary (just took up room and became a burden).
It did rain every day but it did not affect our activities in any way. We ziplined in the rain, sat on the beach in the rain etc. The storms were usually short and intense and then everything dried out quickly.
Quick dry running gear type clothing was the best – including one with long sleeves – it got chilly while repelling and ziplining. I only had one pair of long pants. I wore them the 3 nights in arenal and then not again for the rest of the trip.
The bugs were not horrible but seemed to attack our legs and feet at most restaurants.
Binoculars were nice to have to see the monkeys
Wake up early at Arenal to increase your chances of seeing the volcano.
We drank only bottled water for the first half of the trip and then ended up drinking the tap at some point and nobody got sick. We ate all kinds of food at tipicas everywhere and no one got ill at all.
We packed rain coats but nobody wore them. One day I used a rain poncho from the 99 cent store so that I would not have to sit in the car soaking wet. It was hot a sweaty in the poncho, but I did stay dry!
Almost every restaurant took american dollars as well as colones and almost all took credit cards.
I packed a lot of extra zip locks and plastic bags because nothing really dries out so it was useful to have when traveling from hotel to hotel.
GPS is essential – it is so detailed and contains the names of lots of restaurants and hotels – I barely consulted my maps at all but would have been lost without the GPS.
Driving at night once you get to the town you are going to is not bad at all. Not sure I would want to have to find some of the hotels for the first time in the dark, but we did and it was not so bad.
Wear a lot of sun screen – even early in the morning - you can burn really quickly.
Day1
We arrived in San Jose at 10AM and went to Thrifty to pick up the car I had reserved on line. The Thrifty rep proceeded to tell us that he did not have that car in stock but would give us a Jeep that was not as big or sturdy as the promised car. Called over to Avis and they sent a rep to pick us up at Thrifty and take us to Avis to rent our car. Ended up with a Mitsubishi Sport turned out to be a great car for the roads we ended up taking and for getting us out of the giant hole that we backed up into!
Decided to take the scenic route to La Fortuna and had the GPS take us to Zarcara. We were going to stop in Sarchi for some souvenirs but must have driven right through it without noticing. Stopped at the Maxi Bodega in Grecia for some supplies (water and snacks and tequila) and then headed towards La Fortuna. We stopped at our first Tipica on the way – and it was one of the best – can't remember the name but it was on the left hand side of the road about 15 minutes from the Maxi Bodega.
Arrived in Los Lagos - when we pulled up to the hotel the kids said “wow” and I immediately knew I had made the right choice. – We were in room 218, it was very large and each of the double beds had a pull out bed underneath it which was great. – Wonderful volcano view (we would learn in the morning). Took a swim in the fantastic pool. The bartender recommended we eat at Las Brasistas. Very good meal about 40 for a family of 4 with beers for the adults. Fresh roasted pork and chicken.
Day 2
Woke up at 6AM and saw the volcano either erupt or “gas off” - perfect cloudless view. We all got so excited to see it that we locked ourselves out of the room. The view was amazing and the hillsides had horses grazing as well. The Hotel breakfast was phenomenal and after breakfast we walked through the frog/butterfly/crocodile area that is on the grounds of the hotel. Went back to the tourist desk at Las Brasistas to book some tours. After they treated us to some beers and virgin pina colada for the kids.
Booked the Canyoneering tour with Desafeo. They picked us up at the hotel at 1:00 and took us to the lost canyon. We repelled down 2 waterfalls and hiked through the canyons. The guides were amazing and really treated everyone so nicely – they really watched out for my 11 year old. One of the guides – Elia – was particularly great. They gave us a delicious late lunch at the base camp and then drove us back to the hotel. We drove to the volcano observation area on the grounds of Los Lagos – did not see volcano but enjoyed the sign that warned about the dangers of being so near to the active volcano.We took another swim and then had a late night snack at La Parada which did not impress us at all.
Day 3
Woke up early to another great view of the volcano – this time there were cows on the hill along with the horses. Drove to Skytrak/Skytram for an 8:30 AM tour – I would try and book the time you want before you go on the trip as we could not book this time yesterday and it was the only open time today – at a time when I was told that Costa Rica is not at its busiest. We ziplined and loved it.
Stopped for lunch at Casajos on the way back to the hotel. This was a great meal and a great view of the volcano again. Highly recommend this restaurant – the menu is a bit more expensive then some other tipicas but portions are huge, quality is great and the service is friendly and welcoming.
We met 2 brothers who are hiking the world in 6 years and spoke to them for a while. Back to the hotel – kids swam and went on the slides for 4 hours.
Got into the car to try and find a restaurant with a view of the Lava and ended up driving around Lake Arenal on a road that gave us our first real taste of costa rican roads (route 142). There were trees and giant piles of dirt in the road many times and at one point the sound of frogs was so loud that we had to stop and take a video/audio recording. We ended up driving this same road the next day enroute to Guanacaste and most of the trees – but not all – had been cleared. Ended up eating at a tipica called El Moderno – it is next to Toad Hall (which was in the GPS but was closed). They have a wood burning stove but did not know how to advertise that in english on their sign, so my son helped them translate. Dinner was $5.00 per person for a huge homemade delicious plate of food.
Day 4
Up early again. The sounds of the volcano woke us up again – another eruption. How lucky. We walked to breakfast over the suspension bridge on Los Lagos property and it was really beautiful. Last breakfast before heading to our next destination. The food was great here once again. Decided to take 142 to Canas and then to decide from there which route to take to Tamarindo. Saw monkeys in the trees along the way and stopped to take some photos. Lunch in Canas at Soda Los Antojitos – another good and inexpensive meal.
Arrived at the JW Marriot – upgraded at a small cost to a junior suite ocean view – the regular rooms are really nice as well. The room was not ready so we went for a swim in the ocean – the water was warm and calm. The room was beautiful, a large living space and separate bedroom. Huge shower and claw foot tub. Small private pool outside our bedroom door. Ordered room service for dinner because it was actually cheaper to do that than to eat in one of the restaurants on the property and watched a movie – we were all tired. We had been confused before coming to CR as to whether we should stay in more local, typical beach hotels or one of the resorts and that is why we decided to have a few nights at the JW – in order to make an informed decision. My 11 year old daughter voted that she liked Los Lagos and the JW the best and the rest of the family voted for the other, cheaper, more bug filled hotels! Don't get me wrong, the JW is absolutely heaven on earth, the hammocks around the property are so fun to hang out in, the pool is huge and clean and gorgeous – probably the nicest infinity pool I have ever seen - , the towels are plush, the service is fantastic and friendly, the beach is private and clean. But if you really want to eat in Costa Rican restaurants and see the town you are staying in, you need to drive off of the property each time – it is about a 2 mile drive just to get out of the property.
Day 5
Kids woke up early and went out our back door right to the beach for a morning walk. We all went swimming in the pool and the ocean. Drove to Lolas on Playa Avellena for lunch. Good food – a bit more expensive then other places. Kids fed the pig and we enjoyed the ocean view. Back to the hotel – there was a rainstorm so we grabbed our books and layed around in the hammocks for a while and read. Once the rain stopped we took a walk on the beach to look for shells. Drove to Tamarindo - stopped at the supermarket and got some more snacks and water. Dinner at Nibbana – a great meal. Whole red snapper, wonderful escargot, very nice service – about $80 for the family for those of you who are wondering about prices.
Day 6
Kids and I slept late, husband went out for a jog and found a tree full of monkeys on the JW property. We all drove to the tree and watched the monkeys – there were about 20 of them. Drove into Tamarindo and had falafel at Falafel Mundo. Back to hotel for a swim and then back to tamarindo at night for dinner at El Coconut. Bartender Jorge let me go behind the bar and taught me how to make a frozen drink. Really a great meal.
Day 7
Morning swim then packed up to go to Playa Grande. Arrived at hotel Las Tortugas – room 5. Went to beach and found lots of shells. Ate lunch right on the beach next to the hotel at Taco Star, Abner was the “chef” and we set up some surf lessons with him. Great place for tacos and smoothies. Went swimming in ocean and pool, played scrabble, laid around on the hammocks and then ate at the hotel restaur.ant. There were many ants and other bugs in the room, the sheets were not slightly worn and one of them had to be changed because it was not 100% clean, but the room was spacious, the water was hot and we were 10 steps from the beach. We had a little private patio with a hammock, table, chairs and candles and for $100 a night it was a fantastic find.
Day 8
Boys took a 2 hour surf lesson from Guillermo in the morning, my daughter and I walked along the beach and found a private little area on the other side of the giant rock formation.
Went on an estuary tour in canoes with Jonathan from the hotel for 3 hours. Saw more monkeys and mangroves. Back to hotel for boogie boarding and body surfing then into town to eat dinner at Kikes restaurant - another great meal – about $50 for the family – the whole red snapper is amazing.
Day 9 –
Breakfast at hotel. My son took a private surf lesson with Guillermo for his birthday. We packed up and headed for Sugar Beach Hotel. Stopped for lunch on water in Playa Protrero – Las Brisas on the beach (from Fodors). Stopped at El Carillo bakery billed as the best peanut butter cookies in the country by Fodors. Had cookies and tres leches and carrot cake. - everything here was delicious and the cookies lived up to their reputation. Candles for my son's bday. Really great stop. Arrived at hotel and room was much too small and they did not have cot as promised, also did not have great internet and cell phone reception which we needed for some work to get done. Got back in car and called Guacamaya Lodge at Playa Junquillal. They still had the 2 bedroom villa for $100 a night so we headed there. The GPS took us on the back road over huge ruts and through puddles – our second encounter with the real roads of Costa Rica. The bartender at Guacamaya noted that he needed to tell the car rental place to adjust the GPS so that it took patrons on a safer route. Drove to Iguana Azul Hotel to check out the beach there, decided to come back the next day for snorkeling. Dinner at a tipica called Las Taquitas – pork cooked in wood oven. Really great food, very inexpensive too. Everyone sang happy birthday. About $40 for the whole family
Day 10
Spent the day at Playa Junquillal – gathered lots of shells and swam in the ocean. Ate lunch on the beach. Found sand dollars (that were confiscated at the airport!) Went back to the hotel and swam in the pool. Dinner at the dutch restaurant down the block from the hotel. One of the best meals of the trip. Called Mundo Mile Eco Lodge. Also – got homemade ice pops several times a day at Eliecer Alfaro Ch.1 – a little bodega on the road near the hotel (make a left out of the hotel and you will see it in about 2 minutes). The bodega was opened last year by an 87 year old man who makes all of the ice pops himself – the kids tried all the flavors and we really enjoyed the rum raisin! This is a worthwhile stop to talk to the owner who was one of the kindest people we encountered in this country full of incredible kindness.
Day 11
Breakfast at Iguana Azul hotel and then to a beach called Playa Blanca that is not even on the map. Amazing calm water. Snorkled and shelled for hours. Everyone had a blast. The hotel's dog was swimming in the ocean with us almost the entire time and even tried to give us a blow fish – which we ended up tossing back in and rescuing.
Back to hotel to pack up and leave for the last hotel. Drove to Hotel Bougenvillea checked in and then went for dinner at Ceviche Del Rey – a peruvian restaurant. Great last dinner.
Day 11
Woke up and had breakfast at the cafe next to Ceviche Del Rey – packed up and drove to return car. Had a bit of trouble finding an open gas station to fill tank before returning. Made it to the airport just in time. Don't forget that you have to pay your exit tax - we did not have a long line for this but if we had, we would have missed our flight.
Everyone agreed that this was the trip of a life time and that we wanted to come back ASAP.
What I learned.
Keens Newport H2O were all that were needed – hiking boots and rain boots were not necessary (just took up room and became a burden).
It did rain every day but it did not affect our activities in any way. We ziplined in the rain, sat on the beach in the rain etc. The storms were usually short and intense and then everything dried out quickly.
Quick dry running gear type clothing was the best – including one with long sleeves – it got chilly while repelling and ziplining. I only had one pair of long pants. I wore them the 3 nights in arenal and then not again for the rest of the trip.
The bugs were not horrible but seemed to attack our legs and feet at most restaurants.
Binoculars were nice to have to see the monkeys
Wake up early at Arenal to increase your chances of seeing the volcano.
We drank only bottled water for the first half of the trip and then ended up drinking the tap at some point and nobody got sick. We ate all kinds of food at tipicas everywhere and no one got ill at all.
We packed rain coats but nobody wore them. One day I used a rain poncho from the 99 cent store so that I would not have to sit in the car soaking wet. It was hot a sweaty in the poncho, but I did stay dry!
Almost every restaurant took american dollars as well as colones and almost all took credit cards.
I packed a lot of extra zip locks and plastic bags because nothing really dries out so it was useful to have when traveling from hotel to hotel.
GPS is essential – it is so detailed and contains the names of lots of restaurants and hotels – I barely consulted my maps at all but would have been lost without the GPS.
Driving at night once you get to the town you are going to is not bad at all. Not sure I would want to have to find some of the hotels for the first time in the dark, but we did and it was not so bad.
Wear a lot of sun screen – even early in the morning - you can burn really quickly.
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