jhw1866

I'm searching for accommodations in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica for March 20-27, 2009. I am travelling with 3 other adults. Ideally we would like to have 2 br's with 2 beds in each room and a kitchen/living area since we plan to relax and eat-in for some meals. It's difficult to meet 4 individual's desires, but good views and A/C are musts. Since we will depend on public transportation, we need to be near a bus stop. We're also on a tight budget....no more than $200/night. Has anyone heard of Hotel Villas el Parque? They meet our needs but I am having difficulty getting a good source for a review. Once we get our accommodations set, we'll start an itinerary..... and we're leaving soon! Any suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated! Judy

RAC

La Posada has AC and that kind of accomodations--bungalows are $125/night.

However, it is right by the park so you don't get the magnificent view (but you do get all kinds of wildlife coming over from the park).

Supposedly Costa Verde and Mango Moon offer views but are more expensive.

volcanogirl

We stayed at Mango Moon; we didn't love our first room, but they upgraded us for free to a really nice room. They did have AC, and there were nice views from the balcony. One odd thing that we haven't seen elsewhere in CR - you could not put toilet paper into their toilet because of their system. That part took a little adjusting to! The thing we didn't love is that a lot of the rooms share a balcony, so we didn't feel like there was a lot of privacy, but if you're not looking for it to be romantic, that might be good for you.

tripinink

Volcanogirl

Really? I have not stayed anywhere in Costa Rica where you COULD put paper into the toilet. I guess I have mainly stayed at small guest houses and inns, though even in Arenal, I thought this was the case. Sorry about this potty talk but now you have me wondering.

volcanogirl

trip, I've heard other people say that, but we were genuinely surprised. We've stayed all over and in several trips we had never seen that before, not in Arenal, Monteverde, San Jose, the Osa, the Peace Lodge, etc. I went down to the front desk to ask them what to do with the paper, and they told me to put it in the trash can. I must have looked stunned! I always like to tell people just to give them a heads up in case they wouldn't think it was romantic or something - lol. My husband thought it was funny and teased me about it. As soon as the maid would come and take out the trash he would tell me he was hitting the bathroom - okay it was kind of funny!

One of my friends at work wanted to go to CR for her honeymoon, and as soon as I told her that she crossed this place off her list. We went on a sailing trip in MA and we asked other people on the trip and out of several hotels, none of the other places had that setup. They thought we were making it up and joking!

tully

I've only stayed in one place that had the trash can option. Weird at first but you adapt. Several places I've stopped in though, like sodas, stores etc had that set-up.

jhw1866

Thanks for the comments (and humor). I've stayed in other countries where TP could not be flushed due to poor sewage systems. Also TP could be in short supply in some places so I always carry a pack of tissues with me. Glad to know this is the case in Costa Rica so we will not be surprised. We have decided on accommodations: http://www.cyberrentals.com/rental/p213264 . It seems to meet most of our needs and we were given a nice discount for the week. Reading the information, I noticed they supply TP - thought that was strange till I read your comments. Now.... any suggestions on an itinerary? Mostly we need to relax - but I want to see as much as I can w/out being stressed. What day trips are reasonable from Manuel Antonio? We are flying into San Jose and can't decide on transportation to our hotel. I heard the public bus is NOT the way to go, but a public transfer was suggested. If we fly into Quepos we will still need to get to the condo. Thanks so much for responding and please post again - Judy

volcanogirl

I would either hire a private driver or take Interbus. Taxis are easy to get once you're in MA. The national park in MA is beautiful - great beach inside the park, lots of wildlife, but it's very tame/used to people. We went sailing; the snorkeling part was terrible. The Damas mangrove tour is popular and so is Finca Valmy horseback riding.

I have to say the bathrooms in CR beat Greece hands down!

jhw1866

Actually Greece was the first place I experienced the no flush TP rule - - freaked me out. I'll look into Inerbus. Thanks, Judy

volcanogirl

We went to a restaurant in Greece, and the bathroom was just a huge room with holes in the floor. I was wearing pants, no stall doors or anything. Was I just supposed to be naked? I decided to wait until we got back to the hotel.

tully

I have horrible balance, I would've waited too!

jhw1866

Returned from MA last night - had a fantastic trip. The weather was a bit more oppressive than I anticipated, but over-all the trip was wonderful. We stayed in Villa Manuel Antonio ( www.villamanuelantonio.com ) and I highly recommend it. The owner, Lauraunt (not sure of the spelling...), is always on site. He arranged everything for us and made the trip even more pleasurable. He arranged transport to and from San Jose. The driver was great and even brought beverages when he picked us up. Lauraunt set up several tours for us and arranged for transport at the villa. A bus stop is at the end of the road and an ATM is very close. A small grocery is in walking distance and Lauraunt provides transport to a larger grocery chain. There is daily maid service and your laundry is washed for no charge. Everything on his web site is accurate. The view is beautiful and although it does not have a sunset view you are only steps away from La Mariposa which has the most beautiful sunset view. You can eat at their restaurant or have a drink by the pool and watch the sun set into the ocean. If you have questions, please email me at [email protected]. I would definitely stay at Villa Manuel Antonio again!

volcanogirl

jhw, I'm glad you had such a great time. We thought MA was very hot too, and we're from Houston - lol. March is one of the hottest times to go. Did you see a lot of wildlife?

jhw1866

Some wildlife - mostly in the park. I think those animals had more sense than us and chose to stay out of the heat! I really enjoyed the canopy safari (zip line). Mostly because I had the courage to try it. I also snorkled for the first time ever. Pura Vida! I doubt I'll go back to Cost Rica, but I love to travel and will use this site for advise and to share experiences. Next trip - a 5 day cruise to the Bahamas. Not too adventurous, but my boyfriend hates to travel and I thought he might enjoy it. Needless to say, he did not go on the Costa Rica trip! Girl friends make great traveling partners.