TessC

Thanks to the wonderful tips I got from lurking and reading the numerous trip reports posted on this board, my DH and I have just returned from a fabulous vacation (albeit short) in CR a week ago. I would like to share our trip experience in return. This is going to be a very long report (in spite of a short trip).

Places visited: Monteverde (El Establo), Arenal (Tabacon) and La Paz (Peace Lodge)

Transfers:
SJO to Monteverde by private transfer - $100 (Desafio Tours); 3 hours
Monteverde to Arenal by taxi-boat-taxi - $21 per person (Desafio Tours); 2-1/2 hours
Arenal to La Paz/Peace Lodge by private transfer - $90 (Desafio Tours); 2 hours
Peace Lodge to SJO by private transfer with 2 hr stop in San Jose in between - $75 (Peace Lodge)

Restaurants:
Monteverde – Pizzeria de Johnny, Sofia’s and Las Palmeras
Arenal/Fortuna – La Choza de Laurel and El Novillo
La Paz – Peace Lodge
San Jose – Gran Hotel

Tours/Activities:
Hidden Valley Night Walk (5:15-7:30p) – booked with El Establo
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (7:00-11:00a) – booked with El Establo
Tabacon Hot Springs
Cano Negro Wildlife Tour with Arenal Adventures (7:10a-4:00p) – booked with Tabacon
Zipline/Canopy Tour at Arenal Paraiso (7:40-10:00a) – booked with Tabacon
Hanging Bridges
La Paz Waterfalls Garden
Horseback Riding and River Rafting with Pozo Azul Adventures (8:15a-4:15p) – booked with Peace Lodge

TessC

Monteverde:

Our flight landed at SJO right on time at around 8:30 am. Immigration was a breeze and we only had carry-on bags. Therefore we were already riding comfortably in our private transfer to Monteverde ten minutes or so later. Since the driver didn’t speak English, and neither my DH nor I speak Spanish, there was little exchange between us. The drive took about 3 hours with the last hour (25 or 30km) a little bumpy. But it was still very tolerable for us. I told DH it was not as rough as I had expected and the bumpy part was very scenic. It had been sunny and dry almost all through our ride to Monteverde up until the last minute. The weather changed in an instant and started raining as soon as we arrived at Hotel El Establo.

We checked into our junior suite facing the pool at the lowest of the newer buildings. I wanted a deluxe room originally but couldn’t find one available at the time of reservation. The location of our room/suite was fine for us as it was just a short walk away to the lobby and restaurant. I would not have liked the need for shuttle all the time or hiking the steep road up and down to any of the buildings higher up. The junior suite had a king bed in the loft area, and a double bed plus a twin bed at the lower level. Obviously, the 2 of us didn’t need 3 beds. DH thought the wood stairs to the loft felt slippery (he’s in his 50s), so we mostly stayed on the first level. The tiled bathroom with separate tub and shower was clean and spacious. Soundproofing was not very effective as I could hear clearly the conversations among the kids staying next door when I was in the bathroom in the evening. Internet access is available in their computer room behind the lobby at $2 for 30 minutes or $3 for an hour. The internet café at the corner across the street charges $2 per hour.

The good part about staying in El Establo includes being walking distance away from several good restaurants, having modern conveniences like TV with CNN, telephone in room and on-site internet access (that was important for us), and probably the nicest bathrooms in Monteverde. They also offer laundry service at $10 per load/basket (their basket), which is very reasonable compared to mostly $1-2.50 per item at Peace Lodge or even more at Tabacon. However, generally speaking, I found the staff at El Establo to be the least courteous or friendly among the three hotels we’ve stayed in. Everything was business like with little hospitality projected or felt – from computer room staff to the front desk. When I called the front desk to ask for replacement for a faulty light bulb, the person answering the phone did not understand what I needed and kept yelling “what” to the phone. Same thing happened when I asked to be connected to the concierge. Apparently, the person did not know who or what a concierge was. I think the concierge is usually known as the tour desk person or so there. The warmest hotel personnel we’ve encountered there was the porter who carried our bags and shuttled us to our suite on the day we arrived. The concierge, or tour desk director, did become more smiley after we booked a tour with him. One other thing I didn’t like was the plastic bracelet we had to wear as guest ID. It’s stiff on the edges and felt sharp and uncomfortable on the wrist. I did not mind Tabacon’s as much which had a softer paper texture.

Though I was hoping to do a tour in the afternoon, it was apparent the rain was not going away any time soon. We borrowed 2 umbrellas from the front desk (who jotted down our room number and reminded us we would have to pay $10 a piece should we not return them) and walked down the hill to have lunch at Pizzeria de Johnny. DH liked his chicken dish, but I thought my pasta was rather average. After lunch, we walked downhill further to Santa Elena in the rain. We found Desafio’s office below Morpho’s restaurant and walked in. I needed to arrange for transfer in a few days from Arenal to Peace Lodge. The office manager whom I have emailed with was not in that day. Instead, a sweet Tico girl, was on duty. She almost told us her life story including her salary and her family during the little time we were there. She made a couple of calls and got us a very reasonable rate ($90) for a private transfer from Tabacon to Peace Lodge. That was $30 less than what her manager has quoted by email before. I was surprised at the difference and insisted on her checking again to make sure there was no misunderstanding. There are 2 or 3 computers with internet access at Desafio available for use at $1 per 30 minutes. Since we’ve made some bookings with them, she said we could use them for free. So, we went online for a bit and then across the street to the only grocery store in town to buy some snacks, water and a phone card. The 199 calling card that cost $10 for approximately 32 minutes to the US worked very well for us. We had no problem using it at any of the public/pay phones or hotel room phones all through our trip. After a visit to the Orchid Gardens which cost us $7 pp for a quick 15 min guided tour in the rain (with poncho provided) of a small garden with different types of orchids including many mini epiphytes, DH decided he needed a rest more than a visit to the frog pond or snake house. So, we flagged down a taxi for an 800 colon ride back to the hotel. The taxi driver was fine with our paying him $1 plus 300 colons. Back at El Establo, DH took a nap and I just sat at the balcony trying to figure out what to do next. Fortunately, the sky lightened up and the rain stopped. At once, I woke DH up to see if he’d be game for a night walk of the rainforest. No objection from the man and so I called the hotel tour desk to book the night walk which was about to start. I understand there are 4 different night walk tours available around the Monteverde area. However, the hotel only offers the one to the Hidden Valley.

When we arrived in a fully loaded van, there were already other groups waiting near the entrance of Hidden Valley. After a short wait to take care of registration or tickets for all participants, we were separated into 2 groups. Each person was supplied with a mini Maglite flashlight. Except for another couple and us two, all the others were in the Spanish speaking group. We had no complaint about our semi-private tour in English led by a very nice American guide. After a whole afternoon of downpour, the sky was so clear that night showing off the full moon. It didn’t get completely dark until 6:10p or so. This night walk was one of our trip’s highlights for me. We saw a gray fox, a moving sloth, a tarantula, leaf-cutting ants and their huge colonies, some sleeping birds, porcupines and more. It became a little breezy toward the end of the walk. Our guide said the dry season (from Dec to Feb) was his least favorite time of the year because it’s usually very windy in Monteverde then. He also told us to stay away from the army ants if we see them in a group as they could be extremely aggressive. He said sometimes army ants would move into his house to search for food. He and his wife would just move out for a few days to get out of their way. By the time they return, the house would be free of spiders, moths and any insects.

On our way back from Hidden Valley, we asked the driver to drop us off at Sofia’s which was only a 3-5min walk from the hotel. Dinner at Sofia’s was a delightful and relaxing end to our busy day. We enjoyed the drinks, the ambiance, the service, and their banana pudding, but our entrees were not quite as delectable as we’d hoped. The seabass roll was on the sweet side and the roast pork loin in fig sauce was dry for me.

The next morning, we started off with an early breakfast at the hotel. Variety was not plenty and quality was below that of Tabacon and Peace Lodge in my opinion, but they did serve bread, cereal, eggs, local rice dish, fried bananas, fruits, beverages, etc. At 7:10am, we were picked up for the morning guided tour of the Monteverde Cloud Forest which was also booked through the hotel. There were 4 other people (2 American mothers and their boys) from our hotel joining us for this tour. Our Tico guide spoke excellent English and was very informative. Just like all the other guides we’ve had, he had sharp vision and sensitive hearing for spotting wildlife. He also carried with him a very fine telescope to show us close-up view of his findings. Using his telescope, he helped us take a few good pictures of our sightings by shooting our digital camera into his lens. No sighting of the elusive quetzal for us. We did, however, see interesting insects like a scorpion wasp and walking stick, glass winged butterflies and a number of other birds including a few orange bellied blue trogons (close relatives of the quetzals per the guide) during our 3 hour hike. One disappointment for me was not getting to see the Continental Divide. The trail we took is the one that veers to the left on the map. Our guide said a trail on the right would lead to a point where I may see the Continental Divide from a few kilometers away. But we didn’t have time to stay behind to do that on our own.

After the Cloud Forest tour, we packed up and checked out of the hotel. Since our transfer to Arenal was not due until 2 hours later, we left our bags at the lobby and went to lunch. El Establo does not have a bell desk to store luggage for its guests. Everyone just leaves their bags unattended at the lobby on the side somewhere. Then, we ate at Las Palmeras located next to the internet café across the street. DH’s beef plate was overdone, but my chicken was very delicious.

At 1:45pm, we were picked up from El Establo for our taxi-boat-taxi transfer to Arenal.

TessC

Arenal:

The taxi-boat-taxi transfer we booked with Desafio cost $21 per person. It consisted of a 1-1/2 hr ride in a fully loaded van on dirt road from Santa Elena to Lake Arenal, then 30 minutes (including loading and unloading time) of a refreshing boat transfer across the lake to the Arenal side making for good photo opportunities for the volcano, and in our case another 15 minutes of car/van ride to reach Tabacon. For hotels farther away from the lake like those in La Fortuna, it would be an additional 15 or 20 minutes for the last leg. Compared to the easy ride from SJO to Monteverde, the out of town ride to Arenal was definitely bumpier and more nauseating though equally if not more scenic. Nonetheless, it was still more tolerable than how I had once perceived. The driver was going extremely slowly, dodging rocks and potholes, and at one point around a herd of cattle.

Tabacon Resort, I must say, turned out to be a pleasant surprise for us. Due to the mixed reviews I’ve read, I had little expectations for service there. I chose it mainly for the free access to the hot springs which I knew DH would enjoy. The free internet access at the lobby (well, there’s usually a wait as they only have one computer for that) was a convenience I didn’t know of prior to our arrival. From check-in to check-out, everyone was friendly and courteous, and their refreshing welcome drinks were a treat. Even over at the hot springs, our experience has been positive. One area that may use some improvement, if you ask me, is the promptness of their shuttle back to the hotel from the hotel springs near closing time. On both nights we were there, I saw hotel guests getting impatient with their wait at the shuttle stop. A few women just took off and walked back themselves.

We had a standard room with a king bed and view of the volcano which was mostly cloud-covered during our stay. The room was not particularly spacious, but it was clean without musty smell. It’s the kind of accommodation you’d normally find in a 3 star city hotel. The bathroom with granite counter top and tub/shower combo appeared a little dated with darkened grout lines at places. The A/C worked well and the bed/mattress was firm – to our liking.

After walking around the hotel for a bit, I told DH we should go check out the hot springs before dark, heeding the advice obtained from a number of reviews. This decision proved to be so wise later. Not only we were able to appreciate and photograph the beautifully landscaped grounds in daylight, this brief visit in street clothes gave us an idea of the setting and layout of the area. Afterwards, we decided to go to La Fortuna for dinner. Tabacon runs a free shuttle to La Fortuna at 12:30p, 2:30p, 4:30p & 6:30p. The latest return from town is at 8:00p. We didn’t want to wait and took a taxi from the hotel to La Choza de Laurel in La Fortuna. After dinner, we browsed the area for a bit before returning to the hotel. Our last activity of the day was bathing in the Tabacon hot springs during their opening hour. It was not crowded at all. Being a hotel patron, we only needed to show our bracelets to get in, and to get a locker key and towels. No questions asked and they did not say anything about charges for lost towels. The towel booth attendant said we could leave the used towel anywhere, in the changing area or take it back to the hotel as I liked.

I was so glad I had visited the place earlier during the day. Had I not, I would have felt so lost in the dark as many areas – walkways and pools – were not well lit at night. Still, I wish I had brought my water shoes since the bottom of those pools at the waterfalls, which we preferred, could be rather rocky (even treacherous since it was so dark). I had to step in and tread very slowly, fearing I might trip over something. DH bumped into a rock and scraped his leg. We didn’t try the waterslide but a lady we met on a tour said she and her son had their back scraped there and warned us about it. Nevertheless, DH found the hot springs there to be very soothing. We moved around to try the different pools and water temperatures. I don’t know what it’s like at Baldi or Ecotermales. Based on previous hot springs experience in Hakone(Japan) and Banff(Canada); DH liked Tabacon the best. We later found out a friend went to Baldi the same night – he raved about it including the view of the lava flow from Baldi. He said the hottest water temperature at Baldi was 150 degree F! We never saw any lava flow during our entire stay. I forgot all about it the first night and might have missed my best chance then. DH said he saw people pointing upward somewhere when he was bathing in the hot spring. The second night was too cloudy for any kind of viewing. Though it would have been a memorable moment for me, I was not too terribly disappointed.

TessC

Arenal:

Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge tour was an interesting day tour out of Arenal for easy wildlife sightings that required little footwork. The actual touring time in the boat was about 2-1/2 hours. After departing Fortuna, our bus stopped at the bridge where many iguanas lived. Our guide explained in jest why they were there and how they worked for the restaurant owner who fed them regularly to draw tourists and business. Later on the bus, he also talked about the importance of tourism and agriculture to Costa Ricans, tilapia fishing, as well as their conflicts with Nicaraguans and his thoughts, in a light-hearted way. Prior to getting to the boat, the bus made another stop at Arenal Adventures’ office/site there for drinks and other needs. During the tour, we saw caimans, monkeys, turtles, emerald lizards, long-nosed bats, and many types of birds. About midway, the boat cruised in the Nicaraguan territory for about 15 seconds and stopped next to the border on the Costa Rican side for a snack break during which drinks and cookies were provided. After the boat tour, we were driven back to the place where we had stopped earlier for lunch at the back of the building under a big canopy/patio cover. The food served included some rice dish with chicken, tortilla chips, black beans, coleslaw and pineapples. Most of us fell asleep on the way back as we were to pass by the same areas and scenery like the farmland we saw earlier. The last stop we made before our hotels was near the home of our bus driver to see his 8-month old pet sloth. According to our guide, the driver’s young daughter saved the baby sloth when she found the mother sloth killed on the road. That 2-toed baby was so cute and always needed to hang onto someone’s body, like a koala bear. Its claws were quite sharp though. The driver and his daughter let us hold it and take pictures with it. We took turns for the photo opportunity; some even fed it with leaves.

After some rest, we ventured out again for dinner at El Novillo. It was a 10-minute walk from Tabacon with some uphill hike. That meal was probably my favorite of all the ones I’ve had in Costa Rica. At other restaurants, there were times when only one of us liked the food or a certain plate. But this time, we both liked our orders (steak and pork chop at less than 4000 colons each) a lot – very tasty and tender. The garlic bread was also yummy. DH even found their Crepe Suzette to be better than that at Peace Lodge (where he ordered again later). Other than occasional illumination from cars passing by, our walk back to Tabacon was done in darkness mostly as we didn’t bring any flashlight along. Our last activity of the day was another visit to the hot springs which was noticeably busier than the night before.

TessC

Much thinking has been done (on my part) prior to booking our next activity – the canopy tour at Arenal Paraiso. The first concern was whether or not 2 middle-aged persons with little athleticism or agility including one with fear of heights(DH) could do it and enjoy the experience. The second was which company to go with to best suit our needs. Tabacon offers 2 canopy tours and their concierge highly recommended the Sky Tram/Sky Trek tour, claiming that to be newer and safer. Since I really wanted to go to Hanging Bridges as well on the same day before our 3pm transfer to Peace Lodge, there would not be sufficient time to fit in both activities if I were to go with Sky Trek, even for their earliest tour. Sky trek starts 1 hour later and their tour duration is 1 hour longer with the tram ride. Arenal Paraiso became our only choice due to time constraint and the concierge assured us it was also a good, safe zipline tour. So, we booked and I must give DH credit for trusting my decision and braving along.

Another family staying at Tabacon, parents and their college age daughter, also signed up for this 8:00a canopy tour. Again, very nice and friendly people just like the others we have met on other tours. It really made our experience so much more fun and memorable. The worst part of this tour was my encounter with the first and only dirty ladies room of our entire CR trip. I’d have to attribute to poor management since we were the first group of the day. Anyway, after putting on the gear (helmet and harness) and the obligatory waiver signing, the guide led us to a short hike up the hill and gave us the necessary instructions. Another staff saw a white faced monkey in a tree and called us. But we didn’t make it to that particular tree in time to see it. There is no practice run at Arenal Paraiso. So, your first run of the 14 would be your practice run. For those curious about how the zip lines work at AP - you wear the leather glove provided on your strong/dominant hand which you’ll use to brake. Your guide will help you hook your harness to the cable for each run. Say you’re right-handed, your right arm should be lifted with hand open and barely touching the cable for a smooth zip along the line. You should also tilt your head a little to the left for a balanced/steady position to minimize swinging which can also slow you down prematurely. When you near the platform and need to brake and stop, your right hand should grab the cable to create friction to slow down. If you brake and lose speed too soon, you may stall and get stuck in the middle of a line. That happened to me once when I lost speed too soon due to some swinging. I stopped like 10 feet or 15 feet away from the landing platform. Fortunately, that was not too far away from help. After some hand work by myself, the guide was able to reach me with a rope or a pole and pulled me back.

As for Skytrek, I think they do have a different braking system based on what I saw of their video clips that were shown repeatedly behind the tour desk of Tabacon. There is a pull bar for the participant to hold onto with both hands probably making it easier to maintain a balanced position. I think you pull down or squeeze the handle to brake. Our guide overheard my conversation with the other lady regarding Skytrek and quickly made some defensive remarks. According to him, Skytrek pays hotels more commission and therefore is more frequently recommended, and that Skytrek is not exactly a canopy tour because you zip above the trees there. Well, don’t shoot the messenger.

Without any experience in other zip line tours, I can only say the canopy tour at Arenal Paraiso was a lot of fun for us (except for an incident that I’ll talk about later), and done in a gorgeous backdrop. We couldn’t tell of the beautiful scenery in store from the first platform. It just became more and more scenic through the lush green rainforest with views of the canyons, and a small waterfall when we flew above the river at the end. At one platform, the guide pointed out to us a curled-up 3-toed sloth in a tree far away. The experience was not scary at all for me, and didn’t appear so for DH. I probably have felt more thrills in fast downhill skiing or roller-coaster rides. I know some newer tours have tricks like a tarzan swing (like bungee jump) at the end to make things more exciting. Arenal Paraiso did not have that. Our guide just asked us to zip across the last line upside down. It was a short run. I did it but DH declined as he didn’t think that would go well with his blood pressure. Then, we were given a ride in an open air tractor drawn bus up a bumpy, rocky path back to their office.

Because of the incident I mentioned earlier, the other lady and I were given first aid treatment when we were back at their office. Both of us suffered minor injury to our left palm/fingers from getting off the line at the same platform. To get off the line after a run, the guide at AP would ask you to hold onto the cable with both hands for support as they unhook your harness from the cable. This particular platform was, in my opinion, too low for the line or for short people like the other lady and I (5’2”). When we released our hands from the cable to drop ourselves a few feet to land, apprehension or whatever factor it was made us not open our hands fast enough allowing the palms to drag over the cable a bit. The right hand was fine with the glove, but the unprotected left hand got cut by the cable. That happened at about midway. The only relief I could find then was a piece of tissue paper from DH’s pocket to wipe off the blood from my 2 cut fingers. After that, the other lady’s husband advised us to put our bare left hand over the gloved right hand when holding onto the cable – that certainly helped for the remaining runs. I found out later from my son who has done a canopy tour in Monteverde that people were given a glove to wear on both hands there and they had the same original one-hand braking system as Arenal Paraiso.

shillmac

Enjoying your details! Thanks for taking the time to share. . looking forward to more!

TessC

Thanks for your kind words, shillmac! You're always helpful to Fodorites seeking advice on CR. I've learned a lot from your posts!

Here's more of my trip report....

TessC

Arenal:

After we returned to the hotel from the canopy tour, we packed up and checked out. We left our bags with the bell captain and asked him to call a taxi for us to go to the Hanging Bridges. On our way there, we passed by the lake and Lost Iguana. I could understand why so many reviews have raved about the view of the volcano from LI. To ensure we’d have a ride back to Tabacon in time to catch our transfer to Peace Lodge later, we asked the driver to come back and get us in 3 hours. He appeared happy with our request, told us to pay him altogether for the roundtrip ($14 each way or $28 in total) at the end, and let us out. Guess we really looked trustworthy.

Though it’s likely we would have joined a guided tour had our scheduled permitted, we were pleased we did the Hanging Bridges on our own. The weather had turned wet just before we arrived. It was not pouring rain but mostly on and off drizzles. So, we took our time and really paced ourselves. Relatively speaking, the trail at Hanging Bridges was more of a challenge for us at the hilly portions compared to what we’ve experienced at the Monteverde Cloud Forest, especially in the rain when the pavers could be slippery at places. We didn’t see much wildlife there, only a few birds, some butterflies, ants and a huge spider with yellow streaks. But it was an enjoyable walk done at leisure without feeling pressed for time or the need to catch up to a group. It took us less than 2 hours to finish the trail. Afterwards, we lunched at the small restaurant next to the ticket office. That was another nice spot for volcano viewing. I thought I was close to seeing the summit for an instant during a cloud-cover break; but more clouds moved in quickly the next moment.

TessC

La Paz:

At 3pm, our transfer to La Paz arrived punctually. It was a full size van, so we had a lot of room between us in the back. The driver did not speak English but did make an effort to point to us things like the iguanas at the bridge and a 3-toed sloth in a tree. We’ve noticed that except for transportation provided by hotels, most drivers there did not have the habit of turning on the air-conditioning. It became warm and sunny again as we left Arenal. DH wanted to ask the driver to turn on the A/C but we couldn’t get him to understand what we wanted. It was no big deal and we just opened the windows more.

After about an hour, the weather changed again. The sky was covered by dark clouds and some serious wet stuff started to fall. The rain almost continued for the rest of the evening.

The wet weather did not dampen our spirits as Peace Lodge did not disappoint. We didn’t have to announce our names or show any confirmation letter to check in. They knew who we were when we arrived. Service was attentive and friendly, and we were led to our deluxe room promptly. Being the designated travel agent of our family, of course I always know our travel itinerary well. But for DH, if he ever got separated from his wife at an airport on a family vacation, he would be stranded there and not know where to go next. Therefore, without an idea of the kind of accommodations Peace Lodge is known for, he was pleasantly wowed as he walked into the room. He kept calling the bathroom Flintstones’ bathroom. I was very glad I saved Peace Lodge for last. It would have been quite anti-climatic to go from Peace Lodge to El Establo. Personally speaking, I found the bathroom a little over the top, and the waterfall was fun to watch for maybe 5 minutes. But I really liked the bedroom that imparted a very cozy feel: the bed, the rocking chair next to the fireplace, the chaise lounge – basically everything.

Peace Lodge only has one restaurant open for dinner in the evening. Though they also have room service, we never tried it. On both nights, we ate at the dining room which required reservation. The front desk would call and ask if you would need dinner reservation and for which seating. Since it is just a small dining room, guess they just try to be prepared and organized to minimize the chance of getting swamped by all the hotel guests at the same time. The set dinner or the package as they call it there at Peace Lodge costs $28 per person that includes a choice of any soup, salad, entrée and dessert from their menu. To order a la carte, each entrée is $20 and everything else is $6 each.

By then, we were feeling so comfortable and at ease in Costa Rica. When asked for a choice between tap water and bottled water at the restaurant, we just went for tap water seeing the next table of American tourists was also having tap water. We were fine with this choice. Having said this, I must however warn that a lady whom we had met earlier in Monteverde told us her young son got very sick in MA when we saw her again at the airport. The doctor diagnosed it as some virus related cause. Though he did recover after a couple of days, the last part of their family vacation was spoiled. So, I believe it’s still better to be safe than sorry.

After dinner, we went to the frog house for a private night show. All the exhibits at La Paz are open from 8am to 5pm only. However, they offer hotel guests private night tour of the frog house at $5 per person to see those nocturnal frogs not active during the day. The guide met us at the reception and drove us down to their Ranarium. He knew where the frogs would be and would move a stone or shine on a leaf with his flashlight to show us. We saw many different kinds of frogs and could touch and photograph them. The guide, who majored in forestry, also told us the habits and origin of the different types of frogs. When we returned to our room, 2 masseuses were already waiting for us at the door. DH had requested for a couple’s massage to end this activity-packed day.

shillmac

At the risk of sounding stupid (a fine art with me!), what does DH stand for? Dear Husband? Deaf Husband? I'm inclined to think Darling Husband considering he got those massages lined up for you!

Waiting for more. . .

Earthtraveler

Thanks for the report Tess.
You really put alot of thought and detail into it.
Happy to hear you had a fine adventure.

TessC

Shillmac, DH is a common acronym for 'dear husband' on the web. For his behavior on this trip, D for darling would be deserving also though I had 'dear husband' in mind. Occasionally, believe me, D for a less flattering adjective would not be entirely inappropriate either.

Earthtraveler, you're welcome! Writing in details is very enjoyable for me. It helps me reinforce my memory and reminisce the fun and exciting parts.

Here's more.....

TessC

The next morning, we woke up to rhythmic bird chirps and the sight of hummingbirds eating breakfast at our balcony. There’s a feeding dish filled with sugary water hung at the corner of each room’s balcony at Peace Lodge. Therefore, hummingbirds would visit frequently especially in the early hours. It was a partly sunny morning, but not clear enough for a view of Poas Volcano from our balcony. After washing up, we went for a morning hike. The trail we took was the Fern Trail which was sort of off the beaten path since it’s not close to the waterfalls. Walking past the Trout Pond and the Trout Bar/Café (which opens for lunch), I thought the small man-made pond looked more like a swimming pool. Fishing there would feel somewhat pretentious in my opinion amid the natural beauty of the rainforest. Anyway, after the 45-min hike, we rewarded ourselves at the buffet breakfast with servings of eggs benedict, bacon, pancakes, and more.

Plan A for the day was to walk around the gardens and relax. That was still “the” plan as of the night before when I was applying more Neosporin to my injured fingers. I guess the adventurous side in me woke up as well after a good night of sleep. In the middle of breakfast, I started to talk about Plan B. Knowing me, DH probably saw this coming when I was reading the hotel directory for the tours offered. Then, I called the front desk to see if it was too late to book the river rafting tour. An hour later, we were on our way to Pozo Adventures sharing the hotel van with a young couple and a family of five. In this downhill ride, we saw La Paz Fall and Escondido Fall in their most spectacular form stacked in one frame as we passed over the bridge. Later, the driver pointed to us Brauillo National Park at some distance away.

Pozo Adventures is located by the Sarapiqui River and about a 50-min drive away from Peace Lodge. The other couple signed up for the horseback riding and zipline combo tour whereas the rest of us were there for the horseback riding and rafting tour. To be honest, the horseback riding portion was the part I was not too interested in. However, Peace Lodge only offered the combo tours at $85 pp. So we began with 1-1/2 hr of horseback riding in the morning.

I had only ridden a horse once before in Cancun where we walked the horses slowly from the stable to a beach for some photos and then back. Nothing scary or bad happened there, but I just didn’t find the experience and the sore thighs afterwards a lot of fun. This time, things were different though I didn’t get off on the right foot either. The first ½ hour was not enjoyable at all for me when we had to walk the trail from the stable to reach a grassy plain. The horse was not too cooperative and kept going off trail to the grassier area. I had to pull it back often and fell more and more behind and away from my original group. My helmet became looser and looser from the bouncy walking and fell off at one point. When the guide was trying to help me fix the helmet, the horse got impatient and wanted to start walking again. I pulled the rope back too much, and probably choked it a bit. Not too happy with what I did, the horse almost wanted to stand up. That scared the heck out of everyone around me. Fortunately, things improved afterwards.

When we reached the grassy plain where we could run the horses, the guide who had been beside me since the helmet incident said I could wait in the shade figuring a rider with trouble handling a walking horse would not want to run. Quite a few people did choose not to run and stay in the shade on the side. You know, this horse, Palomar, really ignited the competitive fire in me. The guide was surprised I decided to try running it. Let me tell you, this galloping part was so much fun. We got to run 2 rounds following the guide. In truth, all these horses were very well-trained and knew what to do following the guide’s horse. I liked the gallop because it was a more exhilarating and less bouncy ride. I was more like standing on the stirrups than sitting on the saddle. After Round 1, I told DH he should run since he had sat out. But his horse was not as enthusiastic about running as mine was. After running for ¼ of the way in Round 2, his horse stopped and turned around to go back to the shade. After this part, we were given ice cold bottled water as refreshment. Imitating the guide, I poured the remaining 1/3 of my bottled water on the horse when I had had enough to drink before moving on to walk along the river. I think I have gained some respect from the horse by running it. The rest of the walk became more enjoyable as I felt much more in control.

After the horseback riding part, we were told to change quickly for the river rafting segment that would start in 15 minutes. People ziplining next would go to another area for a bus ride to their platform. We waited and waited but the river rafting tour didn’t start until about noon when a few other van loads of people arrived. There were four boats in total rafting in the afternoon. I think many people were from Spain; DH and I were the only non Spanish speaking tourists there. Therefore, we shared a boat with the father and his 3 adult children of the family from Peace Lodge. Everyone in the family was fluent in both English and Spanish. The mother was very gracious and volunteered to go to another boat since one boat could only fit 6 people plus the guide at the most. Our boat was the only one with commands done in English. The father of that family was a hoot and made us laugh so much during our rafting trip. We were outfitted in our bathing suit/trunks with a lightweight T-shirt for more sun protection, like our boat-mates from the other family. Most Spanish tourists wore street clothes and sneakers.

Since DH and I were the only people with some rafting experience (from a trip to Bali), we were told to sit in the front. The portion of Sarapiqui River we rafted was a mix of Class 2 and 3 rapids – a level suitable for all without being sedate. Of course there would be the usual fun fights between different boats by splashing water onto each other when we were not braving down the rapids. At one point, we were told to go ashore with the all the boats parked. Although our guide did command in English, he chatted with the others mostly in Spanish as he’s not that fluent in English. I thought it was the end of the tour and walked up a somewhat slippery and rocky path following everyone. It was not an easy hike for me since I was wearing flipflops as I didn’t bring my aqua shoes on this trip. Then, everyone stopped at a point, and the guide told us to jump off the cliff for a swim in the river. I didn’t want to jump. Some people did it a few times – jumped, swam ashore, walked up and jumped again. I thought when everyone had had enough of this dive, we would move on and continue our walk up. Finally, DH decided to jump too, with his glasses in one hand and sandals in the other, since it seemed so fun for the others. After he jumped, I learned that this was not the end of the tour, merely a stop for people to dive into the river for a swim. We still needed to get back to our boats to continue. Without hesitation, I took off my sandals and jumped into the river too as I really didn’t want to walk back down.

At the end of the rafting trip, we were transported back to Pozo Adventures in vans. Because of the late start, it was already after 2:30p when we returned. We showered and changed, and a towel would be provided on request. Being the very last group for the buffet lunch, most of the food was gone. The servers saw that there were only some pasta and rice dish but no meat left. So they told us they would tell the kitchen to cook more and bring to our table. They did and brought us some delicious barbeque chicken and beef pieces. The young couple from Peace Lodge had been done with lunch for a while. They just waited in the lounge area for us and the other family. I asked them about their zipline experience. They loved it and they also used the single-handed braking method. Although the duration of our tour was advertised as 8:15a-3:00p in the brochure, we really didn’t get back to Peace Lodge until 4:15p. When we passed the bridge at La Paz Waterfall on our way back, that area was jammed with vendors, tourists and their parked cars.

A bath in the Jacuzzi was followed by dinner. I had a well prepared plate of filet mignon wrapped in bacon. Not an ounce of energy was left in either of us - we just called it a night after dinner.

Earthtraveler

Way to go Tess! HIO Silver!

Forgive me for the jest.

Reading your experience galloping brought back memories from my early teen years and my horse Blaze.
Sounds like alot of fun.

TessC

Earthtraveler,

Indeed it has been alot of fun! Starting at such early age, you must be a very good rider. A horse named Blaze must have given you plenty of exhilarating moments.

TessC

La Paz – SJO

It was a partly cloudy but dry morning when we woke up. It had rained gloriously just hours before, though – so loud that it really sounded like raining dogs and cats on the roof. We began our last day in Costa Rica with another morning hike. This time we took the La Paz Trail, the most popular trail there that leads to vista points for all the waterfalls. We only saw a few birds, but it was a very refreshing walk as well as good exercise for the legs as there were a few flights of stairs to climb around the viewing platforms. We started at 6am and had the entire trail all to ourselves. We took our time and stopped often to appreciate the beauty around us. With the amount of rain fallen overnight, I was not surprised to see such roaring power on display at the waterfalls. There are 5 waterfalls at La Paz, 3 of which are only visible from the trails inside the gardens including the highest Magia Blanca. However, La Paz Waterfall may be best seen for a direct front view from the public bridge outside, the one I’ve mentioned previously. Inside, the closest platform to La Paz Fall would afford a view of its top rather than the front. Therefore, if you’re driving, stop at the bridge for the front view of La Paz Fall with Escondida towering over.

At the end of the trail was the Gift Shop which was not yet officially open though the doors were. Employees were stocking the shelves when we walked in. They didn’t mind our browsing around, and told us to let them know if we needed to see anything. In addition to the common souvenirs found elsewhere, the Gift Shop also had some high quality handicrafts and accessories that I didn’t see at other places. Those don’t come with a cheap price tag, of course. We made some purchases and then asked the shopkeeper to call for us the shuttle to Peace Lodge when it was 8am.

Breakfast time at the terrace was also a good time for bird watching at Peace Lodge. I saw more birds there than at the gardens – due to some cheating. There is a stand next to the trees close to the Terrace Restaurant where breakfast is served. Each morning, the hotel staff would place several half peeled bananas on the stand for birds to feed on. A good variety of birds including some colorful ones would show up. Well, though it’s not exactly bird watching done in the wild where you’d feel more special and lucky, those were still enjoyable moments to behold.

After breakfast, we visited the other places for the different exhibits. They had just closed down the old Butterfly Observatory for conversion to the Aviary when we were there. The new Butterfly Observatory which had been open for one day only did not have all the exhibits moved in yet. But there were many blue Morphos flying around and some Owl butterflies too. Many tourists had a blue Morpho resting on their palm or finger for a picture taken. Success came after a few tries for me and I also was able to transfer my butterfly to DH’s hand. It was not too difficult; just very gently slip your hand next to a resting one for it to crawl over. We did not release any butterfly but I know some guests there have done that. Sometimes they would catch a few in the morning and bag them in small netted pouch for people to release later. Afterwards, we also visited the Serpentarium, Orchid Garden, Hummingbird Gallery, Tico House and finally the Frog House. At the Frog House, we saw the poisonous dart frogs which are active during the day, unlike the leaf frogs we had seen previously. Then, we went to the next room where we had been a couple of nights ago to see the nocturnal frogs. These frogs almost all looked the same when they’re all crouched up and asleep like babies. There would be a photo tag at the leaf or spot where a frog was to help you find it.

Finally, it was time to bid farewell to the lovely Peace Lodge and we checked out just before noon. We could have stayed for lunch and departed later as originally planned since we had an evening flight out of SJO. But we decided to check out San Jose for a bit out of curiosity. So we asked Peace Lodge to move up the time for our airport transfer and to add 2-hour stop in San Jose at a reasonable additional cost of $25.

It was a 1-1/4 hour ride in a new, air-conditioned Toyota sedan driven by a young Peace Lodge employee from La Paz to San Jose. We went by some coffee plantation, through the town of Alajuela, and past the airport. The young driver drove around San Jose center a bit showing us the Church, a few hospitals and some park. Then, he parked the car and took us to the National Theatre since DH had asked about it. We paid $3 each for admission for a quick tour of the place. Then, we went to lunch at the historical Gran Hotel next door and told the driver to come retrieve us in an hour. I didn’t have high expectations for San Jose since I had read reviews on it. Rundown or not, it was still a good experience to explore a bit in person though I have little interest to revisit.

We arrived at the airport 2-1/2 hours before our TACA flight thinking we might have time to spare since Peace Lodge told us 2 hours in advance would suffice. Boy – were they wrong. After paying the hefty airport departure tax at $26 pp (might have paid more for other countries but in this day and age most would have that built into the fare for convenience) we moved to the real check-in line which progressed like a snail. One hour and 15 minutes later, we were still in the middle of the line. Then they started to call for passengers for a few flights that were to depart next, that included us, to step away to the group check-in counter for the shorter and faster line. There was a bit of confusion as to what could be brought past the security check point for carry on items and those allowed to the plane. Many people left their unopened bottled water at the check-point while some didn’t. Security was not the tightest as I easily saw a couple of kids boarding the plane with a bottle of water on the outside pocket of their backpack. Nonetheless, we arrived home safely and on schedule.

All in all, it was an awesome vacation. Honestly, I never imagined I would have so much fun. It’s very rare I would be engrossed in a trip completed. This is probably what prompted me to write this trip report – I had never written one before. It’s like this getaway has refueled me in a very unique way. I’m hoping for time to return to Costa Rica soon to visit the seaside communities like Guanacaste, Quepos or Oso Peninsula.

Thanks for reading this very long trip report. PURA VIDA!

Earthtraveler

Pura Vida!

shillmac

Well done, well done! You've caught the fever. . . Woe is you!