Arenal activities questions?
 

Has anyone done any of the different tours or activities around the Fortuna/Arenal area. We have chosen to stay at the Arenal Paraiso and I don't think that we will have a car, good move? Will be there for 2 nights and would like to do a canopy tour. Any comments. Also any great places to eat local fare would be appreciated. After our stay here we are off to Nosara and the Villa Taype hotel. Have we made the right chices. Looking forward to practicing my Spanish. Gracias por la ayuda!

We stayed at the Paraiso last Feb and were very comfortable. It is not the Ritz but the rooms were nice and had tv and a fridge as well as a hairdryer. Definitely a kodak place with the volcano looming over you and a great place for lava/hot rock viewing. The volcano heated pool with the swim up bar was nice with beautiful views of the volcano. Breakfast was very good. Right next door is a little restaurant (doesn't look like much) where you sit outside looking at the volcano while you eat. It is called El Novillo and we really enjoyed the food there.
You could probably do the waterfall (morning), Canopy tour or Hanging bridges (afternoon) and Tabacon hot springs (evening when the day trippers are gone and the paths are lit with pretty lights) in one day. Paraiso can set up any of the tours for you in their front office. They have a nice gift shop also.

You could just hire a taxi also to drive you around.

I've stayed at Villa Taype 5 or 6 times...my husband is there NOW (lucky guy) and we'll be going again in May. The old rooms around the pool are fine, but are older and sometimes the showers don't work well, but they are fine for us for the price. There is no TV in these rooms, which we never miss, but they do all have mini fridges now, I think.
The newer rooms set back just a little further from the pool are very nice! I think they have king beds and TV's and are in general larger than the older rooms around the pool.
The hotel location is great with a little path than goes to the beach. The pool is always clean and refreshing, although don't let the pool 'bar' fool you on the web site, there has NEVER been anyone serving drinks at the pool bar on any of our stays. The inside bar is right there though, so it's easy enough to get refreshments. The service for their breakfast is always hit or miss. Sometimes they have a waiter to take your order, sometimes you place your own orders at the window, and you never know from day to day, but the food is always decent, if the service is not. It's been while since we had anything other than breakfast there. A couple times we had a sandwich or salad for lunch but I can't remember the last time we had a dinner there. Sometimes they have a chef for dinner and sometimes they don't, but it does not matter to us as there are many places nearby for good eats. We've stayed at a couple other places in Nosara, Once at the big Nosara Hotel on the point which never seems to be opened anymore, once at the little hotel across the street (can't remember the name but it's got a fun bar with sports on the TV and a 'movie night' where they play movies on a big screen on the lawn, and once at Harbor Reef Hotel, which has nice rooms and a great restaurant, but the pool is TINY. Not more than a large hot tub, really, and not very clean when we were there. Bottom line, we always end up going back to Villa Taype.
One word of caution, the owner is a real GRUMP, but you likely won't have to deal with him at all. If he has one of his 'hissy fits' with his staff, just ignore him and then tell the employee it's a shame they have to put up with such a mean man. They will appreciate it!

Thanks so much you two. One more question please, if we don't have a car at Arenal Paraiso or Villa Taype will we be able to get around a little? Are there places to eat or shop in and around Villa Taype? Otra vez muchisimas gracias para la ayuda! SrFlojo.

There are a few places within walking distance of Villa Taype.....Cafe Paris, the restaurant at the hotel right across the street from Taype, Harbor Reef Hotel restaruant, Marlin Bill's and a pizza place down the street, but MANY of the real good places are the tico restaurants in 'downtown' Nosara and are not within walking distance, as well as Cafe Luna which is a great place on the water and La Dolce Vida, considered by most to be the nicest place in the area is also not within walking distance. We have always had a car while there and took it even for the shorter distances because it's just so HOT to walk. I don't think I've ever seen a taxi in Nosara, not to say there are none, but I've never seen one. My husband called from Nosara last night and said the new way to get around down there is to rent a gold cart! However he also said he didn't think they would last long. Lets face it, golf carts are not meant to be driven on those bad pot-holed dusty, bumpy streets! I would suggest sending an email to Villa Taype and ask about the taxi's or about renting a golf cart.