Back from a great 2-weeks vacation in CR

Old Feb 25th, 2009, 07:01 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,357
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Back from a great 2-weeks vacation in CR

We recently got back from a 2-weeks wonderful trip to CR – I planned it using the information on this board and TripAdvisor only, so to everybody who helped, answered all my crazy questions, offered suggestions, etc. – Thank you! You guys are fantastic.

I’ll try to be succinct, but include enough details for others who are planning a similar trip (and the ones who need to relive one)

Flight – uneventful, American Airlines from Newark with a change in Miami. 50 minutes layover going to CR (it was enough for transfer), almost 2 hrs coming back – left enough time for customs and dinner. No food was served during any of the flights, just an ultra-mini packet with maybe 5 ultra-mini pretzels, and soft drinks.

Where we went, what we did:

- Carlos Bogarin (email: [email protected]) picked us up at the airport and drove us to Lost Iguana. Carlos is an excellent driver, his English is very good, he drives a nice, comfortable van (with a/c), so the drive was very pleasant (fare was $140). Oh, and we also stopped for lunch, we were starving. And it was raining…

- Deluxe room at Lost Iguana – great choice: big, clean, nice terrace and a wonderful view of…just fog. Nothing else. No idea where the volcano might be. We spent 4 nights there. Breakfast included and great food, we had dinner there 3 nights. Would stay there again in a heartbeat.

- Our first day there poured all day, so that pretty much killed all our plans. We did go to EcoTermales in the evening – great experience, highly recommended. Not too crowded, and also had dinner there, which was very good. We loved the food in CR (and I do not like rice and beans, but the flavors there were just fantastic. Need to look into CR spices)

- Took the Cano Negro tour with Sunset Tours – our guide was Zender, and he was fabulous. We saw tons of birds, caimans, monkeys (including the albino howler, who’s not a baby anymore), and to even Zender’s surprise, two jabiru birds.

- Did the Sky Tram / Sky Treck. Glad we did it, but would not do it again. I have a small problem with heights, and the zip line is above very deep valleys. Would probably do tamer zip lines, but not something that high. However, the volcano views from the platforms were the best we had all days, so that was fantastic. We heard the volcano a lot all the days, but only saw it briefly.

- Took the Hanging Bridges with a guide from the hotel. Nowhere as good as Zender, but ok. Did not see a lot of wildlife, just a troop of howlers, being antagonized by another group in front of us. They were greeted with howler poop being thrown at them

- Took the night tour at Si Como No – very interesting. Saw green (red eye) tree frogs, some other bigger ones, crocodiles (Eliot, the huge alpha male), and a few boas.

- Next 4 nights – Buena Vista Villas and Casas in Manuel Anotonio. We took Interbus this time, and it was ok. BVVC is a wonderful property, and the private beach is great. We had an upstairs unit, with great ocean views, a/c (fantastic in that heat), and monkeys so close every morning, you could almost touch them (squirrel and white-faced). Tons of beautiful birds, some having a nest in one of the lamps on the terrace. Oh, and a mama-sloth and her baby in a tree on the beach. Plus an iguana at the restaurant. Loved it there. And the restaurant (although it belongs to Tulemar) was very good.

- Had dinner at Agua Azul and Kapi-Kapi (both within walking distance from BVVC, both very good).

- Took a tour with Juan Brenes (Website http://juanbrenes.blogspot.com/) of the National Park – cannot recommend him enough. Saw so much only because of him and his scope, tons of birds, frogs, crabs, sloths, all the we would’ve never seen without him. He also took some great pictures and movies with our cameras using his scope – will have pictures eventually, but need to go thorough maybe 1500 – 2000, so that will take a while.

- Took the boat Damas mangrove tour, also with Juan Brenes. Another wonderful experience that we enjoyed even after the Cano Negro. They are different tours, so doing both is not redundant.

- Spent next 4 night at BDC – flew Sansa both ways. Now, my problems with Sansa and why I will not recommend them: they double charged us when booking the flights, and for a year now I’ve been trying to get them to reverse the charge (even though they admitted they will – it never happened). For whatever reason, my credit card company was of no help. Then, the flight from Manuel Antonio to Osa was scheduled at 7 am (or so). We got at the airport on time, only to find out that the flight was changed to 12 pm – they never sent any email to me or to BDC, who arranged the booking. And their customer support is non-existant.

- BDC is everything I expected, and more. We had Congo, and the view was fantastic. Staff was extremely friendly, and the food ….oh, the food, soooo good (and too much of it). Unfortunately, it was very hot so we did not venture beyond the property, just hiked around. But there is so much to do there and so much wildlife to be seen just sitting on the porch, that we don’t feel we missed anything. We even saw whales from our front porch. Other than that, tons of toucans (boy, they are loud), red macaws, coatis, and so many other birds.

- Took a morning and an afternoon birding tour with Carlos and a night tour with Phil. Were hoping to take the forest tour with Phil, too – but the only day we could do that was Wednesday, and that is his day off (was not aware of it).

- Another great thing, we met costaricalover and her husband to be (now her husband) at BDC – it was great meeting them and spending a day together. Then, of course, because it’s a small world, we met again (not planned, this time) at the airport, each on our ways to our respective flights.

- Last 2 nights were spent at Vista del Valle – as a last minute alternative to Peace Lodge. The property grounds are very nice, the staff helpful and friendly, the food very good. There was only one problem – roaches. Too many, even for a jungle environment, where nature is closer. We had no roaches at BDC – and I don’t know how much closer to nature one can get… We asked them to clean the room again, and fumigate – they said they did, not sure if it actually happened though, there was no big difference.

- We took a coffee tour, and VdV recommended Espiritu Santo in the neighborhood. Maybe I should’ve insisted for Doka, the price was almost the same, but the transfer longer. We got a very high level tour, saw how the plants grow (the coffee was all harvested already), and did not actually see any processes (cleanup, drying, roasting, etc.) We were just told about them…for the $18/person fee, I expected more.

- Other things that might be of some interest for future travelers: all hotels (except for BDC) provided shampoo and conditioner. Food was always good and plentiful. People are extremely friendly. We never exchanged $ - only used cash that we brought with us and credit cards (in some places, airport for departure fee payment, for example, only VISA is accepted). We do not speak Spanish, maybe only about 10 words, and were fine. It was hot everywhere, except for Arenal during the first 2 rainy days, when we wore out sweatshirts. After that, when rain stopped, it warmed up nicely. The central valley was very windy.

All in all, this was a great vacation. We might go back to CR, but maybe in a different month, when is not that hot. We wished there were more frogs, but even at BDC, Phil could only find a few, and just a small snake. Closer to rainy season would probably be better, both for frogs and cooler temperatures.
xyz99 is offline  
Old Feb 26th, 2009, 04:14 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 24,832
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Welcome back, X! I'm so glad you had a good time. You hit all my favorite spots. We even had Carlos as our driver and Zender as our guide. He gave us a private birding tour and was wonderful. I think we could travel together. We didn't like Vista del Valle either - we had HUGE spiders in our room that I've never seen anywhere else in CR, and our room was really dark. Loved Lost Iguana, Eco T, BdC, etc. That stinks about Sansa. I hope you do end up getting your money back. We usually travel in July when the weather is a little cooler and have had good luck. It sounds like you had a wonderful time!
volcanogirl is offline  
Old Feb 26th, 2009, 05:03 AM
  #3  
 
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 1,267
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi, welcome back, glad you had a great time, sorry to hear about the weather in Arenal, I heard they had some crazy weather there. I agree about the zip lines, when we went back last year, my DH asked if I wanted to go again, I told him once was enough (also have a slight fear of heights).

BVV in MA was great and I'm happy to hear you enjoyed BDC.

Thanks for the report...
owlwoman is offline  
Old Feb 26th, 2009, 05:19 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 608
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
xyz - great report! Happy to hear you enjoyed your trip!
janenicole is offline  
Old Feb 26th, 2009, 06:26 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 371
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
XYZ99!!! Welcome back! HOLA!
It was great meeting you and Mark at BDC (aka paradise). I'm jealous that you saw whales from your deck at Congo. We did love Tucan, though, and the back of our cabin in the morning and afternoon seemed to be the place where all the monkeys hung out.
I'll be posting my trip report shortly, within 12 hours of landing in Toronto, I was off listing a house and I have barely had time to digest our trip. We have already booked for next year...more on that later! Again, it was great meeting you!
costaricalover is offline  
Old Feb 26th, 2009, 06:52 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 114
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
XYZ99 -
Thanks for the report...we are thinking about doing the exact same trip (except for the Peace Lodge) next year. Here's my question for you....is the Cano Negro trip worth it if given going to both MA and BDC. Just trying to balance out time and activities and was also considering a few days at Rafiki Safari Lodge (as I read about 1.5 hrs from Queposin the jungle) but I would have to cut a day elsewhere and Arenal for the Cano tour looked like one place to cut. What do you think?
Right now I'm trying about 3nts in Arenal, 3nts in MA, 3 nights in OSA and maybe 2-3 at Rafiki's. Any opinions would be welcome.
AKgirl is offline  
Old Feb 26th, 2009, 09:22 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 24,832
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi, AK - we love the Cano Negro tour with Sunset Tours. We've already done it twice and will still go back and do it again. We've done MA and BdC also, but Cano Negro is such a fun day out on the water, in the boat, with everyone working together to spot the wildlife and we saw SO much - capuchins, howlers, a baby albino howler monkey, sloths, caimans, and amazing birds, bat - I think you'd really enjoy it. We haven't done the Damas mangrove tour in MA yet, but folks say you don't see nearly as much wildlife there. The Cano Negro tour is perfectly paired with a night at Eco Termales hot springs.
volcanogirl is offline  
Old Feb 26th, 2009, 01:07 PM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 3,750
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I would add a night in Osa, and a night to Arenal, and take a rafting trip on the Pacuare (x-fer to Arenal) instead of going to another destination...that's just me though! Rafiki, however, does look great! And yes, Cano Negro is well worth it even if visiting the other places.
hipvirgochick is offline  
Old Feb 26th, 2009, 01:10 PM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 3,750
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
xyz -- So glad you had a great trip. In fact, it sound pretty darn near perfect! Fun that you got to meet up with CRlover too. You definitely did your research and it sure paid off...Thanks for the wonderful report. ;-)
hipvirgochick is offline  
Old Feb 26th, 2009, 04:47 PM
  #10  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,357
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Volcanogirl, thanks – I feel very privileged that you think we could travel together. You helped a lot planning this trip. You are right, you don’t see that much wildlife in Damas mangroves, but we got to see a wonderful sunset there, different birds and of course, tons of monkeys. We liked the tour, especially because Juan makes it so interesting.

Owlwoman, weather in Arenal was only bad for the first 2 days – unfortunately pouring rain and cold, not just a drizzle every now and then, but it could’ve been worse. In the end, we had a great time there.

CRlover, welcome back, too. Being back at work is no fun at all. Can we go back?

AKgirl, I think Cano Negro was fantastic, and would highly recommend it. If we were to go back, I would do it again – you never know what new animal or bird you might see. We enjoyed it a lot. If you need to skip something, skip the Hanging Bridges (or the zip lines).

Hipvirgo – yes, it was pretty darn perfect But I got so much help planning it, again, thank you all.

Gotta go now, the pictures are calling.
xyz99 is offline  
Old Feb 26th, 2009, 05:16 PM
  #11  
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 24,832
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Damas mangrove is still on my to do list; I'd love to do it someday. Can't wait for the pics!
volcanogirl is offline  
Old Feb 26th, 2009, 07:42 PM
  #12  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 114
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks for the advice volcanogirl, xyz99, and hipvirgo chick...maybe I can just ask your advice because I am starting to swirl with the possibilities and cannot decide to do. This will be our first trip to Costa RIca (DH, myself and DD 5). I'm planning on 12-13 nights in CR + two on each end for arrival and departure. Don't know when if ever we'll get back to CR because one we live in Alaka so it is far and expensive and there is a whole of places to get to. So this trip I want to make the most of it but also have some non-tour days in the 13. I know we want to go to Arenal for sure (looking at Lost Iguana, Los Lagos, AOL and Nayara). The other places that intrigue me are as mentioned MA (looking at Tulemar, Como Si No), Rafiki Safari Lodge, and in Osa area Iguana Lodge and BCD. We will not have a car and will be having a driver. So please any feedback on where you would go and how long in each would be great. I noted the advice about Cano Negro. Part of me says do Arenal, MA and Rafiki at 4 days each - a nice leasurely pace. But I feel like I'm missing a ton by not going s to Osa (but the travel there looks like a headache). UGH. Confusing myself as to what to do. Help. Thanks.
AKgirl is offline  
Old Feb 26th, 2009, 08:25 PM
  #13  
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 3,750
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
First, let me say that you can't go wrong with any of the choices you're contemplating, so just deciding is going to be the hard part. I live in Seattle, so I understand the flight time and cost. Ugh. However, I think if you took a pool on one time visitors, and multiple time visitors, you would find 9 out of 10 rating Osa as their favorite, especially BDC (myself included). I also understand why you'd want to get some beach time in...so that's the hard part, because I definitely wouldn't choose Rafiki over BDC, but I might choose Rafiki over Manuel Antonio.

That said, Los Lagos is a great choice if you want a lot of time in the evenings to enjoy all the pools and your 5 year old will especially love it because there will be a lot of kids for her to play with. Since it gets dark around 5:30 if you aren't out on a night hike or dinner there's still a lot happening around there. In MA, Tulemar/BVV definitely have beautiful grounds and the plus of their private beach.

What about 4 nights Arenal, 3 nights Rafiki, 3 nights Iguana Lodge and 3 nights BDC? Just to make your decision even harder! Travel to Osa really isn't that bad, and part of the fun. I've flown both from SJO and from Quepos (x-fer in SJO), not so bad.
hipvirgochick is offline  
Old Feb 26th, 2009, 09:25 PM
  #14  
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 10,212
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Welcome back XYZ--enjoyed your report. So glad you had a great time. I didn't like hearing about the "visitors" at VdV. We really enjoyed our night there in Ilan Ilan. Thought it was wonderful.

Congo--I remember sitting on that deck into the wee hours one night talking--we had a family group of 7 there couple of years ago about this time. One of my favorites, besides SOL.

Very cool that you had a mini Fodor's GTG. That is always so much fun getting to meet people you've spoken with on the board.

Anxious to see the photos! Thanks for taking the time to write such a great report.
shillmac is offline  
Old Feb 26th, 2009, 10:00 PM
  #15  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 114
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks volcanogirl for the ideas and encouragement...maybe we should consider skipping MA since we are planning on going to Ambergris Caye in Belize for 5-6 nights after CR just for beach time, to snorkel and see ruins. We can still get some "beach" at Iguana Lodge. I suppose even going up to Arenal for 4 nights then heading back to SJ and flying to the Osa for 7 nights would give us some great experiences. Mostly I want us to us animals, jungles and rainforests. Hmmm. Thanks!!
AKgirl is offline  
Old Feb 27th, 2009, 03:43 AM
  #16  
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 5,541
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Great reading your report xyz, glad you had a wonderful time. I've been trying to decide where to stay last night in/near SJ and you've helped knock one place off my list! I too love Congo, I was put there one year instead of Lapa due to a misunderstanding and was happy I was.....I had a hard time tearing myself away from that deck. Hope to see some photos.
tully is offline  
Old Feb 28th, 2009, 07:32 PM
  #17  
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,266
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Terrific report, xyz! Sounds like you had a wonderful time. Very cool that you saw whales down on the Osa! I love whale watching and was hoping we'd see some when we were at BdC in December 2007. No such luck, but we saw a good sized pod of dolphins and tons of other wildlife so I can't complain. Looking forward to your photos.
cmerrell is offline  
Old Mar 8th, 2009, 06:27 AM
  #18  
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 309
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Loved the report, looking forward to the pictures!
parrmt is offline  
Old Mar 8th, 2009, 12:10 PM
  #19  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,357
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanking you again for all your help, here are the pictures (more than I anticipated) but cannot edit anymore.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3610456...7614899279789/
xyz99 is offline  
Old Mar 8th, 2009, 12:28 PM
  #20  
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 3,750
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Wow xyz you got some really amazing shots. How many birds do you think you identified? There are a ton! My favorite's though are the pics of the sloth w/baby and the albino howler. Sweet!
hipvirgochick is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -