BdC and AOL in JAN
Jan 30th, 2011, 11:20 AM
#21
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BAJJ - As the clouds came and went we could see some of the volcano. We could see old lava flow through binoculars but had no idea how much more there was to see.
The only reason I booked Ecotermales with Sunset was I had already booked the Caño Negro tour with them. Since it takes a good 30-45 to get to town, I thought it would make sense to combine the two trips and not go back and forth. I just asked them how much more it would be to include the hot springs and it seemed reasonable, so I did it. I believe it was $49/person and we just prearranged a pick up time and they took us back to AOL. I might have paid a little more than I had to, but it was convenient. That did include dinner, which was ok. I wouldn't rave about it as much as others do, the sauce was a little too mushroomy for my tastes.
Now I know the food at AOL gets a bad rap, but I thought it was good. Again nothing to rave about, but certainly nothing to complain about. After a few too many rice and bean dishes, I was craving something different, so our last night there I ordered spaghetti Primavera, fully expecting to hate it, but it was actually pretty good!
The only reason I booked Ecotermales with Sunset was I had already booked the Caño Negro tour with them. Since it takes a good 30-45 to get to town, I thought it would make sense to combine the two trips and not go back and forth. I just asked them how much more it would be to include the hot springs and it seemed reasonable, so I did it. I believe it was $49/person and we just prearranged a pick up time and they took us back to AOL. I might have paid a little more than I had to, but it was convenient. That did include dinner, which was ok. I wouldn't rave about it as much as others do, the sauce was a little too mushroomy for my tastes.
Now I know the food at AOL gets a bad rap, but I thought it was good. Again nothing to rave about, but certainly nothing to complain about. After a few too many rice and bean dishes, I was craving something different, so our last night there I ordered spaghetti Primavera, fully expecting to hate it, but it was actually pretty good!
Jan 30th, 2011, 12:02 PM
#22
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What did you think about the bumpy road in and out of AOL? That day, you did it 4 times. Did you just get used to it? We have a reservation for a junior suite at AOL in June. But I'm starting to wonder if it makes more sense to stay somewhere more centrally located and then just do a day/evening trip to AOL on one of the days the weather is clear.
Jan 30th, 2011, 01:07 PM
#23
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It depends what you are looking for. We went to hike and see nature and see the volcano. If the weather was nice, we would have been very happy staying at AOL. If you want to do a lot of the "touristy" things and are going to be driving in and out of AOL all the time, than I probably would advise you to stay somewhere else.
Wilson makes his living driving people around the country, so needed to protect his vehicle so took the road reeeaaaalllllyyyy ssssslllooowwwwwlllllyyyy. The Sun tours guys make money by getting people to tours, so did the drive in half the time. To be honest, I preferred the fast path. Yeah it was bumpy, not terrible, but it is time-consuming. I wouldn't want to waste hours every day going back and forth. We never did it 4 times - we did the two tours back to back and stayed in town to avoid just that.
Wilson makes his living driving people around the country, so needed to protect his vehicle so took the road reeeaaaalllllyyyy ssssslllooowwwwwlllllyyyy. The Sun tours guys make money by getting people to tours, so did the drive in half the time. To be honest, I preferred the fast path. Yeah it was bumpy, not terrible, but it is time-consuming. I wouldn't want to waste hours every day going back and forth. We never did it 4 times - we did the two tours back to back and stayed in town to avoid just that.
Jan 31st, 2011, 02:26 PM
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<u><b>Friday</b></u>
<i>We opened our eyes and were greeted by blue skies and a magnificent unobstructed view of the volcano…</i> sorry, dear readers, only in my dreams.
We woke up to gray skies, rain and a horrible shrieking sound coming from the grounds by the feeders. We envisioned a hawk trying to make a meal out of a peccary, and rushed to dress, so we could run out a witness the horrible carnage
. But it was just two coatis screaming at each other while two guests stood in the middle of the fracas. Having no desire to witness the carnage of the guests, we went back to our room.
Since it was our last day at AOL, we took the free morning walk. It was still raining, but at least it wasn’t pouring and it was good to finally stretch our legs and get some blood flowing. Because of all the rain, we didn’t see too much wildlife, and our guide seemed to give up pretty early so it was more of a hike than a chance to see stuff. At one point I was trailing the group, and pointed out a snake in the road that they all walked right by. It turned out to be a fer-de-lance, and upon second glance we realized it was dead (luckily for us, but not for the snake). I still would have felt a little better if the guide had seen it.
We had planned on going to the Hanging Bridges but gave up on the idea with the bad weather. Somewhere along the way I checked the weather down in the Osa and according to “Accuweather” it was raining there as well and would be for the next week. I pretty much wrote off this whole trip as a washout. That night at the bar we met an older couple that seemed kind of down. They said they just left paradise and were now stuck here in the rain. I asked where the were, and they said…Bosque del Cabo! When we said we were headed there the next day, they just lit up and raved about it. They said that it was absolute perfection. Everything about it was just perfect. The food was perfect, the cabinas were perfect, the staff was perfect, and the weather was perfect. WooHoo!! I certainly felt better then! Bosque here we come…
<u><b>Saturday</b></u>
Yes it is still raining. I believe this was the 13th straight day of rain. Wilson picks us up at 6am and drives us to Pavas airport for our 11am flight NatureAir flight to Puerto Jimenez. He tells us that rain the first 6 weeks of the year is very common in this area. Had I known this ahead of time, I probably wouldn’t have come here, so travelers be warned: the “dry season” isn’t the same all over the country.
In summary, we really did like Arenal Observatory Lodge. Like most women, I enjoy all the comforts of home and like to be pampered, but if I’m looking for that I go to the Caribbean. When I travel to Costa Rica I want to put on my hiking gear and stay at a clean eco-lodge. AOL was great in that regard and in nice weather, I think would have been perfect. I can only imagine sitting on the porch with that gorgeous view of a volcano in front of us, and watching all the birds all around us. (Yes, I even paid extra to get a good view of the rain.) There were a lot of hiking trails that could have kept us happy for days, the food was good, and they had Bavaria, a <u>good</u> Costa Rican beer (sorry, Imperial fans).
<i>We opened our eyes and were greeted by blue skies and a magnificent unobstructed view of the volcano…</i> sorry, dear readers, only in my dreams.
We woke up to gray skies, rain and a horrible shrieking sound coming from the grounds by the feeders. We envisioned a hawk trying to make a meal out of a peccary, and rushed to dress, so we could run out a witness the horrible carnage
. But it was just two coatis screaming at each other while two guests stood in the middle of the fracas. Having no desire to witness the carnage of the guests, we went back to our room. Since it was our last day at AOL, we took the free morning walk. It was still raining, but at least it wasn’t pouring and it was good to finally stretch our legs and get some blood flowing. Because of all the rain, we didn’t see too much wildlife, and our guide seemed to give up pretty early so it was more of a hike than a chance to see stuff. At one point I was trailing the group, and pointed out a snake in the road that they all walked right by. It turned out to be a fer-de-lance, and upon second glance we realized it was dead (luckily for us, but not for the snake). I still would have felt a little better if the guide had seen it.
We had planned on going to the Hanging Bridges but gave up on the idea with the bad weather. Somewhere along the way I checked the weather down in the Osa and according to “Accuweather” it was raining there as well and would be for the next week. I pretty much wrote off this whole trip as a washout. That night at the bar we met an older couple that seemed kind of down. They said they just left paradise and were now stuck here in the rain. I asked where the were, and they said…Bosque del Cabo! When we said we were headed there the next day, they just lit up and raved about it. They said that it was absolute perfection. Everything about it was just perfect. The food was perfect, the cabinas were perfect, the staff was perfect, and the weather was perfect. WooHoo!! I certainly felt better then! Bosque here we come…
<u><b>Saturday</b></u>
Yes it is still raining. I believe this was the 13th straight day of rain. Wilson picks us up at 6am and drives us to Pavas airport for our 11am flight NatureAir flight to Puerto Jimenez. He tells us that rain the first 6 weeks of the year is very common in this area. Had I known this ahead of time, I probably wouldn’t have come here, so travelers be warned: the “dry season” isn’t the same all over the country.
In summary, we really did like Arenal Observatory Lodge. Like most women, I enjoy all the comforts of home and like to be pampered, but if I’m looking for that I go to the Caribbean. When I travel to Costa Rica I want to put on my hiking gear and stay at a clean eco-lodge. AOL was great in that regard and in nice weather, I think would have been perfect. I can only imagine sitting on the porch with that gorgeous view of a volcano in front of us, and watching all the birds all around us. (Yes, I even paid extra to get a good view of the rain.) There were a lot of hiking trails that could have kept us happy for days, the food was good, and they had Bavaria, a <u>good</u> Costa Rican beer (sorry, Imperial fans).
Jan 31st, 2011, 04:19 PM
#27
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Really enjoying your report and sense of humour, your go with the flow attitude is well suited to travel in CR. Sorry Arenal didn't cooperate 
Laughed at your experience with the snake. I had a guide once at Selva Verde who stepped on one while I froze in my steps after seeing it.
Looking forward to your Bosque portion.
Laughed at your experience with the snake. I had a guide once at Selva Verde who stepped on one while I froze in my steps after seeing it.
Looking forward to your Bosque portion.
Feb 1st, 2011, 04:38 AM
#29
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Thanks for the encouragement.
I guess if you live among the venomous snakes, they become a part of life and you don't keep such a watchful eye as we do.
In Belize, there was Beliken. Period. You couldn't get anything else (at least when I was there). I thought Costa Rica was the same with Imperial, but apparently not. At Bosque, we asked if they would kick us out of the country if we ordered Coronas. They didn't seem to mind. It was worth it to watch the skilled bartender add lime to the bottle.
I guess if you live among the venomous snakes, they become a part of life and you don't keep such a watchful eye as we do.
In Belize, there was Beliken. Period. You couldn't get anything else (at least when I was there). I thought Costa Rica was the same with Imperial, but apparently not. At Bosque, we asked if they would kick us out of the country if we ordered Coronas. They didn't seem to mind. It was worth it to watch the skilled bartender add lime to the bottle.
Feb 7th, 2011, 08:59 PM
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bd: I enjoyed your description of the yummy dinner that Wilson's friends made for you. Chicken sounds good, but we would have chosen the fish! Fish is so nice and fresh in Costa Rica, it's a treat for us. I hope on our next trip that we can have a meal with a Tico family, as you did.
One of my daughters & her husband are saving their money for a future trip to Bosque, and they might stay in a garden cabina. I will tell her about the bamboo in front of Almendra cabina. Do you know what was the name of the other garden cabina that you would have preferred?
What was your favorite memory or experience at Bosque del Cabo?
One of my daughters & her husband are saving their money for a future trip to Bosque, and they might stay in a garden cabina. I will tell her about the bamboo in front of Almendra cabina. Do you know what was the name of the other garden cabina that you would have preferred?
What was your favorite memory or experience at Bosque del Cabo?
Feb 8th, 2011, 07:08 AM
#33
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I know, I know, I stalled. I think the problem is I enjoy seeing the humor in things, and BdC was just so perfect, that I didn't know how to write about it in a way that would be interesting to anyone. "We woke up, the sun was shining, it was a beautiful day, we went hiking, we saw cool stuff, we ate great food, we met great people, we swam, we drank, we enjoyed paradise. Rinse. Repeat." 
Feb 9th, 2011, 05:52 AM
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You're so right--it is very hard to describe in a way that does justice to what you feel when there! And that isn't everyone's experience, but BdC is a good fit on several levels for many people!
