Which room / cottage /etc is best for a family of 4 (kids 9 & 14)? For Lost Iguana the luxury suite looks nice but it doesn't say whether it sleeps 4? As for BDC, I've read on here where people mention Congo cottage. However, I can't find any such room/cottage/etc listed on their website. Help requesting the appropriate lodging would be greatly appreciated....PS: Mom & Dad would like a bit of privacy if possible

Pumpy, the Celebrity Suites both A & B at Lost Iguana are very roomy. I don't know about the other rooms. At BDC we stayed with our 14 & 19 yr old in both Casa Blanca and a deluxe cabina (La Palma). They both sleep 4 comfortably.

Pumpy - at Lost Iguana you might want to also consider two standard deluxe rooms right next to each other, rather than the Celebrity Suites. I think they'd be a little cheaper than the suite, and may have a better view per agswimmer's comments.

Congo is the cabin with the great view at BdC, but since you would like some privacy and will have children with you, I'd check into the casas they have on the property or into one of the cabinas that has a loft. Casa Blanca and Casa Miramar have multiple bedrooms - check out the rates on their website, and there are also a few cabinas that have a large bed down below with two smaller beds up in a loft above. The lofts have open slats on the front, so they wouldn't have complete privacy like the casa, but they would be in a separate room. If you stay in one of the casas, you have the option of cooking your own food or getting the meal plan - the meal plan is awesome. Meal plan comes with the cabinas.

We stayed in one of the upgraded rooms at Lost Iguana, but ours only slept two. We did not get a chance to see the celebrity suites, but LI is a nice property.

One of the casa's at BDC will give you the most roomy option AND the flexibility of cooking some of your own meals and having a fridge if you'd like. As volcanogirl says, the casa's don't include the meal plan, but you can opt in for partial if you want. The food is really delicious, and the dinner's are especially fun with the family style seating. The houses are a bit more of a walk at night, would not want to do alone. There are 3 cabina's with the loft floor plan, where you would be situated on the bluff and be on the main grounds of BDC. If you don't care to cook at all, you may enjoy staying here if you want to be more in the main stream of things.

Good choices though, your family will love Arenal and Osa (I took my 10 year old this year, we had a blast)!

We are staying in a Luxury Suite in November at Lost Iguana. There is a king size bed and they are bringing in a roll-away. A bit cozy with our two kids 7 and 9, but we will be fine. At BdC we have reserved the Tucan Deluxe Cabina. There are only 3 deluxe cabinas with lofts, I believe... other wise one of the houses would be a good choice.

Had a FANTASTIC stay at BDC for 4 nights end of July at Casa Blanca. We were a family of 4, 2 kids ages 7 and 9. This worked out perfect for us, oceanview and sound of crashing waves was spectacular, LOVED the deck which was huge. 2 hammocks so kids didnt have to argue about taking turns.

Opted for the meal plan as I'm on vacation too and didnt want to cook! But, we certainly liked having the kitchen and refrigerator to store juices, drinks, snacks, etc that we picked up at Puerto Jimenez before heading up to BDC. Was paranoid about attracting ants and other critters so EVERYTHING edible I put in the fridge. Very handy to have as kids usually are asking for some snacks around 5pm and need something to tide over until 7 pm dinner. BDC is very very service oriented. One day we hiked the Pacific Trail , also known as the Stairmaster, and came back all too hot ,sweaty and grungy to eat lunch in main dining area. Lunch is only between 12 - 1 pm and we couldnt all get cleaned up in time. So my husband went to lodge thinking of just picking up lunch sandwiches to go and eat at the Casa. Instead we had one of those BDC golf cart type vehicles drive up with 4 of their complete lunch meals, in dinner plates, not styrofoam to go containers, and we had a fabulous lunch in our amazing deck overlooking the ocean!

As for privacy, there are 2 separate bedrooms. The 2nd bedroom is not accessed from within the interior of the house Its still definitely part of the house but the entrance to it is from the deck. So the first night, my kids were a bit scared since if they had to get up in middle of night because of some "spooky" sound, they would have to cross the outside deck area to get to mom and dad in the master bedroom. I'm talking only about 20 ft or so, but still enough to make them apprehensive. I had to pretend to "sleep" with them the first 2 nights then they were fine.

The walk from Casa Blanca to main lodge is less than 5 minutes but definitely bring a flashlight becuase the walk back after dinner is very dark. We had fun with it though as there is a little pond area before we got to CB and we'd always stop there to find frogs - we'd always find them .. Red eyed tree frog, smoky jungle frog, banana tree frog, and others.

Different story w Casa Miramar which we had a chance to check out while there. Definitely stunning but quite a hike to go fr there to dinner area. Especially if you go when it rains... too muddy to trek thru daily. I would get spooked out myself if I had to hike back in the dark to get back from dinner. Maybe 20 minute walk as some portions are uphill.

If Casa Blanca not available, stay at one of the deluxe cabinas with the loft area for the kids as that is more spacious but less privacy than the house. We checked those out too and it would have worked out nicely as well.

You will have a wonderful time I'm sure with whatever option you choose.

Hi, travellin - Casa Blanca sounds amazing! We didn't see it when we were there - only saw Casa Teka. Where is CB in relation to the 10 cabins that are along the bluff?

volcanogirl--CB is just down the driveway on the left hand side. It is just past the owners house, if you know where that is. It is directly across the street from the maintenance bungalow (?)It's set back from the street so its hard to see unless you're looking for it.
We loved staying at Casa Blanca! I agree with one thing, Casa Miramar looks great but I cannot under any circumstances imagine walking back and forth to it. It is WAY too far. I can't tell you how many times we would go to breakfast/lunch/dinner/the pool/etc... and forget something and need to run back to the room. You couldn't do that if you were at Miramar. Suggestion to owners--provide the use of a golf cart for guests staying at Miramar.

Ah, yes, that sounds like a great spot! I didn't realize some of the casas have the ocean view - very nice. That seems like it would be a great spot to see wildlife; we saw so many animals in that area and along the driveway.