Bosque del Cabo sounds amazing. I am trying to figure out how we can do it.

Could anyone help with selecting a cabin? Looking at their web site, it seems that the differences between the standard and deluxe are the deluxe have king size beds, hot water and fans. Do the standards really not have fans and hot water? How important are they?

We will be traveling with our daughter who will be nine then. Double beds would be better for us. I would like a quite cabin, not on the cliff (scares me!!); a glimpse of the ocean would be nice. Could anyone suggest a specific cabin name for us to request?

I am planning this trip for 2006 ( we are going to Habour Island in the Bahamas next month). Our daughter has school breaks in February and April. Is one time preferable? I have read in other posts about a yoga retreat in February. Does that happen every year and if so, does anyone know when?

What is the beach like at Bosque del Cabo? How difficult is it reach? What type of sand? Are there shells? Is it safe to play in the water, swim or boogie board?

How is the pool? How deep is the pool?

We usually like to go to just one place when we travel. But I have been thinking of adding another place to this trip since staying a week at Bosque del Cabo sounds as it might be too costly. Could anyone suggest an easy add on? Also, what is a good amount of time to stay at Bosque del Cabo. A week sounds wonderful but depending on the time of year and if we get a deluxe or standard cabin I am not sure how many days we can afford.

Thank you in advance!!

Very Best Regards,
Gem

The beach is about a 1 1/2hr hike down. You will have to haul any water etc. that you might want. They will pack lunches for you to take down if you want to spend the day. You can get a ride back up. It can be rocky in places. There are also areas with higher surf where the surfers go. Even though I have done that trail several times I have never done it as a beach destination so honestly can't say for sure what the swimming is like. There are plenty of other people who have traveled there and maybe they can shed some light on that.

Yes, the yoga people do go every Feb. as far as I know. Have run into them the last two years. This year I asked when they would be there and we arranged our whole vacation around that. Kim usually knows by the end of April when they will be back. I would reserve your room asap after determining when they will be there.

There are at least two of us on the board here that will be at Bosque in Feb. I for one and I am sure dfarmer for another would be more than happy to poke around and find out any specifics for you. It would be nice if Bosque would put a picture and description of each on their web site. I love the Congo for the amazing ocean view but it wouldn't suit you at all. We will be in a standard this year per my husbands request because of all the birds we have seen around it the last couple of years. I will be able to give you a comparison of the shower sizes etc with the deluxes I have stayed in.

The pool isn't terribly big. It seems to run around 4ft and up to? I don't recall the measurements being painted on like some pools in the states.

How fancy a place do you want? If you just want to hang out on the Osa you could look at Iguana Lodge. It is closer to the airport and right on the beach. Not super fancy and no pool but I always enjoy a few days there most years. I like the location to the beach.

The Bahamas have beautiful beaches. We stayed at the Atlantis one year and took a high speed boat out to one of the islands. It was great. We had little rays swimming around our feet and letting us touch them. The water is clear and beautiful. Don't expect this in Costa Rica. I know you have traveled there before but can't remember exactly where. Possibly you already know about the beaches and the water.

Hey Sparklegem,
Getting the old "Costa Rica Bug" again are you?!
We like El Sol. It was standard with 2 double beds, fan, hot water. Lovely cabin, nice location, wonderful view. I didn't see any cabins, deluxe or standard, that looked the least bit disappointing.
The cliff isn't a problem. There is a nice solid 3-4 foot hedge between it and your cabin. It's not likely you'll venture past the deck anyway. There is about 8-10 feet of yard between the deck and the hedge.
I certainly can't answer all of your questions, but a few are easy. There are two beaches--the Pacific beach (wild, beautiful, but unswimmable) accessed by the Pacific Trail--short but very steep--easy down, hell up! Good workout We were advised as to appropriate times for hiking to this beach in order to avoid high tide.

The other is the Golfo Dulce side. The Golfo Dulce trail takes you there. It is a long trail (about an hour in length, if not a little more). Very nice. You can arrange a pick up for your return. There are 3 beaches here--I forget the name of the first one (someone else is sure to remember). The second one is Backwash, and the third Pan Dulce. These are surfing/swimming beaches. The hike down there, beach time (depending), and back would require about 3-4 hours, longer if you'd like. I think we allowed 4 hours, leaving about 11:00 and taking a couple of box lunches prepared by the restaurant staff.

A week would, indeed, be nice. For us, it would have been too long. We had 3 days and it was plenty, although we would have enjoyed a 4th. We were able to hike all the trails and relax as well during our time.

We didn't use the pool, but some did. It was small, not too deep. Pool time didn't seem to be the ticket at BDC--hiking and wildlife viewing and activites were more in line with what everyone was doing. You can do guided hikes (both morning and night) as well as bird watching hikes, surfing, dolphin spotting, etc.

The hotel itself could send you info about the yoga groups, etc. Philip amused us considerably with his "take" on the yoga folks and their activities!

Yes, it is expensive. At least for some--us included! Guess that is all relative. Try to get it done, though, because the Osa is well worth the visit. We haven't been any place else down there (and certainly haven't been multiple times as others have been--and are quick to point out , but I can't imagine too many places having the charm and ambience to equal Bosque del Cabo! Good luck!

Quick to point out. Hmmm.... I have been on this board a long time and have only just recently mentioned it in passing to you to be sure to try out other cabins. Some people do like to know how the views are from other places.

You seem to have enjoyed the other places that I have recommended and you have visited like Savegre. Just thought you might like another tip.

Sparklegem,
You are sure to have a great time in the Bahamas. We went a few times in the late 80's, early 90's, during a time when travel there was extremely inexpensive and packages out of Dallas could be had for $250-300 per person. We haven't been since '93 and I know Paradise Island has changed drastically since then and the prices along with it! For several years, we sponsored classes of high school seniors on Bahama cruises. That was interesting. . . And free! Most of the time, we had about 12 kids, so it was pretty manageable. Memories. . .

Our first trip was to Freeport (Lucaya Beach and West End). Our oldest daughter and her fiance have a new sailboat docked there now and we are tentatively planning to spend Spring Break there in March (rather than in CR again, which I'll miss!) We haven't made arrangements yet, however.

I'm not familiar with Harbour Island, but am sure it's very nice. Have a safe and good time!

Sparklegem, as Jessie said I will be there in just a few more weeks!!!! I will be happy to answer a few more questions for you, once we return.

We are having to move around, so it looks like we will experience several different accomadation ranges!

Looking very forward to our trip. Oh and we also will be spending a couple of nights at the Iguana Lodge.

Hi Everyone!

Thank you for the great advice. Yes, I have been bitten by the Costa Rica Bug.

Thank you for the Iguana Inn suggetsion. It looks great. My family would appreciate the shorter transportation time and the beautiful
and easily accessable beach. The price would be easier for us, too.

Of course this leads me to more questions. I really would like to see more animals this time. How would the Iguana Lodge compare with Bosque del Cabo for doing this? How is the food at the Iguana Lodge and how does the Iguana Lodge compare to the Osa Pearl?

Thank you again. It was great to hear from eveyone!!!!!

Oh, one more: how would Casa Bambu or Casa Linda compare to Bosque del Cabo and Iguana Lodge in regards to animals, beach, lodging comfort and access to good food?
thank you-thank you!!

You could try one of the houses at Bosque - Casa Miramar. Hot water was in all the outdoor shower, but not the BR sink. The fan we had in Gecko was a small table type, but quite sufficient for me. Gecko had one King bed. I would choose Feb over April as the days get a bit rainier as the months approach Oct. The Pacific beach at Bosque is not good for swimming - it is rather rough. Hiking down at low tide is recommended, but still rough surf. The tide pools in the rocks (10 - 15 minutes after a right turn at the bottom of the trail) are pretty cool. The Golfo Dulce beach (Backwash is better than Matapalo) is a nice hike out - but better arrange for a ride back as the trail is 90% uphill. I know when either of my kids were 9, they wouldn't tolerate that trail. The sand is not very fine and the shells sparse. The pool is smallish - probably just a cool-off pool.
Good luck to you ...

Thank you, knobwab. I have been doing lots of research this morning and Casa Bambu is sounding really good. I would love to hear from anyone has stayed there or knows a bit more about it.

Iguana has great food as does the Pearl. The main difference are the rooms. The cabinias at the Iguana are very cute and private. The rooms at the Pearl are smaller with more neighborly interaction. The 4 ocean view rooms at the Pearl have the same view as the Iguana cabinias.

Were there animals out and about around Iguana and Pearl?