hello all...

my wife and i (48 and 50 yrs young) were in c.r.for the first time april 4-11, 2005. we were challenged to choose our destinations but knew we wanted to see arenal/tabacon hot springs and a very remote area, too. so, we decided to spend half our time on the osa peninsula and half at tabacon resort. airfare from memphis via charlotte to s.j. was $390 each, r/t.

we arrived s.j. at 1 p.m. on april 4 and took a taxi ($13) to casa roland hotel, near tobias bolanos airport. the hotel is very pretty and the staff friendly and accomodating. we had a delcious meal the first night at fogonsita which is near the shopping mall, about 1 mile from casa roland. we had entres, side orders, margaritas, dessert, and coffee for $30 with tip! we decided to walk back to the hotel, but misjudged the distance and got lost! we happend across a young tico and her mother in a package store. they spoke english and walked us back to their home/office where they run their travel agency. they actually volunteered, and drove us to casa roland and would take nothing in appreciation. their business name is v.m. tours of costa rica. needless to say, we will be sending them a nice thank you gift!

april 5: we left the hotel at 5 a.m. by taxi and asked to be taken to the airport. the driver misunderstood; instead of heading to tobais bolanos airport, he was taking us to juan santamaria airport! we stopped him in time for him to backup on the expressway shoulder (!) and arrived in time for our departure on nature air at 6 a.m.

nature air is great; on-time; friendly. their web page is easy to use and you can book on-line. our r/t airfare from s.j. to puerto jimenez (p.j.) was ~ $145 each. transfers from p.j. to bdc were $35 each way (for 2).

we arrived in p.j. at 7 a.m. and were met by kevin (aka zappatonas) for our 45 minute ride to bosque del cabo (bdc), 23 km. from p.j. kevin is 25, extremely friendly, and speaks passable english; much better than my spanish. he pointed out interesting sights and animals along the way and we helped each other with english-spanish translations. we gave him a $20 tip. we arrived in time for breakfast-all the meals were fantastic! the staff is tremendous, helpful, friendly...i cannot say enough positive things about them all.

we stayed in 'gecko' cabina. wonderful! the web page pix do not do bdc grounds and cabinas justice...much more beautiful than we expected; outdoor shower, lanai, hammock, canopy bed with mosquito net. the owners have done a marvelous job of creating an upscale lodge while maintaining the natural beauty. their aim is to preserve and nourish the rainforest and have formed a co-op with other lodge owners in the area to create a 'land bridge' connecting the cape to corcovado.

while at bdc, we made new friends from colorado and we are planning another trip together. we enjoyed meeting and talking to people from all over the states and europe.

the number and variety of flora and fauna right on the bdc grounds is amazing. we saw toucans, macaws, white faced monkeys, spider monkeys, howler monkeys, bats, butterflies, hummingbirds, wild turkeys, montezumas, poison dart frogs, hawks, and much, much more. their are half a dozen hiking trails down to the ocean ranging from .7 to 1.8 km. through pristine rainforest-very steep; carry a walking stick provided by bdc. when you get to the beach, you are the only ones there. at low tide, you can lounge in one of the numerous tide pools with waves crashing nearby and tropical fish swimming around your legs. what a beautiful, romantic setting with the sun setting on the horizon. be sure to carry flash lights with you and leave before 5 p.m. as it gets dark very fast. also, mark your exit onto the beach so you can easily find the trail head upon your return.

while at bdc, we did a 1 hour night nature hike with phillip ($15 each plus $5 tip), a 2 hour morning birding hike with edwardo ($30 each plus $10 tip), and a 4.5 hour swim with the dolphins on golfo dulce with calliman ($45 eachplus $20 tip); all superb! on the dolphin swim, you wear a diving mask and hold on to a 1/2 inch plywood board 1.5 x 2,0 feet connected to the boat with a ski rope 30 feet long. 2 people are towed behind the boat at 5 knots in hopes of swimming with the dolphins. although we say 100's of dolphins from the boat, we did not see any while in the water. nevertheless, the tow was a lot of fun. it reminded me of the control inputs of hang gliding...forward down takes you beneath the surface; forward up brings you to the surface; tilt left to move to the left under water and tilt right to go right. after the dolphin swim, we had lunch at carolinas in p.j. the cerviche was wonderful.

for 2 nights at bdc for the two of us (during high season), all gourmet meals, 3 excursions, and 15% tip out, we spent $1000.00, and well worth it.

for our 3rd night we had to move to el remanso lodge about 1 mile from bdc. remanso is more 'homey' or rustic than bdc; not as beautiful, and the food was mediocre. the staff is friendly. there are some nice hiking trails. be sure to hike up to the waterfall, right off the pacific. one night/one day with meals and tip came to $230.00

april 8: we left p.j. at 9:40 a.m. for s.j. we were met by our private driver, sr. luis edwardo chincilla-canti at tobias bolanos airport. he is great! excellent english and tour guide on our 3 hr. trip to tabacon/arenal/la fortuna. be sure to contact ralph at gaiatours for private transfer with luis at $120 one way (for 2-4 people). we spent less round trip for the private transfer than we would have spent if we had rented a car, once all the insurances are added in--with $50 tip, the total was $290.00.

from april 8 - 11 we were at tabacon resort hotel...and that's what it feels like- a resort. too many people for our tastes... like a ski resort in the tropics. although beautiful, it has a manufactured feel to it and the service is less friendly than at bdc; kind of like 'hurry up and finish' so they can attend to someone else. the breakfast buffet is excellent; the resort restaurant is o.k., the hotel restaurant is good; the resort buffet is mediocre, at best.

the hot springs are incredibly beautiful and feel wonderful. the cost is $29 per person per day to enter the springs; but free with your hotel stay at tabacon resort. imagine sitting in a stream or small river at 102 degrees with tropical rainforest and flowers all around. within the resort hot springs, we saw iquanas, frogs, birds of all kinds including wild turkeys, montezumas, toucans, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, etc.

ask for heidi at the tabacon resort reservations desk for assistance with setting up tours:

we took a 4 hour guided hike with sunset tours to the volcano for $30 each plus $20 tip. ask for paulo and gigi. we were about 1/2 mile from the base and i actually saw a dump truck sized glowing lava rock shoot out of the volcano and tumble and bounce all the way down the side of arenal.

we took a 1/2 day horseback ride across a 2000 acre working cattle ranch at the base of arenal to la fortuna falls with sr. alberto cerrano-hildago and his nephew, kiju (11 yrs old). the cost was $45 each plus $20 tip. alberto is a great guy, excellent english, and so nice. we rode very healthy horses and were joined by alberto's cousin and cousin's wife. we rode 45 minutes through streams, along trails, amongst the cattle, and at the base of arenal on the south and east sides. the clouds cleared and we had a full view of arenal. la fortuna falls is gorgeous. the water is cold at first, but soon refreshing after the hot ride. we swam in the falls pool and behind the falls, too. i would have enjoyed staying 1/2 day there. on the trip back we stopped and had imperial cervezas. we got to run the horses across the ranch. alberto took our pictures among the cattle, with arenal in the background; it lookes as if we were herding the cattle.

we also did the arenal national park canopy zip lines. you take a 6 passenger tram to the top and hook-in to a harness that attaches to a pully mechanism. the pully attaches to a 3/4 inch steel cable that spans two peaks anywhere from 800 to 1200 feet above the rainforest floor. you zip across 8 lines ranging from 450 to 750 meters in length at speeds of 25 to 40 mph. talk about exciting, exhilerating, adrenaline pumping thrills! ask for andre and santos with sky tram-sky trek. this tour took 4 hours and cost $45 each plus $20 tip; and $10 tip to the driver, jose.

around the resort grounds you will see all kinds of flowers, rainforest, howler monkeys, toucans, wild turkeys, etc. 3 nights at the resort hotel ( with great buffet breakfast) was ~$600.00.

we took 2 pair of quick drying, synthetic zip-off pants with buzz-off repellent, quick drying t-shirts, hiking boots, tevas, hats, headlamp flash lights, one long sleeve shirt, light weight water proof breathable jacket, 1 hiking socks, 2 regular socks, underwear, and 30% deet. mosquitos were less of a problem than here in memphis! attire is very casual at bdc and at tabacon. we did not need any more clothes than we took. do not take jeans or anything made of cotton. even with the synthetics, our clothes stayed damp!

next trip to c.r. will include one day/night to run the pacuare river and the rest of the time at either bdc or lapa rios.

can't wait!

best to all,

keith (aka mono azul) and susan atkins
memphis

Thanks for posting your report! Every report I read about BdC just reassures me I made the right choice. I will be there 05/17/05/22 & I'm counting every day! How was your weather?

Thanks for posting your report! Every report I read about BdC just reassures me I made the right choice. I will be there 05/17/-05/22 & I'm counting every day! How was your weather?

hi tully,

the weather at bdc was mid 80's during the day and very humid. at night it was mid-70's and comfortable with ocean breezes. calming with the sound of the waves below.

you are going to love bdc; setting; scenery; service; meals; flora; fauna; seclusion; people...everything...

i took only a point and shoot digital camera. next trip to c.r. i will take a 300mm or 400mm lens and 35 mm camera or comparable digtital camera because the opportunities for amazing animal pix are limitless.

keith

Keith - what a wonderful trip you had!

Glad for the review of Casa Roland. I made note of this place in Feb due to it's convenient location to Nature Air (although your cab made a slight mistake!). As I recall the prices were very reasonable and the website looks wonderful. Are the website pics true to what you found there? And would you stay there again based on your experience? And you had dinner away from the hotel - did they not have a restaurant or did you just want something different? I just have not found many reviews of this place and again due to it's location thought it would certainly be worth a try.

We too stayed in Gecko at BdC - what a wonderful memory! Everything you described is just as I remember.

Sounds like you had good weather at Arenal! Wonderful! We too were lucky enough to have a day when the clouds did not cover the volcano. And the La Fortuna Waterfalls is a favorite!

It is so enjoyable to relive memories through the eyes of others! Thanks!

Sounds like you are hooked!

hi dfarmer,

casa roland hotel is about 10 minutes or so from juan santamaria airport. taxi fare was $13 plus $2 tip. our taxi driver spoke good english, as she grew up on los angeles, but she was rather surly.

casa roland is really pretty with lots of exposed wood, multitudes of flowers and plants, a sitting area engulfed in plants, bar, dining area, sauna, etc. the rooms are about 14 sq. ft. and nicely appointed with exposed wood trim, throw rugs, beautiful floor and wall tiles in the bathroom, doorway to small balcony, again with many plants, great original local paintings on all walls, quiet, and cool. the staff was very solicitous and tried very hard to answer all our questions. we had trouble getting a cab to fogonsita restaurant about 3 miles from the hotel, so the one of the staff drove us there-he volunteered! he was very appreciative of the $5 gratuity.

i'm not sure if the hotel serves anything other than breakfast, which is included in the room rate. our rate was $78, booked through gaiatours (with ralph) just 2 days before we left memphis! he was very helpful and i highly recommned him; he can book your whole package, including tours, if you wish....i preferred to take care of all that myself. you can get the casa roland room for less than i paid, if you call them yourself, guarantee with a credit card, and pay in cash upon arrival. we were very comfortable there, and will stay there the next time we travel to costa rica.

as for the dinner, we wanted a good mexican meal and fogonsita was close and highly recommended by locals...and they were right on target. the meal was excellent and cheap at only $30 for the two of us, with tip. our server was very helpful, and funny.

hi dfarmer,

casa roland hotel is about 10 minutes or so from juan santamaria airport. taxi fare was $13 plus $2 tip. our taxi driver spoke good english, as she grew up on los angeles, but she was rather surly.

casa roland is really pretty with lots of exposed wood, multitudes of flowers and plants, a sitting area engulfed in plants, bar, dining area, sauna, etc. the rooms are about 14 sq. ft. and nicely appointed with exposed wood trim, throw rugs, beautiful floor and wall tiles in the bathroom, doorway to small balcony, again with many plants, great original local paintings on all walls, quiet, and cool. the staff was very solicitous and tried very hard to answer all our questions. we had trouble getting a cab to fogonsita restaurant about 3 miles from the hotel, so the one of the staff drove us there-he volunteered! he was very appreciative of the $5 gratuity.

i'm not sure if the hotel serves anything other than breakfast, which is included in the room rate. our rate was $78, booked through gaiatours (with ralph) just 2 days before we left memphis! he was very helpful and i highly recommned him; he can book your whole package, including tours, if you wish....i preferred to take care of all that myself. you can get the casa roland room for less than i paid, if you call them yourself, guarantee with a credit card, and pay in cash upon arrival. we were very comfortable there, and will stay there the next time we travel to costa rica.

as for the dinner, we wanted a good mexican meal and fogonsita was close and highly recommended by locals...and they were right on target. the meal was excellent and cheap at only $30 for the two of us, with tip. our server was very helpful, and funny.

we will spend most of our next trip at either bdc or lapa rios, just down the road a mile or so from bdc. have you, or anyone else, stayed at lapa rios? what do you think of it compared to bdc?

many thanks, and con much gusto, as the ticos say,

keith
memphis

Thanks for the detail on Casa Roland - sounds like it may be just what we are looking for, especially when flying Nature Air.

As for Lapa Rios - no, we have only been to the Osa once and stayed at Bosque del Cabo. We met a couple at BDC that was scheduled 2 nights at BDC and then LR for 2 nights. We had arranged a fishing trip with them. So on the morning of our fishing, we stopped at LR to pick them up. We only saw the reception, restaurant and pool, which were all very beautiful with fabulous views of the gulf. However, this couple relayed to us that they liked the informal atmosphere better at BDC. They thought LR had a more formal feel and less inviting for guest to mingle and converse. Also, were not too thrilled about all those stairs to climb back and forth to their cabin. Otherwise they were very pleased with the food, service, accomodations.

mono azul! Thanks for a great report--so glad you had a wonderful time. Welcome home! (Or, more appropriately, sorry you had to come home?)

dear shillmac and dfarmer...

your costa rica posts and responses to my questions helped so much with our decision-making as we planned our trip. we had a wonderful time and are thinking about when we can go back...not soon enough.

so, thank you both!

keith and susan atkins
memphis

Good! Memphis is one of my favorite cities, by the way! Rendevous, what wonderful barbeque!

Thanks for your response. Hot is good! I'm from FL & a breeze chills me so hot weather is fine with me.

Couple more questions...did you see anyone there taking the horseback riding tour? I'm trying to decide between taking it there or one when I get to MA. (I could do both of course!) As to the trails, any you would have any reservations hiking by yourself? I want to explore on my own as well as some of the guided hiles but don't won't to get into a situation while on my own. Thanks for your help!

the horseback riding and all other excursions are off-site. we did not talk to anyone who had been on a horseback ride at bosque del cabo...sorry.

if you go on any walks or trail hikes you will be fine if you stay on marked trails AND be sure to let someone know where you are going, when you leave, and when you should be back.

if you hear something that sounds like a ferrocious jungle cat, it will really be coming from a howler monkey. also, do not stand still under any of the monkeys...they will urinate and throw feces at you.

take a walking stick, wear supportive hiking boots, and take a flashlight. the trails are VERY steep. be sure to take plenty of water and a couple of power bars, too.

best,

keith

You are so welcome, Keith, I am so glad I could help! People on this board have made our travels so much more enjoyable.

I just told my husband yesterday (after looking at your pictures) that I feel like we know one another. We both live in West TN, both fell in love with Costa Rica, and I told him "they even stayed in our cabin - Gecko" (funny how we get attached to things!)!

Shillmac! Funny you should mention Rendezvous - one of our favorites for ribs! Maybe fodorites could gather for dinner, wouldn't we have alot to talk about?!?!?

Tully - Keith gives you good advice - when we were there in Feb, there were a couple of ladies that had missed their ride back from the beach. They had taken one small bottle of water and were totally out and had no idea which way to go back to the lodge. They were walking on the road the wrong direction when we saw them. So, take more water than you think you will need, get familiar with your map - which you will get at BdC, also you can find info on their trails at their webiste; arrange for a pick up, check your watch and be at the pick up place on time. If you will be hiking by yourself, do let the office know and check back in when you get back. They really do try to keep track of the guests. You are in for a wonderful time.

Oh! I wish I were there now!

Yes, it would be fun. Rendevous would be a good place to do it. Or Corky's, as Keith mentioned! Hey, we're game--we can leave here at 8:00 a.m. and be there at 5:00 in time for drinks before dinner!

How far are you from Memphis? I've had my youth group in Tennessee doing mission trips a couple of times. We've worked with a project called "MountainTop". We spent a wonderful week once up north of Jamestown near Pall Mall and Byrdtown? Byrdville? Near Dale Hollow Lake--loved it up there. You know Sargeant York is buried there--near Pall Mall, I think.

Tennessee is beautiful and has some fabulous white water down on the Ocoee and Hiwassee Rivers--spectacular! That was the last time I've rafted--can't wait to try out the Pacuare--can't believe it is one of those things we haven't done yet in Costa Rica. I'm not a big water fan, though--never felt entirely comfortable with it. The rapids are a little scary to me--a rush, but I am always happy at take out!

hey, what a great idea...a rendevous of fodorites at rendevous bbq restaurant in memphis! let's see...i could leave home at 4:55 p.m. and be there at, ohhhh, say 5:00 p.m. <vbg>

shillmac...if you want to raft on a tame river in tennessee, take a look at the nantahala river. for a beautiful and exciting white water raft adventure in pristine, unspoiled surroundins, you must do the chatooga river in north georgia-south carolina...it's the river where 'deliverance' was filmed. i've been down section 3 and section 4 in a kayak many times.

west virginia has one of the premier white water rafting rivers in the world: the gauley river; right up there with the pacuare river in costa rica.

let me know if there is to be a rendevous <g>.

thanks for all the great tips, that's why I love coming here! Donna I am planning to be especially aware, won't do getting lost down there! Luckily, I work on maps & aerial photographs all day long so hopefully my visual memory will help me stay on the right track.

Thanks for the info, Kevin. As someone who works with kids and travels with them, it is nice to know where all the "fun stuff" is located here and there!

my pleasure, shillmac...

by the way, i mispelled chatuga in a previous post: 'chatooga' river should be "chatuga river".

thanks for the hang gliding link to ouchitahanggliding.

mono azul