12-day June CR trip with school-age kids

Old Aug 14th, 2017, 05:13 AM
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12-day June CR trip with school-age kids

We are planning our first trip to CR and bringing our two girls who will be 10 and 8. We're likely going in late June/early July. The hotel rates are better then and it works with our daughters' school schedule. We would love to experience/see wildlife, waterfalls, hot springs, rural/"authentic" culture, and a few surfing lessons. We tend to stay at places that have character (quirky and/or charming) and, admittedly, are often -- but not always -- upscale. I know our girls are somewhat adventurous (just went to Italy together), but not exactly hearty ( probably not up for very long strenuous hikes). Lastly, the girls would likely appreciate access to a pool(s) at some points.

I have gone through too many iterations of my CR itinerary to count. It is so hard to choose between all the possible combinations! I'm now down to two possible itineraries and would love any help/advice.

Option #1 (the pricey-but-tempting-Osa option)
Day 1 (June 24): Fly from DC to SJO; stay near San Jose
Day 2: Fly to Puerto Jimenez + transfer to Bosque del Cabo; stay BdC
Day 3: BdC; stay BdC
Day 4: BdC; stay BdC
Day 5: BdC; stay BdC
Day 6: Fly to La Fortuna, get rental car; stay Casitas Tenorio or Nueva Luna Lodge
Day 7: Bijuana/Arenal; stay Casitas Tenorio or Nueva Luna Lodge
Day 8: Drive to MA; stay Tulemar
Day 9: MA; stay Tulemar
Day 10: MA; stay Tulemar
Day 11: Drive to SJ; stay at hotel near SJO
Day 12 (July 5): Fly home

Option #2 (the-more-conventional-and-easier option)
Day 1 (June 24): Fly from DC to SJO; stay near San Jose
Day 2: Drive to Arenal; stay at El Silenco del Campo or Los Lagos?
Day 3: Arenal; stay at El Silenco del Campo or Los Lagos?
Day 4: Arenal; stay El Silence del Campo or Los Lagos?
Day 5: Bijuana; stay Casitas Tenorio or Nueva Luna Lodge
Day 6: Bijuana; stay Casitas Tenorio or Nueva Luna Lodge
Day 7: Drive to MA; stay Tulemar
Day 8: MA; stay Tulemar
Day 9: MA; stay Tulemar
Day 10: MA; stay Tulemar
Day 11: Drive to SJ; stay at hotel near SJO
Day 12 (July 5): Fly home


I have so many questions.... but I'll start with which of the two general options may be the best bet -- considering our priorities and the ages and nature of our kids (I realize you haven't met them, but... hopefully, you get the idea). Thanks in advance!
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Old Aug 14th, 2017, 08:48 AM
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If your girls aren't up for long hikes, I might rethink BdC; the primary focus there is long hikes on their extensive trail system to see wildlife. I think you need to be a little hardy to stay there; it's pretty hot and humid. Maybe save it for when they're a bit older.

SdC and LL are both popular with families, but you might consider the Arenal Observatory Lodge; exploring the trails is easier there, and we saw lots of great wildlife like monkeys, coatis, toucans, etc. They have a free guided hike every morning and a waterfall on site. There's an observation deck near the restaurant, and we regularly saw wildlife there because they put fruit out in the mornings.

We love Tulemar - great place to stay and love that they have their own beach. Lots of wildlife on site - monkeys and sloths.
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Old Aug 14th, 2017, 08:50 AM
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For your first SJO night, take a look at staying at the Toucan Rescue Ranch. You get your own little casita and get to have breakfast with baby sloths.
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Old Aug 14th, 2017, 10:08 AM
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Wow! Thanks for great advice, volcanogirl. I've gained so much insight from your past posts. I realize that my flexibility on what to include also means my ideas are all over the map. And I do agree that BdC seems like a stretch with our younger daughter -- and it is expensive to get there.


Tulemar (Manual Antonio) is a definite for us. Its the two other destinations that are giving us trouble. For the other two, I'm considering Arenal, Dominical, Bijuana, and Osa -- and am open to considering others.


Some of those places (e.g., Bijuana) are on our list because I would love to have one of our destinations offer an opportunity to be in simpler place in the countryside. La Carolina, Nueva Luna Lodge, Casitas Tenorio, and La Cusinga (Uvita) seem to fit that criteria. These places are, I know, all over the map and we envision only including one of them. They all seem very family-friendly, a little more rural, and most have farms on which I think my kids would enjoy milking cows, etc .

Lastly, I like the idea of the Arenal Observatory Lodge -- just sounded a little lacking in charm and perhaps too isolated considering the food is supposedly not very good (although that seems inconsistent with my desire to stay at one more isolated place). I love, though, that its a huge property with so much to see/do onsite.
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Old Aug 14th, 2017, 02:08 PM
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We toured Finca Luna Nueva - is that the one you're talking about? I thought it was great. Is that the same as Nueva Luna that you mentioned or some other spot? I always hear raves about La Carolina as well; I believe they have their own little natural hot tub?

I think the reviews about bad food at AOL are a bit old. We thought the free breakfast was great - pancakes, awesome fresh fruit, juices, eggs, bacon, etc. And for lunch we had burgers, grilled chicken casados, etc. all pretty good. Dinner was good as long as we didn't order anything too fancy, just kept it simple. I had some fish that I really liked. I'd avoid the fettuccine alfredo. They also had great tropical drinks. We had a Smithsonian room right by the observation deck and saw lots of wildlife right there. Their restaurant has glass windows with an amazing volcano view. The lodge is off a long, bumpy road though.

To give you an idea of BdC, there wasn't enough power to run a blow dryer, and temps stayed in the 80s all night and never dropped any lower, no locks on the doors. My hair never got dry the entire time we were there. I'd wash it, and it would just stay wet. I really loved it, but I can see younger kids being bored and complaining unless they really love nature and hiking.
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Old Aug 15th, 2017, 08:29 AM
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Again, thank you so much volcanogirl. Based on your advice (and my gut instinct), I'm not including Osa on this trip. Now I'm set on Arenal and MA, but not sure if I should include a third destination (Bijuana?).

Your posts inspired me to read more about AOL and it sounds amazing. Totally different from Tulemar, our MA hotel. I'm debating between AOL and Leaves and Lizards.... Ugh. Too many good choices. AOL sounds like such an immersive wildlife experience and Leaves and Lizards sounds quirky and appealing in a different way. Part of me wants to do both, but that would be too much switching-of-hotels unless we skip Bijuana.

This relates to the issue of how to divide our time. I'm wary of having to drive from hotel to hotel frequently, but also wonder if -- with 11 days -- we should be including a third destination in addition to Arenal and MA. The two scenarios I'm debating now are below.

1:
Hotel near SJO, 1 night
drive SJ -> Arenal: ~3-3.5h
ARENAL: LL or AOL, 3-4 nights
drive to BIJUANA, ~2-2.5hr
BIJUANA: Casitas Tenorio or La Carolina, 1-2 nights
drive from Bijuana to Tulemar: ~4h
MA: Tulemar, 4 nights
Hotel near SJO, 1 night

2:
Hotel near SJO, 1 night
drive SJ -> Arenal: ~3-3.5h
ARENAL: AOL, 2 nights
ARENAL: LL, 3 nights (3 nt min.)
MA: Tulemar, 4 nights (drive from Arenal to Tulemar: ~ 5h)
Hotel near SJO, 1 night

Four nights in Arenal feels like a lot. I thought that including a visit to Bijuana might add allow us to see a little more of CR. But maybe its redundant with the Arenal area and not worth the extra car time. And maybe Leaves and Lizards and La Carolina/Casitas Tenroio are a bit redundant in terms of hotel experience.
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Old Aug 15th, 2017, 08:34 AM
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Oh, and yes the Luna Nueva Lodge used to be called Finca Luna Nueva. It does look good -- and the website is beautiful -- but the reviews seemed a little more mixed than for La Carolina or Casitas Tenorio, which I was viewing as alternatives.
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Old Aug 15th, 2017, 08:38 AM
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Ah, I didn't know they had changed the name. The tour there was very interesting; we learned all about their organic gardening methods and toured the gardens and got to taste things like cacao fresh off the tree, then we enjoyed an organic lunch there.
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Old Aug 15th, 2017, 08:47 AM
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I think visiting the Tenorio area could be fun and educational; it sounds like you would really like something like that in your itinerary. Are they close to the Rio Celeste waterfall? Four nights isn't too long in the Arenal area; we usually stay four nights when we go, and we've been several times and keep doing new things. You can do the waterfall hike, visit Tabacon or Eco Termales natural hot springs, do the Cano Negro tour to see wildlife, do the Penas Blancas safari float, easy hike at the Hanging Bridges, visit the Proyecto Asis animal rescue center, etc.
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Old Aug 17th, 2017, 03:41 AM
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Based on your generous advice -- and lots of time reading about all the glorious options -- we've extended our trip by a day and are going to be visiting Arenal for 4 nights (Leaves and Lizards), Tenorio for 2 (La Carolina), and Manuel Antonio for 4 (Tulemar). I went with LL because it seems we can get a day pass to explore AOL's great trails -- and our kids are excited about staying in the Hobbit House at LL. And, yes, it looks like Rio Celeste is relatively easy to visit from La Carolina. So, I'm looking forward to seeing the turquoise waters. We've booked our lodging and are so excited about the trip. Thanks again for all your advice!
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Old Aug 17th, 2017, 08:22 AM
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That's great - I hope you love everywhere you stay. Can't wait to read your trip report. How long does it take to get from LL to AOL; they're both kind of isolated, so I'm curious about that. I think your itinerary looks great. Friends of ours are at Tulemar now and having the best time.
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Old Aug 17th, 2017, 11:08 AM
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I think the Google maps estimate was about 50min to get from LL to AOL. Not quick, but doable. And glad to hear your friends are passing along another positive review of Tulemar. I can't wait!
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Old Aug 17th, 2017, 01:02 PM
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Yes, totally doable. If you do the Rio Celeste hike, bring shoes that are quick dry like Keen's if you can. We had to teeter on some rocks while we crossed a small stream, and my shoes got wet. Hope you have a blast.
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Old Sep 4th, 2017, 08:57 PM
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My kids love the Toucan Rescue Ranch. We've stayed there twice. We go straight from the airport. The next morning is breakfast with the baby sloths then we head out to our next destination. We only stayed 3 nights in Arenal and it wasn't enough. There is lots to do there! In MA my kids loved horseback riding with Brisas de Nara. They have a waterfall in their property, sweet old horses, and a grandmas who cooks you breakfast and lunch.
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Old Sep 12th, 2017, 12:51 PM
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Leaves and lizards are far away from the main attractions In Arenal. I think you may want to stay closer to town since you will be able to access to more things.
We have been in Costa Rica a couples of times, definately I am a CR fan! and this time we did not want to do the regular stuff so i looked for the no typicals activities.
We went to La Fortuna waterfall by ourselves from our hotel was only like 30 min walk to the entrance. After, we hire a private transportation (volcanotravelcostarica) to take us to a hot springs , which we enjoy much. There are so much to do around there and was very difficult to decided,we also did the vida campesina tour which is a educative tour, about coffee and chocolate and my kids really enjoyed . Dinner was really good at this place.the next day we went for this amazing pedalboardcostarica on lake Arenal, my first impresion was that i will not be able to do it since i am not very good swimmer, however , they provide lifejacket and the lake is safe. After Arenal, we went to Tortuguero for 2 nights and 3 days, this unique place is amazing! No streets, my kids were amazed by this place so much!
I really hope you enjoy Costa Rica as much as we did!
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