costa rica family trip report
Jan 6th, 2008, 04:04 PM
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costa rica family trip report
I just returned from a 10-day trip to CR with family (self, wife, 2 kids age 12 & 9). Thanks to all the advice I got on this forum, my trip went very smoothly, and we had a wonderful time. Thank you to to all the active posters on this forum - your posts were very helpful for me ! Below is my trip report, I will be glad to answer any questions and help out other newbies planning trips to CR. BTW - sorry it is so long; I started typing, and just kept going !!
Sunil
1. What dry season ??? I thought late Dec and early Jan were supposed to be the dry season in Osa, Monteverde, Arenal - but it rained a lot everywhere we went. I rained 2 out of 3 days we were on Osa (pouring rain on the day we went to Corcovado); it rained on the drive to Monteverde (but then magically cleared up the next day and gave us 1 clear day in Monteverde); and it rained 3 out of 4 days we were in Arenal. But we still had fun - the kids were troopers, even when I marched then down the La Fortuna waterfall trail in pouring rain ! We were very thankful for the raincoats we had packed. And I highly recommend the laundry in downtown La Fortuna - after several days of wearing damp clothes with musky odours, my wife was on cloud nine to have warm, dry, fresh smelling clothes. Best $7 I spent in CR...
2. Flying to/from SJO was a breeze for us. On the way in, we flew from San Francisco, and landed in SJO at 10am. We went thru immigration, baggage claim, customs, and walked to the Sansa terminal - and were there by 11 am !! On the way out, we paid our departure tax, checked in our baggage, and goth thru security in about 30 minuites total. Good experience both ways.
3. The Sansa terminal at SJO has no facilities. Nothing, zippo, nada. We landed at SJO at 10am, got to the Sansa terminal at 11am, and our Sansa flight to Drake Bay was at 2.30pm. They told us we could not check in till 1.30pm, and there was no place at the terminal even to sit down and wait. So we ended up catching a cab to the nearby Denny's ($5), eating lunch, and catching a cab back. SO our first meal in CR turned out be at Denny's of all places (weird - my first meal in Hawaii on my first trip there - back in 1992 - was also at Denny's for some strange reason).
3. The Drake Bay airport is a fun place to land. It is just a strip in the middle of nowhere, with a beautiful approach and wonderful views as you land. And when we landed, we saw macaws in the trees around the airport - as it turned out this was our only sighting of these birds !
4. On the way back from Osa, we flew Nature Air from Drake Bay to San Jose (Pavas). The Nature Air plane is bigger, and the overall experience was a lot better than Sansa (and the Pavas terminal is air-conditioned, and has clean restrooms and a place to sit down and wait - much better than the Sansa terminal at SJO).
5. In Drake Bay, we stayed at the Pirate Cove Resort.
a. We paid $240/night for 4 people (including all meals). About the best I could find in Osa during the peak season. BTW - I booked the hotel back in August, and had a hard time finding anything available; I must have called 6-8 different places (including the popular BDC) before I found something available. If you plan to go in peak season, book early.
b. The rooms were very nice - we had a spacious cabin with one double bed and 3 singles, plenty of elbow room for a family of 4. And from our balcony we had nice ocean views.
c. There is a great beach at the hotel - we spent one afternoon just hanging out at the beach, wading in the waves, and building sand-castles. You can walk across the river at low-tide, take their kayaks down the river, or just hang out and watch for iguanas - very relaxing.
d. The food at the hotel is "okay". It is a fixed menu (we had chicken for dinner one night, steak the second night, and quiche the third night). Nothing outstanding, but all edible. Their drinks are limited to weak fruit juices, weak beer, and Chilean wine - a little disappointing, we found the wine the best option by far.
6. On our first full day in Osa, we did a Corcovado tour (arranged by the hotel). We had to leave at 6am by boat. Half-way thru the boat ride, the skies opened up - and it poured most of the morning. So we did all of our hiking in Corcovado in the rain - make sure you have closed-toe hiking shoes which can stand up to mud if you go there. Because of the weather, we did not see too many animals - so I found this hike a little disappointing. We still saw three species of monkeys (howler, spyder, white-faced), plus a sloth, plus several different birds. And after lunch, the sun came out - so me & my son played on the beach in Corcovado, while wife & daughter took another hike to a waterfall. Overall, I rate this day a B (would have been an A if the sun had been out all day and if we had spotted more animals and birds).
7. On our next day in Osa, we decided to go on a horseback ride. We walked through the first halk of the trail (crossing a couple of rivers and thickly forested trails), then galloped back on the beach. My daughter is a horse nut (what is it about girls and horses ??) so she rated this gallop the highlight of her entire trip. And the sun came out in the afternoon, so after lunch we spent the day hanging out at the beach and plaing in the warm ocean water - very relaxing. I rate this day an A (my daughter rates it A++++ ;-)).
8. On our last night at Pirate Cove, we had dinner with a family who had been hit twice by the "flat-tire" scam in San Jose on the same day. Since we were planning to fly to San Jose the next day and rent a car, I got very worried - I really did not want to have to face this scam on a trip with kids ! Luckily, our rental experience was uneventful and smooth. But I have to admit that driving out of the Tricolor lot with the rental car was the most worried I was the entire time I was in CR - I was tense driving all the way out of twon, and did not relax till we got a good 20 miles out of San Jose !!
9. From Osa, we caught Nature Air to San Jose (rate it an A), rented from Tricolor (rate them an A), and drove to Monteverde. It took us about 4 hours from San Jose (Pavas) to Monteverde. The last part of the drive is bumpy, but its not as bad as I had feared (just go skow and you will have no problems). But you really need a 4-wheel drive with high clearance (we got a Nissan XTrail from Tricolor, which was perfect). We also rented a GPS (extra $11/day) - the GPS is not as good as the ones in the US, but it still saved us from getting lost at least 3 times during the week, so it was well worth it on balance. But I found it couldnot give directions to places unless they were within 10-20 miles (weird !!), did not understand one-way streets in La Fortuna and Alajuela, and sometimes led us to dirt roads instead of keeping us on the main road. Still, on balance it was worth renting the GPS.
10. In Monteverde, we had reservations an El Viandante. Here also, I must have called 20 different places before I found availability (and I booked the hotel in August). Book in advance if you are traveling at peak time and want a good hotel !!
11. When we arrived at El Viandante, they were full - and they pointed us to the PieDeMonte hotel nearby, which apparently has just opened and handles their overflow. Both these hotels are very basic - basic rooms (but clean), no views, nothing really to do in teh hotel. But the El Viandante serves a decent breakfast - the owner Renzo is very friendly and cooks breakfast for all the guests. This is a good place if you want basic lodging which is cheap ($36/room/night, including breakfast !!). We took two rooms for the four of us, and still only paid $144 for two nights.
12. Our first night in Monteverde, we took a night hike in Hidden Valley. THIS NIGHT HIKE WAS SPECTACULAR, and I highly recommend it (may have been my personal favorite of the entire trip). There are several other places with organized night hikes in Monteverde, and I am sure they are all similar - if you go there you MUST do a night hike. 30 seconds into the hike, we saw a gray fox. Two minutes later, we saw a pair of porcupine in a hollowed-out tree. And it just got better from there - we saw several sloths, we saw two giant tarantulas (and we saw them eat a cricket and a moth - creepy and awesome !!), we saw many sleeping birds, we saw a giant colony of leaf-cutter ants, etc etc. An awesone experience. This hike made my day.
13. The next morning, we did a guided tour in Monteverde Cloud Forest. A guide is a must - our (Juan Carlos) was very knowledgeable, and spotted all the birds - we would never have even noticed some of the birds if we did not have him with us. And luck was with us - we saw 5 quetzals (3 females, 2 males) - gorgeous birds ! Juan Carlos even got us some close-up photographs thru his spotting scope - we will be framing these !! This was a wonderful hike, and highly recommended.
14. That afternoon, we ziplined at Selvatura in Monteverde. Boy, was I nervous before the zipline (and so was the rest of the family). But we enjoyed it tremendously. AND I DID THE TARZAN SWING !!!!
a. For those of you who have never ziplined : it is indeed extremely safe. Once you do the practise zip, you will have no doubt in your mind about the safety. But be warned : if your mind is like mine, your heart will still be in your mouth on the first few zips, even though your brain tells you that it is safe !
b. My 9-year old son was too light to go by himself, so the guide took him (they called this a "taxi"
. He really enjoyed the taxi (and he went on his own on a couple of teh shorter zips as well, and had a great time). My daughter (12) got nervous on the first few zips and also requested a "taxi" - but about halfway, she worked up her courage and went on her own - and also had a ball.
c. The zips at Selvatura are fast and awesome. You are high in the air, you have a wonderful view, your heart is in your mouth, and it is a great experience.
d. Teh tarzan swing (about 2/3 of the way down) is a swing where you jump off a 80-foot high ledge holding on to to a rope. of course you are strapped in - but it is a second of sheer terror as you step off teh ledge into "nothingness", then 30 seconds of complete exhiliration as you swing high above the canopy. I still cannot believe I worked up the courage to do it - and I am glad I did ! This is not for everybody though, and is optional (the rest of my family passed, including my wife - she went up to the ledge, got strapped in, but then backed out). But it was fun !
15. In Monteverde, we eat dinner one night at the Pizzarea near El Viandante (B+) and one night at the Tree House restaurant in downtown Santa Elena (A). The Tree House restaurant is fun, loud, noisy - a great place to go after Selvatura ! And we did much of our tourist shopping (t-shirts, flip-flops, etc) in Santa Elena.
16. All in all, we loved Monteverde - Selvatura, the night hike, the cloud forest walk were all spectacular. Highly recommended.
17. From Monteverde, we drove to Arenal. This took us about 5 hours over very bumpy roads for the first half, so it is a long drive. I recommend doing something in Monteverde before starting this drive (we toured the nice butterfly garden) - otherwise you will end up feeling like you wasted the entire day doing nothing but driving. On the way, we stopped for lunch at Toad Hall just outside Nuevo Arenal (highly recommended by Frommer's CR2007 book). I had delicious potato & papaya soft taco, and the best watermelon shakes of the trip.
18. In Arenal, we stayed at Los Lagos. This was by far the best place we stayed at on out trip. The rooms are spacious (two queen beds plus two trundle beds plus a fridge plus plenty of elbow room for a family of ). And the property is wonderful. We had great views of Arenal volcano right from our room, there are gorgeous walking paths with lakes and ponds and crocodiles and butterflies on the property. And their pools are great for kids - they have two cold poools with a small and a large slide, plus a hot pool with a medium-sized slide; we spent most of our evenings in this pool while we were in Arenal ! Their (included) breakfasts are very good, and the food at their swim-up pool bar is adequate (its great when you have tired kids in the pool and its 8.30pm and you can just eat at the pool and not have to go anywhere !). We never tried their restaurant for dinner, so I cannot comment on that. At breakfast, we could see toucans and mokkeys and parakeets from our patio tables - my wife has 30+ photographs of these ! We paid $169/night for this place (peak season), but we liked it a lot for a family stay. We arrived in Arenal on New Year's Eve - we spent the evening in the hot pool and waterslide, enjoyed a couple of tropical drinks at the swim-up bar, and went to bed early but happy !
19. On New Year's Day, I woke up at 6am, opened the curtains - and saw the magestic Arenal volcano, no clouds, clear from the base to the tippy-top. I woke up the family (we had to leave at 7am for a Cano Negro tour) - much grumbling by 9-year old son, but he got up and then was awe-struck by the view of the volcano as well. 6am to 6.30am on New Year's Day was all we we saw of Arenal - after that, it was rainly and cloudy for the next 4 days, we did not even get a glimpse of teh volcano. SO unfortunately we missed out on seeing the lava flows. But I feel lucky to have seen that gorgeous view on New Year's morning !
20. On New Year's Day, we took a boat tour of Cano Negor (organized by Aventuras Arenal). This was a spectacular day - we saw tons of birds and animals (many monkes, many monkes, an active sloth scratching its chest, many many birds, the jesus christ lizard, etc etc). The boat driver was nicknamed "Eagle Eyes", and he lived up to his nickname - he saw things while driving that I had a hard time locating even after he pin-pointed them to me !! He even spotted two Paca's (perfectly camoflaged as tree-branches - a truly amazing sight !!). All in all a spectacular day - earns an A+ from me.
21. On Jan 2, the skies opened up around Arenal, and it rained all day. That morning, we went ziplining at Skytrek. They have a very nice gondola ride up the mountain - spectacular views of the lake and the volcano on a clear day, but we only got wet glimpses while we wre there. The zipping down in the clouds and mist was spooky - this was a completely different experience from Selvatura. On a couple of teh zips, we could see the people ahead just disappear into clouds - very very spooky. Overall, I liked it - but Selvatura was more fun because of the weather.
22. That afternoon, we took a hike down La Fortuna waterfall - in pouring rain ! The kids were troopers though (one little complaint, then off we went). And they enjoyed the base of the falls - there is something about skipping stones in the water at the base of a powerful waterfall in the pouring rain....
23. That night, we had our only set-back of the trip : my daughter woke up in the middle of the night with a fever of 100, stomach ache, and sniffles. And we had white-water rafting planned for the next day. And it was still pouring rain - not a good situation. We decided to extend our stay in Arenal by a day and postpone the white-water rafting trip to Jan 4 (we had no problems with this - we just called up Wave Expeditions in the morning, and they immediately agreed to change the date for the tour).
24. SO on Jan 3, we spent a lazy morning around the pool and shopping in La Fortuna, and dosing up my daughter with fever-reducers. And we discovered the laundry in La Fortuna - my wife was in cloud 9 to get warm dry clothes so she did not have to wear the same must & damp clothes over & over again !
25. By mid-afternoon on Jan 3, my daughter was feeling much better - so we rented ATVs and went riding out in the mud and rain. This turned to be the highlight of my 9-year old son's trip - I let him drive the ATV for a few minutes on a safe-looking section of the trail, and he loved every minute of it ! We got very muddy, but we had a lot of fun - and that evening, we went back to the Los Lagos pool and slide to relax our tired muscles.
26. Then that night, my daughter's fever got worse - up to 103. We called up and cancelled the white-water rafting trip on Jan 4. Luckily, both Wave Expeditions and AnywhereCostaRica.com (thru whom I had booked the tour) were extremely gracious, and have agreed to refund us the cost of this trip (even though their cancellation policy clearly states that cancellations can only be made with 3 days notice). I am very happy with their graciousness and service _ I highly recommend AnywhereCostaRica.com for anybody who wants to book their activities and tours in advance.
27. So on Jan 4, we decided to check out of the Arenal hotel a day earllier than planned, and drive to San Jose via La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Luckily, I was able to call and get a room at Orqueidas Inn at the last minute. But on the whole, this day turned out to be a drag. Maybe it was because my daughter was really fading, and my son was on day-10-away-from-home and tired, and the weather was still rainy, and our shoes were wet - but in any case, we did not like La Paz Waterfall Garden at all. Everywhere else we had been in CR was wild and natural and beautiful and awesomme - La Paz Gardens was like being in a pretty zoo in the US. We meandered through the place for a couple of hours, got bored, and drove on to Orqueidas Inn for our last night in CR.
28. Quick rating of Orqueidas Inn : beautiful property, nice rooms, wonderful & friendly hosts, great location near the airport, great breakfast in the Marilyn Monroe bar, great pictures of Marilyn). Lousy dinner (I had the Casado with fish, and the fish was fried with tartar sauce on teh side - nothing Costa Rican about it). But it was our last night, and their beer was good, so I made do...
29. On Jan 5 (just yesterday !) : spent a lazy morning hanging out at O-Inn. Actually this was very pleasant - we needed a lazy morning before our long flight back. Returned a car to Tricolor - driving in Alajuela is crazy, I am glad we did not spend any time driving in San Jose on the trip ! Tricolor was very professional when we returned the car - no hassles, prompt service, did not charge us anything extra even though the car had two missing hubcaps which had not been noted on the rental form (they checked and found that the previous renter had reported the missing hubcaps so they did not charge me). I know some other people on this forum have reported abad experience with Tricolor - my experience with them was excellent however.
30. Flight back to SFO was long. My daughter was still sick and felt like throwing up several times on the plane - but luckily we all survived and got back home safely.
31. Teh magic of being home - my daughter is as right as rain today. And I have 175 work emails piled up which I am trying to avoid, so I decided to spend my SUnfday reliving the vacation and typing up this long report !
Had a wonderful time overall. Wish it hadn't rained so much, but we did not allow the rain to spoil our trip. My wife has taken 400+ photographs to allow us to relive the great time we had.
As I said at the top : thanks to everybody on this board who gave me helpful suggestions in planning the trip. And for anybody who has questions : ask away...
Sunil
Sunil
1. What dry season ??? I thought late Dec and early Jan were supposed to be the dry season in Osa, Monteverde, Arenal - but it rained a lot everywhere we went. I rained 2 out of 3 days we were on Osa (pouring rain on the day we went to Corcovado); it rained on the drive to Monteverde (but then magically cleared up the next day and gave us 1 clear day in Monteverde); and it rained 3 out of 4 days we were in Arenal. But we still had fun - the kids were troopers, even when I marched then down the La Fortuna waterfall trail in pouring rain ! We were very thankful for the raincoats we had packed. And I highly recommend the laundry in downtown La Fortuna - after several days of wearing damp clothes with musky odours, my wife was on cloud nine to have warm, dry, fresh smelling clothes. Best $7 I spent in CR...
2. Flying to/from SJO was a breeze for us. On the way in, we flew from San Francisco, and landed in SJO at 10am. We went thru immigration, baggage claim, customs, and walked to the Sansa terminal - and were there by 11 am !! On the way out, we paid our departure tax, checked in our baggage, and goth thru security in about 30 minuites total. Good experience both ways.
3. The Sansa terminal at SJO has no facilities. Nothing, zippo, nada. We landed at SJO at 10am, got to the Sansa terminal at 11am, and our Sansa flight to Drake Bay was at 2.30pm. They told us we could not check in till 1.30pm, and there was no place at the terminal even to sit down and wait. So we ended up catching a cab to the nearby Denny's ($5), eating lunch, and catching a cab back. SO our first meal in CR turned out be at Denny's of all places (weird - my first meal in Hawaii on my first trip there - back in 1992 - was also at Denny's for some strange reason).
3. The Drake Bay airport is a fun place to land. It is just a strip in the middle of nowhere, with a beautiful approach and wonderful views as you land. And when we landed, we saw macaws in the trees around the airport - as it turned out this was our only sighting of these birds !
4. On the way back from Osa, we flew Nature Air from Drake Bay to San Jose (Pavas). The Nature Air plane is bigger, and the overall experience was a lot better than Sansa (and the Pavas terminal is air-conditioned, and has clean restrooms and a place to sit down and wait - much better than the Sansa terminal at SJO).
5. In Drake Bay, we stayed at the Pirate Cove Resort.
a. We paid $240/night for 4 people (including all meals). About the best I could find in Osa during the peak season. BTW - I booked the hotel back in August, and had a hard time finding anything available; I must have called 6-8 different places (including the popular BDC) before I found something available. If you plan to go in peak season, book early.
b. The rooms were very nice - we had a spacious cabin with one double bed and 3 singles, plenty of elbow room for a family of 4. And from our balcony we had nice ocean views.
c. There is a great beach at the hotel - we spent one afternoon just hanging out at the beach, wading in the waves, and building sand-castles. You can walk across the river at low-tide, take their kayaks down the river, or just hang out and watch for iguanas - very relaxing.
d. The food at the hotel is "okay". It is a fixed menu (we had chicken for dinner one night, steak the second night, and quiche the third night). Nothing outstanding, but all edible. Their drinks are limited to weak fruit juices, weak beer, and Chilean wine - a little disappointing, we found the wine the best option by far.
6. On our first full day in Osa, we did a Corcovado tour (arranged by the hotel). We had to leave at 6am by boat. Half-way thru the boat ride, the skies opened up - and it poured most of the morning. So we did all of our hiking in Corcovado in the rain - make sure you have closed-toe hiking shoes which can stand up to mud if you go there. Because of the weather, we did not see too many animals - so I found this hike a little disappointing. We still saw three species of monkeys (howler, spyder, white-faced), plus a sloth, plus several different birds. And after lunch, the sun came out - so me & my son played on the beach in Corcovado, while wife & daughter took another hike to a waterfall. Overall, I rate this day a B (would have been an A if the sun had been out all day and if we had spotted more animals and birds).
7. On our next day in Osa, we decided to go on a horseback ride. We walked through the first halk of the trail (crossing a couple of rivers and thickly forested trails), then galloped back on the beach. My daughter is a horse nut (what is it about girls and horses ??) so she rated this gallop the highlight of her entire trip. And the sun came out in the afternoon, so after lunch we spent the day hanging out at the beach and plaing in the warm ocean water - very relaxing. I rate this day an A (my daughter rates it A++++ ;-)).
8. On our last night at Pirate Cove, we had dinner with a family who had been hit twice by the "flat-tire" scam in San Jose on the same day. Since we were planning to fly to San Jose the next day and rent a car, I got very worried - I really did not want to have to face this scam on a trip with kids ! Luckily, our rental experience was uneventful and smooth. But I have to admit that driving out of the Tricolor lot with the rental car was the most worried I was the entire time I was in CR - I was tense driving all the way out of twon, and did not relax till we got a good 20 miles out of San Jose !!
9. From Osa, we caught Nature Air to San Jose (rate it an A), rented from Tricolor (rate them an A), and drove to Monteverde. It took us about 4 hours from San Jose (Pavas) to Monteverde. The last part of the drive is bumpy, but its not as bad as I had feared (just go skow and you will have no problems). But you really need a 4-wheel drive with high clearance (we got a Nissan XTrail from Tricolor, which was perfect). We also rented a GPS (extra $11/day) - the GPS is not as good as the ones in the US, but it still saved us from getting lost at least 3 times during the week, so it was well worth it on balance. But I found it couldnot give directions to places unless they were within 10-20 miles (weird !!), did not understand one-way streets in La Fortuna and Alajuela, and sometimes led us to dirt roads instead of keeping us on the main road. Still, on balance it was worth renting the GPS.
10. In Monteverde, we had reservations an El Viandante. Here also, I must have called 20 different places before I found availability (and I booked the hotel in August). Book in advance if you are traveling at peak time and want a good hotel !!
11. When we arrived at El Viandante, they were full - and they pointed us to the PieDeMonte hotel nearby, which apparently has just opened and handles their overflow. Both these hotels are very basic - basic rooms (but clean), no views, nothing really to do in teh hotel. But the El Viandante serves a decent breakfast - the owner Renzo is very friendly and cooks breakfast for all the guests. This is a good place if you want basic lodging which is cheap ($36/room/night, including breakfast !!). We took two rooms for the four of us, and still only paid $144 for two nights.
12. Our first night in Monteverde, we took a night hike in Hidden Valley. THIS NIGHT HIKE WAS SPECTACULAR, and I highly recommend it (may have been my personal favorite of the entire trip). There are several other places with organized night hikes in Monteverde, and I am sure they are all similar - if you go there you MUST do a night hike. 30 seconds into the hike, we saw a gray fox. Two minutes later, we saw a pair of porcupine in a hollowed-out tree. And it just got better from there - we saw several sloths, we saw two giant tarantulas (and we saw them eat a cricket and a moth - creepy and awesome !!), we saw many sleeping birds, we saw a giant colony of leaf-cutter ants, etc etc. An awesone experience. This hike made my day.
13. The next morning, we did a guided tour in Monteverde Cloud Forest. A guide is a must - our (Juan Carlos) was very knowledgeable, and spotted all the birds - we would never have even noticed some of the birds if we did not have him with us. And luck was with us - we saw 5 quetzals (3 females, 2 males) - gorgeous birds ! Juan Carlos even got us some close-up photographs thru his spotting scope - we will be framing these !! This was a wonderful hike, and highly recommended.
14. That afternoon, we ziplined at Selvatura in Monteverde. Boy, was I nervous before the zipline (and so was the rest of the family). But we enjoyed it tremendously. AND I DID THE TARZAN SWING !!!!
a. For those of you who have never ziplined : it is indeed extremely safe. Once you do the practise zip, you will have no doubt in your mind about the safety. But be warned : if your mind is like mine, your heart will still be in your mouth on the first few zips, even though your brain tells you that it is safe !
b. My 9-year old son was too light to go by himself, so the guide took him (they called this a "taxi"
. He really enjoyed the taxi (and he went on his own on a couple of teh shorter zips as well, and had a great time). My daughter (12) got nervous on the first few zips and also requested a "taxi" - but about halfway, she worked up her courage and went on her own - and also had a ball.c. The zips at Selvatura are fast and awesome. You are high in the air, you have a wonderful view, your heart is in your mouth, and it is a great experience.
d. Teh tarzan swing (about 2/3 of the way down) is a swing where you jump off a 80-foot high ledge holding on to to a rope. of course you are strapped in - but it is a second of sheer terror as you step off teh ledge into "nothingness", then 30 seconds of complete exhiliration as you swing high above the canopy. I still cannot believe I worked up the courage to do it - and I am glad I did ! This is not for everybody though, and is optional (the rest of my family passed, including my wife - she went up to the ledge, got strapped in, but then backed out). But it was fun !
15. In Monteverde, we eat dinner one night at the Pizzarea near El Viandante (B+) and one night at the Tree House restaurant in downtown Santa Elena (A). The Tree House restaurant is fun, loud, noisy - a great place to go after Selvatura ! And we did much of our tourist shopping (t-shirts, flip-flops, etc) in Santa Elena.
16. All in all, we loved Monteverde - Selvatura, the night hike, the cloud forest walk were all spectacular. Highly recommended.
17. From Monteverde, we drove to Arenal. This took us about 5 hours over very bumpy roads for the first half, so it is a long drive. I recommend doing something in Monteverde before starting this drive (we toured the nice butterfly garden) - otherwise you will end up feeling like you wasted the entire day doing nothing but driving. On the way, we stopped for lunch at Toad Hall just outside Nuevo Arenal (highly recommended by Frommer's CR2007 book). I had delicious potato & papaya soft taco, and the best watermelon shakes of the trip.
18. In Arenal, we stayed at Los Lagos. This was by far the best place we stayed at on out trip. The rooms are spacious (two queen beds plus two trundle beds plus a fridge plus plenty of elbow room for a family of ). And the property is wonderful. We had great views of Arenal volcano right from our room, there are gorgeous walking paths with lakes and ponds and crocodiles and butterflies on the property. And their pools are great for kids - they have two cold poools with a small and a large slide, plus a hot pool with a medium-sized slide; we spent most of our evenings in this pool while we were in Arenal ! Their (included) breakfasts are very good, and the food at their swim-up pool bar is adequate (its great when you have tired kids in the pool and its 8.30pm and you can just eat at the pool and not have to go anywhere !). We never tried their restaurant for dinner, so I cannot comment on that. At breakfast, we could see toucans and mokkeys and parakeets from our patio tables - my wife has 30+ photographs of these ! We paid $169/night for this place (peak season), but we liked it a lot for a family stay. We arrived in Arenal on New Year's Eve - we spent the evening in the hot pool and waterslide, enjoyed a couple of tropical drinks at the swim-up bar, and went to bed early but happy !
19. On New Year's Day, I woke up at 6am, opened the curtains - and saw the magestic Arenal volcano, no clouds, clear from the base to the tippy-top. I woke up the family (we had to leave at 7am for a Cano Negro tour) - much grumbling by 9-year old son, but he got up and then was awe-struck by the view of the volcano as well. 6am to 6.30am on New Year's Day was all we we saw of Arenal - after that, it was rainly and cloudy for the next 4 days, we did not even get a glimpse of teh volcano. SO unfortunately we missed out on seeing the lava flows. But I feel lucky to have seen that gorgeous view on New Year's morning !
20. On New Year's Day, we took a boat tour of Cano Negor (organized by Aventuras Arenal). This was a spectacular day - we saw tons of birds and animals (many monkes, many monkes, an active sloth scratching its chest, many many birds, the jesus christ lizard, etc etc). The boat driver was nicknamed "Eagle Eyes", and he lived up to his nickname - he saw things while driving that I had a hard time locating even after he pin-pointed them to me !! He even spotted two Paca's (perfectly camoflaged as tree-branches - a truly amazing sight !!). All in all a spectacular day - earns an A+ from me.
21. On Jan 2, the skies opened up around Arenal, and it rained all day. That morning, we went ziplining at Skytrek. They have a very nice gondola ride up the mountain - spectacular views of the lake and the volcano on a clear day, but we only got wet glimpses while we wre there. The zipping down in the clouds and mist was spooky - this was a completely different experience from Selvatura. On a couple of teh zips, we could see the people ahead just disappear into clouds - very very spooky. Overall, I liked it - but Selvatura was more fun because of the weather.
22. That afternoon, we took a hike down La Fortuna waterfall - in pouring rain ! The kids were troopers though (one little complaint, then off we went). And they enjoyed the base of the falls - there is something about skipping stones in the water at the base of a powerful waterfall in the pouring rain....
23. That night, we had our only set-back of the trip : my daughter woke up in the middle of the night with a fever of 100, stomach ache, and sniffles. And we had white-water rafting planned for the next day. And it was still pouring rain - not a good situation. We decided to extend our stay in Arenal by a day and postpone the white-water rafting trip to Jan 4 (we had no problems with this - we just called up Wave Expeditions in the morning, and they immediately agreed to change the date for the tour).
24. SO on Jan 3, we spent a lazy morning around the pool and shopping in La Fortuna, and dosing up my daughter with fever-reducers. And we discovered the laundry in La Fortuna - my wife was in cloud 9 to get warm dry clothes so she did not have to wear the same must & damp clothes over & over again !
25. By mid-afternoon on Jan 3, my daughter was feeling much better - so we rented ATVs and went riding out in the mud and rain. This turned to be the highlight of my 9-year old son's trip - I let him drive the ATV for a few minutes on a safe-looking section of the trail, and he loved every minute of it ! We got very muddy, but we had a lot of fun - and that evening, we went back to the Los Lagos pool and slide to relax our tired muscles.
26. Then that night, my daughter's fever got worse - up to 103. We called up and cancelled the white-water rafting trip on Jan 4. Luckily, both Wave Expeditions and AnywhereCostaRica.com (thru whom I had booked the tour) were extremely gracious, and have agreed to refund us the cost of this trip (even though their cancellation policy clearly states that cancellations can only be made with 3 days notice). I am very happy with their graciousness and service _ I highly recommend AnywhereCostaRica.com for anybody who wants to book their activities and tours in advance.
27. So on Jan 4, we decided to check out of the Arenal hotel a day earllier than planned, and drive to San Jose via La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Luckily, I was able to call and get a room at Orqueidas Inn at the last minute. But on the whole, this day turned out to be a drag. Maybe it was because my daughter was really fading, and my son was on day-10-away-from-home and tired, and the weather was still rainy, and our shoes were wet - but in any case, we did not like La Paz Waterfall Garden at all. Everywhere else we had been in CR was wild and natural and beautiful and awesomme - La Paz Gardens was like being in a pretty zoo in the US. We meandered through the place for a couple of hours, got bored, and drove on to Orqueidas Inn for our last night in CR.
28. Quick rating of Orqueidas Inn : beautiful property, nice rooms, wonderful & friendly hosts, great location near the airport, great breakfast in the Marilyn Monroe bar, great pictures of Marilyn). Lousy dinner (I had the Casado with fish, and the fish was fried with tartar sauce on teh side - nothing Costa Rican about it). But it was our last night, and their beer was good, so I made do...
29. On Jan 5 (just yesterday !) : spent a lazy morning hanging out at O-Inn. Actually this was very pleasant - we needed a lazy morning before our long flight back. Returned a car to Tricolor - driving in Alajuela is crazy, I am glad we did not spend any time driving in San Jose on the trip ! Tricolor was very professional when we returned the car - no hassles, prompt service, did not charge us anything extra even though the car had two missing hubcaps which had not been noted on the rental form (they checked and found that the previous renter had reported the missing hubcaps so they did not charge me). I know some other people on this forum have reported abad experience with Tricolor - my experience with them was excellent however.
30. Flight back to SFO was long. My daughter was still sick and felt like throwing up several times on the plane - but luckily we all survived and got back home safely.
31. Teh magic of being home - my daughter is as right as rain today. And I have 175 work emails piled up which I am trying to avoid, so I decided to spend my SUnfday reliving the vacation and typing up this long report !
Had a wonderful time overall. Wish it hadn't rained so much, but we did not allow the rain to spoil our trip. My wife has taken 400+ photographs to allow us to relive the great time we had.
As I said at the top : thanks to everybody on this board who gave me helpful suggestions in planning the trip. And for anybody who has questions : ask away...
Sunil
Jan 6th, 2008, 06:36 PM
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I enjoyed reading your report. It's sounds like you all just 'go with the flow' (pardon the pun) and enjoyed yourselves regardless of those rainy setbacks. I'm glad to hear your daughter popped back after her brief illness.
Jan 6th, 2008, 07:53 PM
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LOVE your trip report! So many great tips and detail I hope others get some great ideas from it. I too, thought you would have many more dry days this time of year. Who would have guessed? Glad to hear you kept upbeat and happy instead of felt like it ruined your vacation. You still got to see and do so much! Sorry to hear your girl came down sick near the end. That very well could be from all the go-go-go, but glad to hear it was shortlived. Too bad you didn't enjoy La Paz. Although it's a bit contrived, we really enjoyed what it had to offer there and even as far a "zoos" go (if you want to put it in that category) it's a pretty special place. All the fake stone and stuff isn't very appealing though, I agree. All in all it sounds like you have a great trip to remember. 
Jan 7th, 2008, 03:18 PM
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Great report! Thanks--and so glad your daughter is feeling better. That is so worrisome to have a sick child while so far from home. We've had to use a med clinic twice in CR with similar situations.
Jan 7th, 2008, 06:56 PM
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Thanks for sharing your experiences, ashta. Bummer that you didn't have nicer weather although it sounds like you made the most of it and managed to have a good vacation overall! I was CR during the first half of December and we were very lucky with the weather except for one rainy day. I guess you just never can tell about these things!
Jan 7th, 2008, 07:29 PM
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Thanks for posting and am glad you had a great time despite the rain. Sounds like you had a great go with the flow attitude (I read a bad review of a hotel in CR recently and their biggest gripe was the rain, as if the hotel controlled that!) I know that yearning for the sun and try to remind myself if it starts raining those plants, animals, waterfalls, all that green everywhere wouldn't be the same without it.
What was the beach area in Drake's Bay like?
What was the beach area in Drake's Bay like?
Jan 7th, 2008, 08:29 PM
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Turns out I spoke too soon about my daughter recovering - she still has a bad cough, and ended staying home from school today. And my son also has the cough, and stayed home from school as well. And my wife has a fever and the cough today - I just tucked all three of them into bed with doses of medicine. SO looks like we are paying this week for all the good times we had last week - oh well....
For Keith : we did not drive on the fastest route from Arenal to San Jose (we went from Arenal to La Paz Gardens, spent a few hours there, and then from La Paz Gardens to Alajuela (near the San Jose airport). I think it took us about 2 hours from Arenal to La Paz, and about 1 hour from La Paz to Alajuela - so 3 hours total. The road is in excellent shape, no hassels at all. The more direct route from Arenal is probably 15-20 minutes shorter and is also in excellent shape from waht we heard.
For Tully : in Drake Bay, we just hung out at the beach at the Pirate Cove resort. The beach was nice - warm water, some sandy portions and some rocky portions, lots of sea shells to collect. At low tide, you could walk across the river on one side of the hotel (and swim back at high tide) - and the beach on the other side of the river was wonderful (clean, sandy, warm water, and many miles long); this is where we galloped on horses (and loved it). Of course it does not compare to beaches in Hawaii - but for somebody from the Bay Area, where the water is always cold, it felt great to get into warm ocean water !
Sunil
For Keith : we did not drive on the fastest route from Arenal to San Jose (we went from Arenal to La Paz Gardens, spent a few hours there, and then from La Paz Gardens to Alajuela (near the San Jose airport). I think it took us about 2 hours from Arenal to La Paz, and about 1 hour from La Paz to Alajuela - so 3 hours total. The road is in excellent shape, no hassels at all. The more direct route from Arenal is probably 15-20 minutes shorter and is also in excellent shape from waht we heard.
For Tully : in Drake Bay, we just hung out at the beach at the Pirate Cove resort. The beach was nice - warm water, some sandy portions and some rocky portions, lots of sea shells to collect. At low tide, you could walk across the river on one side of the hotel (and swim back at high tide) - and the beach on the other side of the river was wonderful (clean, sandy, warm water, and many miles long); this is where we galloped on horses (and loved it). Of course it does not compare to beaches in Hawaii - but for somebody from the Bay Area, where the water is always cold, it felt great to get into warm ocean water !
Sunil
Jan 8th, 2008, 05:31 AM
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Excellent report, Sunil... I really enjoyed reading it. We were in CR the week before Christmas and had rain half the time too -- but "soldiered on" as you did!
I'm SO jealous about the Tarzan swing.... I want to do that! Do you have any pictures of it that you can post? Do you actually jump off (is there a free-fall?) or is it basically a platform-to-platform swing? I've gotta see this!
I'm really glad you loved Monteverde and posted so much info about it. I'm also a big fan of Monteverde, and loved the Hidden Valley night hike too. You saw 5 quetzals? Wow. You're so right about hiring a guide for nature hikes... it's really the only way to see anything, I think.
Stay well... I hope you escape whatever it is the rest of your family has, 'cause it sounds like you'll be doing some nursing the next few days!
I'm SO jealous about the Tarzan swing.... I want to do that! Do you have any pictures of it that you can post? Do you actually jump off (is there a free-fall?) or is it basically a platform-to-platform swing? I've gotta see this!
I'm really glad you loved Monteverde and posted so much info about it. I'm also a big fan of Monteverde, and loved the Hidden Valley night hike too. You saw 5 quetzals? Wow. You're so right about hiring a guide for nature hikes... it's really the only way to see anything, I think.
Stay well... I hope you escape whatever it is the rest of your family has, 'cause it sounds like you'll be doing some nursing the next few days!
Jan 8th, 2008, 08:35 PM
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CarolM : the Tarzan does indeed start off as a free-fall. You jump off from a platform 80 feet above the canopy, and swing wildly over the canopy for about 30 seconds before two guys grab your legs & slow you down. It is a wild ride !
I have not had a chance to download any of my pictures yet (still nursing family, although both kids did manage school today). But there is a video on myspace which shows exactly what this Tarzan Swing is like (just type "selvatura tarzan swing" into google and it will be the first hit, or go to the link below). Enjoy !
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...deoID=11455590
Sunil
I have not had a chance to download any of my pictures yet (still nursing family, although both kids did manage school today). But there is a video on myspace which shows exactly what this Tarzan Swing is like (just type "selvatura tarzan swing" into google and it will be the first hit, or go to the link below). Enjoy !
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...deoID=11455590
Sunil
Jan 9th, 2008, 06:50 AM
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Sunil, that's awesome! Thanks for the link... and good for you for doing it! Darn -- now I've gotta go back to Monteverde to do this!!! I wonder if they have the swing in other places... it looks like too much fun! 
Jan 9th, 2008, 10:24 AM
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Hi,
I loved your posting. Hope all are feeling better! My kids are similar ages and we will be in CR 10 days in February. We will be in Arenal 2 nights, Manuel Antonio 3 and Osa Peninsula 4 nights. I have been thinking of adding to Arenal (we will be at Los Lagos too) and taking a night off Osa- do you have any recommendations on that? Thanks!
I loved your posting. Hope all are feeling better! My kids are similar ages and we will be in CR 10 days in February. We will be in Arenal 2 nights, Manuel Antonio 3 and Osa Peninsula 4 nights. I have been thinking of adding to Arenal (we will be at Los Lagos too) and taking a night off Osa- do you have any recommendations on that? Thanks!
Jan 9th, 2008, 10:43 AM
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I would take a night off MA before I'd take it off Osa, just my thoughts. Can you schedule your arrival and dept to Arenal to maximize the 2 nights there, or would it be easier to do that on the MA end? i.e., to keep actual waking hours somewhat equal between the two.
Jan 9th, 2008, 02:08 PM
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Another vote for hip's idea! I'd take a night off Manuel Antonio and add it to Arenal. DON'T take it from the Osa! Just be sure your full day at MA isn't on a Monday--the park is closed! We've been there for 2 nights a couple of times. Sure, 3 is better, but the park is the main draw. One full day gives you a nice tour of the park, some beach time, a few good meals, and a look around the area.
Start early in the day for wildlife viewing in the park. You can hire a guide at the entrance.
Just be sure your full day at MA isn't on a Monday--the park is closed! We've been there for 2 nights a couple of times. Sure, 3 is better, but the park is the main draw. One full day gives you a nice tour of the park, some beach time, a few good meals, and a look around the area.Start early in the day for wildlife viewing in the park. You can hire a guide at the entrance.
Jan 9th, 2008, 02:44 PM
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I agree - I'd do more time Arenal and less time MA. Are you going to do Cano Negro? It was the highlight of our trip and takes the better part of a day, so it would be good to add more time there.
Jan 9th, 2008, 07:12 PM
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Carol : I did see a sign for a Tarzan Swing in Arenal as well, so I am sure they have them in other places besides Selvatura / Monteverde. I forget the name of the place in Arenal (and I did not actually try it so I have no idea if it is the same as Selvatuta). It is in the canopy tour located between Los Lagos and La Fortuna, on the right hand side of the road as you drive towards La Fortuna(they have a big sign, so if you drive this road you won't miss it). Enjoy !
Sunil
Sunil
Jan 9th, 2008, 07:20 PM
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Annie928 : I think there is a lot to do in Arenal, so adding a day to Arenal does sound like a good idea to me. Another factor is that Arenal is a great base for day-trips (like Cano Negro, or white-water-rafting), so in addition to the volcano and ziplines and local hikes you can also do an additional day tour if you add a day to Arenal.
I did not go to MA, so I do not know anything about it. One factor to consider is weather - Osa is wild & maginificant, but is likely to be more rainy than MA I think (we hit rain 2 out of 3 days in Osa, and I hear that MA is usually dry). If the chance of rain would ruin your vacation, you might want to consider taking a day from Osa (3 days in each place). But if rain will not bother you, Osa is wonderful and you might be better off taking the day from MA as recommended above by several people. Either way, I am sure you will have a great time - enjoy !
Sunil
I did not go to MA, so I do not know anything about it. One factor to consider is weather - Osa is wild & maginificant, but is likely to be more rainy than MA I think (we hit rain 2 out of 3 days in Osa, and I hear that MA is usually dry). If the chance of rain would ruin your vacation, you might want to consider taking a day from Osa (3 days in each place). But if rain will not bother you, Osa is wonderful and you might be better off taking the day from MA as recommended above by several people. Either way, I am sure you will have a great time - enjoy !
Sunil
Jan 9th, 2008, 08:10 PM
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Thanks so much for the report. It was very helpful. Can you tell me which of the ziplines you think was better...not taking the weather into consideration. We had decided to do SkyTrek but Selvatura sounds good too. I think they both have the Tarzan swing.
Also, for the Monteverde Park Night Tour, do you have to reserve a guide or are they available when you go to the park?
Thanks for your help. Will be there in 26 more days!!!!
Also, for the Monteverde Park Night Tour, do you have to reserve a guide or are they available when you go to the park?
Thanks for your help. Will be there in 26 more days!!!!
