Costa Rica-- Hotel Parador & Tabacon Hot Spg Hotel & a few questions.l
Aug 24th, 2005, 01:55 PM
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Costa Rica-- Hotel Parador & Tabacon Hot Spg Hotel & a few questions.l
Hi
New to Costa Rica, any answers appreciated.
Spending 4 days at Hotel Parador on Pacific Coast and 3 at Tabacon Hot Spg. are there stores close to purchase rum, beer or water other than Hotel.
Do people dress for dinner or strictly casual. How is hotel food? Is it expensive.
Any suggestions for day clothes for Anotnio Nalt.Park, Canopy Safari (how do the zip lines & repel lines move you). In Hot Spg area doing the Hanging Bridges, ATV Four Trax adv. Were any of these exciting? How is the bug situation?.
Tell me about your best liked adventure or one you didn't have time to do but wish you had.
How long is the bus trip to Hotel Papador from San Jose. Any suggestions in and out of the San Jose airport
As you can see I am just full of questions but this site has always been very helpful and I always do my part to reciprocate.
Thanks, DIVER
New to Costa Rica, any answers appreciated.
Spending 4 days at Hotel Parador on Pacific Coast and 3 at Tabacon Hot Spg. are there stores close to purchase rum, beer or water other than Hotel.
Do people dress for dinner or strictly casual. How is hotel food? Is it expensive.
Any suggestions for day clothes for Anotnio Nalt.Park, Canopy Safari (how do the zip lines & repel lines move you). In Hot Spg area doing the Hanging Bridges, ATV Four Trax adv. Were any of these exciting? How is the bug situation?.
Tell me about your best liked adventure or one you didn't have time to do but wish you had.
How long is the bus trip to Hotel Papador from San Jose. Any suggestions in and out of the San Jose airport
As you can see I am just full of questions but this site has always been very helpful and I always do my part to reciprocate.
Thanks, DIVER
Aug 24th, 2005, 02:35 PM
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Bus ride will be approx. 3 hours from san Jose to M.A. Dress is very casual at the park ( Shorts , bathing suit ) At Hotel Parador it's hard to say , not common on this site .... seems a tad more formal , but probably anything goes !! )There are stores a short bus or Taxi away to buy water etc.
Aug 24th, 2005, 04:19 PM
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Hi... didn't stay at Tabacon, but spent 4 nights in the fortuna area.
Did the hanging bridges(in the rain) and really loved it.Went on a classIII rapids raft trip on the Rio Arenal and had a blast. Booked with Desafio tours for $55p/p with lunch included. Tour lasted 2.5 hours and you do a good deal of paddling! Also did the zip line at the Arenal Paraiso, which was a lot of fun.Cost is $45p/p for 11 platforms. We also hiked at the AQrenal Volcano NP.Hiking in this area is a wonderful,and less costly, alternative to some of the tours. Hope this helps.Whatever you choose, you'll have a great time!
Did the hanging bridges(in the rain) and really loved it.Went on a classIII rapids raft trip on the Rio Arenal and had a blast. Booked with Desafio tours for $55p/p with lunch included. Tour lasted 2.5 hours and you do a good deal of paddling! Also did the zip line at the Arenal Paraiso, which was a lot of fun.Cost is $45p/p for 11 platforms. We also hiked at the AQrenal Volcano NP.Hiking in this area is a wonderful,and less costly, alternative to some of the tours. Hope this helps.Whatever you choose, you'll have a great time!
Aug 24th, 2005, 04:47 PM
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Dear Diver,
The small quaint town of Quepos is right next to the road leading to Manuel Antonio.... It is about 3 miles, I would say to the entrance for Parador. In Quepos you can find grocery store (right across the street from the bus terminal.) Town is only about 4 streets square, no problem.
Hotel food is expensive in many of the hotels up on the mountain. Parador is a distance off the main track on the point. I imagine one would dress more for dinner there or at the Mariposa but Casual is the word in Costa Rica.
My suggestions are: When in the woods, bring spray or wipes for bugs, wear long cotton pants because it is hot and they will protect you. People wear jeans... I suffocate with jeans on down there. Never hurts to have rain gear in a back pack or a light weight jacket. Ordinarily, short sleaves work well.
Inside Mauel Antonio be sure and take water! It is quite a walk and even though there is a food stand it is not always open. If you take food inside with you, be careful it is not in a brown paper bag and do NOT leave it on a picnic table. Monkeys are familiar with the plan and love to eat your lunch in the treetops!
There are cold showers outside in the park and bathrooms of a sort. The beaches inside the park are very nice and more calm than those outside.
My best liked adventure is Sky Trek at Monteverde or Arenal. Views are excellent, walk is beautiful, and the thrill of the zip is awesome!
Bus trip to Parador from San Jose.
Country bus - 4 1/2 hours. Tourist bus, Greyline/or Interbus, 3 1/2 hours.
Happy to help you personally, just write.
HOP
The small quaint town of Quepos is right next to the road leading to Manuel Antonio.... It is about 3 miles, I would say to the entrance for Parador. In Quepos you can find grocery store (right across the street from the bus terminal.) Town is only about 4 streets square, no problem.
Hotel food is expensive in many of the hotels up on the mountain. Parador is a distance off the main track on the point. I imagine one would dress more for dinner there or at the Mariposa but Casual is the word in Costa Rica.
My suggestions are: When in the woods, bring spray or wipes for bugs, wear long cotton pants because it is hot and they will protect you. People wear jeans... I suffocate with jeans on down there. Never hurts to have rain gear in a back pack or a light weight jacket. Ordinarily, short sleaves work well.
Inside Mauel Antonio be sure and take water! It is quite a walk and even though there is a food stand it is not always open. If you take food inside with you, be careful it is not in a brown paper bag and do NOT leave it on a picnic table. Monkeys are familiar with the plan and love to eat your lunch in the treetops!
There are cold showers outside in the park and bathrooms of a sort. The beaches inside the park are very nice and more calm than those outside.
My best liked adventure is Sky Trek at Monteverde or Arenal. Views are excellent, walk is beautiful, and the thrill of the zip is awesome!
Bus trip to Parador from San Jose.
Country bus - 4 1/2 hours. Tourist bus, Greyline/or Interbus, 3 1/2 hours.
Happy to help you personally, just write.
HOP
Aug 25th, 2005, 12:42 AM
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Hi Diver,
We spent a few nights recently at Tabacon. Common attire there is nearly anything, as the pools are nearby and the weather suggests shorts and skirts and s/s shirts or tops, often w/sandals.
Strongly recommend the breakfast there. We had omelets made to order as you stand before the chef. Mixed fruit drinks made to order as you stand before the barrista. Good assortment of vegan and carni foods. I'm not mentioning the coffee because I never had mediocre or bad coffee in C.R. Ever.
There's a buffet restaurant dinner at Tabacon that was 17 USD per person. As always, arrive early for fresh selections. I read here once that somebody didn't like the quality. They arrived about a quarter hour prior to closing time. That esplains it.
I don't think food that much is expensive there at all. Compared to a 5 USD meal at a soda, sure. Opposite scale: We ate at LaMaison (sp?) restaurant outside of San Jose and paid a lot for a great meal w/unsurpassed views.
You must know by now that std. 10% service charge is added to everything, and you can tip on top of that if you like.
Day Clothes: Cotton/Poly blends worked best for us to dry. I wouldn't take any cotton corduroy. Might never dry. I took one EBsport nylon shirt from Eddie Bauer and it was perfect for the water rafting.
Bugs: we took small bottles of DEET bug spray. Maybe 1.3 oz??? They fit in any pocket. Perfect.
We spent a few nights recently at Tabacon. Common attire there is nearly anything, as the pools are nearby and the weather suggests shorts and skirts and s/s shirts or tops, often w/sandals.
Strongly recommend the breakfast there. We had omelets made to order as you stand before the chef. Mixed fruit drinks made to order as you stand before the barrista. Good assortment of vegan and carni foods. I'm not mentioning the coffee because I never had mediocre or bad coffee in C.R. Ever.
There's a buffet restaurant dinner at Tabacon that was 17 USD per person. As always, arrive early for fresh selections. I read here once that somebody didn't like the quality. They arrived about a quarter hour prior to closing time. That esplains it.
I don't think food that much is expensive there at all. Compared to a 5 USD meal at a soda, sure. Opposite scale: We ate at LaMaison (sp?) restaurant outside of San Jose and paid a lot for a great meal w/unsurpassed views.
You must know by now that std. 10% service charge is added to everything, and you can tip on top of that if you like.
Day Clothes: Cotton/Poly blends worked best for us to dry. I wouldn't take any cotton corduroy. Might never dry. I took one EBsport nylon shirt from Eddie Bauer and it was perfect for the water rafting.
Bugs: we took small bottles of DEET bug spray. Maybe 1.3 oz??? They fit in any pocket. Perfect.
Aug 25th, 2005, 05:27 AM
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We just got back on 8/20. Stayed in Manuel Antonio and at Tabacon. T-shirts, tank tops and shorts is all we ever wore - even at dinner. The ticos dress that way too.
Tabacon runs a shuttle into LaFortuna every 2 hours where you can get beer, water, internet etc. We only ate at Tabacon for the breakfast buffet and one time at the hot springs buffet which was $20. Thought the buffet was good. Kids loved the chocolate dessert fountain!
I heard that the restaurant at Tabacon at the hotel was expensive and not that great. People we met there confirmed it.
If you don't mind really simple, the hotel recomended Chozo Laurel in La Fortuna for dinner. It is open air and you sit at picnic tables, but they have really good food and all kinds of alcholic drinks and smoothies. Our family of 5 got dinner there for $40. That was the restaurant we liked the best.
One thing. If you do the Finca Valmy horsback tour in Manuel Antonio, which I and many others highly reccomend, they say to wear closed toe shoes. We did and thought that waterproof hiking sandals, like Teva or Merrill would be better. Our sneakers got wet and never dried. The sandals would have been good when at the waterfall too.
Also, while at Tabacon, we booked their 2 hr atv tour. It's not 4 trax. We thought it was very nice. It really took 3 1/2 hours because we had to drive the ATV's to the volcano area and that's where the tour began.
Definitely don't do the Arenal Canopy tour. The Arenal Paraiso would be much better. They are all lot's of fun.
We didn't do the hanging bridges, but wished we had. Everyone, even teens told us it was really nice.
Tabacon runs a shuttle into LaFortuna every 2 hours where you can get beer, water, internet etc. We only ate at Tabacon for the breakfast buffet and one time at the hot springs buffet which was $20. Thought the buffet was good. Kids loved the chocolate dessert fountain!
I heard that the restaurant at Tabacon at the hotel was expensive and not that great. People we met there confirmed it.
If you don't mind really simple, the hotel recomended Chozo Laurel in La Fortuna for dinner. It is open air and you sit at picnic tables, but they have really good food and all kinds of alcholic drinks and smoothies. Our family of 5 got dinner there for $40. That was the restaurant we liked the best.
One thing. If you do the Finca Valmy horsback tour in Manuel Antonio, which I and many others highly reccomend, they say to wear closed toe shoes. We did and thought that waterproof hiking sandals, like Teva or Merrill would be better. Our sneakers got wet and never dried. The sandals would have been good when at the waterfall too.
Also, while at Tabacon, we booked their 2 hr atv tour. It's not 4 trax. We thought it was very nice. It really took 3 1/2 hours because we had to drive the ATV's to the volcano area and that's where the tour began.
Definitely don't do the Arenal Canopy tour. The Arenal Paraiso would be much better. They are all lot's of fun.
We didn't do the hanging bridges, but wished we had. Everyone, even teens told us it was really nice.
Aug 25th, 2005, 06:01 AM
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HI EVERYONE
WOW!! THANKS FOR THE GREAT ANSWERS & ADDED INFORMATION.
YES, I AM ALREADY BOOKED AT BOTH HOTELS.
BEING A FLORIDA GUY I WAS ONLY PLANNING TO WEAR SHORTS DURING THE DAY, WITH BUG REPELLENT DO YOU THINK THAT WILL WORK??. I REALLY WOULD BE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH LONG PANTS, MAYBE AT NIGHT. HOPEFULLY IT'S A LITTLE COOLER AT NIGHT.
I FORGOT TO ASK, HOW ABOUT TAKING BINOCULARS??
NOT SURE IT I CAN HANDLE THIS 3-4 HR BUS RIDE BUT I GUESS THAT AN ADVENTURE IN ITSELF, MAYBE THEY'LL STOP ALONG THE WAY FOR A COLD BEER, HA HA.
SOUNDS LIKE YOU ALL HAD A GREAT TIME.
THANKS AGAIN, LATER, DIVER
WOW!! THANKS FOR THE GREAT ANSWERS & ADDED INFORMATION.
YES, I AM ALREADY BOOKED AT BOTH HOTELS.
BEING A FLORIDA GUY I WAS ONLY PLANNING TO WEAR SHORTS DURING THE DAY, WITH BUG REPELLENT DO YOU THINK THAT WILL WORK??. I REALLY WOULD BE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH LONG PANTS, MAYBE AT NIGHT. HOPEFULLY IT'S A LITTLE COOLER AT NIGHT.
I FORGOT TO ASK, HOW ABOUT TAKING BINOCULARS??
NOT SURE IT I CAN HANDLE THIS 3-4 HR BUS RIDE BUT I GUESS THAT AN ADVENTURE IN ITSELF, MAYBE THEY'LL STOP ALONG THE WAY FOR A COLD BEER, HA HA.
SOUNDS LIKE YOU ALL HAD A GREAT TIME.
THANKS AGAIN, LATER, DIVER
Aug 25th, 2005, 06:18 AM
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We found zip off pants very useful all over CR. No jeans, they'll never dry. The Ticos seem to wear them but of course they don't have to pack them wet and heavy into a suitcase! Dress was mostly tasteful casual, not alot of tanks and camisoles like you see here. But shorts seemed quite acceptable at most places we ate. Bugs were never a problem, we carried some spray in our day packs and only occassionally needed it, mostly at the outdoor dinners. When we wore long pants at night, no spray needed.
I have to comment that we enjoyed the Arenal Canopy tour very much, because it combined a horse ride into the jungle with the zipline. We found it more remote and definitely less crowded. I know epaula didn't have a good experience there. Just another opinion.
I have to comment that we enjoyed the Arenal Canopy tour very much, because it combined a horse ride into the jungle with the zipline. We found it more remote and definitely less crowded. I know epaula didn't have a good experience there. Just another opinion.
Aug 29th, 2005, 03:43 AM
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Hi,
Just a quick note about the Arenal Canopy tour. We thought that the guides were very nice, but had a problem with the way they treated the horses.
Our horses seemed to struggle to get up the hill. When the canopy tour was over and it was time to ride back down, one of the horses didn't want to leave the stable, so the guide punched it in the neck.
When riding to and from the canopy tour, there was one guide riding up front and one in the back. They carried sticks and used them to hit the horses whenever they slowed down.
We don't have a lot of horse experience, but compared to the Finca Valmy tour in Manuel Antonio, these horses did not seem to be well treated.
Just a quick note about the Arenal Canopy tour. We thought that the guides were very nice, but had a problem with the way they treated the horses.
Our horses seemed to struggle to get up the hill. When the canopy tour was over and it was time to ride back down, one of the horses didn't want to leave the stable, so the guide punched it in the neck.
When riding to and from the canopy tour, there was one guide riding up front and one in the back. They carried sticks and used them to hit the horses whenever they slowed down.
We don't have a lot of horse experience, but compared to the Finca Valmy tour in Manuel Antonio, these horses did not seem to be well treated.
Aug 29th, 2005, 09:08 AM
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I recommend that you go on the canopy tour at Arenal Paraiso. It's very good. Then go down the street and rent horses from the stable near the hammock shop on the road to La Fortuna Waterfall and take a horseback ride to the falls. Those guys treat their horses very well--I've used them many times.
Sandy
Sandy
Aug 30th, 2005, 12:34 PM
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Diver,
just returned on Sunday from Tabacon and Manuel Antonio. Never wore anything but shorts, used Deep Woods Off, with 97% Deet on our legs and the same with 25% Deet on the rest of us. Bugs were not a problem. I am usually eaten alive, have more of a problem in NJ then Costa Rica.
Stayed at the Hot Springs for 2 days. Hung out in the pools. The upper bar in the hot springs had happy hour everyday from 2-4 and 7-9pm. Had the buffet at the Hot Springs and the food was typical buffet similar to a cruise buffet dinner in quality. Had dinner the next night at the Hotel restaurant by the Hotel only pool. The food was excellent. Also the view of the volcano was better at the main hotel only pool then at the hot springs.
When we arrived in Manuel Antonio I was disappointed at the number of hotels on the road not to mentioned the trucks, buses and cars. We stayed at Si Como No and you could hear those buses and trucks all day long sitting by the pool.
Visited Quepos, but thought it was a waste of time. We went to El Gran Escape for lunch cost $40 for 2 people (the most expensive lunch in CR) and it sent me running for the Imodium. It was the only time, either of us had an issue with the food.
Found the restaurants down at Maunel Antonio better in food quality and price. Beware of people renting longues charis on beach in MA they will rip you off.
just returned on Sunday from Tabacon and Manuel Antonio. Never wore anything but shorts, used Deep Woods Off, with 97% Deet on our legs and the same with 25% Deet on the rest of us. Bugs were not a problem. I am usually eaten alive, have more of a problem in NJ then Costa Rica.
Stayed at the Hot Springs for 2 days. Hung out in the pools. The upper bar in the hot springs had happy hour everyday from 2-4 and 7-9pm. Had the buffet at the Hot Springs and the food was typical buffet similar to a cruise buffet dinner in quality. Had dinner the next night at the Hotel restaurant by the Hotel only pool. The food was excellent. Also the view of the volcano was better at the main hotel only pool then at the hot springs.
When we arrived in Manuel Antonio I was disappointed at the number of hotels on the road not to mentioned the trucks, buses and cars. We stayed at Si Como No and you could hear those buses and trucks all day long sitting by the pool.
Visited Quepos, but thought it was a waste of time. We went to El Gran Escape for lunch cost $40 for 2 people (the most expensive lunch in CR) and it sent me running for the Imodium. It was the only time, either of us had an issue with the food.
Found the restaurants down at Maunel Antonio better in food quality and price. Beware of people renting longues charis on beach in MA they will rip you off.
Sep 1st, 2005, 02:01 PM
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Stayed at Parador last February. $5-$6 dollar cab ride into town (Quepos). There is a market along the way. Anything you want. Breakfast is real good at hotel, go out for lunch and dinner. Cab to everywhere is $6.00 and exclusively used a guy named Carlos. Speaks perfect English, shows up and is real freindly. I will look for his card. Adequate restaurants in the immediate area.
Everything is casual. Hotel has a nice restaurant and a casual restaurant.
Shorts, dry-fit t-shirt for park.
Best way to get to Parador from San Jose is airplane to Quepos and then the $6.00 cab. We took a cab right out in front of the airport for $90.00. He stopped for several beers along the way. Bring lots of singles.
Everything is casual. Hotel has a nice restaurant and a casual restaurant.
Shorts, dry-fit t-shirt for park.
Best way to get to Parador from San Jose is airplane to Quepos and then the $6.00 cab. We took a cab right out in front of the airport for $90.00. He stopped for several beers along the way. Bring lots of singles.
Sep 5th, 2005, 05:33 PM
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Hi Diver -
RHR and I travelled together and I have Carlos's Card: his # is 379-9885. He was SO reliable. If you don't want to take a bus, call him and he'll pick you up in SJ. He'll probably give you a good tour on the way. Such a nice guy. Ultimately, I would recommend flying, it's cheap and 20 minutes. Other than that, we loved Karolas and Bamba Jam for dinner. Everything is so casual. The restaurant at the hotel is mediocre except for a great bkfast buffet.
RHR and I travelled together and I have Carlos's Card: his # is 379-9885. He was SO reliable. If you don't want to take a bus, call him and he'll pick you up in SJ. He'll probably give you a good tour on the way. Such a nice guy. Ultimately, I would recommend flying, it's cheap and 20 minutes. Other than that, we loved Karolas and Bamba Jam for dinner. Everything is so casual. The restaurant at the hotel is mediocre except for a great bkfast buffet.
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