A friend and I traveled to Costa Rica for eight days in early June and had a wonderful time. We stayed 3 nights and two days in Orosi at the Orosi Lodge. I'd recommend this hotel highly. It's owned by Germans and has just the right mix of European and tropical charm. Make sure you have the apple cake if you go. Excellent breakfasts, too. Orosi is a mountain town just about an hour from San Jose with a church from the 1700's in the center. I love that touch of the colonial in a country that is known more for its natural beauty than for its architecture. It's also about 20 minutes to the hidden treasure of Tapanti National Park where I'd been before. Virgin forest with a gorgeous river running through it. And several manageable trails that take you through it all. We also did the "yellow church hike" which I read about online. Beautiful views as you wind through a coffee plantation, but we never made it all the way to the yellow church. A Canadian woman owns a sweet little house across from the plantation, and she invited us to sit with her in her garden, and she told us the pleasures and pitfalls of life in Orosi. Orosi is not too far from Cartago, and we went one night to see it lit up and once during the day to visit the interior. A very special place.

We then drove on the harrowing, but beautiful, Pan American Highway to Dominical. About 5 hours maybe??? Lots of curves and trucks and fog. Not for the feint-hearted. But we made it in once piece. Dominical is a great beach town. We stayed three nights just outside the main village at Coconut Grove Cabins. Loved this place! The beach is private and sheer paradise. We arrived at sunset and jumped in the waves and just looked at each other and the hot pink sky and smelled the scent of ylang ylang drifting from shore and it was just one of those moments I'll remember for the rest of my life. The next day we had reservations for the horseback ride to Nayauca Falls. Excellent trip! Beautiful jungle, gentle horses, gorgeous falls, friendly hosts, and you stop at the family home in the forest on your way in and on your way out for your breakfast and lunch. All very typical Costa Rican fare. The next day was spent shopping and beaching and relaxing. My friend took a surfing lesson which she loved. We saw a tapir and many incredible birds, but none of the monkeys that were all over Manuel Antonio on my last two trips. Too bad.

Next we drove back up to the tiny town of San Gerardo de Rivas, about 40 minutes on gravel roads from the large city of San Isidro General. Wow! This place is truly Shangrila! We stayed two nights at El Pelicano, which we liked okay, but we came across Hotel Casa Mariposa, and it was really sweet and homey. We'd stay there next time. San Gerardo is the gateway to Mt. Chirripo and the Cloudbridge Preserve. We weren't about to climb a mountain, so we did a large loop trail in the cloudbridge, which took you to several views, near and far, of a beautiful waterfall. This is a stunning, fairly challenging trail. San Gerardo is quaint and we really liked the Roca Dura Cafe (they also rent rooms). Excellent fish and veggie burgers. Some of the best food we ate in Costa Rica. Also not to be missed is the Jardin Secreto, a private garden that you can pay about 3 dollars to see. It's incredible. Lots of ponds and gorgeous foliage and views of the mountains. A true little treasure of a place.

On our way back to San Jose to catch our flight, they closed the Pan American Highway due to workers painting lines on the road. Apparently, this had been announced on the t.v. and radio. The police finally let us go ahead because of our flight and our being foreigners I guess. But they made sure to ask for money so the police could get a coffee. Not the first of the bribes we were delicately solicited for.

I'm happy to answer any questions you may have about these destinations. And here are some photos which capture just some of the beauty of this amazing place.

http://picasaweb.google.com/nlcimbrone2/CostaRica#

What GREAT pics! You two are adorable. I loved the report and pics. Keep enjoying each other and the special blessing that love brings and keep making those incredible memories! Thank you for sharing!

Thanks LLinda. We're actually platonic friends, believe it or not. But we DO love each other very much.

Beautiful pictures, Cimbrone - thanks for posting them! It looks like you had a great time. I can't believe you saw a tapir - that's pretty rare!

Thanks volcanogirl. That's what we were told. Oh and I meant to say we went to the BASILICA in Cartago...

Great pics! Are they in order? Did you ever get a chance to go to Rio Magnolia? We didn't have time. Agree the Nauyaca Falls tour was great, and agree the drive thru San Isidro was heart stopping at times.

Thanks for the Trip Report. This is an area not too often touched on here and one we've been looking at for next time. Good information. Has anyone ever had a Bad Trip to Costa Rica?!

tully, they're mostly in order. no, never got to Rio Magnolia. Next time. Glad you all like the pics!

Hey Cimbrone, will look at your pics later, but we just returned from a long weekend that included a day in the Orosi Valley. It will always be one of our favorite areas. Deforested way too much, but still is beautiful. There is a fantastic little restaurant on the corner across from the soccer field. And did you notice that really sharp yellow and blue school also the soccer field? Very picturesque! So glad you enjoyed it there.

Few visitors (or so it seems) make it down to Orosi, but man, there sure have been a lot of people buy property down there. I guess the ones who DO go really like it!

shillmac, you must mean the restaurante Coto. I agree that the food is delicious.