EmilyMB

Greetings all,

Just found good airfare to San Jose for our mid-October honeymoon, and would appreciate any thoughts.

We're late 20's/early 30s- fairly well-traveled to different parts of the world. Goal is relaxing with activities available, not too many crowds. Want a nice place, because it is our honeymoon, but think we'll be pretty easy-to-please since we don't usually travel lux. There is so much CR info on these boards- thanks so much to all for your time and effort in sharing!


What we're looking for...
* 6 nights- want to stay in one location
* Beach and jungle/rainforest location- want to be able to kayak, hike, perhaps white water raft or zipline
* Don't want to rent a car- walk or short taxi rides or buses
* Like peacefulness and quiet, but don't want to be isolated to resort. Nice to have restaurant on site, but not required. Would like a couple of other options to eat outside of resort.
* Would prefer a casita/bungalow to room.
* This may sound silly, but would like a place that's un-plugged- no TV, internet, etc. Maybe something small-ish too- under 30 rooms. Or a place that has that feel to it.
* Have budgeted $3000 for 6 nights, food, activies (air separate). I'm a big fan that we're going in green season! I was in CR in early November '05- Dominical- and thought late rainy season was a great time to go.

The MA area looks to be one we would be interested in- curious how busy it is, since there are so many lodges and resorts.

Or Guanecasta- Punta Islata or others? Puerto Viejo? BdC? Want to see a different part of CR than Dominical- that being said, I LOVED Dominical.

Thanks so much, Fodorites...

Have a great weekend, Emily

tully

Normally I would say BdC as it comes to close to what you want, except no close restaurants and it is remote, but October down on the Osa is going to be rainy - really rainy. My next suggestion would be the Dominical/Uvita area but then read you went there, so on to next thought. The East coast would probably have less rain, but haven't hit that area yet so can't advise. You may also want to look into the Mal Pais/Santa Teresa area - has the beach, restaurants, hiking etc although I did find it much less lush than many other areas have been in CR. The further N into Santa Teresa or further S into Mal Pais would be the quieter areas. Manuel Antonio is a mix bag - has most of what you need but at the same time it's very developed compared to other areas. There are some resorts there that are much more isolated than the others which may provide the peace & quiet.

Btw, I don't find the request for being unplugged silly! I can only imagine sitting enjoying some beautiful view with a tv blaring in the background or somewhere enjoying the wildlife and having to hear someones phone going off! (though I am one of the few people left who doesn't have a cell so I'm probably biased!)

shillmac

Definitely Caribbean side. That's their "drier" season.

I know you want to stay put the entire time, but I think 6 nights Puerto Viejo COULD be too much--AND October is prime time for the turtles nesting up at Tortuguero. So you MIGHT want to consider booking a Tortuguero package at the front or back end of your trip. Just a thought. . .

Several hotels around Puerto Viejo come to mind: Azania Bungalows;
Aguas Claras; Cariblue (haven't stayed there); there aren't a lot of big properties, and I hope it stays that way to keep the crowds away!

Kinembe

Not sure about the 'casita', but in M/A, two of the nicest places for a honeymoon are 'issimo suites' and 'hotel mariposa'm both beautiful places to spend some time.

And since you'll be in Costa Ricadon't forget the world class sportfishing!

EmilyMB

Thank you so much!! I'm so appreciative you're willing to share your thoughts and experiences.

I think I figured it out, would appreciate feedback. 3 days at the end of the trip in Puerto Viejo, and 3 days in somewhere else not necessarily beach- either the Manatas Inn in Tortuguero, Peace Lodge (pending availability request), MA (Makanda or Tulemar), or Punta Islita.

Fiance has said he wants more detailed info before agreeing to a split trip The fact he is willing to do it shows me he's either ready to get me off the laptop or ready for me to stop yelling out "hey check this out!".

So- Manatas is closest, Peace Lodge would be my ideal, and I'm now very drawn to MA. Punta Islita looks awesome, but logistically would be the toughest, unless you can fly from one coast to the other.

Thoughts?

volcanogirl

From your description, you might like Mango Moon in Manuel Antonio; the rooms vary a lot, but I think if you could get the private king upper balcony suite that you'd be happy with it. It has it's own stair entrance and its own private balcony with a beautiful view. You might pair that with a couple of nights at the Peace Lodge - I love the Peace Lodge and think it has huge honeymoon potential. A lot of spots in CR are great but don't necessarily have that pampered honeymoon vibe, but Peace Lodge definitely has it with all its over the top ammenties like the waterfall shower, nice tubs, jacuzzis, gorgeous views, hammocks, etc. Plus the 5 waterfalls on the property are hard to beat. I haven't been to Puerto Viejo or Tortuguero yet so can't give you any input on those. You almost can't go wrong in CR though.

shillmac

Agree Peace Lodge would be a great honeymoon destination. And they still have breakfast included until 2009! Yea! Just found that out today.

Only concern for Punta Islita (gets great reviews) and Manuel Antonio would be the heavier rains typical on the Pacific side in October. We don't have any experience on that side that time of year. Others surely do. Check out the rainfall map link at the bottom of the post. . .

Peace Lodge/Manuel Antonio or Peace Lodge/Puerto Viejo would both be good choices. 2 nights at PL is really enough, probably, if you'd like to spend 4 nights at the beach. Punta Islita is, as you said, a little troublesome logistically. Also, coast to coast a little difficult in 6 days. Even with flights, the transfer would take the better part of a day because you have to fly out of Limon, which is a little over 1.5 hour from Puerto Viejo. Also, rainy season doesn't lend itself to afternoon flights, so you might have a little trouble booking the 2nd leg.

Congratulations, by the way!

http://costa-rica-guide.com/Weather/...rMap.html#rain

MichelleY

The penthouse at Costa Verde II in MA is would be nice. CVII has no A/C or TV and is adult only. We got to stay 1 night in the PH for $150, a great value!! Plus all the activities you are interested in are handy. But shillmac is more knowledgable, so it may be rainy. Also, 6 days is not enough time to split between Pacific & Caribbean side, too much in between travel. You will have to pick a side.

Good luck,

MY

EmilyMB

SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE!

On a whim, I went back to Delta's FF site and just got SkySaver tickets to CR for our dates, with awesome flight times. Yep, this is meant to be.

That's just more honeymoon $$ to play with.. C'mon, Peace Lodge, write me back and then all will be in order.

VERY excited right now Thanks again to everyone, I have so much more of an understanding of CR and so many other places in Latin America- this trip will be one of many!

We're starting 6 week of Spanish classes Monday- definitely a sign of commitment to such a beautiful place in the world.

Have a great evening!

volcanogirl

Emily, congrats on your upcoming wedding! I love weddings and happy honeymooners. You might have to be patient with the Peace Lodge getting back to you; they took a couple days to respond to us and have a reputation for being sloooow, but it's worth it. I even had to e-mail them a second time after a couple days. I hope you guys get wonderful weather.

shillmac

Not knowledgeable at all of MA in October! Just looking at the rainfall map, though, looks pretty heavy duty. I don't want to put a damper on this honeymoon, however! Problem with Caribbean side is that although there will be less rain in October, there really aren't any high end hotels. The Tree House might be honeymoon-appropriate, however.

Congrats on the FF miles!

MollydVT

Hi Emily - I am also going around this time for my honeymoon (late Sept., early Oct.) I have never been to Costa Rica but I have been doing a LOT of research and I think I am addicted to this forum! In our planning we were looking for a variety of places. One places that we fell in love with is the Tree House Lodge in Punta Uva (we are staying there for the first 5 nights), it's about 6km south of PV. Check it out it sounds like it might be something you would be interested in.

www.costaricatreehouse.com

We are also staying 3 nights at the Lost Iguana near Arenal and the last 2 at the Peace Lodge, which from what I hear is a definite for honeymooners. Hope this helps. Good Luck with your planning and Congratulations!

tully

Congrats! As mentioned you may want to follow up with Peace Lodge in a couple days if no word, they can be notouriously slow/non-responsive at times. Would be great place for a honeymoon though once you finally get the details sorted.

EmilyMB

Thanks, everyone....

Molly, I'm addicted to the forums too I think we're trying to plan an incredibly similar trip. We've got an inquiry into the tree house for 4 nights- they have availability for the beach house, but I couldn't figure out how to get to the automated system online, how did you book? Then we're going to spend 3 nights at either Arenal (Nayara or Iguana Lodge) or Peace Lodge or Pacuare. Depends on availability- want to pair beach with interior. I want to be incredibly selfish and ask you to post a trip report right away when you get back Too funny, though- we'll be literally following in your footsteps!! I hope your wedding planning is going well. Ours is very smooth- thankfully we make all other decisions pretty quickly.

If this doesn't work out- and I wanted to make sure we had some options before booking the flights- we're considering a combination of Tortuguero/interior (like Turtle Lodge or Manatas) or MA/interior or Tambor/interior or Punta Islita/interior.

Shillmac and volcano girl, the weather maps are very helpful. I think I may be over-confident b/c I was in Dominical at the end of rainy season and was fine with it but 1) that was ONE time and 2) mid-October vs. end of rainy season could be different and 3) it's my fiance's trip too. It's hard to predict... If, due to availability, which there is in MA, we end up there, I just think we'll have to go into it with realistic expectiations.

Thanks so much, everyone!!

MollydVT

Hey Emily..Good to hear that you've had an easy time wedding planning. We are pretty laid back as well and don't dwell on decision making. Make a decision and move on is my philosophy.

We booked our trip through a travel agency www.memorablecostarica.com - they have been very helpful and have let us change our itinerary 3 different times free of charge (I blame all of the good ideas in this forum for that one). They also offer a gift registry for your trip which allows your wedding guests to help pay for the cost of the trip or different excursions that you choose. They have set up everything for us including transportation between all of the locations that we are staying. All in all I thought they were pretty resonable considering what we are getting. We are paying around $3000 for the entire trip for the two of us.

I will definitely try and post a trip report asap. Something tells me that getting back to the real world is going to be a hard adjustment. Maybe I will just spend my first few days back at work blogging They'll understand....maybe..

Happy planning!

EmilyMB

Peace Lodge is booked- we've booked for the full 4 nights in the Deluxe Room, which has me a bit nervous... BUT- we won't get in till night of Day 1, and we will have to leave for SJO morning of Day 4. And we've done several trips this year that are 2 days here, 3 days there, and want a much more relaxed style. All three of the tours outside of the Lodge look great, and we're avid hikers, so I think we'll entertain ourselves quite well.

I was reading some other posts on Peace Lodge and am kind of curious... what sort of food options are there if we don't have a car? Also, our reservation made it very clear that breakfast is NOT included. Also, they were quick to reply (less than 24 hours) on email and I was able to call in my credit card information, which was very nice.

Still not sure about the beach part of the trip. Waiting on a reply from the beach house from Costa Rica Tree House, and have several options in MA.

EmilyMB

And now booked for Tree House (in the beach house) too. SO- arrive and will be PV by afternoon, 3 nights in PV, travel to Peace Lodge, 4 nights there.

Molly, sounds like you've had a great experience researching and planning as well. This is our 6th international trip this year and I'm addicted to travel planning...

MollydVT

I have a feeling we are both going to have a blast!! Have a great wedding and of course, a fabulous honeymoon

tully

Emily there are a couple options at PL for food. There is a buffet type restaurant which I walked in & quickly walked out of (it was a mass of people), there is the Trout Bar which I enjoyed very much, barely anyone there and I think you can order dinner from there too (I might have, I forget!). There is also the dinner option which when I was there was around $33 pp, 3 or 4 courses, not bad or anything, it was good just pricey for what it was. I had them deliver it to my room or you can eat in thge restaurant. There is also Colbert's, about a 15 minute taxi ride away. Have a great time, it's a lovely place and you will have your share of bathing options

EmilyMB

So, almost ashamed to admit that I changed my mind AGAIN. On TripAdvisor, it said Peace Lodge is only 3 rooms, but it looks a lot bigger than 3 rooms, all the "Disneyland" comments, possible crowds, questionable food reviews, thin walls, and caged animals... Even though we're going in green season, just didn't want to take a chance at the crowds/thin walls (I can handle about all that I listed above, but as a business traveler for 4 years now, do NOT like thin walls). Really, I was thinking about how to pack a white noise machine just in case we got a bad hand in neighbors and realized that maybe there would be better options. I think that it's great that there is such a place so close to SJO, and sure we'll visit on another trip when we have an earlier flight out. Side effect of all this planning- I've planned out MANY more trips to CR!! And Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, Panama...

We're now booked at Nayara in Arenal for 4 nights for the end of the trip. Be more driving from PV to Arenal, and Arenal to SJO, but we don't mind that too much. The lodge looks very swanky and we love all the activities and variety of restaurants in the area, which will nice to have so many options since we're staying for 4 nights. The nearby hot springs especially sound amazing...