crimsonowl

Day 7 --- We left early and drove to Quepos, where we ate an excellent lunch at Karola's. I recommend this place wholeheartedly --- the fresh mahi mahi, tuna, and margaritas were so good that we returned for lunch the next day. We checked into the lovely Hotel Si Como No (www.sicomono.com), where we had booked a deluxe room for $210/night, for three nights. We explored the hotel grounds and then took off for an afternoon of swimming at the free public beach, Playa Espadilla. For dinner, we ate at Claro Que Si, the hotel's seafood restaurant, and had another terrific meal with excellent food and service. I think dinner cost us around $50, including appetizers and wine.


Day 8 --- After an excellent breakfast at Si Como No, we arrived at Manuel Antonio at 7 am and almost had the place to ourselves for a few lovely hours. We hiked the Punta Cathedral and Mirador trails; both were moderately intense but definitely doable. We saw both two-toed and three-toed sloths (including a baby just beginning its ascent up a tree) and about two dozen white-faced capuchin monkeys. We then swam at Playa Manuel Antonio, inside the park before leaving for a late lunch at Karola's. We returned to the park in the mid-afternoon and did another two-hour hike. This time, we saw 10 squirrel monkeys, which was a highlight. When the park closed, we went back to our hotel for cocktails and then headed into Quepos for dinner at El Gran Escape, which we thought was mediocre --- no atmosphere, tons of tourists, and below-average food. Plus, it was the only fish we ate all week that made my husband ill.


Day 9 --- My husband was still sick from the previous night's dinner, so, after another good breakfast at Si Como No, we decided to enjoy a day of leisure and take a catamaran sailing/snorkeling excursion. The weather and water were beautiful, and we saw many dolphins and gorgeous, colorful fish. Price was $65 pp, which I thought a little high, but it was a pleasant way to spend the morning, and it did include a light lunch. That afternoon, we did more time in Manuel Antonio, and then had a final dinner at the superb Sunspot Bar & Grill at Makanda-by-the-Sea. Excellent, excellent food and very romantic atmosphere.


Day 10 --- After a final Si Como No breakfast, we drove back to San Jose, which took less than three hours. We explored the city and had lunch before heading back to the airport that afternoon. We did get some grief over minor damage to our rental car --- we had apparently scraped the paint off the bumper in a couple of places (probably Monteverde potholes), but Mastercard came to our rescue, and it all worked out. Our flight left on time, and we arrived at home in Houston in time for dinner.



Summary:



*We were happy with our itinerary's pace; however, we probably could have shortened it by two nights without missing much --- we could have avoided Villa Lapas and driven straight to Manuel Antonio after our Carara Hike, and we could have shaved off the last of our three nights at Manuel Antonio.

*The weather was perfect throughout our stay --- highs in the 70s and low 80s, and lows in the 60s. We were comfortable in loose long pants and shirts during our hikes; no sweatshirts or jackets were necessary in Monteverde; and in Quepos, the long pants kept the bugs off. I wore a lot of linen, which was wonderfully comfortable.

*We woke every morning at 5:45, with the sun, which allowed us to get a jump on crowds, particularly in the parks and on the roads.

*We only know a little bit of Spanish, but we found that even trying to speak Spanish to the locals yielded great rewards --- respect and humor from them. Most people we encountered spoke excellent English, but we made every effort to speak Spanish where we could.

*Re: money, we changed a little bit at the airport, just to pay our tolls and for misc. small expenses. We then changed more at our hotels, as we got way better rates there, and we took out money in colones from ATMs as well. We found it easier, and more respectful, to use colones, but of course, dollars are accepted everywhere.

*Re: safety, we felt completely safe everywhere but still took common sense precautions. The only place where we even noticed "unsavory" types was near the Tarcoles River bridge, and near Manuel Antonio.

*We booked this entire trip with only four weeks notice. While we didn't get our first-choice accommodations in Monteverde or Carara, overall, we didn't have any problems with reservations. And we are so glad that we planned and organized the trip ourselves --- Costa Rica is such a user-friendly country; in our view, there isn't much reason to go with a tour group.


Hope this info helps! Good luck to those of you still planning! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Iza

Cromsonowl, great trip report! Glad to hear you had an enjoyable trip.

dfarmer

Nice report, sounds like you had a great trip.

And thanks - You answered a question that I was just wondering about - Villa Lapas. I will certainly make note.

sammyc

Crimsonowl:
Thank you SO much for posting your trip online! It sounds like you had a great time My husband and I are going to CR next month and we're doing almost the same identical thing: Arenal (Tabacon w/ spa, waterfall horseback ride); MOnterverde( park tour & skytrek in afternoon, staying at El Establo); and Manuel Antonio (Como si no & MA park, stopping by Karola's). You've definetly answered alot of my questions but here are a few...

Arenal:
At Tabacon, do you have to book the spa/massage service and tours beforehand or can you book them when you check in? How long does it take you to get from the hotel to the hot springs? What time does the sun set? The first day we'll be in Arenal around 4pm and I'm trying to decide if that's too late for a volcano hike.

Monteverde:
So no sweatshirts/jackets needed in Monteverde huh? Did it rain while you were there? I'm still trying to figure out what to bring for the wet weather....

Manuel Antonio:
I'm debating to hire a guide or not for MA park. Is it pretty easy to navigate around MA park by yourselves? Are there any trail maps or signs? We'll definetly stop by Claro que si and Karola's. Did you use the spa there at Si como no?

Thank you so much!

crimsonowl

SammyC ---


(1) I highly recommend making spa reservations at Tabacon before you arrive. They book up fast. That said, the *one* glitch we had with Tabacon is that they lost our online reservation and couldn't accommodate us at our original time (even though we had our confirmation number). It worked out for the best, though, as we actually ended up with a more convenient, evening time (cooler, more romantic for outdoor couples massage), and they gave us a huge discount on the service. So my advice: Make an advance reservation, and then reconfirm it at least once.

(2) It is a 5-minute walk, or a 2-minute shuttle ride between the hotel and the hot springs. They run shuttles all the time; it is very convenient.

(3) We were in CR in Feb-March. The sunset at approx. 5:45 pm, which made the days almost exactly 12 hours long. However, most of the parks (including Arenal) close at 4 pm, so you should factor this into your planning.

(4) We were there in the dry season, so it only rained one night in Monteverde, and not at all during the day. We found it warm enough to go without jackets or sweatshirts, but, we also don't get cold easily. A few members of our tour group had windbreakers; they seemed comfortable enough. We had packed fleece, sweatshirts, etc., and it ended up being a waste of luggage space. But, I'd check weather.com to get a full forecast before you go.

(5) We did not hire a guide for MA. By the time we got there, we had already hiked at Arenal, Monteverde, and Carara, and had figured out what wildlife to look for and how to do so. We managed to see lots of capuchin monkeys, 10 squirrel monkeys, three sloths, pizotes, and lots of birds in MA without a guide. However, I'm sure we'd have learned a lot on a guided hike; if you are there for a few days, perhaps you can hike the first day on your own, see what you see, and determine if you want a guide for the second day? That was our original plan, and we decided against a guide.

MA is a very small park; trails are relatively well-marked (by CR standards), and it is near impossible to get lost. You don't even need a park map, in my view.

(6) We didn't take advantage of the Si Como No spa, but I looked at the service list, and it seemed well-priced.

(7) If you go to Karola's, try their ceviche and fresh-grilled fish (either sandwiches for lunch or entrees for dinner). And their margaritas are divine! Same thing with Claro que si --- stick with seafood; it is what they do best.

Happy Travels!

sammyc

Crimsonowl:
Thank you so much for your reply!! I'll definetly get a hold of Iskandria spa to reserve (and confirmI really appreciate you taking time out to share your trip & answer my questions
I can not wait till my CR trip!
Sammyc

cpme

Crimsonowl, great summary post. I go in three weeks, also staying at Si Como No. The catch is I'm with five...wife and three children ages 8,9 and 11. I was wondering about the morning sail/snorkel rental you did? Would it possibly be a fun adventure for children? Did you hire/book the boat right from Si Como No? I'm assuming they provide lots of excursion options to guests...is that the case? Thanks.

crimsonowl

cpme --

Upon check-in, Si Como No will give you an entire brochure of their recommended excursions. You can book any of them directly through the concierge, as we did for our catamaran snorkeling excursion. That excursion is definitely kid-friendly, although it is so low-key and leisurely that it may not be "fun enough" for them. The brochure lists several different boating/snorkeling/dolphin tours, so perhaps Si Como No could advise you as to the most rewarding for families?

In any case, I'm sure your family will love Si Como No --- it is a very family-friendly place, and Manuel Antonio seems like it would be a kids paradise. My husband and I are already planning on bringing our future children back.

Happy Travels!

Melissa5

crimsonowl, thanks for an awesome trip report! I'm getting nervous about our first family trip to costa Rica in June 2005...Your trip report is reassuring and also practical.

We're staying at Si Como No as well...Glad to hear it sounds nice. I'm nervous about the drives between San Jose and Arenal; between Arenal and Monteverde; and between Monteverde and Manuel Antonio. Here's something I always worry about...did you have any trouble finding bathroom stops on your drives?!

crimsonowl

Melissa,

The drives really aren't that bad --- none of them take more than four hours, so hopefully bathroom emergencies won't arise. There are a few possible bathroom stops between SJ and Arenal -- restaurants and such. Between Arenal and Monteverde, bathroom opportunities are more limited; there is a tourist info center approaching Santa Elena, and you might stop in Tilaran as well. Between Monteverde and MA, you won't have many bathroom choices for the first 90 minutes; after that, you are on a populated highway with large service stations, restaurants, etc.

Good luck!

one2travel

crimsonowl,

I need some help from you. In the fall, I will be taking my parents to Costa Rica and I want to go Manual Antonio where I would like to stay at Hotel Si Como No.

The problem is my parents are senior citizens (73 years old) and I've been concerned about how hilly the area is. In fact on the Hotel Si Como No website, they recommend that you advise them if you have mobility difficulties.

My father is very mobile but my mother, while not close to wheelchair bound, does get tired easily and wouldn't want to walk all that far. How hilly is Si Como No? I was looking at their layout and the adults portion of the property is farther away from the main lobby. Are the distances great? Did taxis come right to the lobby entrance?

And in walking in the MA park...are the trails flat or hilly? I was thinking to elevate any problems, we could just set up the excursions (sailing and seeing dolphin and doing some snorkling).

Any insights would be helpful.

Thanks.

Deb

mfenimore

I have to say I may not reccomend staying at si Como No if you have your parents with you. The hotel is beautiful but there are a lot of stairs as the hotel is built into a cliff. I am not sure of another recommendation because a lot of hotels in the hills are like this but i wanted to let you know.
As for the park, there is only one large hill I can recall, mostly flat, but it does get very hot in the afternoon and an older couple who was on our tour could not tolerate the heat and had to leave