Travelling to CR end of May with my husband (sans-kids). I've gotten my picks for where to stay in Manuel Antonio down to two: Costa Verde II in one of their open air rooms or Mango Moon which seems to be a really nice boutique hotel. We are mid-thirty's and want to stay at a nice place, but also want to meet other people and have fun (CVII seems to have more restaurant/bar choices). However, we also want to see some wildlife around the hotel and I've read that at CVII, this is hit or miss whereas MM is not as "street noisy" (?). MM has a full breakfast included which is nice, but does it have any bars/cantinas/stuff going on at the hotel or close by? I figure if I'm spending $120+ a night, I want to be sure I'm getting the best bang for the buck.

So, if you have stayed at one or both, please let me know what you would recommend.

Thanks so much,
KKraus

We stayed at Mango Moon last year. I thought that the hotel was very nice. We had lunch at Costa Verde and I also thought that was nice. For me I think that Costa Verde seemed more like a resort and Mango Moon more like a bed and breakfast. We really enjoyed Mango Moon and would definately stay there again. Feel free to email me if you have any specific questions regarding Mango Moon.

Suzanne

Thanks Suzanne, I appreciate the info -did you find enough to do at night around Mango Moon? Is it far from Costa Verde hotel and/or other restaurants/bars, ie. within walking distance? Thanks!

Mango Moon is adorable , intimate , exactly like a small boutique hotel . It is not really walking distance at nite to restaurants .... You could , but it would be incredibly dark , uphill , and a good walk with critters about !! ( I have done it and survived , but not for the faint of heart ) lol . Mango Moon is actually right next to the side road it's on , so potentially it could be as noisy or noiser than Costa Verde 2 , which is a bit further away from the main road . Costa Verde 2 is beautiful , pool awesome , we loved the restaurants , stupendous views , aND WE SAW TONS OF ANIMALS DAILY . ( AS WELL AS AROUND mANGO mOON )
oops !! sorry for the caps ... Both are awesome . One small , intimate , but more secluded ( nothing a short taxi ride wont fix ) . The other a bit more grand , convenient restaurants , tremendous views . Hmmmm.... hard choice !

Yes, this is SUCH a hard choice! And I thank you both for your insights! I think I'm going to go with CV II as it seems to have more stuff to do (restaurants/bar/etc) right on the premises, but who knows, I may end up changing my mind - I know CV II is open air (no AC) - are the open air rooms, well.....airy? I live in Tampa so I don't mind heat, but unbearable heat where it's hard to sleep might be a problem. Thanks!

I'm in St Pete so I think CV II will be fine. I was there last May in bldg B & had to turn my a/c off cause it ran too cold for this thin skin. I def agree CV has better accessability as far as food, bars etc/ Have agreat time.

We had air co. , and did not use it , just the fans ....

Most excellent - thanks so much!

kkraus004

We'll be at CV II at the end of May as well. From May 27 thru May 31. When exactly will you be there?

tully

I live in St Pete as well. It is truly a small world.

Diane

I love it - we're all Tampa-ites! My husband and I will be in MA from 6/27 to 6/1, we should meet up for a drink!

The owners of Mango Moon are from Tampa as well.

kkraus004

Yes, we should definitely get together. My husband, 17-year old daughter and I have a Studio Plus reserved at CVII. The only plan we have set right now is horseback riding with Finca Valmy on Monday, 5/29.

Diane

You guys should meet up at the Anaconda bten 5-7 and hope the squirrel monkeys come by - tis great!

Yes, small world

Diane, would love to meet up with you and your husband and daughter. We are still figuring out our tours, but will hopefully have everything nailed down in a couple of days. I haven't booked Costa Verde yet, so I have to get on that. Feel free to email me at: [email protected]

Thanks
Kristen

we had the upstairs two bedroom unit at MM in December for four days. The view is lovely, the breakfast is almost ridiculously delish, and our unit was superb. we had our 9 year old with us and kept a VERY tight lid on him (he's not a rowdy type though) because I didn't get a super great vibe about having kids there, put it that way, but all in all we would definitely return. We dined at CV as well as a few other spots but as far as staying, I think MM was by far the best value in MA. You might also consider The Monkey House, a private rental that butts up to (and shares an outer wall with) that very expensive, adult-only spot down the road from Mango Moon. Owner Evelyn is absolutely wonderful--she and her husband just built a gorgeous 3 bedroom spot on the beach by MA National Park, so that's for rent too if you can afford it. I like The Monkey House (a very private, huge romantic studio with full kitchen and full bath and big wraparound porches surrounded by rain forest with peak ocean view). But if you're the type that needs to feel pampered by people waiting on you, then maybe MM is your best bet.

By the way, regarding CV and those monkeys, keep in mind that CV used to feed the monkeys--that's partly why they still take that route. If you're not tuned into the problem this causes, please give it some thought. Evelyn at Monkey House is a serious conservationist (and has authored books on wildlife). You will see plenty of monkeys and sometimes sloths from her windows, and you can feel good about the fact that they are there naturally, not artificially.

I had heard about the " feeding monkey " thing , so kept my eyes peeled .... I did not notice anything amis . Except for one of the first nights , we were on the lookout for monkeys with the kids and one of the very friendly waitresses ( a Tica )came over and started chirping ,attempting to lure them ...? She went to the kitchen and started what seemed to be a small argument with someone . My guess was she wanted to please my kids and draw in the monkey's by feeding them , and she recieved a scolding from someone higher up ... I mean , i feed the squirrels here , perhaps I should not ? Perhaps for years locals were used to tossing food to their wildlife , and the transition to the now " taboo " is somewhat rocky .

We are thinking of visiting MA in May as well and are looking at the Mango Moon, it looks adorable!
My dilemma is how long to stay & whether to stay at other spots too. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Debbie

kkraus004 and seawitch1,
I've enjoyed reading this thread! Absolutely you two should get together! Molly2 and I discovered we were going to be at the same place a couple of years ago, met up, had a lovely visit, did some birdwatching, had some nice meals (the 4 of us), and have been e-mail buddies ever since. It't a great way to make new friends!

Hi Tully, Faithie . .