3 days by the Caribbean, 2 days in Orosi, now we head into San Jose to catch Nature Air flight to Osa. So excited to return to Bosque del Cabo to hike & surf! We were there in ’05.

Prior to 3:30 flight, Oscar takes us by the Arts & Crafts Market. Kids have a great time wandering the booths, bargaining for treasures. It is all Costa Rican made, government approved. Lots of the usual lovely wood products, jewelry, hammocks, etc; good prices.

Check in for flight with plenty of time. A very sad goodbye to our friend Oscar; much more than a driver, or a guide. A friendship made in 05, we specifically returned to vacation with him. I recommend Oscar like many Fodorites recommend BdC!

Now the fun: Nature Air informed us at boarding that there was a “weight problem”, bags wouldn’t be coming until next day. NONE of our 5 bags would be traveling with us, though we had met the weight restrictions. Happened to everyone going to Puerto Jimenez! Interesting, it was a non-stop SJ - PJ flight, but we were now flying to Drake Bay at full capacity. NA is filling the flights with people, and bringing the bags on less full flights at their convenience! Fellow passengers traveling to Crocodile Bay Resort were given a small shopping bag to fill with overnight necessities (a rep or guide was with them at the airport I believe). We were offered nothing!? Our bags were sitting right outside on a cart and they wouldn’t even let us prepare for the evening/morning with a few supplies. I raised a polite but firm little stink and was very grudgingly given 1 shopping bag and 5 min to rifle our 5 bags. In a furious panic I found swim suits for the kids, sandals for DH & I (wearing hot hikers) and 5 clean shirts. What would you save if you only had 5 min to evacuate, HA!

Ok. I can be reasonable. We could have EASILY been satisfied with a little courtesy and a few meager things. (Like flashlights! Thankfully BdC has a few little loaners) But to be honest, BdC is a total splurge on our budget, we only had 3 days to enjoy it to the max. We are on-the-go types, not pool sitters. We had 5 of nothing: not 5 swimsuits, not 5 pairs of hiking shoes, so we sat for ½ a day. Not the end of the world, I’m whining, but a bummer just the same. Kevin managed to bring the bags by noon (2 hrs earlier than anticipated), and we enjoyed an afternoon hike. This happened to several groups while we were in Osa. The next week it happened to Kim & Phil of BdC! NA says they are adding a luggage-only flight soon. Well Hello, that still means guests without bags.

Pack your Nature Air carry-ons as OVERNIGHT bags. Change of clothes, shoes, toiletries, flashlights, etc for 1 day. That way you can plunge into your BdC adventure with gusto from day one!

Won’t repeat the praises of BdC, you’ve heard them all. But it continues to impress and even improve, though that seems tough to do actually. A true gem, paradise, all the clichés apply. Yes its pricey, but worth every bit for the glorious setting, outstanding facility & staff, and contributions to Osa preservation. Go…but take a Mary Poppins’ carry-on, like my son, who is now 0-for-2 on checked bags this trip, and an amazing packer!

After our fabulous BdC visit, the NA flight back to SJ was uneventful. They manage to get the bags to SJ, so they don’t have to worry about finding you at out of country destinations! (In Osa, they know where you’ll be for a few days!) Sadly, son AGAIN found himself bagless back in Virginia, 0-and-3 for the trip! That bag is bad karma, we are hosting a bag-burning soon!

I’m long winded…Hope this report proves helpful to some lucky Costa Rica bound folks.

Beth

I've heard this same complaint from several Nature Air passengers lately. They've all been on Osa-bound flights, so I don't know if the problem is with that route or with the whole system. I always used to go with Nature Air over SANSA, thinking that Nature Air was just a little more polished, but I'm not so sure they are anymore.

You really did have your patience tested with the airlines this trip! Glad you were able to make the best of it and enjoy BDC. It's such a wonderful place, even for a short time. Were you able to take any of the guided walks? Did you enjoy the yummy food, cocktails and wildlife? Not necessarily in that order.

duly noted on Nature Air - thanks for posting! Which cabina did you stay in?

We stayed in Congo which has a king (and the most phenomenal view! You'd never find yourself that close to a cliff in a lodge in the USA without railings, etc! Such natural freedom.) Our 3 "kids" were in Pizote and had 2 Q/Dbl beds on one level. They had the most spectacular wildlife viewing, daily masses of monkeys, toucans, coaties, etc, at their end of the property due to a huge fruit tree. All BdC guests were wandering over to Pizote and the one next door (forget the name, sorry)

Stayed in La Palma cabina last trip, was also very nice, good view. Had Queen canopied bed lower level, twins in loft, perfect for the 4 of us that trip.

Only Guided hike we took on this trip was the morning Bird hike with Carlos. Having that scope and his good eye was wonderful. Not too much walking for folks who can't do strenuous outings, and nice sightings. We are not birders, just nature lovers, but we were joined by a couple of serious birders who shared their knowledge. That's a great thing at BdC, meeting neat people. We had met the husband on the waterfall trail.

The forest hike with Phillip last trip, was so informative I actually would do it again, but teens didn't want to repeat it, since it is a 4 hr outing and of course they already know everything about the rainforest, HA! They loved repeating the self guided stuff though, especially Pacific Trail.

BTW, Kim and Phillip have a beautiful baby boy, Ben.

Pack smartly TULLY!

Yes, I have almost a photo album full of Benjamin's pics, he is definitely the cutest, and looks like he will be tall!

Agree about Congo, Lapa was my favourite for a while but after staying in Congo I was hooked. I'm taking my dad on my next trip but he probably won't get to enjoy's Philip's tour, I know his daughter's b-day is the day before we arrive so I expect him to still be in Granada.

Since I will be in CR 9 days prior to leaving for BdC I will probably scale it way down and leave most of my stuff in the lockers at Nature Air; hopefully May won't be so packed, I know on previous Sansa flights in May the planes are usually half full.