tully

So having decided to skip Europe again I am heading back to CR. Still trying to figure out some details and decide hotels in 2 areas.

May 4th - fly to Liberia (same price on AA as into SJO so might as well). Stay at either Hacienda Guachipelin or Hotel Borinquen.
May 5th & 6th - Hacienda Guachipelin or Hotel Borinquen
May 7th - fly Sansa to SJO early, get taxi (?) to Peace Lodge & stay the night
May 8th - Peace Lodge, spend the day at the waterfalls, etc
May 9th - taxi (again?) back to Sansa and fly to Puerto Jimenez. Get boat transfer to Playa Nicuesa, stay 3 nights.
May 12th - boat transfer back to PJ, get pick-up to Bosque del Cabo, stay 5 nights
May 17th - fly back to SJO, spend the rest of the day & night at Orquideas Inn
May 18th - home, sadly

Some of questions/concerns:
Hacienda Guachipelin or Hotel Borinquen? I love the villas/bungalows at Borinquen. The grounds look lovely and when I asked about availability they offered a 15% discount unprompted. They do not have 'package deals', with transfer, food & activities included, and end up roughly $300 more. Guachipelin does have package deals although it looks almost over packed, the hotel/food included only may be a better deal, and then pick and choose activities. My only concern about Borinquen is really that there doesn't look like much to do - as far as ones I'm interested I only found 3-4 tours. Is there enough to do on the grounds themselves? Paths/trails? Will I be able to stay fairly busy for 2 1/2 days here?

Peace Lodge...I've decided to take the plunge, I think. I decided that instead of staying at Orquideas 2 nights and hiring someone to take me early and leave late, it would only be about $200 more to be right there for at least a day and a half. For a person who loves to walk & walk, unhurried, is it worth it? They don't seem to provide transport, so do I just grab a taxi? What's the going rate & time it takes?

Everything else is pretty set. Anything I'm missing or should consider?

shillmac

Sounds good to me, Tully. You're a pro at this and have it nailed down pretty well already! I think your Peace Lodge "interlude" will be very nice between domestic flights.

Not sure what a taxi will cost you, but I'd guess about $50 each way. It's roughly an hour from SJO isn't it?Last time we took a taxi for about an hour and a half it was $35 (San Vito to Golfito), so $50 seems like a fair estimate for 2007. . .last summer we paid $60 for a ride from Puerto Viejo to Moin--also about 1.5 hours.

I've wrestled with the Borinquen/Guachepelin question as well. We drove into the Rincon past Guachepelin in July--rough road, and long. Borinquen definitely looks more upscale on its website, and I THINK the road in is better. I also THINK Borinquen is where we had lunch back in 2001 (first time in CR) when we were on a daytrip to the ziplines and mudbaths. Those photos of the mudbaths look exactly like where we were. Being on tour, we did the tour activities that day, so I'm not sure what all there would be for you to do on your own. I really think, though, that Borinquen would be my pick. Either way, please do a review of the Rincon--don't think I've read a strong review of it. We're hoping to spend time there this summer as well.

So you're flying into Liberia, out of SJO? Good call. . .nice itinerary!

dfarmer

Tully back in 2004 we stayed at Peace Lodge - at that time we were quoted $50 US each way to PL by taxi. As it was we ended up renting a vehicle. But I would think $50 ish would be close.

Have you visited Doka Coffee Plantation yet? I was in heaven tasting all those delicious coffees!

That's all the info I have! Sounds like a lovely trip as always!

tully

Thanks guys (ahem gals) for the feedback.

I was looking at the schedules last night from Liberia-SJO. Sansa doesn't have theirs up yet for May but wow! Why was I thinking that flight was only 1/2 hour? I kept thinking it was a mistake til I checked Nature Air. Never flown into Liberia, something new.

Nope, haven't been up NW at all, and those 2 places (HG & HB) I've always had my eye on. I'm really leaning towards Borinquen, I just hope I can stay busy. Their email communication has been very prompt & pleasant.

Donna - where is the Doka tour in relation to Orquideas? On my 2nd to last day coming back from PJ, I'll probably get in early. I was just going to hang around there and chill but that might be a nice short trip to take.

shillmac

Don't mean to butt in, but if Donna is busy for the weeknd, I can help you with this one! It's just about 25 min. from Orquideas (maybe just 20) on that road to Poas. Signage is excellent. Will you have a driver? It's a super way to spend a couple of hours. . .you'll enjoy the gift shop. You know that coffee at Doka, Tres Generaciones, is not sold in supermarkets. Only very few specialty shops. It is expensive, but very good. We especially like the peaberry.

tully

I'm sure donna won't mind! Thanks for the info. I'll probably get the guys at Orq to set something up for me, they always do a fantastic job.

Thought of another question...the crossing from PJ to Playa Nicuesa (near Golfito) - how long is the crossing and is it very rough? I know Sandy from here has probably done the crossing but I think she's down in CR as we speak.