May 2nd - May 16th
Bought the tickets last August at a great rate of $232 r/t from Tampa, which somewhat excused the ungodly hour of having to be at the airport (4:15am) and the tiring 3 hour layover in Miami. Plane was 2 hours delayed leaving Miami as after we boarded, closed the door and sat for a half hour our plane was declared not to fit to fly as the system that told the pilots they were about to fly into a mountain was not working (which as our good natured captain noted used to be called looking out the window). We switched planes and then waited another 30 minutes as the drink/snack truck was lost (at least our captain kept up with the often humorous updates). Finally off and another 15 minutes waiting for a gate in SJO which we didn't get, had to walk down the stairs old-time style (when they couldn't align the stairs with the airplane door the pilot at this point was just cracking up). Immigration was about 15 minutes.
I had pre-arranged a pick up with Alberto Barrantes <[email protected]> and his trusty assistant Carlos was there waiting for me and we were off to Bosque de Paz. Alberto had quoted a less price than BdP by about $60 and I knew both him and Carlos and I was bringing stuff down for mutual friends, so it worked out great. The drive was nice, we took the route thru Sarchi, Naranjo and Zarcero, arriving at BdP 1 hour & 45 minutes later. A couple sections of the road were very misty/foggy and we couldn't see more than a few feet in front of us. Arrived at at a much cooler location than San Jose for sure! Since 10 of my days were to be in very hot areas and I was flying Nature Air, I had packed very little in the way of warm clothes. Was taken to my room and shown around. The rooms were very clean, simple but comfy and I eyed the 2 extra blankets that were thankfully provided. Would of liked to keep the small windows open to listen to the river in front of the lodge but decided on warmth instead. I did end up using both of the extra blankets as it got quite nippy at night and I pretty much had my hoodie on the whole time I was there.
The lodge is nicely laid out and even though there was barely anyone there if felt like it couldn't ever feel crowded as they only have 12 rooms. In addition to the rooms building, there is the restaurant/reception area which looks out over the river and the open air hang-out area with a hammock and several seating areas, next to the Koi pond. This area is right in front of the hummingbird and bird feeders, so great place for photos. There were always hummingbirds around, as well as black guans, several coatis & agoutis and at night - pacas!, which I have never seen in the wild which was cool. Meal times were set - breakfast at 7:30 - 9am, lunch around 12 - 1 and dinner around 7:30pm. My only complaint was I really could've used some coffee when I woke up which was usually around 5am. The meals were very filling and good, nothing fancy just typical Costa Rican dishes and the staff was excellent.
Federico & Vanessa González are the owners and hosts, very charming and sweet people who have no desire to enlarge the lodge or get rich off running the lodge, they do it simply out of love for the area. I sat with them for a meal and had some nice talks with them - ask Federico about having dinner with Dali!
The trails are mostly meant to go with a guide but I struck out on my own for the time I was there, except for the day I dragged an Austrian backpacker along with me for a very short hike and we ended up being out for a couple of hours. A lot of the trails are loops, and loops within loops and more loops! I came across so many forks I just decided to head right all the time and it seemed to work. Once in a while a random Salida (exit) sign would appear. On a few of the trails the grass was pretty high, if you look at my photos I took a pic of one where all you see is knee-high growth. This took some courage (or stubborness as I did want to turn tail) to walk thru but they were usually only 15-30 feet long and I poked about with my stick before stepping down. One of the trails, I think it was called Galerie, was a beautiful walk, crossed a river on rocks (and didn't slip!) and then finally came to my (only) dead-end at the river. I later found out this was some type of adventure trail to do with a guide, oops! Well it was an adventure
Not many animals on the walks but a lot of birds, big beautiful trees and interesting plants & growths, and some frogs. Didn't use my bug spray the whole trip and only insects I saw were a couple daddy long-legs and a fantastic orange-knee tarantula. I don't like spiders and especially not big hairy ones like this but I was so excited to see this cross our path I punched the poor backpacker in the arm. Not something I'd like to share a room with but cool to see in the wild.
Although I had already paid upfront for 3 nights, I decided when there to bail early, leaving late Sunday instead of early Monday. This was due mainly to my Nature Air schedule change, which I had known about before, but being there made me realize a change was in order. My flight to Tambor had been moved up to depart at 8:20am, which to make it there in time would've meant I would've been picked up at 5:15am and that Alberto would have to hit the road around 3:15am. So after much thought I called Alberto and had him pick me up Sunday around 5pm. The cool weather may have made the decision a little easier as well, but just want to mention it had nothing to do with the lodge itself as I had a great time there and would very much like to return.
Alberto picked me up and we headed toward San Jose via the other route there, thru Bajos del Toro and San Pedro. If you're going to BdP, I would make this route the one you do when you can see well as it's a beautiful winding drive, full of small mountains and hills, lots of farmland and a huge waterfall. Alberto told me that when Carlos dropped me off a few days before he couldn't get an accurate time of the drive as he kept pulling over to look at the views. I guess neither of them drive up there a lot so all of us were enjoying the views! On the way back Alberto & I talked pretty much a wide spectrum of things, from football (soccer) which I love, development in CR, and even Leo diCaprio (whom he drove for approx 500 meters). I'm a planner, so it was a little weird not to have any idea where I was going. I usually stay at Orquideas Inn but that was nixed as it was too far from Pavas for the am flight. Considered Don Carlos and Grano de Oro before deciding on the Courtyard Marriott in Escazu of all places. Not ideally my kind of place but it actually worked out fine and was very nice and was only a 15 minute drive to Pavas. Pricey at $160 a night, no breakfast, but it was very clean, huge King sized bed with like 8 pillows, tv, mini-bar and all the typical hotel extras. First thing I did was turn off the a/c and open the sliding glass door for some warm air! Can't say I did much here around the hotel, wandered down to the gift store to buy extra sodas and snacks, ordered room service so didn't go to any of the mostly American chain restaurants right there (Hooters etc). They may have a pool & a couple restaurants inside the hotel but I never roamed about.
I'll add the first of my "ads" here Loved, loved the ebags.com packing cubes. Got the small, medium and large set for $20 and am a convert now. In a duffle bag it's so easy to just make a hash of things so these were great. Pretty much all I had went into these cubes so that made packing & unpacking and organization a breeze. I woudl defintely recommend them.
May 5th - off to Santa Teresa/Mal Pais
to be continued............
Bought the tickets last August at a great rate of $232 r/t from Tampa, which somewhat excused the ungodly hour of having to be at the airport (4:15am) and the tiring 3 hour layover in Miami. Plane was 2 hours delayed leaving Miami as after we boarded, closed the door and sat for a half hour our plane was declared not to fit to fly as the system that told the pilots they were about to fly into a mountain was not working (which as our good natured captain noted used to be called looking out the window). We switched planes and then waited another 30 minutes as the drink/snack truck was lost (at least our captain kept up with the often humorous updates). Finally off and another 15 minutes waiting for a gate in SJO which we didn't get, had to walk down the stairs old-time style (when they couldn't align the stairs with the airplane door the pilot at this point was just cracking up). Immigration was about 15 minutes.
I had pre-arranged a pick up with Alberto Barrantes <[email protected]> and his trusty assistant Carlos was there waiting for me and we were off to Bosque de Paz. Alberto had quoted a less price than BdP by about $60 and I knew both him and Carlos and I was bringing stuff down for mutual friends, so it worked out great. The drive was nice, we took the route thru Sarchi, Naranjo and Zarcero, arriving at BdP 1 hour & 45 minutes later. A couple sections of the road were very misty/foggy and we couldn't see more than a few feet in front of us. Arrived at at a much cooler location than San Jose for sure! Since 10 of my days were to be in very hot areas and I was flying Nature Air, I had packed very little in the way of warm clothes. Was taken to my room and shown around. The rooms were very clean, simple but comfy and I eyed the 2 extra blankets that were thankfully provided. Would of liked to keep the small windows open to listen to the river in front of the lodge but decided on warmth instead. I did end up using both of the extra blankets as it got quite nippy at night and I pretty much had my hoodie on the whole time I was there.
The lodge is nicely laid out and even though there was barely anyone there if felt like it couldn't ever feel crowded as they only have 12 rooms. In addition to the rooms building, there is the restaurant/reception area which looks out over the river and the open air hang-out area with a hammock and several seating areas, next to the Koi pond. This area is right in front of the hummingbird and bird feeders, so great place for photos. There were always hummingbirds around, as well as black guans, several coatis & agoutis and at night - pacas!, which I have never seen in the wild which was cool. Meal times were set - breakfast at 7:30 - 9am, lunch around 12 - 1 and dinner around 7:30pm. My only complaint was I really could've used some coffee when I woke up which was usually around 5am. The meals were very filling and good, nothing fancy just typical Costa Rican dishes and the staff was excellent.
Federico & Vanessa González are the owners and hosts, very charming and sweet people who have no desire to enlarge the lodge or get rich off running the lodge, they do it simply out of love for the area. I sat with them for a meal and had some nice talks with them - ask Federico about having dinner with Dali!
The trails are mostly meant to go with a guide but I struck out on my own for the time I was there, except for the day I dragged an Austrian backpacker along with me for a very short hike and we ended up being out for a couple of hours. A lot of the trails are loops, and loops within loops and more loops! I came across so many forks I just decided to head right all the time and it seemed to work. Once in a while a random Salida (exit) sign would appear. On a few of the trails the grass was pretty high, if you look at my photos I took a pic of one where all you see is knee-high growth. This took some courage (or stubborness as I did want to turn tail) to walk thru but they were usually only 15-30 feet long and I poked about with my stick before stepping down. One of the trails, I think it was called Galerie, was a beautiful walk, crossed a river on rocks (and didn't slip!) and then finally came to my (only) dead-end at the river. I later found out this was some type of adventure trail to do with a guide, oops! Well it was an adventure
Not many animals on the walks but a lot of birds, big beautiful trees and interesting plants & growths, and some frogs. Didn't use my bug spray the whole trip and only insects I saw were a couple daddy long-legs and a fantastic orange-knee tarantula. I don't like spiders and especially not big hairy ones like this but I was so excited to see this cross our path I punched the poor backpacker in the arm. Not something I'd like to share a room with but cool to see in the wild.Although I had already paid upfront for 3 nights, I decided when there to bail early, leaving late Sunday instead of early Monday. This was due mainly to my Nature Air schedule change, which I had known about before, but being there made me realize a change was in order. My flight to Tambor had been moved up to depart at 8:20am, which to make it there in time would've meant I would've been picked up at 5:15am and that Alberto would have to hit the road around 3:15am. So after much thought I called Alberto and had him pick me up Sunday around 5pm. The cool weather may have made the decision a little easier as well, but just want to mention it had nothing to do with the lodge itself as I had a great time there and would very much like to return.
Alberto picked me up and we headed toward San Jose via the other route there, thru Bajos del Toro and San Pedro. If you're going to BdP, I would make this route the one you do when you can see well as it's a beautiful winding drive, full of small mountains and hills, lots of farmland and a huge waterfall. Alberto told me that when Carlos dropped me off a few days before he couldn't get an accurate time of the drive as he kept pulling over to look at the views. I guess neither of them drive up there a lot so all of us were enjoying the views! On the way back Alberto & I talked pretty much a wide spectrum of things, from football (soccer) which I love, development in CR, and even Leo diCaprio (whom he drove for approx 500 meters). I'm a planner, so it was a little weird not to have any idea where I was going. I usually stay at Orquideas Inn but that was nixed as it was too far from Pavas for the am flight. Considered Don Carlos and Grano de Oro before deciding on the Courtyard Marriott in Escazu of all places. Not ideally my kind of place but it actually worked out fine and was very nice and was only a 15 minute drive to Pavas. Pricey at $160 a night, no breakfast, but it was very clean, huge King sized bed with like 8 pillows, tv, mini-bar and all the typical hotel extras. First thing I did was turn off the a/c and open the sliding glass door for some warm air! Can't say I did much here around the hotel, wandered down to the gift store to buy extra sodas and snacks, ordered room service so didn't go to any of the mostly American chain restaurants right there (Hooters etc). They may have a pool & a couple restaurants inside the hotel but I never roamed about.
I'll add the first of my "ads" here
Loved, loved the ebags.com packing cubes. Got the small, medium and large set for $20 and am a convert now. In a duffle bag it's so easy to just make a hash of things so these were great. Pretty much all I had went into these cubes so that made packing & unpacking and organization a breeze. I woudl defintely recommend them. May 5th - off to Santa Teresa/Mal Pais
to be continued............
I just posted my report 3 times trying to correct a stupid spelling mistake. Hi tully!
You're off to a terrific start, providing all sorts of useful details and information! Sounds like gorgeous scenery around BdP. I'd love to have seen that tarantula (as long as he promised to stay out of doors where he belonged)!
So is BdP fairly remote? Obviously, it can't be too far afield from towns like Zarcero, but it sounds like its located off on its own away from other hotels or restaurants. Sounds peaceful and serene!
Looking forward to the next chapter...
You're off to a terrific start, providing all sorts of useful details and information! Sounds like gorgeous scenery around BdP. I'd love to have seen that tarantula (as long as he promised to stay out of doors where he belonged)!
So is BdP fairly remote? Obviously, it can't be too far afield from towns like Zarcero, but it sounds like its located off on its own away from other hotels or restaurants. Sounds peaceful and serene!
Looking forward to the next chapter...
Thanks cam! Yes BdP is pretty remote, not a place to really bop out and eay somewhere else for instance though Poas is only an hour away. Very slow-paced, quiet, peaceful atmosphere.
On to part 2 (sorry I didn't mean to write so much).
May 5th - off to Santa Teresa/Mal Pais
Flight from Pavas to Tambor left on time and was relatively smooth, I still hate the moments you come in/out of the valley as the turbulence always scares me. My luggage was right at the limit - 30.03 lbs for my duffle and 10 lbs exactly for my backpack, I account the heavy weight to 2 big books I had brought and way too many shirts. The taxi from Tambor to Santa Teresa/Mal Pais was $40 and over mostly good road til you neared the beach.
I had originally booked at Moana Lodge for my 5 nights in Santa Teresa/Mal Pais but they contacted me a couple months before my trip and let me know they were closing for construction. I was pretty bummed about this as I hadn't found others that really appealed to me. I looked (again) at Horizon Yoga Hotel (http://www.horizon-yogahotel.com/index.html) which I admit I dismissed earlier as the word yoga had me imagining a place I would've felt out of place in. Boy was I wrong and am so glad that Moana was closed and I stayed at Horizon. Horizon was not only great and less money and full of a wide variety of people, but the location so worked in my favour. As I later caught a taxi to Cabo Blanco I got to see the lay of the land more and being solo & without a car I know I would've felt more isolated at Moana. My best rough description of the area: Santa Teresa, from the crossroads northwards to about Tropico Latino is pretty full of restaurants, 2 grocery stores, little shops, 1-2 banks, hotels & hostels etc; in Mal Pais from the crossroads southwards, it's mostly hotels and rental houses, with very few restaurants that I could see, much more spread out and not a place I would've wanted to walk in the dark, that don't have streetlights of course. So, I'm sure for many people, with a car, Mal Pais would be fine but the Santa Teresa area ended up being so much better for me on foot.
I don't know what it's like right now, but when I was there the one main road, and everything else thru ST/MP is dust, dust, dust! I'd heard it'd been a long time since the last rain and boy could you tell. Since I walked everywhere I usually would cover my face with my hand or shirt everytime a car went by. Everything is covered by it and I found myself wishing for rain, that finally came on my last night there. It was very hot there, a different kind of heat than the more humid areas I'm used to. Another thing I'd mention that was a little new to me - walking on the road so much. Although there were plenty of cars, atv's & bicycles, there were always people walking everywhere at all times of day and night. With a narrow road, no sidewalks, cars randomly parked on the side of the road, it took some getting used that I wasn't going to get hit (hopefully), that I didn't have to look over my shoulder every time I heard a car behind me, that I could walk on the side of the road instead of off of it and trust I was visible. True, a couple times I could've reached out and touched the car as it went by but I got used to it eventually.
Back to Horizon.... The property is run by Yoav & Gali, very cool & laid back and responsive to any needs or requests. I had booked a 1 room cabin for $80 per night plus tax, with bedroom, small kitchenette and small deck. I checked in to my cabin, which was right next to the reception/tea house but after a half hour I asked if one of the villas were available, which it was so I moved. The cabin I was in being so close to the recepetion, tea house, small triangular pool and where they do yoga, I felt a little too on display, although all the other cabins were spread throughout the property. The Villa though, was 2 story, with 2 decks (1 with hammock), 2 bathrooms, a dvd player (no tv channels but you can borrow dvds from reception) and a private pool I shared with the villa attached to mine, the other Villa doesn't have to share. It worked out fine as the couple that was next to me was rarely in the pool and was only there 3 days. The Villas don't have much of a view however this wasn't a big concern for me. The property is spread out on a couple different levels, mine being the lowest and the small short hill was no fun walking up with a bag full of groceries in the mid-day heat but in reality it only took 2-3 minutes so I eventually got used to it. There is a Super Ronnie's grocery store no more than 5 minutes away (walk down the hill turn left), so I ended up buying stuff for coffee/breakfast & lunch and mostly just ate out for dinner. Laundry is cheap and very quick, an entire hamper was $10 and back to me in a few hours.
The area..... I was probably at least 10 years older than most people there but didn't feel out of place. There are a lot of Americans, Germans, Swedes and Ticos of course and everything pretty much revolves around the beach. I didn't exactly do a whole lot while there but I kept myself occupied - sometimes a couple hours in the hammock reading and pondering if whenever I eventually walked to the beach would I go left or right at the main road. You can be on the beach in less than 5 minutes from Horizon, I particularly liked the beach area between the entry across from Super Ronnie's northwards up to Tropico Latino, usually quieter and much less people - although I did get quite the surprise from a wet, sandy golden retriever who basically body-slammed me while I was reading til his owner came and got him. The beach, Playa Carmen, down by the crossroads is where there are usually surfers to be found. Since I was usually in bed by 9pm and up at 5am, it was nice to hit the beach early and have it mostly all to myself. The mosquitos came out about 4-5 pm and I ended up with a few bites despite bug spray (which was an omen of what was to come later in my trip).
Restaurants...I ended up eating at Camelon's twice (restaurant & sushi), Las Piedras (Argentinian), a little Mexican place right by the hotel, and the restaurant at Playa Carmen hotel, which is new and right at the crossroads (it was good, but I was the only one there, most likely due to the expense and upscale, my dinner was $22, the most I paid anywhere). Most dinners ran around $10-$12. Also had 1 lunch at Umi Sushi in the little shopping plaza at the crossroads, not only was it good but they were nice enough to let me come back later to pay for my food as I had mistakenly left my money at the hotel. All the little shops in the plaza were nice with cute clothes but again, empty, as who wants to pay $30 for a tank top? The Artemis Cafe there was nice, stopped in to get a drink and use their one (free) computer.
Activities....again, not much. Most of the time I spent on the beach or reading in the hammock. As I'm usually a very on the go person on vacation it took a little getting used to but not much Laying in a hammock and judging where the howler monkeys were that day (any time a loud truck or cycle would go by they would roar so I always knew where they were) can be fun in itself. I did do the Mal Pais Canopy tour, $40 including pick-up. I've done several before and this was probably the shortest but it was a fun diversion for about 2 hours. Also did a horseback ride on the beach for $35, which was okay even though my guide spoke no english and I barely get by with spanish.
The most interesting thing I did was Cabo Blanco National Park. It was a beautiful hike and I almost died there so all in all an eventful day. Okay not really but I did have a couple moments where I wondering how someone would get me out of there if I fainted. I took a taxi there arranged by Gali, I forget how much but I think about $60 r/t. It's a nice drive, thru Mal Pais and the back way to Cabuya. My driver was nice enough, insistent to carry on a conversation in Spanish the whole way there and back, so we played charades for the 45 minute drive thru some beautiful land. The 2 hour hike to the beach was nice enough, yes it was very hot but not too bad, saw a couple coatis, howler monkeys & capuchins and several lizards. Very well kept trail with pavers. At some point you think you must be reaching the beach soon but it just goes on and on, lots of gradual ups & downs, til finally you reach the beach. I felt like a in a movie as I wanted to run down into the water with my clothes on I was so hot but I did manage to control myself. The water wasn't too rough and was fairly warm but it felt great nonetheless. Enjoyed watching all the pelicans glide above the water then dive into it. Sitting on the beach and ready to turn back so I would make in time for my 2 pm pick-up I met up with a couple from Israel. Her feet were blistered and cut from her Teva's and she didn't think she could walk another step. Fate stepped in as I was wearing my Salomon Techs but had a pair of flip-flops in my backpack, which worked out perfect as they didn't chafe her feet. This whole thing turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I was really happy I had someone walking back with me. The first half hour was the hardest. In my hurry to get to the beach I hadn't really noticed how open the last half hour was and that I was going more down than up; but at noon, with that sun blasting you and continually going up small hills there were a couple times I was seeing spots and a my vision was going a little gray. I could feel my body and especially face just burning hot, so we had to stop several times while I tried to get my temp down and splash my face with water. Thankfully we finally hit more tree cover and less hills and somehow made it back faster than on the way there. I consider myself in pretty good shape and never had the same problem on just as long hikes down on the Osa, I think the direct sun played a major part so if you go, I would go early as possible to avoid that on the return. So I really did have a good time despite the couple close calls.
The last night I was there we finally got a real downpour, too late for me really but good for the town. I'd wanted to call the Don Carlos hotel to see if my dad have arrived there okay but all the phone lines were down and they couldn't even run my credit card when I checked out, though they finally did about a week later. Flight to Tambor was uneventful and on arriving it was nice to actually see people I knew - Carlos & Alberto were both at Pavas and I spied my dad at the check-in, so obviously all went well with him.
Another of my "ads"....in the heat of CR it's pretty useless to wear any make-up but I admit I have a hard time going without my mascara. With no desire to look like a raccoon, I tested out several in humid FL before deciding on Lancome Definicils. I must say, with sweat in my eyes, splashing water on my face, etc I was pretty surprised this stuff didn't budge so I was more than pleased with it. So if you need mascara I would definitely recommend it. Also, 2 things I usually bring but didn't and wished I had - toner/astringent due to so much sweating and dust I felt I could never get my face very clean, and also a small thing of lotion, as the bug spray and salt water really dried my skin out.
Off to Bosque del Cabo, to be continued........
On to part 2 (sorry I didn't mean to write so much).
May 5th - off to Santa Teresa/Mal Pais
Flight from Pavas to Tambor left on time and was relatively smooth, I still hate the moments you come in/out of the valley as the turbulence always scares me. My luggage was right at the limit - 30.03 lbs for my duffle and 10 lbs exactly for my backpack, I account the heavy weight to 2 big books I had brought and way too many shirts. The taxi from Tambor to Santa Teresa/Mal Pais was $40 and over mostly good road til you neared the beach.
I had originally booked at Moana Lodge for my 5 nights in Santa Teresa/Mal Pais but they contacted me a couple months before my trip and let me know they were closing for construction. I was pretty bummed about this as I hadn't found others that really appealed to me. I looked (again) at Horizon Yoga Hotel (http://www.horizon-yogahotel.com/index.html) which I admit I dismissed earlier as the word yoga had me imagining a place I would've felt out of place in. Boy was I wrong and am so glad that Moana was closed and I stayed at Horizon. Horizon was not only great and less money and full of a wide variety of people, but the location so worked in my favour. As I later caught a taxi to Cabo Blanco I got to see the lay of the land more and being solo & without a car I know I would've felt more isolated at Moana. My best rough description of the area: Santa Teresa, from the crossroads northwards to about Tropico Latino is pretty full of restaurants, 2 grocery stores, little shops, 1-2 banks, hotels & hostels etc; in Mal Pais from the crossroads southwards, it's mostly hotels and rental houses, with very few restaurants that I could see, much more spread out and not a place I would've wanted to walk in the dark, that don't have streetlights of course. So, I'm sure for many people, with a car, Mal Pais would be fine but the Santa Teresa area ended up being so much better for me on foot.
I don't know what it's like right now, but when I was there the one main road, and everything else thru ST/MP is dust, dust, dust! I'd heard it'd been a long time since the last rain and boy could you tell. Since I walked everywhere I usually would cover my face with my hand or shirt everytime a car went by. Everything is covered by it and I found myself wishing for rain, that finally came on my last night there. It was very hot there, a different kind of heat than the more humid areas I'm used to. Another thing I'd mention that was a little new to me - walking on the road so much. Although there were plenty of cars, atv's & bicycles, there were always people walking everywhere at all times of day and night. With a narrow road, no sidewalks, cars randomly parked on the side of the road, it took some getting used that I wasn't going to get hit (hopefully), that I didn't have to look over my shoulder every time I heard a car behind me, that I could walk on the side of the road instead of off of it and trust I was visible. True, a couple times I could've reached out and touched the car as it went by but I got used to it eventually.
Back to Horizon.... The property is run by Yoav & Gali, very cool & laid back and responsive to any needs or requests. I had booked a 1 room cabin for $80 per night plus tax, with bedroom, small kitchenette and small deck. I checked in to my cabin, which was right next to the reception/tea house but after a half hour I asked if one of the villas were available, which it was so I moved. The cabin I was in being so close to the recepetion, tea house, small triangular pool and where they do yoga, I felt a little too on display, although all the other cabins were spread throughout the property. The Villa though, was 2 story, with 2 decks (1 with hammock), 2 bathrooms, a dvd player (no tv channels but you can borrow dvds from reception) and a private pool I shared with the villa attached to mine, the other Villa doesn't have to share. It worked out fine as the couple that was next to me was rarely in the pool and was only there 3 days. The Villas don't have much of a view however this wasn't a big concern for me. The property is spread out on a couple different levels, mine being the lowest and the small short hill was no fun walking up with a bag full of groceries in the mid-day heat but in reality it only took 2-3 minutes so I eventually got used to it. There is a Super Ronnie's grocery store no more than 5 minutes away (walk down the hill turn left), so I ended up buying stuff for coffee/breakfast & lunch and mostly just ate out for dinner. Laundry is cheap and very quick, an entire hamper was $10 and back to me in a few hours.
The area..... I was probably at least 10 years older than most people there but didn't feel out of place. There are a lot of Americans, Germans, Swedes and Ticos of course and everything pretty much revolves around the beach. I didn't exactly do a whole lot while there but I kept myself occupied - sometimes a couple hours in the hammock reading and pondering if whenever I eventually walked to the beach would I go left or right at the main road. You can be on the beach in less than 5 minutes from Horizon, I particularly liked the beach area between the entry across from Super Ronnie's northwards up to Tropico Latino, usually quieter and much less people - although I did get quite the surprise from a wet, sandy golden retriever who basically body-slammed me while I was reading til his owner came and got him. The beach, Playa Carmen, down by the crossroads is where there are usually surfers to be found. Since I was usually in bed by 9pm and up at 5am, it was nice to hit the beach early and have it mostly all to myself. The mosquitos came out about 4-5 pm and I ended up with a few bites despite bug spray (which was an omen of what was to come later in my trip).
Restaurants...I ended up eating at Camelon's twice (restaurant & sushi), Las Piedras (Argentinian), a little Mexican place right by the hotel, and the restaurant at Playa Carmen hotel, which is new and right at the crossroads (it was good, but I was the only one there, most likely due to the expense and upscale, my dinner was $22, the most I paid anywhere). Most dinners ran around $10-$12. Also had 1 lunch at Umi Sushi in the little shopping plaza at the crossroads, not only was it good but they were nice enough to let me come back later to pay for my food as I had mistakenly left my money at the hotel. All the little shops in the plaza were nice with cute clothes but again, empty, as who wants to pay $30 for a tank top? The Artemis Cafe there was nice, stopped in to get a drink and use their one (free) computer.
Activities....again, not much. Most of the time I spent on the beach or reading in the hammock. As I'm usually a very on the go person on vacation it took a little getting used to but not much
Laying in a hammock and judging where the howler monkeys were that day (any time a loud truck or cycle would go by they would roar so I always knew where they were) can be fun in itself. I did do the Mal Pais Canopy tour, $40 including pick-up. I've done several before and this was probably the shortest but it was a fun diversion for about 2 hours. Also did a horseback ride on the beach for $35, which was okay even though my guide spoke no english and I barely get by with spanish. The most interesting thing I did was Cabo Blanco National Park. It was a beautiful hike and I almost died there so all in all an eventful day. Okay not really
but I did have a couple moments where I wondering how someone would get me out of there if I fainted. I took a taxi there arranged by Gali, I forget how much but I think about $60 r/t. It's a nice drive, thru Mal Pais and the back way to Cabuya. My driver was nice enough, insistent to carry on a conversation in Spanish the whole way there and back, so we played charades for the 45 minute drive thru some beautiful land. The 2 hour hike to the beach was nice enough, yes it was very hot but not too bad, saw a couple coatis, howler monkeys & capuchins and several lizards. Very well kept trail with pavers. At some point you think you must be reaching the beach soon but it just goes on and on, lots of gradual ups & downs, til finally you reach the beach. I felt like a in a movie as I wanted to run down into the water with my clothes on I was so hot but I did manage to control myself. The water wasn't too rough and was fairly warm but it felt great nonetheless. Enjoyed watching all the pelicans glide above the water then dive into it. Sitting on the beach and ready to turn back so I would make in time for my 2 pm pick-up I met up with a couple from Israel. Her feet were blistered and cut from her Teva's and she didn't think she could walk another step. Fate stepped in as I was wearing my Salomon Techs but had a pair of flip-flops in my backpack, which worked out perfect as they didn't chafe her feet. This whole thing turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I was really happy I had someone walking back with me. The first half hour was the hardest. In my hurry to get to the beach I hadn't really noticed how open the last half hour was and that I was going more down than up; but at noon, with that sun blasting you and continually going up small hills there were a couple times I was seeing spots and a my vision was going a little gray. I could feel my body and especially face just burning hot, so we had to stop several times while I tried to get my temp down and splash my face with water. Thankfully we finally hit more tree cover and less hills and somehow made it back faster than on the way there. I consider myself in pretty good shape and never had the same problem on just as long hikes down on the Osa, I think the direct sun played a major part so if you go, I would go early as possible to avoid that on the return. So I really did have a good time despite the couple close calls. The last night I was there we finally got a real downpour, too late for me really but good for the town. I'd wanted to call the Don Carlos hotel to see if my dad have arrived there okay but all the phone lines were down and they couldn't even run my credit card when I checked out, though they finally did about a week later. Flight to Tambor was uneventful and on arriving it was nice to actually see people I knew - Carlos & Alberto were both at Pavas and I spied my dad at the check-in, so obviously all went well with him.
Another of my "ads"....in the heat of CR it's pretty useless to wear any make-up but I admit I have a hard time going without my mascara. With no desire to look like a raccoon, I tested out several in humid FL before deciding on Lancome Definicils. I must say, with sweat in my eyes, splashing water on my face, etc I was pretty surprised this stuff didn't budge so I was more than pleased with it. So if you need mascara I would definitely recommend it. Also, 2 things I usually bring but didn't and wished I had - toner/astringent due to so much sweating and dust I felt I could never get my face very clean, and also a small thing of lotion, as the bug spray and salt water really dried my skin out.
Off to Bosque del Cabo, to be continued........
Pasha, I'm reading this out loud to Jim and we are both just cackling! We thought we were going to die on that return hike as well. I had my trouble early on, like you. He had trouble closer to the end, which was odd--that was when I was finally feeling "out of the woods" and thrilled with the mostly downhill! It was the most strenuous hiking we've ever done in CR, and we were 50 and in fair condition (he more so than I). To this day, I consider it one of my most triumphant moments! LOL! Perhaps it was the near death experience. . . .
Loved your telling of it, though!
Sounds like (and I knew this!) that Malpais/Ste. Teresa has built up considerably since we were there in 2005. Our first trip was 2004, in March, and Ste. Teresa (which I agree is the better area) and there was just nothing there. I loved it that way! Great place for doing nothing--if you can stand it. 3 days was plenty for me.
Meant to tell you by e-mail after you sent the photos a week or so ago how I LOVED the red legged tarantula photos. MAN, they were terrific and I was so jealous. Have only seen that guy on a night hike inside a hall in a bank of dirt with a flashlight! If spiders can be beautiful, that one is! Great photos, though. I might have to order one!
BdP sounds lovely. We were looking for 2 nights to fill after our stay in the Turrialba area at Rancho Naturalista end of July this year. I finally decided it was time for us to do the white water trip (biting the bullet on the price), but now you have me rethinking as we LOVE that Zarcero area and we could save about $600 bucks. So maybe we'll delay our Pacuare adventure yet another year. This decision is one I'm having a VERY hard time making! Help, someone--tell me what to do! LOL!
Keep it coming. . you do have a knack for telling a great story. . .
Can't wait to hear of the attack of the giant mosquitoes--at least that is what you have alluded to so I am curious about where that story is going!
Have a great Mem. Day! We are spending the weekend with the Divine Miss I--so having lots of fun here!
Thanks for posting such a great report.
Loved your telling of it, though!
Sounds like (and I knew this!) that Malpais/Ste. Teresa has built up considerably since we were there in 2005. Our first trip was 2004, in March, and Ste. Teresa (which I agree is the better area) and there was just nothing there. I loved it that way! Great place for doing nothing--if you can stand it. 3 days was plenty for me.
Meant to tell you by e-mail after you sent the photos a week or so ago how I LOVED the red legged tarantula photos. MAN, they were terrific and I was so jealous. Have only seen that guy on a night hike inside a hall in a bank of dirt with a flashlight! If spiders can be beautiful, that one is! Great photos, though. I might have to order one!
BdP sounds lovely. We were looking for 2 nights to fill after our stay in the Turrialba area at Rancho Naturalista end of July this year. I finally decided it was time for us to do the white water trip (biting the bullet on the price), but now you have me rethinking as we LOVE that Zarcero area and we could save about $600 bucks. So maybe we'll delay our Pacuare adventure yet another year. This decision is one I'm having a VERY hard time making! Help, someone--tell me what to do! LOL!
Keep it coming. . you do have a knack for telling a great story. . .
Can't wait to hear of the attack of the giant mosquitoes--at least that is what you have alluded to so I am curious about where that story is going!
Have a great Mem. Day! We are spending the weekend with the Divine Miss I--so having lots of fun here!
Thanks for posting such a great report.
Thanks for another great installment, tully. You're always so descriptive in your reports and I like that!
Mal Pais/Santa Teresa sounds like a very kicked back locale in general. As a beach destination, how does this area rate for you compared to some of the other CR beaches you've visited?
I have admit that when I think of CR, Nicoya and much of Guanacaste don't have the same appeal that other areas hold. I think it's because of the drier climate and dustiness that people report. Obviously, lots of people absolutely love that part of the country, so it wouldn't be fair to write it off. Your beach photos were very nice, so maybe visiting later in the green season would be the key for me... And maybe I would need to be in much better shape before ever attempting to hike through Cabo Blanco! Glad you made it out unscathed!
Thanks for the mascara rec! Sometimes a girl just needs to feel that she's made <i>some</i> effort to be presentable! I slapped on a little bit of makeup for dinner each night at BdC last year. Not sure what good it did, as my frizzed out hair probably stole the show. ;-)
Looking forward to your stories from BdC. Have a good holiday (you as well Jill, if you're still out there... I think you should raft the Pacuare this year!).
Mal Pais/Santa Teresa sounds like a very kicked back locale in general. As a beach destination, how does this area rate for you compared to some of the other CR beaches you've visited?
I have admit that when I think of CR, Nicoya and much of Guanacaste don't have the same appeal that other areas hold. I think it's because of the drier climate and dustiness that people report. Obviously, lots of people absolutely love that part of the country, so it wouldn't be fair to write it off. Your beach photos were very nice, so maybe visiting later in the green season would be the key for me... And maybe I would need to be in much better shape before ever attempting to hike through Cabo Blanco! Glad you made it out unscathed!
Thanks for the mascara rec! Sometimes a girl just needs to feel that she's made <i>some</i> effort to be presentable! I slapped on a little bit of makeup for dinner each night at BdC last year. Not sure what good it did, as my frizzed out hair probably stole the show. ;-)
Looking forward to your stories from BdC. Have a good holiday (you as well Jill, if you're still out there... I think you should raft the Pacuare this year!).
Having fun reading your report. Such great details. Not going to say glad you are back because I know you aren't. It is always a let down when I first get back but once I start planning the next trip I feel better.
It is nice to have something to look forward to while taking my packing the house breaks.
I know what you mean about the ungodly hour at the airport. Our flight is at 6 am most of the time. Sometimes we have a 7 am out which seems to make a huge difference. It stops hurting when you get to CR and know that you have time to get out of the city and be someplace neat. Being delayed is a real bummer. At least your pilot had a sense of humor.
Was really interested in your Bosque de Paz review. Orlando has been trying to get us there but we have been so busy. Maybe this summer. Sounds like our kind of place.
Hope you weren't too loaded down by your friends stuff. We learned a lot about how to haul our stuff down by doing that but it can get cumbersome.
Thanks for the make up tips. I had a light amount of permanent make up done after my first few trips to the Osa but I still like to have a little mascara handy.
Enjoyed your pictures of BdC, looking forward to my next break to read the report.
It is nice to have something to look forward to while taking my packing the house breaks.
I know what you mean about the ungodly hour at the airport. Our flight is at 6 am most of the time. Sometimes we have a 7 am out which seems to make a huge difference. It stops hurting when you get to CR and know that you have time to get out of the city and be someplace neat. Being delayed is a real bummer. At least your pilot had a sense of humor.
Was really interested in your Bosque de Paz review. Orlando has been trying to get us there but we have been so busy. Maybe this summer. Sounds like our kind of place.
Hope you weren't too loaded down by your friends stuff. We learned a lot about how to haul our stuff down by doing that but it can get cumbersome.
Thanks for the make up tips. I had a light amount of permanent make up done after my first few trips to the Osa but I still like to have a little mascara handy.
Enjoyed your pictures of BdC, looking forward to my next break to read the report.
So enjoying the report Tully!! And loved your pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am always dreaming and hope to include Santa Teresa on our next trip to CR. Have wanted to visit Bosque de Paz for a while. I remember reading someone else's report and put it on my list. So I was really interested to read your thooughts and see the very interesting pictures.
You know I am so glad you wrote what you did about the yoga thingy. I must admit that I have often steered away from a hotel that focused on yoga. I am sure it is wonderful, but I conjure up all these ideas and try to picture myself and Chas in these pictures and well, it just isn't happening. So I will rethink it.
Looking forward to ther rest of the story.
I am always dreaming and hope to include Santa Teresa on our next trip to CR. Have wanted to visit Bosque de Paz for a while. I remember reading someone else's report and put it on my list. So I was really interested to read your thooughts and see the very interesting pictures.
You know I am so glad you wrote what you did about the yoga thingy. I must admit that I have often steered away from a hotel that focused on yoga. I am sure it is wonderful, but I conjure up all these ideas and try to picture myself and Chas in these pictures and well, it just isn't happening. So I will rethink it.
Looking forward to ther rest of the story.
Tully: I'm really enjoying your report and I too can relate to the Cabo Blanco adventure. During my hike down to the beach I wore sneakers but then when it was time for the hike back my feet were all sandy from swimming. With no way to wipe off all the sand I decided it would probably be better to wear my flip flops than have the sand irritate my feet inside my sneakers...big mistake! The mega ants got hold of my feet & starting biting. I kept envisioning myself having some kind of terrible reaction & dying in the middle of the park. I was close to having a panic attack realizing how long it would take to actually get any help if needed. My husband carried me (my hero) over the rest of the ant trails and after a few hours when the intense burning wore off, I was fine. We've had a lot of laughs over it & I've learned my lesson....always wear closed shoes while hiking. I'm looking forward to the rest of your report.
Jill it's so funny....I was thinking of you at Cabo Blanco. I'd remembered you'd said it was a tough one and on the way to the beach I was thinking 'mam this ain't so bad'....so fate came back and bit me in the butt for thinking that! Yes, it was a hard one, I can't think of another hike where I've ever been that hot....wonder if the humidity on the Osa actually helps a little vs the dry heat of Nicoya?
Yeah, the Santa Teresa area was a little more built up than I expected. It was nice to have no real schedule for a few days, you almost have to force yourself to relax and do nothing.
I'm petrified of rafting so obviously I'd suggest BdP. I think it's very 'your style', very sweet owners and very low-key, especially this time of the year. The tarantula was cool and I hate spiders! It was wild to just come across it as it was trying to get out of our way.
Thanks cam, I'm kind of mixed on the Nicoya area. There are plenty of other areas I'd love to explore there, maybe less developed. It was nice for what it was but the dryness and dust was a huge surprise. I mean, walking theru Cabo Blanci it was so easy spotting anything as any movement made a huge snap & crack. It's defintely not as green and lush as the Osa and not as built up as somewhere like MA.
Suzie yeah I'd think you'd like BdP as well. I'm not a birder but I can tell you I saw some yellow ones, black ones, and brown ones lol. Never mond bring stuff down, I know how complicated it is getting stuff down there, and it worked out perfectly as I ended up with an empty carry-on to bring back souvenirs and (sadly) only a couple bags of coffee.
ok, here's the Bosque del Cabo part....
Yeah, the Santa Teresa area was a little more built up than I expected. It was nice to have no real schedule for a few days, you almost have to force yourself to relax and do nothing.
I'm petrified of rafting so obviously I'd suggest BdP. I think it's very 'your style', very sweet owners and very low-key, especially this time of the year. The tarantula was cool and I hate spiders! It was wild to just come across it as it was trying to get out of our way.
Thanks cam, I'm kind of mixed on the Nicoya area. There are plenty of other areas I'd love to explore there, maybe less developed. It was nice for what it was but the dryness and dust was a huge surprise. I mean, walking theru Cabo Blanci it was so easy spotting anything as any movement made a huge snap & crack. It's defintely not as green and lush as the Osa and not as built up as somewhere like MA.
Suzie yeah I'd think you'd like BdP as well. I'm not a birder but I can tell you I saw some yellow ones, black ones, and brown ones lol. Never mond bring stuff down, I know how complicated it is getting stuff down there, and it worked out perfectly as I ended up with an empty carry-on to bring back souvenirs and (sadly) only a couple bags of coffee.
ok, here's the Bosque del Cabo part....
donna thanks, yeah Bosque de Paz doesn't get a lot of write ups, to submit my review to TA I had to submit first that they even list it! They finally did. Santa Teresa was really nice for the beach, sure tons better if I surfed, but it was nice to have a variety of restaurants though I think 3-4 nights would've been plenty. The yoga, lol, yeah I first passed it over as I thought I may be surrounded my a lot if people going mmmmmmmmm and chasing me out for all my unhealthy habits (soda, smoking, potato chips) but it was fine and turned out to be a great place to stay. The owners are reaaaalllly laid back though, so that took me a day or so to adjust to.
petite it sounds like your hubby is a keeper! It is a little freaky to know that you really have to walk out (or be carried!), there is no other option. Well I'm glad I wasn't the only one having a tough time there.
petite it sounds like your hubby is a keeper!
It is a little freaky to know that you really have to walk out (or be carried!), there is no other option. Well I'm glad I wasn't the only one having a tough time there.Met up with my dad at Pavas, he'd stayed at the Don Carlos Hotel and said he enjoyed it very much. His taxi to Pavas was $19. I joined him at the check-in and heard something I didn't want to hear: "we will be able to deliver your bags tomrrow" Uh-oh! We were able to take our back-packs, so we spent a few minutes cramming everything we could in - all for naught as some people didn't show up and we were able to take our bags.
Flight was pretty rough all the way to Drake Bay where we dropped some people off, flying thru storms in a little plane is little fun. A few minutes later Puerto Jimenez came into view and as we landed I wondered to my dad who would pick us up - Kevin or Pato (Frank)? Both actually! Kevin just stopped by to say hi, Pato took us to the lodge with another nice couple, Sid & his wife. My dad was rather amused by the road, he's already started taking pics non-stop. Arrived at the lodge to a nice welcome from Kim and little Ben and of course Maggie, Philip and Heilyn; it was nice to meet the new(er) staff as well, like Cindy the Sustainability Coordinator and Francisco, on the serving staff and Todd, an intern. I was really bummed that just that morning there'd been a boa on the grounds and I'd missed it, they had to catch it and release it away from the lodge. Bummer, but hoping for next trip!
A quick lunch (the tuna melt of course!) and then off to a cabina Tucan, which was on a completely different side than I usually stay on, actually think I'd only ever walked over there once before. Tucan was great as with the loft it gave me & my dad some space, he was fine up in the loft once he learned he had to duck a little going up the stairs. Beautiful porch and stone deck with a lounger and another adirondack style chair. I think my dad's first photo was a pair of macaws that wound up right above the deck. The tub is just like the one in Mariposa cabina, lovely blue tile chips.
We put our bags away and headed towards the Tropical Garden, figured it would be a good primer for my dad. So exciting walking thru the grounds at BdC and seeing the small, subtle changes - the bar extension, the new deck at the pool, the stone sidewalk to some of the cabinas, the signs indicating which cabinas is where (I could've used my first trip when I "lost" my cabina!) and small signs in front of some trees with the scientific names. More small additions - laundry bags with the cabinas name on it, signs to indicate whether you wanted your sheets changed, signs about turning off the lights, etc. Very nice, small changes, never intrusive and always well thought out.
Relaxed by the pool the rest of the day and funnily enough ran into a couple that'd been there the same time last year as well. The lodge in fact was packed, so weird to see 3 packed long dinner tables in May but obviously good for Bosque. I'd mentioned to Maureen that I'd nodded off during one of the dinners last year and really wanted something similiar to the dessert she made, a banana cream pie concoction - so our first night she ended up totally out-doing herself with a "de-constructed banana cream pie" that was outstanding, as was all the meals as always.
At the bar I ended up meeting tdrucker and renebene and also Chrisxxx (some numbers I forget). It was funny as I sat down at happy hour they were looking at me and then finally asked "strange question but do you post on travel forums?" So, it was cool to meet up with some fellow fodorites.
Next day we went with trucker & renebene to the Sanctuary (they were leaving for their flight right afterwards). So great to see some of the same monkeys as before, these are the ones who cannot be released into the wild so it was good to see them well and still obviously happy. Sweetie ran out to greet us as we got off the boat and Earl had Winkie wrapped around his head (last time I'd seen her she was wearing diapers) and of course my favourite, Lulu the howler monkey. She now has a boyfriend named (I think it was) Sabu. I didn't get many pics, though my dad did, as I became official monkey carrier of Sweetie & Lulu but I'm not complaining. Okay, lulu did keep trying to jam her fingers in my mouth but no biggie. My dad found out how enterprising they are as Winkie managed to open his small belt bag and retract a battery that Earl had to chase after to retrieve. Two things I thought I'd mention....if you have long hair, you may want to wear it in a pony-tail, Sweetie liked to use mine to swing on and yes it hurt. Also, I spent most of the time there scratching Sweetie when and where she wanted, as I made the 'mistake' of scratching her once. Earl said once you do that, they consider you lower than them and expect you to groom them on demand. Every time I would stop she would grab my arm and point to where she wanted to be scratched. Very cool to see their tayra, Boogie, as well; I never knew how much they can eat! All in all, a great trip.
We met up with another poster (over at TA) at lunch, I remember answering her when she asked if the road to BdC was bad as she had a bad back. Luckily she was a trooper and they drove slow to get there and were having a great time. After lunch we did the Titi trail and it certainly lived up to it's name - within 10 minutes we were under a troop of them! This was right after I'd chastised my dad asking if he was deliberately trying to step on every single leaf on the trail. I also explained we didn't need to talk quite so much on the trail, lol. We also saw several acari's and hawks, a couple agouti's, and then a troop of spider monkeys, howler monkeys and then capuchins. So all 4 in under an hour, not a bad hike! We also saw several coatis which was definitely not the last time, I think we must've seen well over a 100 in our 5 days there. We also stopped my Casa Miramar to see the new pool and deck and roof - looks fantastic! The family of surfers there were very nice and accomodating as pretty much all the guests trooped up there to see it and the view. What a fantastic place to stay and hike and relax (hint, hint ) My dad did pretty good on the hike although later his calves were really hurting from the small hill near Miramar.
That night my dad woke me at 4:30 am and yes scaring the crap out of me. Dragging me up he guided me half asleep into the bathroom where the trashcan was up on the sink covered with a towel. I was dreading what was inside when he removed the towel and staring up at me was a very cute, petrified little mouse that had been nibbling on his netting. Apparently, not content with shoo'ing it away, he chased it for 15 minutes - which involved an obviously panicked leap off the loft area to 20 feet below (the mouse, not my dad) and into the bathroom where he finally cornered it. This was all unbeknownst to me. My dad was very excited about catching it, while I chastised him for scaring the poor thing and went back to bed. That pretty much was our only visitor in the cabina. I can only imagine what my dad would've done if a coati had got in.
Morning walk, alone, up the driveway, saw more acari's, more howlers, more spider monkeys and a lone coati that followed me all the way up the driveway. It's a great walk (1.5 km) and I always see several troops of monkeys on it. My dad was off on the Primary Tour with Philip. When he came back his first words were "I didn't realize the rainforest provided so many things and was in such dire straits". I think he enjoyed it, I know it's a lot of info to take in. Did the night tour with Philip and saw all kinds of cool & scary things - cat-eyed snakes, frogs, toads, bats, etc. Saw more of Ben at the bar, what a smiler he is, so cute!
We did the Golfo Dulce trail next day and over-estimated our time down the trail, thinking my dad would make us a little slower but we made it to the bottom in only 50 minutes. It's my favourite trail there, usually don't see many animals I just love all the lovely trees and the plants and concentrating on where I'm stepping. Luckily we ran into Kevin dropping off some surfers so were able to adjust our pick-up time to a little earlier, which still gave us plenty of time to visit the first 2 beaches and swim for a while at the third. A little sad to see 3 houses under construction down there. I did the Titi trail alone in the afternoon backwards and freely admit that I ran for about 5 minutes of it after I ran into a pack of 10 or so peccaries. I'd thought I'd got over my fear of them but when they all started moving closer together (they were on both sides of the trail) and one of them clicked their teeth at me, I took off. It's embarrassing to say you're scared of knee-high little pigs but there you go. My dad ended up doing the trail alone right after I did and of course no pigs but several troops of monkeys kept him happy.
Last full day there we nixed the Pacific Trail, as it would've had us going down in the mid-day sun and besides I had a massage with Jutta So we took Philip's advice for something a little different and walked up the driveway and over to the teak plantation. Saw the most beautiful damsel-fly there, then after a while the road turns into a very leafy trail that eventually dumps you near the start of the Golfo Dulce trail (funny I've seen that fork there so many times and now I know where it goes!) It was a cool walk, more monkeys and coatis, the trail is definitely not traveled very often. Afternoon massage with Jutta under a treeful of rambuctious spider monkeys. She is such a sweet person and gives such a great massage, she has the strongest hands!
Next morning we were very sadly off to fly back to Pavas for 1 more night in Alajuela.
A couple things.....barely any rain! It was so weird, I'd been telling my dad that every year in May there were always these fantastic storms at night, but we only got 1 night of rain and that was very brief. Also not much of a breeze either, last year I'd needed noth hands to hold the pages down of the book I was reading. I don't know weather patterns but something was defintely off. I hope by now they're getting some rains, to supply the animals and the creek (for the lodge).
As I mentioned, so many coatis this trip. One afternoon I was on the deck as about 50 came up one side of the cabina and about 2 hours later they all went down the other side. Lots of little babies running about as well, maybe May is their busy season I don't know.
I really got bit up this trip, sometime even using some organic stuff and some deet spray. My dad though, barely got any, so go figure. I did get several nasty looking red welts, so I'm almost thinking they weren't mosquitos as I never saw any but something else.
Cool news........There will be a another house available for rent at Bosque sometime after the new year. No rates or really any other info available right now but it has 4 bedrooms (and maybe a 5th to add on) and is beautiful with a stunning view, and only a couple minutes walk to the lodge. Full kitchen, plenty of seating, outdoor grill and a couple bathrooms. Really really nice place if you have a large family or group of friends.
So, another great trip to Bosque and I'm pretty sure my dad enjoyed it as well - he sure took a lot of pictures! Kim & Phil have done a great job with the new additions to the lodge, large & small and adding new staff like Cindy is great. Of course I will be back next year!
Colinas del Poás & Orquideas Inn, to be continued..........
Flight was pretty rough all the way to Drake Bay where we dropped some people off, flying thru storms in a little plane is little fun. A few minutes later Puerto Jimenez came into view and as we landed I wondered to my dad who would pick us up - Kevin or Pato (Frank)? Both actually! Kevin just stopped by to say hi, Pato took us to the lodge with another nice couple, Sid & his wife. My dad was rather amused by the road, he's already started taking pics non-stop. Arrived at the lodge to a nice welcome from Kim and little Ben and of course Maggie, Philip and Heilyn; it was nice to meet the new(er) staff as well, like Cindy the Sustainability Coordinator and Francisco, on the serving staff and Todd, an intern. I was really bummed that just that morning there'd been a boa on the grounds and I'd missed it, they had to catch it and release it away from the lodge. Bummer, but hoping for next trip!
A quick lunch (the tuna melt of course!) and then off to a cabina Tucan, which was on a completely different side than I usually stay on, actually think I'd only ever walked over there once before. Tucan was great as with the loft it gave me & my dad some space, he was fine up in the loft once he learned he had to duck a little going up the stairs. Beautiful porch and stone deck with a lounger and another adirondack style chair. I think my dad's first photo was a pair of macaws that wound up right above the deck. The tub is just like the one in Mariposa cabina, lovely blue tile chips.
We put our bags away and headed towards the Tropical Garden, figured it would be a good primer for my dad. So exciting walking thru the grounds at BdC and seeing the small, subtle changes - the bar extension, the new deck at the pool, the stone sidewalk to some of the cabinas, the signs indicating which cabinas is where (I could've used my first trip when I "lost" my cabina!) and small signs in front of some trees with the scientific names. More small additions - laundry bags with the cabinas name on it, signs to indicate whether you wanted your sheets changed, signs about turning off the lights, etc. Very nice, small changes, never intrusive and always well thought out.
Relaxed by the pool the rest of the day and funnily enough ran into a couple that'd been there the same time last year as well. The lodge in fact was packed, so weird to see 3 packed long dinner tables in May but obviously good for Bosque. I'd mentioned to Maureen that I'd nodded off during one of the dinners last year and really wanted something similiar to the dessert she made, a banana cream pie concoction - so our first night she ended up totally out-doing herself with a "de-constructed banana cream pie" that was outstanding, as was all the meals as always.
At the bar I ended up meeting tdrucker and renebene and also Chrisxxx (some numbers I forget). It was funny as I sat down at happy hour they were looking at me and then finally asked "strange question but do you post on travel forums?" So, it was cool to meet up with some fellow fodorites.
Next day we went with trucker & renebene to the Sanctuary (they were leaving for their flight right afterwards). So great to see some of the same monkeys as before, these are the ones who cannot be released into the wild so it was good to see them well and still obviously happy. Sweetie ran out to greet us as we got off the boat and Earl had Winkie wrapped around his head (last time I'd seen her she was wearing diapers) and of course my favourite, Lulu the howler monkey. She now has a boyfriend named (I think it was) Sabu. I didn't get many pics, though my dad did, as I became official monkey carrier of Sweetie & Lulu but I'm not complaining. Okay, lulu did keep trying to jam her fingers in my mouth but no biggie. My dad found out how enterprising they are as Winkie managed to open his small belt bag and retract a battery that Earl had to chase after to retrieve. Two things I thought I'd mention....if you have long hair, you may want to wear it in a pony-tail, Sweetie liked to use mine to swing on and yes it hurt. Also, I spent most of the time there scratching Sweetie when and where she wanted, as I made the 'mistake' of scratching her once. Earl said once you do that, they consider you lower than them and expect you to groom them on demand. Every time I would stop she would grab my arm and point to where she wanted to be scratched. Very cool to see their tayra, Boogie, as well; I never knew how much they can eat! All in all, a great trip.
We met up with another poster (over at TA) at lunch, I remember answering her when she asked if the road to BdC was bad as she had a bad back. Luckily she was a trooper and they drove slow to get there and were having a great time. After lunch we did the Titi trail and it certainly lived up to it's name - within 10 minutes we were under a troop of them! This was right after I'd chastised my dad asking if he was deliberately trying to step on every single leaf on the trail. I also explained we didn't need to talk quite so much on the trail, lol. We also saw several acari's and hawks, a couple agouti's, and then a troop of spider monkeys, howler monkeys and then capuchins. So all 4 in under an hour, not a bad hike! We also saw several coatis which was definitely not the last time, I think we must've seen well over a 100 in our 5 days there. We also stopped my Casa Miramar to see the new pool and deck and roof - looks fantastic! The family of surfers there were very nice and accomodating as pretty much all the guests trooped up there to see it and the view. What a fantastic place to stay and hike and relax (hint, hint
) My dad did pretty good on the hike although later his calves were really hurting from the small hill near Miramar. That night my dad woke me at 4:30 am and yes scaring the crap out of me. Dragging me up he guided me half asleep into the bathroom where the trashcan was up on the sink covered with a towel. I was dreading what was inside when he removed the towel and staring up at me was a very cute, petrified little mouse that had been nibbling on his netting. Apparently, not content with shoo'ing it away, he chased it for 15 minutes - which involved an obviously panicked leap off the loft area to 20 feet below (the mouse, not my dad) and into the bathroom where he finally cornered it. This was all unbeknownst to me. My dad was very excited about catching it, while I chastised him for scaring the poor thing and went back to bed. That pretty much was our only visitor in the cabina. I can only imagine what my dad would've done if a coati had got in.
Morning walk, alone, up the driveway, saw more acari's, more howlers, more spider monkeys and a lone coati that followed me all the way up the driveway. It's a great walk (1.5 km) and I always see several troops of monkeys on it. My dad was off on the Primary Tour with Philip. When he came back his first words were "I didn't realize the rainforest provided so many things and was in such dire straits". I think he enjoyed it, I know it's a lot of info to take in. Did the night tour with Philip and saw all kinds of cool & scary things - cat-eyed snakes, frogs, toads, bats, etc. Saw more of Ben at the bar, what a smiler he is, so cute!
We did the Golfo Dulce trail next day and over-estimated our time down the trail, thinking my dad would make us a little slower but we made it to the bottom in only 50 minutes. It's my favourite trail there, usually don't see many animals I just love all the lovely trees and the plants and concentrating on where I'm stepping. Luckily we ran into Kevin dropping off some surfers so were able to adjust our pick-up time to a little earlier, which still gave us plenty of time to visit the first 2 beaches and swim for a while at the third. A little sad to see 3 houses under construction down there. I did the Titi trail alone in the afternoon backwards and freely admit that I ran for about 5 minutes of it after I ran into a pack of 10 or so peccaries. I'd thought I'd got over my fear of them but when they all started moving closer together (they were on both sides of the trail) and one of them clicked their teeth at me, I took off. It's embarrassing to say you're scared of knee-high little pigs but there you go. My dad ended up doing the trail alone right after I did and of course no pigs but several troops of monkeys kept him happy.
Last full day there we nixed the Pacific Trail, as it would've had us going down in the mid-day sun and besides I had a massage with Jutta
So we took Philip's advice for something a little different and walked up the driveway and over to the teak plantation. Saw the most beautiful damsel-fly there, then after a while the road turns into a very leafy trail that eventually dumps you near the start of the Golfo Dulce trail (funny I've seen that fork there so many times and now I know where it goes!) It was a cool walk, more monkeys and coatis, the trail is definitely not traveled very often. Afternoon massage with Jutta under a treeful of rambuctious spider monkeys. She is such a sweet person and gives such a great massage, she has the strongest hands! Next morning we were very sadly off to fly back to Pavas for 1 more night in Alajuela.
A couple things.....barely any rain! It was so weird, I'd been telling my dad that every year in May there were always these fantastic storms at night, but we only got 1 night of rain and that was very brief. Also not much of a breeze either, last year I'd needed noth hands to hold the pages down of the book I was reading. I don't know weather patterns but something was defintely off. I hope by now they're getting some rains, to supply the animals and the creek (for the lodge).
As I mentioned, so many coatis this trip. One afternoon I was on the deck as about 50 came up one side of the cabina and about 2 hours later they all went down the other side. Lots of little babies running about as well, maybe May is their busy season I don't know.
I really got bit up this trip, sometime even using some organic stuff and some deet spray. My dad though, barely got any, so go figure. I did get several nasty looking red welts, so I'm almost thinking they weren't mosquitos as I never saw any but something else.
Cool news........There will be a another house available for rent at Bosque sometime after the new year. No rates or really any other info available right now but it has 4 bedrooms (and maybe a 5th to add on) and is beautiful with a stunning view, and only a couple minutes walk to the lodge. Full kitchen, plenty of seating, outdoor grill and a couple bathrooms. Really really nice place if you have a large family or group of friends.
So, another great trip to Bosque and I'm pretty sure my dad enjoyed it as well - he sure took a lot of pictures! Kim & Phil have done a great job with the new additions to the lodge, large & small and adding new staff like Cindy is great. Of course I will be back next year!
Colinas del Poás & Orquideas Inn, to be continued..........
Really loved reading your report, tully. Very descriptive and good humor to boot! I would have felt the same apprehension about booking a yoga resort - good to know at least one is not too 'ohhmmm-ish.'
tully, I'm so glad you guys had fun. We loved Tucan too! Have you already started planning your next trip?!
Loved the BdC account, tully!
Cindy was brand new there when we visited in December. She came with Kevin and Carlos to pick us up in Pto. Jimenez when we first arrived. We thought she was very nice!
I'm glad you survived the peccary encounter!
We heard (and smelled) them a few times on the trails but never caught a glimpse of one. We also only saw 2 coatis the whole time we were there, which sort of surprised me. Obviously, they flourish in the area as evidenced by your sightings. I'd love to see the babies!
Sad to hear your report is winding down! Sounds like you had another wonderful trip overall, though.
Cindy was brand new there when we visited in December. She came with Kevin and Carlos to pick us up in Pto. Jimenez when we first arrived. We thought she was very nice!
I'm glad you survived the peccary encounter!
We heard (and smelled) them a few times on the trails but never caught a glimpse of one. We also only saw 2 coatis the whole time we were there, which sort of surprised me. Obviously, they flourish in the area as evidenced by your sightings. I'd love to see the babies!Sad to hear your report is winding down! Sounds like you had another wonderful trip overall, though.
tully, why did I even ask?!
cam thanks, yeah I was fine with the peccaries til one clicked their teeth and they started moving closer to one another, I was like 'good time for a jog!' That's weird about the coatis, we saw so many we would grab the camera and then be 'oh it's just another coati'. Cindy was great, very on top of things; she was putting a little outdoor museum together as we were leaving, on that cement platform behind the bar.
vg
and how could I forget the puma's? So it was the last full day there and at lunch a couple came in and said they thought they'd just seen a jaguarundi. Everyone was like oh cool let's see the pics. Well we see the pics & definitely not little jaguarundi's but 2 beautiful tawny coloured puma's. Walking right on the Titi trail! The couple said it was abgout 11:30 when they saw them. The trail had just been raked clean the day before, so it was the opinion that that helped, as the puma's only moved on as the couple got within 30 feet. What was great was, okay maybe the guy didn't know his cats but he took great photos. We were all remarking if it'd been one of us our little point & shoot digitals wouldn't have come close. It was also so cool, as the word spread, to see the entire staff come out to see the guy's pics, the whole kitchen came out. They were just as excited as all of us to see something so rare, even in a pic.
Will finish the final day soon!
vg
and how could I forget the puma's? So it was the last full day there and at lunch a couple came in and said they thought they'd just seen a jaguarundi. Everyone was like oh cool let's see the pics. Well we see the pics & definitely not little jaguarundi's but 2 beautiful tawny coloured puma's. Walking right on the Titi trail! The couple said it was abgout 11:30 when they saw them. The trail had just been raked clean the day before, so it was the opinion that that helped, as the puma's only moved on as the couple got within 30 feet. What was great was, okay maybe the guy didn't know his cats but he took great photos. We were all remarking if it'd been one of us our little point & shoot digitals wouldn't have come close. It was also so cool, as the word spread, to see the entire staff come out to see the guy's pics, the whole kitchen came out. They were just as excited as all of us to see something so rare, even in a pic.
Will finish the final day soon!
Wow, I think it's cool too! I would have loved that! I remember at one time they had some sort of camera that would get "tripped" when an animal came by. It was for some sort of research that was being done; I wish they would bring it back. Imagine what we could see.
Tully,
Enjoying your report too! Brings back many fond memories.
Sounds like you're getting ready to really start planning your AR trip, let me know if I can be of any assistance witht his.
Looking forward to the final installment!
Enjoying your report too! Brings back many fond memories.
Sounds like you're getting ready to really start planning your AR trip, let me know if I can be of any assistance witht his.
Looking forward to the final installment!
