CR Trip Report Nov 12-22
Nov 25th, 2008 | 11:35 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
CR Trip Report Nov 12-22
First off … thanks for all the help from various readers/contributors. You’re insight and advice (even though not always taken!) was invaluable.
Well, in a word our 11 days were GREAT.
In more words - let’s see…
Arrival in San Jose.
No problems at the airport. Quick and efficient. Our car company (Solid) picked us up and got us in our 4x4 smoothly and without issue. We fought the traffic all the way into San Jose to stay at the Holiday Inn Aurola (free on points). The hotel was great, although really hard to get into once you see it … the roads were one way and it was hard to find the proper way to even park to check in. I’d stay near the airport if I were doing it again. Upon our arrival had some BLAND food in their hotel restaurant and wondered aloud if this was going to be the norm (it was not). Upon arrival we met a stranger in our hotel lobby and handed him $500 US cash for arrangements he’d made for us over the internet - felt like I was doing a drug deal, but all was on the up-and-up. Actually it was not a stranger, really, but someone whom I’d never actually met (Ronald from Turisports) who’d set up some tours for us in the Arenal area. Great guy. Wonderful service. I’d recommend him.
Next morning up at the crack of dawn (5:30 CR time) to leave for Destination #1 – La Fortuna.
La Fortuna:
Almost 4 hours on some pretty bad roads but we made it Ok. Plans were to do check into our hotel (Arenal Observatory Lodge- an ex-Smithsonian / National Geographic Observatory post) at noon, drive to La Fortuna falls to hike in and see them, come back to Tabacon for a SPA treatment, Thermal Waters and dinner. We liked the grounds at AOL so much we decided to skip the falls and do a self-guided tour to the AOL falls (small but nice nonetheless), and walk the property prior to Tabacon.
WOW … first off – NOT A CLOUD IN THE SKY ALL DAY (not really, there were a FEW clouds but it was unbelievably sunny). We were sooo lucky. Got great hummingbird pictures and awesome ones of the volcano at lunch in the AOL restaurant. AOL is not luxury but the (Smithsonian) rooms are clean and simple, with straight-on views of the volcano. We saw a pack of coutimundi’s on the road, had two pecaarys run by us whilst on our hike, and saw an ocelot hunting (these are supposed to be nocturnal and hard to spot). Let’s see - no clouds at Mt Arenal, peccary’s and an Ocelot. Great luck for day1.
Tabacon. WOW again. The SPA treatment was amazing, the thermal waters too. The buffet we had was ‘Indian Food’, and we love curries. Had a nice bottle of wine to end an amazing start to our trip. Next time would stay there too. Went back to the room, set up my camera and watched the volcano activity until we went to sleep. Up at 12:30 and 4 AM to get amazing pictures of the lava rocks coming down the mountain. Can’t beat that view!
Next morning did a guide hike with Javier of PuraVida Tours (puravidatrps.com). Great guys there, all young guys there and Javier is a biologist-in-training, Sweet, sweet guy and so sincere it hurts. He is a birding specialist and I can’t remember all the birds we saw (sorry Javier), but I do know some were hard to find and when we told him about our stay so far, he told us we were so lucky that luck must have been following us around, and to go buy a lottery ticket. Saw howler monkeys, toucans, motmots, and a crested something-or-other, and spotted a Blue Jeans Dart frog on our tour. Before we left they took us to the ATM (actually to 3 of them before we found one that worked with my card(s)) and to show us exactly where to fill up with gas before our 4 hour drive to location #2. I would recommend these guys without hesitation.
Monteverde:
Drove some horrendous roads (think 12” potholes on a dirt track) to get to Monteverde. Road signage is poor to none-existent, although more than once a resident would point us in another direction to set us on our way.Stayed at the Monteverde Lodge. Nice place. Basic but clean as well. Wonderful grounds. No A/C. Had to ask for a fan, which we got in about 2 minutes. Front desk and all staff were courteous and very friendly. Drove into town to have dinner at a second floor “upscale” restaurant beside The Tree House. I forget the name. Don’t pay the extra. My beef was dry, my wife’s fish overdone. House wine was bad. Costa Rican beer (Imperial) nice and light, and cheap. Saw the Frog Pond. Again, don’t bother. It’s a bunch of terrariums with frogs in them. Can see that here in Canada.
6:30 AM was met at our hotel lobby by our guide for the Cloud Forest, Andy (Andres Alvarado - http://forestalive1.blogspot.com/ ). We too spotted 4 of the Resplendent Quetzals, Motmots, tons of other birds (sorry, Andy - we didn't write the all down but my pictures are amazing!!), and Howler Monkeys. Andy is among the most sincere, knowledgeable and honest individuals we have ever met. His respect for nature and his immense knowledge base just blew us away. You can't go wrong with Andy. Have him take you to see the hummingbirds. WOW!! Quite frankly, Andy set the stage for the rest of our trip. We could not stop talking about him. Cannot say enough. Well worth the money for a private tour. Just tell him where you’ve been, and where you’re going and he’ll make sure he structures his time with you so you have a chance to see other things to ‘complete’ your experience in this wonderful country.
4 ½ more hours on THE WORST roads we encountered. Think Dry Riverbed, which is what the locals call parts of this stretch of roads on our way down to Manual Antonio. IMO it’s not as bad as people make it out to be from a safety perspective, it’s just a slow BUMPY (cannot emphasize this enough) road and dusty (or muddy) depending on the season.
Once on the coastal highway made better time. Local drivers flash their lights when you are approaching a speed trap (seems funny in Costa Rica). Have been told to make colour photocopies of your passport(s) to show in case you get stopped. The police have been known to try and get the speeding fine from you on the spot, then pocket the money and send the ticket to the rental firm (who end up charging your credit card for it) . I was told to play dumb if that happened and they’d soon give up and just give you the ticket. However if you give them your real passport, they have negotiating power with you to get it back from them (ransom I think it’s called here in Canada). Luckily I never had to deal with this issue - but on two occasions stopped to get directions and they were courteous and helpful.
Had to cross a river in our 4x4 as the bridge had washed out.
Manuel Antonio:
Stayed at week at Makanda By The Sea. Villa #10. Surrounded on 3 sides by rainforest. Overlooking the Pacific. Heaven. Homemade breakfasts brought to our room, on our open-air balcony overlooking the view, watching the birds and animals every morning. Did I say heaven? This resort is everything we’ve read about. Romantic, Exclusive, only 15 villas. Service was excellent. Top notch, but you do pay for this luxury. However, I’d do it again in a flash.
Well, as we seemed to be seeing things that were rare, or experiencing unusually good weather; and to complete the triumvirate of the three disasters (volcano, earthquake and tsunami) - we did experience a 6.2 level earthquake one night - centered in a Panamanian town 170 kilometers away. I slept through it but my wife and others talked about it for days. Glad to say we never saw anything close to a tsunami
Did the MA park tour with Juan Luis Brenes (known in the forums as NatureGuide). Very smart, knows his stuff and is quite enterprising. Bats, spiders, all 3 monkey types, 3 toed sloths, reptiles galore, a caiman (small croc), parrots, other birds … we saw it all. Watching a raccoon boldly steal a couples baked goods from their beach blanket and then lose it to the monkeys was a humorous treat. I can’t imagine this tour in the high season. Way too many people would ruin it for me.
Did the Mangove swamp tour with Juan as well - in the POURING rain (pouring rain in CR is not like in Canada). Saw more monkeys, more birds and a Boa Constrictor (up close)
Walked the 552 steps down to the exclusive beach at Makanda. Sloths, monkeys, sand crabs and birds all the way along. But it’s steep!! Too rocky to swim. Look for the pre-columbian turtle trap left of where you come out on the beach. If you see a guy there with a few playful dogs, say hi to Ken for us.
Also spent time at Playa Bezanz, down the road past Makanda. IMO best beach in the area. Good swimming (sandy) and snorkelling ‘way off the beach, but it’s picture perfect and not heavily used. Park on the road, pay the farmer $1 for the privilege of parking there, and walk to the beach. More of the same wildlife.
Did a day trip to Dominical / Uvita. Beautiful postcard-like beaches and decent enough snorkeling at Uvita. Passed a police roadblock on our way that had a policeman holding an automatic rifle. Nice.
Last day - The Canopy Tour with Safari Tours was a highlight - 5 hours of informed travel (45 minutes each way) and tons ‘o fun on the zip lines and rappelling. Lunch was provided, and they have a butterfly farm there. Great value for an exciting day. Went to do the SPA at Si Como No. Just the ticket to relax after the Zip lines. Then onto dinner at Sunspot (@ Makanda). Candlelit dinner overlooking the ocean and infinity pool. Great service and food. Great wine selection, What a way to end the trip. So very sorry to leave.
Other Highlights:
Marlintini’s (new) for dinner. A sports bar that serves amazing martinis and even better fresh fish. It could double as a fine restaurant with the food quality.
The seafood restaurant at Si Como No. Arguably our best meal there. Impeccable service in a nice setting.
Casados – great local food and tasty. Gotta eat one once when you’re there.
Ronny’s Place - out of the way but great views. Slow service - good food.
Angels Diner. A tin roof shack really but family run and great casados.
Other comments:
We took some readers advice to eat at Gato Negro as one of the better spots. We were disappointed in the food and service, buy overall it wasn’t bad … just not up to snuff with the other good spots.
Make sure you have plenty of colones and small US bills. We kept running out.
We used bug repellent sparingly. Yes, we did get bitten. Mostly no-see-ums,but nothing bad. Less bad than back home in the evenings, which is when we used it most.
Get the GPS. Sometimes it helps just by letting you know what road you’re on and what direction you’re travelling.
What more can I say. It was amazing. Period.
Well, in a word our 11 days were GREAT.
In more words - let’s see…
Arrival in San Jose.
No problems at the airport. Quick and efficient. Our car company (Solid) picked us up and got us in our 4x4 smoothly and without issue. We fought the traffic all the way into San Jose to stay at the Holiday Inn Aurola (free on points). The hotel was great, although really hard to get into once you see it … the roads were one way and it was hard to find the proper way to even park to check in. I’d stay near the airport if I were doing it again. Upon our arrival had some BLAND food in their hotel restaurant and wondered aloud if this was going to be the norm (it was not). Upon arrival we met a stranger in our hotel lobby and handed him $500 US cash for arrangements he’d made for us over the internet - felt like I was doing a drug deal, but all was on the up-and-up. Actually it was not a stranger, really, but someone whom I’d never actually met (Ronald from Turisports) who’d set up some tours for us in the Arenal area. Great guy. Wonderful service. I’d recommend him.
Next morning up at the crack of dawn (5:30 CR time) to leave for Destination #1 – La Fortuna.
La Fortuna:
Almost 4 hours on some pretty bad roads but we made it Ok. Plans were to do check into our hotel (Arenal Observatory Lodge- an ex-Smithsonian / National Geographic Observatory post) at noon, drive to La Fortuna falls to hike in and see them, come back to Tabacon for a SPA treatment, Thermal Waters and dinner. We liked the grounds at AOL so much we decided to skip the falls and do a self-guided tour to the AOL falls (small but nice nonetheless), and walk the property prior to Tabacon.
WOW … first off – NOT A CLOUD IN THE SKY ALL DAY (not really, there were a FEW clouds but it was unbelievably sunny). We were sooo lucky. Got great hummingbird pictures and awesome ones of the volcano at lunch in the AOL restaurant. AOL is not luxury but the (Smithsonian) rooms are clean and simple, with straight-on views of the volcano. We saw a pack of coutimundi’s on the road, had two pecaarys run by us whilst on our hike, and saw an ocelot hunting (these are supposed to be nocturnal and hard to spot). Let’s see - no clouds at Mt Arenal, peccary’s and an Ocelot. Great luck for day1.
Tabacon. WOW again. The SPA treatment was amazing, the thermal waters too. The buffet we had was ‘Indian Food’, and we love curries. Had a nice bottle of wine to end an amazing start to our trip. Next time would stay there too. Went back to the room, set up my camera and watched the volcano activity until we went to sleep. Up at 12:30 and 4 AM to get amazing pictures of the lava rocks coming down the mountain. Can’t beat that view!
Next morning did a guide hike with Javier of PuraVida Tours (puravidatrps.com). Great guys there, all young guys there and Javier is a biologist-in-training, Sweet, sweet guy and so sincere it hurts. He is a birding specialist and I can’t remember all the birds we saw (sorry Javier), but I do know some were hard to find and when we told him about our stay so far, he told us we were so lucky that luck must have been following us around, and to go buy a lottery ticket. Saw howler monkeys, toucans, motmots, and a crested something-or-other, and spotted a Blue Jeans Dart frog on our tour. Before we left they took us to the ATM (actually to 3 of them before we found one that worked with my card(s)) and to show us exactly where to fill up with gas before our 4 hour drive to location #2. I would recommend these guys without hesitation.
Monteverde:
Drove some horrendous roads (think 12” potholes on a dirt track) to get to Monteverde. Road signage is poor to none-existent, although more than once a resident would point us in another direction to set us on our way.Stayed at the Monteverde Lodge. Nice place. Basic but clean as well. Wonderful grounds. No A/C. Had to ask for a fan, which we got in about 2 minutes. Front desk and all staff were courteous and very friendly. Drove into town to have dinner at a second floor “upscale” restaurant beside The Tree House. I forget the name. Don’t pay the extra. My beef was dry, my wife’s fish overdone. House wine was bad. Costa Rican beer (Imperial) nice and light, and cheap. Saw the Frog Pond. Again, don’t bother. It’s a bunch of terrariums with frogs in them. Can see that here in Canada.
6:30 AM was met at our hotel lobby by our guide for the Cloud Forest, Andy (Andres Alvarado - http://forestalive1.blogspot.com/ ). We too spotted 4 of the Resplendent Quetzals, Motmots, tons of other birds (sorry, Andy - we didn't write the all down but my pictures are amazing!!), and Howler Monkeys. Andy is among the most sincere, knowledgeable and honest individuals we have ever met. His respect for nature and his immense knowledge base just blew us away. You can't go wrong with Andy. Have him take you to see the hummingbirds. WOW!! Quite frankly, Andy set the stage for the rest of our trip. We could not stop talking about him. Cannot say enough. Well worth the money for a private tour. Just tell him where you’ve been, and where you’re going and he’ll make sure he structures his time with you so you have a chance to see other things to ‘complete’ your experience in this wonderful country.
4 ½ more hours on THE WORST roads we encountered. Think Dry Riverbed, which is what the locals call parts of this stretch of roads on our way down to Manual Antonio. IMO it’s not as bad as people make it out to be from a safety perspective, it’s just a slow BUMPY (cannot emphasize this enough) road and dusty (or muddy) depending on the season.
Once on the coastal highway made better time. Local drivers flash their lights when you are approaching a speed trap (seems funny in Costa Rica). Have been told to make colour photocopies of your passport(s) to show in case you get stopped. The police have been known to try and get the speeding fine from you on the spot, then pocket the money and send the ticket to the rental firm (who end up charging your credit card for it) . I was told to play dumb if that happened and they’d soon give up and just give you the ticket. However if you give them your real passport, they have negotiating power with you to get it back from them (ransom I think it’s called here in Canada). Luckily I never had to deal with this issue - but on two occasions stopped to get directions and they were courteous and helpful.
Had to cross a river in our 4x4 as the bridge had washed out.
Manuel Antonio:
Stayed at week at Makanda By The Sea. Villa #10. Surrounded on 3 sides by rainforest. Overlooking the Pacific. Heaven. Homemade breakfasts brought to our room, on our open-air balcony overlooking the view, watching the birds and animals every morning. Did I say heaven? This resort is everything we’ve read about. Romantic, Exclusive, only 15 villas. Service was excellent. Top notch, but you do pay for this luxury. However, I’d do it again in a flash.
Well, as we seemed to be seeing things that were rare, or experiencing unusually good weather; and to complete the triumvirate of the three disasters (volcano, earthquake and tsunami) - we did experience a 6.2 level earthquake one night - centered in a Panamanian town 170 kilometers away. I slept through it but my wife and others talked about it for days. Glad to say we never saw anything close to a tsunami
Did the MA park tour with Juan Luis Brenes (known in the forums as NatureGuide). Very smart, knows his stuff and is quite enterprising. Bats, spiders, all 3 monkey types, 3 toed sloths, reptiles galore, a caiman (small croc), parrots, other birds … we saw it all. Watching a raccoon boldly steal a couples baked goods from their beach blanket and then lose it to the monkeys was a humorous treat. I can’t imagine this tour in the high season. Way too many people would ruin it for me.
Did the Mangove swamp tour with Juan as well - in the POURING rain (pouring rain in CR is not like in Canada). Saw more monkeys, more birds and a Boa Constrictor (up close)
Walked the 552 steps down to the exclusive beach at Makanda. Sloths, monkeys, sand crabs and birds all the way along. But it’s steep!! Too rocky to swim. Look for the pre-columbian turtle trap left of where you come out on the beach. If you see a guy there with a few playful dogs, say hi to Ken for us.
Also spent time at Playa Bezanz, down the road past Makanda. IMO best beach in the area. Good swimming (sandy) and snorkelling ‘way off the beach, but it’s picture perfect and not heavily used. Park on the road, pay the farmer $1 for the privilege of parking there, and walk to the beach. More of the same wildlife.
Did a day trip to Dominical / Uvita. Beautiful postcard-like beaches and decent enough snorkeling at Uvita. Passed a police roadblock on our way that had a policeman holding an automatic rifle. Nice.
Last day - The Canopy Tour with Safari Tours was a highlight - 5 hours of informed travel (45 minutes each way) and tons ‘o fun on the zip lines and rappelling. Lunch was provided, and they have a butterfly farm there. Great value for an exciting day. Went to do the SPA at Si Como No. Just the ticket to relax after the Zip lines. Then onto dinner at Sunspot (@ Makanda). Candlelit dinner overlooking the ocean and infinity pool. Great service and food. Great wine selection, What a way to end the trip. So very sorry to leave.
Other Highlights:
Marlintini’s (new) for dinner. A sports bar that serves amazing martinis and even better fresh fish. It could double as a fine restaurant with the food quality.
The seafood restaurant at Si Como No. Arguably our best meal there. Impeccable service in a nice setting.
Casados – great local food and tasty. Gotta eat one once when you’re there.
Ronny’s Place - out of the way but great views. Slow service - good food.
Angels Diner. A tin roof shack really but family run and great casados.
Other comments:
We took some readers advice to eat at Gato Negro as one of the better spots. We were disappointed in the food and service, buy overall it wasn’t bad … just not up to snuff with the other good spots.
Make sure you have plenty of colones and small US bills. We kept running out.
We used bug repellent sparingly. Yes, we did get bitten. Mostly no-see-ums,but nothing bad. Less bad than back home in the evenings, which is when we used it most.
Get the GPS. Sometimes it helps just by letting you know what road you’re on and what direction you’re travelling.
What more can I say. It was amazing. Period.
Nov 26th, 2008 | 07:40 AM
#6
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Hey Markiemark,
I will be leaving for Costa Rica in January and our first stop is Monteverde. Last time we were there we had an amazing time but did not really see any wildlife. Seems like getting a guide, like Andy, would be the way to go. Did you hire him for a full day/half day?? Do you remember the approximate cost? Thanks so much!
I will be leaving for Costa Rica in January and our first stop is Monteverde. Last time we were there we had an amazing time but did not really see any wildlife. Seems like getting a guide, like Andy, would be the way to go. Did you hire him for a full day/half day?? Do you remember the approximate cost? Thanks so much!
Nov 26th, 2008 | 09:36 AM
#7
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 24,926
Likes: 0
d, I'm not Markie, but we hired a guide through our hotel, Fonda Vela. We met him at the park about 7:30a.m. and had him for a couple of hours. We saw loads of things we wouldn't have seen on our own, including a quetzal in the first 30 seconds of our arrival. I'm sorry I don't remember the cost - maybe $60 per person or so. If you have the chance, I'd recommend doing the night hike at Hidden Valley - porcupines, agoutis, coatis, sloth, fox, raccoon, etc. Very fun!
Trending Topics
Nov 26th, 2008 | 03:59 PM
#8
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 309
Likes: 0
Markiemark,
Picasa (free) is a great site to store, tweak and share fotos. I also like Smugmug (fee per yr about 35.00) And Photobucket is another nice free site. I use them all. I like storing my fotos online as well as to a DVD.
I know what you mean, we spent 16
days in CR and I had about 1500 pics and my daughter had about 500. Still weeding! Be sure and let us know when they are posted! Thanks, Toni
Picasa (free) is a great site to store, tweak and share fotos. I also like Smugmug (fee per yr about 35.00) And Photobucket is another nice free site. I use them all. I like storing my fotos online as well as to a DVD.
I know what you mean, we spent 16
days in CR and I had about 1500 pics and my daughter had about 500. Still weeding! Be sure and let us know when they are posted! Thanks, Toni
Nov 26th, 2008 | 04:19 PM
#9
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,442
Likes: 0
MarkieMark,
Great report, looks like you had a very good time. Do you have a contact for Juan Luis Brenes? Did you hire him for the day or just a few hours? How much was it? We would be interested in both the park and the mangrove tours. Did you book the tours together?
Looking forward for your pictures, hope you’ll post them somewhere. I can second Picasa, where I post all the pictures I want to share (I use smugmug for the others, but that one is for a fee). Picasa is free.
Great report, looks like you had a very good time. Do you have a contact for Juan Luis Brenes? Did you hire him for the day or just a few hours? How much was it? We would be interested in both the park and the mangrove tours. Did you book the tours together?
Looking forward for your pictures, hope you’ll post them somewhere. I can second Picasa, where I post all the pictures I want to share (I use smugmug for the others, but that one is for a fee). Picasa is free.
Nov 27th, 2008 | 04:18 AM
#10
Original Poster
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
Re Andy @ Monetverde - we'd have hired him for two days if we could have, but my planning did not allow for that. He suggested one day including a night tour. For his 1/2 day private tour (I'd recommend private every time) we paid him $60 for the two of us, plus $15 each park admittance and a much deserved $20 tip; total $110.
Andy can be emailed @ [email protected].
Re Juan @ Manuel Antonio - We booked both the 1/2 private MA Park tour and the Mangrove tour through him. Our private tour with him was $25 each plus park admittance of $10 each (I think). The Mangrove tour we did with 2 other couples, and it was $65 each, which included a great local dinner and a beer @ Angels diner in MA. Juan Luis Breve can be reached at [email protected].
Picasa it is ... now I just have to get to posting up my pics AFTER I0 do some editing ... keep you guys posted. THANKS !!
Andy can be emailed @ [email protected].
Re Juan @ Manuel Antonio - We booked both the 1/2 private MA Park tour and the Mangrove tour through him. Our private tour with him was $25 each plus park admittance of $10 each (I think). The Mangrove tour we did with 2 other couples, and it was $65 each, which included a great local dinner and a beer @ Angels diner in MA. Juan Luis Breve can be reached at [email protected].
Picasa it is ... now I just have to get to posting up my pics AFTER I0 do some editing ... keep you guys posted. THANKS !!
Nov 27th, 2008 | 11:29 AM
#11
Original Poster
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
Ok Toni and xyz99 ... my pix are up. Picasa is great and easy to use ... Thanks !!
http://picasaweb.google.ca/lh/photo/...0TBJ5Eita3OndA
Enjoy ... and if you can help out at all with some of the critters names - that'd be awesome.
http://picasaweb.google.ca/lh/photo/...0TBJ5Eita3OndA
Enjoy ... and if you can help out at all with some of the critters names - that'd be awesome.
Nov 27th, 2008 | 07:21 PM
#15
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 5,541
Likes: 0
Great photos and report! Looked thru them earlier today but didn't have a chance to post but wanted to remember I have the same photo from 2003 of the little shack/hut in front of the bamboo minus the little fence now up. Great eye for pics - what camera did you use?
