shillmac,
my name is molly and my brother says you are the pro to help me! i need to figure out what to do in 5 nights. best thing to chill in MA? which hotel would you use? thanks!

She's in CR, should be back in a week or so.

Costa Verde, Tulemar, Si Como No all get good reviews in MA. The park is fantastic, $7 entry and is closed on Mondays.

Hopefully shillmac will check on Fodors while in Costa Rica.

Right now(July 22/05) she is at Neta's place and checking her e-mails and answering some of them.

From Neta's( near Pursical , ) she will be heading for the Pacific Coast( maybe Flamingo Beach).

She will be coming home next week.

I just received another e-mail from her a few hours ago , as she has been keeping me informed as to where she is and what she is doing.

I told shillmac that there is a question on Fodors specifically for her to answer....so I hope, mrsdarwin, that she will answer you soon.

??Any relations to Charles Darwin !!!!???

Percy

also to shillmac - last fall you gave me some outstanding advice about almonds & corals zip line tour. my friend went on an xmas cruise and you told her she would not have time to get to arundel. anyway, she wanted me to thank you for providing, for her, the highlight of her trip. several members of her group went with and all had an absolutely perfect experience!! she enjoyed it so much that she is considering a trip with almonds & corals as her primary destination. again thank you.

thanks for your info. concerning the charles darwin thing percy, long time ago my husband is from his brother's lineage! i'm thinking mango moon. about to make reservations. is this good?

Hi mrsdarwin, tully, virginia, and Percy! I´ve definitely been trying to keep myself weaned from Fodors these past few weeks! My family made me promise not to come here--to this website so I´ve eluded them for a few minutes here in Montezuma!

mrsdarwin--for 5 days, you can´t beat MA if you are looking for beach and jungle combo. Don´t know Mango Moon (Faithie has mentioned it, I think), but we sure like Si Como No, and Costa Verde gets great reviews.

We were in the Dominical area a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed our time there--a short distance, but a hard drive from MA. 1.5 hour more or less--rough road.

Virginia, thank you so much. We spent a few days on the Caribbean side last weekend and Monday. We stayed at Aguas Claras which has 5 very cute little houses and an excellent breakfast and lunch restaurant-bakery. Short path to the beach. It was fun to try someplace different. Our only problem was no AC (I dont really know of any hotels on the Caribbean side that have it, although there may be a couple). They were having a dry spell (affected by the hurricanes, Im sure) and we did suffer! The ceiling fans just didnt cut it. We found ourselves stepping in and out of the shower several times a day and staying in the shade near the beach a good part of the time for a cool breeze.

The zip line is closed for inspection--slight accident. It seems someone from a cruise ship didn{t brake when asked to (a teenage boy, I think) and thought he would just touch down on the platform with no problem. One foot did, and the other caught under the platform somehow and he had a broken toe or foot or something. Abel Bustamante (my birding guide from Manzanillo) told me that when ANYTHING happens, even something like that, the cables have to close down for a complete inspection of all platforms and cables, etc. Interesting, huh?

I am regretting that right now there are at least 2 Fodorites traveling around Costa Rica, both with reservations at Neta and Arbels hotel, La Finca Que Ama, and our stay there didnt coincide with either of them. That would have been fun. We had a great time there. It was good to just relax for a day or two and enjoy those lovely evening meals complete with good wine and friendly toasts and much laughter! Always feels like family. Our daughter is always thrilled whenever we stay somewhere with a bathtub, and she particularly enjoys their jacuzzi ones!

mrsdarwin, if you are interested in high-end in Manuel Antonio, Tulemar would work nicely for you. Tully mentioned it and Neta and I were talking about it this weekend. Next time we are in MA, we would like to check it out as well.

You guys wouldnt believe all the people down here this month--my goodness, its almost Grand Central Station. We arrived for the 10:30 ferry to Pacuera (from Puntarenas) yesterday and found ourselves in line behind (get this 100 other cars and trucks. Not only were we not going to catch the 10:30, but didn´t have much hope for another ferry until late afternoon. We opted not to wait in the hot car in line all day, so we took off up to the Friendship Bridge and down the east coast of the peninsula to Paquera. It was a long and very difficult (rutty and bumpy a good part of the way--impossible without 4X4) drive, but we arrived in Montezuma about 4:00, hours ahead of our arrival time had we waited for a much-later ferry. At least we were air-conditioned, which makes a big difference traveling with an infant!

That, by the way, has gone very well. Miss Isabelle seems to be having the time of her life. Cutting her first tooth here in Costa Rica!

Must run now. Good to chat with you! When we get home, I have to hit the ground running because we have to move our daughter and granddaughter and am starting a new teaching job across the state line in Texas. Gives me crossed eyes just thinking about it. So for another week, it´s Pura Vida for us!

Hasta luego! Jill

shillmac!, i have booked with mango moon. faithie seems like a good reference, and for the price i can't go wrong (i hope). how old is your little isabelle? where in texas will you be? thanks for your input. what restaurants do you like in MA? is doing the intrabus (???) from SJO to MA ok, or should i look at other options???

Hi mrsdarwin!
Isabelle is 6 months old as of this week. She is having a great time! Cut her first tooth here in CR.

We will be teaching in the Texas Panhandle,but keeping our hope in the western part of Oklahoma.

Our favorite restaurant in Manuel Antonio is Karola's. But we also have enjoyed the restaurant and the grill at Si Como No. I believe they are called the Rico Tico Bar and Clara Que Si. Others will have more recommendations for you. I'm anxious to hear what you think of Mango Moon--would definitely trust Faithie! Have a great trip!

That would be "keeping our HOME in western Oklahoma", although it might be true our hope is there as well? LOL

i am thinking of doing the interbus from SJO to MA. is this reputable? i arrive at 12:43 pm, and they told me to meet them at a certain hotel 5 minutes from airport...our stop is at 3 pm on their way. is this good? would you suggest getting private driver. how much would that be?

Used interbus for this route. Met the bus just near Hampton Inn near the airport.
No problems. A good way to travel that is less costly than a private driver. They do stop along the way for about 15 minutes which is a good break.

thanks marryanne. good to hear from someone who's done it! how big is the bus? air-conditioned?

Shillmac, I'm glad you were able to get away to your favorite place, beautiful Costa Rica, with grand-baby and family! And thanks SO MUCH for sneaking on fodors when your family isn't looking...We need you!

My family had a fantastic 1st trip to Costa Rica in June, and I am so greateful to you for all your help and encouragement! It was so beautiful, I'm still having "rainforest withdrawal symptoms" back home here in San Diego. Definitely planning a second trip.

Plus, since we had so much fun, my niece is planning her November honeymoon to Costa Rica! She wants my help...she is working overtime at work and I'm helping her plan the honeymoon.

I don't know anything about the beaches near Tamarindo. She wants a romantic hotel, on the beach, near Tamarindo...on a pretty, romantic beach, NOT too crowded and touristy...It can be at Playa Potrero, or Sugar Beach or someplace nearby..WHICH ONE WOULD YOU RECOMMEND?! Hotel room prices $150 per night or less... You know everything about costa Rica...

Her fiance wants to go fishing on the ocean...so they will need to arrange fishing somewhere nearby.

Any advice? Thanks for everything!!!

Hi Melissa,
Believe me, my knowledge still seems quite limited even after many visits--one thing is for sure, CR is very popular these days! And changing rapidly.
Having just spent a few days in that area, I'm not sure how to answer. We have always enjoyed Tamarindo, but it is booming. I don't like the crowds, the busy-ness of that one little road in and out. Just 2 short years ago, Tamarindo was a very different place with a slower pace.
It has some nicer hotels, none of which I am familiar with. The times we've stayed in town, it has been at the moderately priced Hotel Pasatiempo. I believe it is still a good choice for those looking for moderate accomodations, but it is not on the beach. Cala Luna and Capitan Suizo are still very popular, more upscale choices. And I have heard many good things about the B&B Sueno del Mar--it would be my choice, I think.

Our preference now is to just visit Tamarindo, but we have no desire to be in the middle of it for an extended stay. Hotel Sugar Beach would definitely be a good choice in my opinion (haven't stayed, but have looked at the property).

We still like Flamingo Beach Resort, but it wouldn't do for many people. It has a fabulous location and its proximity to Flamingo Beach and those fabulous sunsets is hard to top. The on-site salon operated by Chris and Caroline, a lovely French couple, is excellent and reasonable. Can't imagine a better massage for $45 per hour. The swimming pool and swim-up bar are excellent.

The downside: the rooms don't have much character and are rundown. I think I've heard it used to be a Holiday Inn and that's what the rooms look like. HOWEVER, they do have AC and a television, and we like having both--and they are by no means uncomfortable or unpleasant. Also, it offers bathtubs--kind of nice for a change!
They also offer fishing tours. Another idea for fishing is an hour or so north in the Coco Beach area. I think the name of the hotel is Flor de Itabo (?) that is a popular place for making fishing arrangements. The person who recommended it to me was Jerry Ruhlow--a couple of years ago when I was looking into a fishing trip for my husband and son--which they have yet to take! Jerry is a Costa Rica fishing expert.
I still enjoy that area tremendously, but it is being saturated (more than it already was) with gated communities and luxury residences. We saw this going on nearly everywhere we traveled this past month and it is disheartening and not so pretty.