Before I begin chapter two, I want to thank those of you who wrote to say you like the report, thanks so much for the encouragement. I’ve also taken into consideration the constructive criticism of one poster. Like I said, this is my first trip report and I’m learning as I go.

Also, I need to add something I forgot to say about the Vista Del Valle. At breakfast the morning after my sister and her husband arrived, they told us about a tarantula in their room, the Mona Lisa! My sister said she woke up in the middle of the night and turned on the light and saw a giant tarantula high on the window, inside the room. She said it was way too big to kill and since it looked as though it wasn’t moving down, they opted to pull the netting very tightly around the bed and go back to sleep. She also said she didn’t get too much sleep after that! The next morning, they told Brook about it. Her reaction was a very nonchalant “oh yeah, they come out this time of year”!!! I don’t know about anyone else but I could not share a room with a giant eight-legged thing with hairy legs! I’m getting the creeps just thinking about it. Anyway, back to the Tabacon.

That night, after drinks on the balcony, during which I was forced to try some Johnnie Walker Black, (I don’t like scotch. The JW was able to make it down my throat, unlike most scotch but I still don’t like it--yuk!), we had dinner at the Tabacon’s restaurant. The food was excellent and very reasonable. My husband and I shared an appetizer of cerviche (which was mixed with avocado and was out of this world), each had a main, mine was some sort of pasta dish and hubby had pork chops, and the four of us shared a desert. The bill for my husband and I came to $25.00 (plus tax and service and wine). The four of us also shared a bottle of the same Pinot Noir we had at the Vista, but here it was $10 less. Although we had TV here, there was nothing on that I wanted to watch (no CNN) so I opted to read but my eyes started to close within minutes so we went to sleep at 9:45, looking forward to the zip line adventure we had booked for the following morning.

The following morning we met for an early breakfast as we were all getting picked up at about 9am to go on a zip line tour. Breakfast at the Tabacon (included with the room price) is a wonderful buffet with eggs made to order, all manner of fruit, yogurts, cereals, breads and other goodies.

At 9am, Sky Trek was there to whisk the four of us off to our very first zip line adventure. About 6 others were in our intrepid group. First we were all fitted with harnesses and helmets and other necessary gear, and then taken on a 1.3 km cable ride to the first platform. The ride is through beautiful rainforest and Fabio, our guide, teacher and cheer-leader, explained about the flora and fauna we passed along the way. We arrived at the first line, a rather short line for us to learn what to do and get the feel for what it’s like to soar through the air almost 600 ft above ground. After Fabio and his partner showed us the correct position to be in while flying and one of them zipped over to the second platform, it was our turn. To say I was nervous is an understatement but I decided to be the first of my little group to go, figuring if I waited I might chicken out. Off I went and it was great! The second line was to learn how to brake and when to do so. This line was somewhat longer than the first and this time I was the first of the entire group to go, I couldn’t wait! One person of the whole group opted not to go on, being afraid of heights. This is not an activity for people with vertigo and everyone was sympathetic to his decision to leave. The third line was REALLY long compared to the first two. There were 8 lines total, the longest coming in at 770 meters long and seeming to last forever. I never had so much fun in my life! Soaring high above the ground going 50 miles (not km) per hour, looking at the forest and volcano with a bird’s eye view is truly exhilarating. At one point, Arenal erupted adding to the excitement. On one of the lines, a long one, my sister was apparently having a grand ole time checking out the view and she leaned over to one side, causing her to stop and then go backwards! I was doubled over laughing. Fabio had to go out and rescue her and all ended well. After we completed our zipping, we went back to where it all began and bought photos of ourselves that someone took with a digital camera as we were flying through the air. The entire thing took about 3 ½ hours. Cost for all this fun was $68.00 per person and worth every cent! A word of caution about zip lines: you will not see any wildlife save a bird or two and you will not be up close and personal with the foliage. This is all about an adrenaline rush and on this, it delivers big time. Also, to state the obvious, make sure the company you choose is reputable and puts safety first. If your harness fails to hold you or a cable breaks, you are dead. There is no way to survive a fall from those heights. If you have ANY doubts about the safety of the equipment being used or how it is maintained, walk away.

After being dropped off at the hotel, we grabbed our bathing suits and headed back to the hot springs, of course having lunch and drinks when we got there. Another afternoon of being par-boiled seemed to be just what we needed to relax after all that excitement. While there, I booked a massage at the Iskandria Spa, part of the whole Tabacon hot springs. The massage was in a beautiful outdoor room with open sides, surrounded by the forest and sounds of birds and eruptions. The massage I opted for was a Swedish massage and cost $60 for 45 minutes. Not as good value as the massage at the Vista Del Valle but it was a better massage.

After my massage I headed back to the hotel, had a shower, and, what else, got ready for drinks on the balcony before dinner. This night I opted for beer, scotch not being my thing. Dinner that night again at the hotel. I can’t recall what we ate except for the exceptional creme brulee for desert, but I remember we all loved what we had. We ordered a bottle of a Chilean Chardonnay this time, which was even less expensive than the Pinot Noir, and it was very good. After dinner we walked by the pool, which is right outside the restaurant, and admired the volcano and the red lava coming out the top. Another early night and in bed before 10.

After breakfast the next morning, we decided to hang by the pool. We were being picked up at 12:45 for our transfer to Monteverde. We did the jeep--boat--jeep transfer which cost $30 per person and took about 3 hours. Hearing how dreadful the roads are to Monteverde, I decided to take 2 Dramamine to ensure I wouldn’t feel sick. It also ensured that I slept much of the ride! I was however fully awake for the boat ride on Lake Arenal, which was beautiful with wonderful views of the volcano. After getting off the boat, there was no jeep to greet us and we had to wait in the middle of nowhere for about 20 minutes for our wheels to arrive. It finally did and off we went on some of the worst roads I’ve ever encountered. The roads were not, however, as bad as I expected, but I may have slept through the worst parts. Somewhere along the way we stopped at a gas station/convenience store which allowed us to load up on snacks and gave me a chance to buy some sunglasses, which I stupidly neglected to bring. About a half hour away from our final destination, we stopped at a bakery where we bought some baked goods and stuffed birds that the owner said his wife hand made. Well, she must supply them for stores all over CR because we saw then everywhere after that! We did pay less for them though ($4.00 each, I got the resplendent quetzal). I also got my first sighting ever, albeit fleeting, of a toucanette. This excited me very much since one of the reasons I came to CR was to see the wildlife.

We finally made it to our hotel, the Sapo Dorado, set in beautiful cloud forest. We had three nights here. We each had Sunset Terrace Suites, which were very nice with small balconies (we thought they were going to wrap around the entire front, but they were big enough for the four of us to sit and have drinks on) with beautiful views and lots of birds (and bugs). Supposedly they had great sunset views but we never saw a sunset since it was always rainy at that time of day. My only real complaint about our bungalows is that we had to climb a steep hill to get to them and it seemed to get harder and harder each time we had to do it. The bungalows each had two queen size beds, a wardrobe, table and two chairs, and small refrigerator. A coffee maker would have been a nice touch, especially in a country known for its coffee. The balcony also had two chairs and was a perfect place to relax and do some bird watching. We saw quite a few hummingbirds while sitting out there. After eating our treats from the bakery we walked around the grounds and made plans for the next day, which we decided would be a canopy walk, which we booked through the hotel. We decided to take a walk into Santa Elena, a 20 minute walk which would have taken less time except I tend to go slowly down steep hills. Santa Elena isn’t much of a town, it seemed to be more of a back packers’ trading post and none of us were impressed, all of us being past the backpacker stage (not that there’s anything wrong with that ;-) ) and deep into the yuppie stage of our lives. It started to rain so we ducked into Chunches, a book store cum coffee shop. Not the nicest place but the coffee was delicious and strong. After a stop at a supermarket to pick up some supplies and wine (surprise!) we got a cab back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel for wine on the balcony we decided to have dinner at the hotel since their restaurant gets rave reviews. The Sapo Dorado’s restaurant is lovely, with several different rooms and a small outdoor terrace that never seemed to be open for dinner, perhaps because it was the green season. I had ravioli (with home made pasta) stuffed with 3 kinds of cheeses (or was it four? Can’t remember) and it was delicious and filling. One of the cheeses is gorgonzola which is not the mildest of cheeses so if you don’t like a pungent cheese, don’t order this. We started with a wonderful salad and of course had drinks. I’m sure mine was some sort of fancy daiquiri. I almost never drink these at home but somehow always gravitate to these when in a warm climate where I trust the ice. It was really a pleasure to be able to eat the salads. As I said in Chapter 1, my husband and I usually vacation in SE Asia where salads are a no no. We won’t even eat them in 5 star hotels even though they are probably safe but why take the chance. After dinner we went back to our respective bungalows for another early bed time. After killing the more sinister looking bugs in our room, we crawled into bed and lights were out before 8:30. There was a firefly in our room and I watched his light show before dropping off to sleep.

As became the rule on this trip, I was up at about 5am when the birds started their morning opera. After a shower and with a wait of an hour before breakfast, I really missed not having a coffee maker. I sat out on the balcony and watched the surrounding forest wake up. Breakfast time finally arrived and we had it at the hotel (not included). Service was slow and our water never arrived but otherwise it was fine. At 7:55 we were picked up by Selvatura Tours to be taken to a reserve for a canopy walk ($20.00 per person). We opted to not get a guide since we were told he would not arrive for another 30 minutes. This turned out to be a big mistake. Unless you are very experienced in the flora and fauna of the area and know what to look for and where, you won’t see anything. As my brother-in-law so aptly put it, we saw “a bird and two bugs”. The walk through the canopy was beautiful and fun however though I suspect my sister and I enjoyed it somewhat more than our husbands did. The walk lasted a couple of hours and after we went to the adjacent hummingbird garden. There were lots of beautiful hummingbirds but even more not so beautiful bees. After snapping a few quick pics, we hightailed it out of there. After browsing through the gift shop (I bought a bookmark) we caught the minivan back to the hotel. We asked to be dropped off at a pizza place right below the entrance to the hotel. The pizza place wasn’t opening for another half hour so we went to a little shop next door. The place is best described as a “head shop”. I thought these places became extinct a couple of decades ago but apparently they are alive and well in Costa Rica. They did have some very lovely beaded jewelry and my sister and I bought two bracelets each and I also bought a pair of earrings.

After getting a closer look at the pizza place, we decided it didn’t look too appealing and went back to the hotel and had pizza there. It was absolutely delicious and no more expensive than the prices at the other joint. After filling up on pizza and beer, we decided to check our email since it began to pour. The Sapo Dorado has free internet access for guests in a room that also has a pool table. My sister and husband played pool while my brother-in-law and I checked our email. The connection was very slow but we eventually gained access. We were planning on going on a night trek that evening but it was raining so hard, we decided against it. We went back to our rooms and spent the remainder of the afternoon there, resting and sitting on the balcony. About an hour before dinner we gathered on one of the balconies for some pre-dinner drinks and decided we would hire a private guide for the next morning. We made the arrangements through Lena, the lovely young lady who was at the front desk of the hotel. She arranged for a guide to pick us up at 7:30am ($20 per person, plus tip). Dinner that night was again at the hotel and while I cannot recall what we ate, I do remember that we all found it to be superb. After dinner we went through our nightly ritual of killing bugs and went to sleep at about 8:00. The firefly was still there since we graciously allowed him to live.

The following morning, after an early breakfast at the hotel, our guide, Mauricio, was there to greet us at 7:30. I must say, Costa Ricans are very punctual, at least the ones catering to tourists. We were taken to a private reserve, owned by the Sapo Dorado, about 15 minutes away. Since it is private, we were the only ones in the entire reserve. A good guide is worth his weight in gold and Mauricio was no exception. He was marvelous. An entomologist by training, he was also extremely knowledgeable about animals and plants and gave us a real education. The tour was supposed to last 2 hours but he stayed with us for almost four. We saw a host of birds and insects, including motmots, an emerald toucanette, and, the resplendent quetzal. Well, my sister and I saw the quetzal, it flew away before our husbands got a chance to see it. We saw transparent butterflies and blue morphos butterflies, millipedes, spittle bugs, and, the strangest and ugliest of them all, a tarantula wasp. This last one a giant, extremely nasty looking creature that I wouldn’t want to find again. Its name derives from the fact that it eats tarantulas. Yummy. Mauricio explained to us in detail everything we saw, from the smallest plant to the biggest bird, and how everything in the forest works together to form an ecosystem. He had a powerful spotting scope through which we were able to get close up views of birds and he was more than happy to take pictures through it using our digital cameras. We would not have seen a fraction of what we saw without a guide, certainly not any of the birds, and we never would have known what we were looking at. Upon leaving the reserve, we all felt very lucky to have had Mauricio as our guide. Anyone wishing to hire Mauricio may do so through the desk at the Sapo Dorado and I recommend him very highly. He speaks perfect English, is very friendly and has a wonderful sense of humor.

After lunch at the hotel, we decided to take the Arial Adventures Sky Tram. This is a cable car which goes slowly through cloud forest and the ride lasts 1 ¼ hours. Each car holds two people and we were the only ones there. As my sister said, it was a real hoot. The ride goes through some pretty forest and we saw some hummingbirds and beautiful plants. It is not a guided ride however so you are on your own to figure things out. At the start of the ride, the sky became very dark and threatening and we heard thunder quite frequently, making us (me and my sister) wonder if we would be electrocuted out there. The storm never materialized though and things cleared up quite nicely after a while. About three quarters of the way into the ride, there is a little cafeteria that serves coffee. When you approach it, you stop the car, which you can do at any time during the ride, and get your cups of coffee which are handed to you while you stay in the car. The coffee isn’t great but it is free.

We opted to get dropped off in Santa Elena and find a restaurant to have dinner in, figuring we should sample some food outside of a hotel. After stopping at Café Rainforest, which Lonely Planet says has the “best coffee in town” (it was very good), we did a bit of shopping (more wine) and went into a few souvenir shops but found nothing we cared to buy.

We settled on Morpho’s Restaurant for dinner since it looked good and was recommended by Lonely Planet. Now I do not usually put too much stock into LP’s suggestions for food since they tend to cater to those who don’t have (or don’t care to spend) much money, but since other guidebooks, including Fodor’s, recommended it, we gave it a try. The place was nice enough but hardly the romantic spot it was billed as. As for the food, well, it was so so. We each had some kind of casados , except my brother-in-law. I can’t remember what he had but he wasn’t overly impressed either. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that the food was bad, it wasn’t, it just wasn’t nearly as good as the food we had been having at the hotels. This is possibly due to the chefs at the hotels catering more to tourists and having somewhat more imaginative menus. My guess is that what we had at Morpho’s is more typical CR food though. Morpho’s did make a very tasty strawberry daiquiri.

After dinner we took a cab back to the hotel and had another early night. We were being picked up the following morning at 8:00 to be taken to Manuel Antonio. After turning off the lights, I waited for our firefly to show himself but alas, he wasn’t there.

Next chapter: sloths, monkeys and the Jungle Boys.

Nice trip report! We are leaving next Sat. and I am finding your descriptions very helpful for our planning!

Thanks Skedaddle, I enjoyed your HK Macau and China report.

Excellent trip report Laurieco! I was able to picture so much of your trip, which will help me plan for our trip there next month! Looking forward to reading the next chapter.....

thanks beena, I'm glad my report helped.
Laurie

Laurie,

I know that I am going to sound like a real wimp, but can I ask you what the options are if you find a tarantula in your room at Vista del Valle??! My husband and I are staying there for our first night in CR and we are also staying in the Mona Lisa room. I can handle small spiders but large ones make me slightly freak out and I DEFINITELY will not be able to sleep if there is one in our room. Is there someone at the front desk at night if we need help removing one? I am very excited for our trip and all the wildlife, I am just hoping to avoid this particular experience!! Thanks for any help that you and anyone else can give us!!

Melissa

Melissa, the front desk closes at either 9 or 10pm so no, there won't be anyone there. I don't think you're a wimp at all--I would NEVER stay in a room with a tarantula and I still can't believe my sister and brother-in-law did! The good news is, it will most likely leave you alone but still, I would ask as soon as you get there if it has been removed. If not or they are vague in the answer, ask for another room. If the Ilan Ilan is available, I would take that as the layout is the same but it's newer and better constructed so the roof won't (I don't think) allow a spider that size to get in. The Ilan Ilan is $10 per night more but worth it. You get a Motmot Good luck.

Laurie,

Thanks so much for the advice--I will check on that room for availability. Your trip reports have been wonderful and very informative since we are going to many of the same places in a few weeks. Can't wait! Thanks again.

Melissa

NOW, we're talking, laurieco!

I also prefer to type and edit in Word. There was a period of weeks when Fodor's had message posting problems. Serious problems that have since been eradicated.

This is a good read.

LaurieCo, thanks for sharing your great trip report! We're going to be staying at Sapo Dorado too. What's the name of the private reserve owned by Sapo dorado that you had the guide take you through? I think I read about that and we'd like to do that too.

We'll have the Mountain cabin at El Sapo dorado and I am so glad my biologist hubby will be there to get rid of the bugs before bed-time. I've seen him get rid of bugs...he scoops them into something and lets them go outside. Course, I guess if you're in a cabin and you open the door, you're liable to let in new bugs! If the bugs aren't harmful he catches them in his bare hand and lets them go outside.

I've seen tarantulas, rarely, in southern california. They are horrid looking but the ones I have seen were docile. Trust me, nothing is more disgusting than a squashed tarantula...don't even try it, my cousin did that once and I was horrified.

Laurieco, it was nice of you to try to break up your report into paragraphs. It is easier to read that way.

I have another hint. When you are editing your trip report, see if you can mention the subject on the first line of each new paragraph...I mean mentioning things like "Sky Trek zip-line", or "El Sapo Dorado hotel", on the first line of new paragraphs. This helps people who are searching through many trip reports for specific info about a certain tour or a certain hotel.

I really like the way you have included realistic details, like the nightly bug hunt in your room!

Would you return to Costa Rica for a second trip? What would you change?

Hi Melissa5,

I don't know the name of the reserve owned by the Sapo Dorado but if you ask at the desk and say you want to hire a private guide and mention Mauricio, I'm sure you will end up in the same place.

I would return to Costa Rica. What would I do different? First of all, I would NOT fly American Airlines there! Seriously, I would spend a few more nights in Manuel Antonio and less at the Vista Del Valle, one at the start and another at the end at the Vista. Perhaps 2 nights in Monteverde instead of three but I don't think you would go wrong if you shose three there.

Another, more serious thing I would do is take anti-malarial meds. I chose not to this time even though I always do when on a vacation where there is risk. I ended up coming down with a very high fever a few days ago. It's gone down but it goes up (though not as high) at times too. I was tested for malaria this morning and am awaiting the results.

Sorry, that is CHOSE three not shose. This is why I need to type in Word ;-)

Laurieco.....I truly hope that your medical tests come back negative for anything serious. Please let us know how you are doing. And many thanks for a great trip report.

Feel better soon, laurieco!

Hope all is well , fingers crossed ..... Faith .

I got the results fo my malaria test and it is negative so it looks like I'll live I have to monitor my temperature for the next couple of days but as long as it stays down, I shouldn't have any worries. Thanks to those who expressed concern.

The final chapter of my trip report should be up in a day or two. Stay tuned.

Laurie

Laurie, feel better soon! Glad you don't have malaria.

Laurie, do you think whatever you did get, that you picked it up in Costa Rica? What were/are your other symptoms? I'm sure glad the report was negative-must have scared the bijeezees out of you! One must wonder though what you DID catch. Any other ideas or tests they ran on you? or perhaps it's just a flu bug? Hope you are soon feeling better-have been looking for AND forward to your chapter 3 trip report! SEE, that's how good they are! Take care, Tina

Hi beena, I have no idea what I had. I'm all better now. I may have caught something on the plane going home (American Airlines final insult?) I'm not going to worry about it now that everything is all right but I'm going to Malaysia in September and will be spending time in Borneo and you can be sure I WILL be taking anti-malarial meds!

WHEW !!! Glad u r well !!! Faith .