Go Back  Fodor's Travel Talk Forums > Destinations > Mexico & Central America
Reload this Page >

Just back from Peace Lodge, Bosque del Cabo, and Vista del Valle - Great trip!

Search

Just back from Peace Lodge, Bosque del Cabo, and Vista del Valle - Great trip!

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jul 8th, 2007, 05:54 PM
  #21  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 24,839
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
cmerrell, I'm already getting excited for you. It's true - once you go, you want everyone else to get to go to see how wonderful it is!

We had a hard time deciding which activities to do, and we ended up doing the ones everyone recommended the most. We really loved everything we did.

If we had had one more day, I would have liked to do the Rio Esquina tour. Some of our dinnermate companions raved about it, and it sounded very Cano Negroesque to me, and you know I love Cano Negro! This couple said it was the best thing they did - they even got great pics of a boa. I was wanting to see a snake - but from afar!
volcanogirl is offline  
Old Jul 9th, 2007, 06:38 PM
  #22  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 24,839
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
DAY SIX - BDC

Boo, hiss - this is our last day at BdC. We get up and see our new friends one last time - have breakfast, and everyone decides they want to see each others' cabins. I think we all want to scope them out and check out the views to see how they compare. Our friends in Congo invite us to come see their cabin - wow, amazing view! This is THE view I always read about on the Fodor's board. It looks down on this neat, arched rock formation, and as we're looking a flock of pelicans flies by; we get amazing pictures. A Jesus Christ lizard lounges in the sun nearby. Pretty cool. All the cabins are amazing, but the Congo view is hard to beat.

We get packed up and six of us head off to the airport together. People start exchanging e-mails and taking pictures. Really amazing that a week ago we were strangers. I think that's what BdC does to people.

The Sansa pickup spot is the same gravel road by the graveyard, and we just sit there and wait for our plane to come in. They don't weigh us - just hang our luggage on a hook to check the weight. As they are doing this, a couple Americans start looking panicky, and I see a big black scorpion crawling out of their suitcase. First one we saw of those, and last one we want to see! But of course, we all take pictures of it!

The teeny plane arrives, and we all board - the view from the air is beautiful - can see the water for a good portion of the trip. Finally land in San Jose - the air feels so good. Temps are about 20 degrees cooler than in the Osa, and it has been raining. Our Vista del Valle driver picks us up, and we're off!
volcanogirl is offline  
Old Jul 10th, 2007, 10:32 AM
  #23  
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 5,541
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Congo rocks, eh? I kept reminding myself to get off that deck & off my behind but it was hard to tear myself away sometimes.

I have never seen a scorpion yet in CR & I certainly wouldn't want to see one crawling out of my bag! Good thing I'm neurotic about keeping it closed all the time.

Looking forward to your view VdV, a place I've yet to hit but always wanted to.
tully is offline  
Old Jul 10th, 2007, 10:47 AM
  #24  
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 3,750
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
volcanogirl -- Really enjoying your trip report! It's always fun reading other people's "adjectives"

Regarding bats, when I found ours in the bathroom it was just sleeping on the floor under the bathroom counter. At first, I thought it was the hugest bug ever, after getting my flashlight, I saw it was a bat. The bat roosted in the doorway above our outdoor shower and apparently feasted, because there was a small pool of blood there the next day, and then a small pile of guana in the same spot for the following 2 days. Wierd!

One of the honeymoon couples had 2 scorpions in their cabina. (Hint, don't lift up the couch cushions if you don't wanna know)!

We were thrilled with the toucans as well, and saw 3 different types since we visited the Caribbean side also. Maybe your hubby will want to visit that side next time!

It sounds like you both got a lot of experience with all types of wildlife. Exciting!

I'm looking forward to seeing the new work they're doing around the bar when we return I just received another nice long e-mail from Kim telling me all about their AK cruise. Also, she said great things about all the Fodorites and she delivered my "hello" message to Jill
hipvirgochick is offline  
Old Jul 10th, 2007, 04:39 PM
  #25  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 24,839
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Tully, I was so glad I got to see that Congo view. Kim said everyone loves it because they like to look at the rock out there!

hipvirgochick, you got the baby bat in the pool AND a bat by your cabin? I think I'm glad I missed those. I got enough of them when I was running through the trails trying to get back to the cabina before dark. I was always kicking myself for not bringing my headlamp along.

My husband had this habit of saying, "Babe, oh wow, babe" or "Baby, OMG, babe!" And I never knew if it was a cool monkey sighting or a terciopelo or what!
volcanogirl is offline  
Old Jul 10th, 2007, 04:45 PM
  #26  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 24,839
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I forgot to mention - as we were going down the driveway of BdC to leave, we saw an anteater strolling down the road. Very cool - I finally got to see something that would make the "sightings" board! And we saw a troop of coatis with babies - those guys are the cutest.

hvc, I had one of Jose's margaritas too - yowza, they don't skimp on the alcohol, do they?
volcanogirl is offline  
Old Jul 10th, 2007, 05:00 PM
  #27  
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 3,750
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Yeah, imagine yourself trying to go to the bathroom, while not taking your eyes off this little bat under your bathroom counter for fear it would fly out at you at any given time! Gotta love the jungle!

Those coatis are so darn cute with all their tails pointing straight up toward the sky!

Jose is too funny. My first margarita was great. I took a sip of the 2nd one and said "Jose! Are you trying to kill me?" He laughed and got the hint. Hangovers, heat and hiking are not a good mix!
hipvirgochick is offline  
Old Jul 10th, 2007, 08:56 PM
  #28  
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,266
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Bats in the belfry, eh HVC? ;-)

A bat in our cabin would concern me less than a scorpion, I think. As long as it wasn't flying at me or leaving 'presents' on my bed or bags, and just minding its own business. I would probably even be okay with scorpions as long as I had a viable way to shoo them out of my room.

I too, look forward to your thoughts on VdV, volcanogirl. From their website and the reviews posted here, it sounds like a gorgeous place!
cmerrell is offline  
Old Jul 11th, 2007, 03:53 AM
  #29  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 24,839
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
VISTA DEL VALLE

Must mention that at this point my husband is proclaiming that I am the best vacation planner ever! I ask him if he likes this year's trip better than last year's to CR, and he says that that was the best trip ever too. The only place we've loved as much as CR is Hawaii - and CR is waaaay closer to us, less of a time change, and much more affordable. No brainer for us.

The Vista del Valle driver asks me, "Habla espanol?" And I tell him, "Un poquito solamente..." "Habla ingles?"..."No." So, I guess we're not chatting much with the driver on this trip. I speak very basic Spanish but understand it more than I can speak it. I found that we used it a lot less on this trip because we mostly ate at the hotels and did hotel tours. Kevin at BdC let us practice our Spanish with him though - very sweet guy. "Hay muchos caballos" etc. My husband is just learning.

So Vista del Valle is only about 20 minutes from the SJO airport, but it seems worlds apart. It's in a really hilly, lush green location. My husband hands the driver a tip, and he says, "You pay me directly." Guess he knows a little English! The price is only twenty bucks, which we think is well worth it. He carries the bags to our room, and we start exploring the grounds and head to the restaurant for a late lunch.

The grounds at VdV are really pretty - much more landscaped than most places in CR - tons of beautiful flowers and plants, and the whole place has a view of a canyon overlooking the Rio Grande River. This perplexed me - I'm from Texas and trying to figure out if this is the same Rio Grande we have back home. We drove over the Colorado River too. Still need to check on that.

There's a really nice pool and a hot tub amid the lush grounds and also a small, nice gift shop. We buy a couple of things at the gift shop - a small carved wooden bowl in case I don't find the big one I want at the airport. There's a cute cat that hangs out in the gift shop and also a friendly dog that trots around the grounds. I am a total dog lover, so I get a kick out of him. He even comes and sits by us in the restaurant. Can you imagine such a thing in the states?

We are still a little full from the whopping BdC portions, so we split nachos and get a couple of drinks. The view from the restaurant is amazing - open air with views of the hills on all sides. Apparently it's been raining there because things are really green and the air is cool. The food and drinks are good. Service is nice, but much more reserved here than at BdC.

After lunch, we decide to do the waterfall hike. We find the trail and start hiking. Man, it's quite slippery and some of the wooden steps don't seem like they are in the best condition. We go and go, but it's getting harder. Wishing we had some walking sticks or something. Eventually we come to some steps that are so steep and then it starts going straight down. We give up when it seems like we really might die - LOL. Everything is super slick from the previous rain. We were joking that in the US, this would be a lawsuit waiting to happen, but such a different mentality in CR. Our consensus is that since we just did La Paz, we'll give this one a pass. We head back to our room with our Keen's completely encrusted in mud.

The hiking area is quite pretty, but we don't have any animal sightings like we did at BdC. I miss all the animals.

Next up, our room...
volcanogirl is offline  
Old Jul 11th, 2007, 04:02 AM
  #30  
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 5,541
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Oh don't ya love those late night bathroom trips? I wear contacts but at night I would only take out one or the other as I hated getting up in the middle of the night being, ahem, blind as a bat.

Yes they are very liberal at the bar with drinks! I still remember my first night there, first trip. Had 2 drinks at the bar, then dinner. When it came time to head back to my cabin, I realized I had paid absolutely no attention on arrival where my cabina was. I kept walking up in the dark with just the flashlight to I swear about half the cabins til I finally found mine.

We need to be like Jolie-Pitt and try to rent BdC all up for a week for GTG, lol.



tully is offline  
Old Jul 11th, 2007, 04:44 AM
  #31  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 24,839
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I had the same experience - which cabin is mine again?! At first, they all look so much alike.

Yea, the late night bathroom trips - LOL! I always kept my headlamp by the bed and would do a quick swoosh, swoosh with the light to make sure we didn't have any little visitors.

cmerrell, we thought it was so interesting the way CR vs. the states regard insects. Here we don't hestitate to smash them, but there everyone takes pictures of them and gently releases them outside. You'll be glad to know that Mr. Scorpion got carried away to a little area off the runway after posing for his pictures. Bats freak me out a little because back home they carry rabies - not sure if that's an issue in CR. The Manglillo folks that got one told me they all huddled under their mosquito netting until it went away. They were such a cute family. I've adopted the CR attitude towards bugs and such. We had a June bug in the house the other day and my husband was trying to catch it, and I kept yelling, "Don't kill it!" My in-laws thought I was nuts, but I figure the little guy jsut wanted to get back outside.

Okay, gotta run to work but more on VdV later....
volcanogirl is offline  
Old Jul 11th, 2007, 04:46 AM
  #32  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 24,839
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Sorry - should say "just" - can't type this early - LOL!
volcanogirl is offline  
Old Jul 11th, 2007, 05:49 PM
  #33  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 24,839
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
VISTA DEL VALLE

We stayed in the Mona Lisa room. It's really more like a little round palapa - very cute on the outside. The inside was a little disappointing - kind of dark and not much to it really. I've seen pictures of other rooms at VDV, and the bathrooms looked pretty updated, but this one wasn't - dark walls, dark green sink, dark green toilet - but still comfortable and something I could definitely live with for a day. The walls have dark faux painted stones that make the place seem kind of hobbitish - strange because all the other rooms have Japanese architecture. One great thing about it - the blow dryer - yes, I can get civilized hair again!

I decide to head outside to take pictures. Mona Lisa is situated right next to the lush canyon - really pretty. I'm wandering down the path near our room, and it deadends right at our outdoor shower. Freaks me out a little bit because if anyone comes down that path, they would be in our shower with us. And then I look, and there's a glass wall with our toilet on the other side, and my husband is in there! LOL! Amusing to me, but also kind of weird. The management tells me that no one ever goes down that path, but we build a Les Miserablesque barricade out of rocking chairs to block the path!

We hit the pool - very pretty, and then the hot tub, which is also very nice. And then decide to go to dinner at the restaurant. It's really romantic in the evening - you eat by candlelight and have a view of all the twinkling lights of San Jose down below. They only offer one choice for dinner - we have salad with hearts of palm and grilled shrimp with some veggies and our last Imperials. The service is good - seems more formal and reserved than other places in CR. Then off to bed for our last night.

So then we realize the cabina has no window coverings. Hopefully no one will go down the path because they could see us changing clothes and also in bed. There are big windows that run all along the main wall. I'm sure we were just being paranoid, but it was hard for us to get comfortable there, and I think some window coverings would go a long way.

In the morning, I hear the loudest croaking frog ever and whisper to my husband that I'm going to go out and take pictures of it. Lo and behold, it's a keel-billed toucan! Seriously, this is the best thing ever. It is gorgeous - all rainbowy and sitting right outside our door. Now I love the Mona Lisa room - LOL! I go in and whisper to my husband to come outside, and then he sees it. You would have thought it was Christmas day! We were told they were only on the Caribbean side, so we're shocked to see him! We take loads of pics and then head off to breakfast.

Breakfast is in the same open air restaurant - they have homemade granola cereal and good fresh fruit, also eggs, and a big square of fried cheese - it was really good. After breakfast we hike the grounds some more and then our driver arrives to take us back to SJO.

Our flight is delayed for an hour, so I decide to hit the Morpho gift shop - great shop (owned by Cafe Britt I think). I buy a gorgeous wooden salad bowl with tongs, 2 Imperial t-shirts, and also find a stuffed toucan to surprise my husband with. At our gate, a Costa Rican man is singing songs and selling CDs - he was the same man that was playing when we left CR last year, so I guess this is a regular gig for him. We own his CD, so it was fun to see him again.

We board our plane and then back to the states - sorry to leave CR behind, but already looking forward to trip #3.

You guys will probably be getting more questions from me soon! Thank you again to everyone who helped us plan this wonderful vacation. We loved it!
volcanogirl is offline  
Old Jul 12th, 2007, 04:36 PM
  #34  
 
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 632
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Wow, this post is going to be copied and given to our friends that are "afraid" of Costa Rica (or just maybe travel outside of the U.S.A. period) How can they not be enthralled after reading all of this? I AM SO ENVIOUS. Our first trip to CR was to Tamarindo and they say that is not CR. WEll, we loved it, so look at all the regions we have to look forward to after starting at the "bottom"!!!! WE knew ONE person in CR and met him near the SJO airport the last night we were there two yrs. ago. He told us, Osa is where he would recommend us to go to next. At that time, I did not know about Fodors. I have been blessed since then. Thank you vocanogirl and all the additional posters. Pura Vida
Dyer is offline  
Old Jul 12th, 2007, 04:51 PM
  #35  
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 5,541
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
That is too cool about the toucan. Hmmm, think if I ever do get to VdV though Mona Lisa may not be my cup of tea. Thanks for posting the whole report, it really sounds like an awesome time and is nice to go back and nod at so many things.
tully is offline  
Old Jul 12th, 2007, 05:47 PM
  #36  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 24,839
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Dyer, we were afraid to do the Osa for our first trip, so we did Arenal and Manuel Antonio last year, but I kept reading all the great Osa posts, and I just knew we had to go. We loved our first trip, and we loved our second trip too. Hopefully we have many more trips to Costa Rica in our future.

This board is probably the greatest source of advertising for Bosque del Cabo because everyone who goes there loves it. I'd highly recommend it. I got such a kick our of Kim, the owner, mentioning Suzie2, and Tully, and Shillmac by name!

Tully, isn't Shillmac there now? I was showing people at work my pictures, and I think my entire office wants to go now. I think if we hadn't stayed in Mona Lisa, we never would have seen the toucan, so it all turned out well in the end.
volcanogirl is offline  
Old Jul 12th, 2007, 06:26 PM
  #37  
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 5,541
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Kim emailed me on the 10th & said Jill had just left, said she great weather but rains at night. I think that was the flight (PJ-SJO) that she was nervous about, about Nature Air dropping her off at SJO instead of at Pavas. Hope she made it! It is really nice to compare notes & talk about a place we all fell in love with, and it makes it so nice to always see the same names of the staff pop up year after year as well. Not the same as being there but helps!

I'm definitely going to stray at VDV next trip though, they have a room/cabin there with a lovely deck I see on their website. Was it very crowded? Quiet? It looks like a nice place to wind down before going home.
tully is offline  
Old Jul 12th, 2007, 06:27 PM
  #38  
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 5,541
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
oops meant stay at VDV....although I may stray too
tully is offline  
Old Jul 12th, 2007, 06:40 PM
  #39  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 24,839
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Yep, VDV had very quiet pretty grounds - we didn't really see very many people about until we got to the restaurant. We were the only people in the pool and in the hot tub when we were there. I would stay there again but would pick a different room - an updated one with drapes! Seems like the room just didn't match the splendor of the grounds or the restaurant.

I meant to mention in my trip report that both Peace Lodge and Vista del Valle supplied shampoo and conditioner which I thought was very nice. Makes it so much easier for packing. Peace Lodge even supplied robes for us to wear. They're pretty short, and I sneaked out on the balcony early in the morning to see the view, and I got a wolf whistle, but it turns out it was only one of the birds in the aviary. No shampoo or conditioner at BdC - just that Aloe Vera soap that has the memorable scent.

Thanks again for reading my report, everyone; I hope everyone gets a chance to get to CR very soon. Pura vida!
volcanogirl is offline  
Old Jul 13th, 2007, 05:21 AM
  #40  
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I understand they have new condos for rent at Vista del Valle that are a little more upscale. Would you recommend them?
BocaGirl is offline  


Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -