Just returned from a great trip!
May 24th, 2007, 07:32 PM
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Just returned from a great trip!
Shillmac reminded me as a fellow Fodorite I needed to make a report on our trip this month. Things have finally slowed down so here it goes. First of all thank you all for the great info that is so helpful
My husband and I went in Sept 06 and had to go back. This time some family members joined us. We were a multigenerational crew. My husband and I in our 50's, my mother in her 70's, a sister-in-law in her 40's, a brother in his 30's and our son in his 20's. We all had a ball and my mother did everything except the zip line. I hope I get around as well as her in another 20 years. We are all ready to take off again.
We spent the night in Alejuela at the Hotel Villa Bonita. We just feel at home there. We ate a wonderful steak dinner at an Argentinia restaurant named Casa de Comera. The hotel owner invited us to go with him to a place he plays in a band the night of arrival. The younger men took him up on the offer. Us older folk turned in early. Thank goodness they were in room #3 and did not disturb the rest of us on their return at 4 a.m. They reported on a great time.
Next day up early and off to La Paz Waterfall Park. What a beautiful and interesting place. The stretch to the last waterfall had mom a little wended. We stopped as needed and she saw it all. I would say it is a must see for everyone. Be warned the Fern Trail is quite a walk. My husband "got lost" and I thought I was going to have to send out a search party when he finally staggered into the reception area.
That night we stayed at the Poas Lodge so we could get up early and try to see the Poas volcano. It was rainy and very chilly so the large fireplaces were lovely to sit in front of with your feet up. I was wondering if we were really in the hot season.
Up early and success...just after we arrived the clouds almost completly cleared the bowl of the volcano.
From there on to Peurto Viejo de Sarapiquie where we stayed at the La Quinta Country Inn. I would also recommend this hotel. We got there in time to catch the 2 pm tour of the Corsicanna Pineapple farm. It was very interesting...now I can at least pick a fresh pineapple! We decided to get out for dinner. We turned left on the highway and found a restaurant a short way up the road called the La Rana Rojo (The Red Frog). It was very good and prices were low. Even had cheeseburgers.
The next day we toured the La Selva Biological Research Center. The tour was 3 hours of walking. I had expected more info from our guide. Found out he had only worked 4 months and was not a student. I would not choose to go there again. If you do go ...from the La Quinta turn to the left and it is 12KM into town, turn right at the major intersection, see gas station on the right, keep going about 1.5 km, turn right at sign for La Selva and travel thru first gate and park at second. Best to wear pants and shoes that cover your feet. If you don't they have socks to sell you and rubber boots.
That afternoon we went to the Tirimbina Wildlife Park. It is located on the main highway (turn right leaving La Quinta). This is a 2 hour easy walk thru the rain forest, across a suspended bridge over the Sarapiquie River, takes you back into a cocoa plantation. There is an informative talk of cocoa's history in the area and a chance to grind roasted cocoa beans and sample a cocoa drink. I found the guide was very informative of the terrain in general. I would recommend this tour over La Selva if you want a shorter and easier trek. That evening some of our group ventured out to dinner and found a place they raved about. Great sea food! From La Quinta they turned right and went about 5 km. They thought the place was called San Selva. Said the decor was very uniquie, tables and chairs made out of tree trunks and buttress roots. The three of them shocked and delighted the owner by eating a dinner for 5.
The next morning we were up early for white water rafting. My mother does not swim but she felt secure with the lifejacket and sitting in front of our guide. The river was down due to earlier lack of rain. The usual class 2 & 3 was certainly not as exciting as our earlier ride on the Picuare class 4 but it was a good introduction to the others that had never rafted. We rode with La Sarapiquie Rafting.
Back to the hotel for a quick change and on the road to La Fortuna. The roads are always interesting. We only had one close call with an 18 wheeler and a hair pin curve! Made it safely to Hotel Arenal Paraiso.
While in the area we rode horses, enjoyed a delightful massage and dinner at Tobacon Hot Springs, went on the day trip to Cano Negro Refuge (a most and don't miss the iguana lizards at the Iguana Restaurant on the way up there), shopped in La Fortuna, ate dinner one night at the Arenal Observatory Lodge and were all captivated by the lava flow. We felt the rough road is worth taking and will stay there on our next visit for at least two nights.
In La Fortuna we located an ATM at the Bank of Costa Rica (2 blocks east of the town square) that took everone's card. Also found a local restaurant called Masa Mama's. Walk behind the nice 2 story store, past the ice cream shop, turn left and it is 2-1/2 blocks down on the left. Lots of food, low prices. Also enjoyed burgers at Bugy's on main street.
The next day off to Monteverde. Nothing could prepare us for the road condition. OK, I have been there, done that, may never return! But if I had known the way I would have prepared a picnic lunch, worn my swin suit, and stopped at the Vienta Fresco Waterfall site and taken a rest. You come across it not too long after you leave the paved road. Be warned, our Suzuki APV almost did not make it up the first steep hill when we left. My husband had to back down and make a faster start up. There is a series of 4 waterfalls. The first waterfall had about a 50 foot pool that was about 4 feet deep under the fall. They had made a concrete dam to form the pool and we enjoyed sitting on the edge and dangling our feet in the cool, clear water. The first two wterfalls are a short walk, the third waterfall has a large pool under the falls and a grassy place to catch the sun. However, it was a 200 meter walk and only our two young guys checked it out. Also, they saw two snakes cross the trail.
Back on the road and after a three hour bone jarring ride we arrived at Monteverde just in time to buy some cheese at the Cheese Factory before they closed. We stayed at the El Sapo Dorado Hotel. It was very nice but our Sunset Terrace room was a steep walk from where we could park. I will have to remember to ask for rooms close to the road next time.
The next day we had to do Sky Trek...what a rush, I loved it! Mom decided to sit that adventure out. I was glad she did after the hike to the first platform. My husband and I make it but had to catch our breath upon arrival. Mom stayed near the reception area at their hummingbird park and delighted in all the birds she got to check off in our bird book.
Arose early and spent our last day traveling to Sarchi for some serious trinket shopping. In addition to the Cooperative de Artesanos store we found a mall on the road to Grecia called Artista's Plaza. Restaurant to the left of the entrance had CR/Mexican food that was good. The place is full of individual shops, maybe a little higher than the coop store, but a large, varied selection and I enjoyed browsing while the rest shopped.
Back to Hotel Villa Bonita for our last night with Humberto and Carmen and little Felipe. Enjoyed our last dinner at a Peruvian restuarant 2 blocks away that Shillmac told me about. My cerviche and pan fried sea bass was a delicious final treat!
Then back to home and reality the next day! We have seen the east coast, the north central region, next...the west coast! Looking forward your advice to help plan that trip next year.
Forgive my typos and misspelled words.
Still dreaming about a small vacation home in Costa Rica!
My husband and I went in Sept 06 and had to go back. This time some family members joined us. We were a multigenerational crew. My husband and I in our 50's, my mother in her 70's, a sister-in-law in her 40's, a brother in his 30's and our son in his 20's. We all had a ball and my mother did everything except the zip line. I hope I get around as well as her in another 20 years. We are all ready to take off again.
We spent the night in Alejuela at the Hotel Villa Bonita. We just feel at home there. We ate a wonderful steak dinner at an Argentinia restaurant named Casa de Comera. The hotel owner invited us to go with him to a place he plays in a band the night of arrival. The younger men took him up on the offer. Us older folk turned in early. Thank goodness they were in room #3 and did not disturb the rest of us on their return at 4 a.m. They reported on a great time.
Next day up early and off to La Paz Waterfall Park. What a beautiful and interesting place. The stretch to the last waterfall had mom a little wended. We stopped as needed and she saw it all. I would say it is a must see for everyone. Be warned the Fern Trail is quite a walk. My husband "got lost" and I thought I was going to have to send out a search party when he finally staggered into the reception area.
That night we stayed at the Poas Lodge so we could get up early and try to see the Poas volcano. It was rainy and very chilly so the large fireplaces were lovely to sit in front of with your feet up. I was wondering if we were really in the hot season.
Up early and success...just after we arrived the clouds almost completly cleared the bowl of the volcano.
From there on to Peurto Viejo de Sarapiquie where we stayed at the La Quinta Country Inn. I would also recommend this hotel. We got there in time to catch the 2 pm tour of the Corsicanna Pineapple farm. It was very interesting...now I can at least pick a fresh pineapple! We decided to get out for dinner. We turned left on the highway and found a restaurant a short way up the road called the La Rana Rojo (The Red Frog). It was very good and prices were low. Even had cheeseburgers.
The next day we toured the La Selva Biological Research Center. The tour was 3 hours of walking. I had expected more info from our guide. Found out he had only worked 4 months and was not a student. I would not choose to go there again. If you do go ...from the La Quinta turn to the left and it is 12KM into town, turn right at the major intersection, see gas station on the right, keep going about 1.5 km, turn right at sign for La Selva and travel thru first gate and park at second. Best to wear pants and shoes that cover your feet. If you don't they have socks to sell you and rubber boots.
That afternoon we went to the Tirimbina Wildlife Park. It is located on the main highway (turn right leaving La Quinta). This is a 2 hour easy walk thru the rain forest, across a suspended bridge over the Sarapiquie River, takes you back into a cocoa plantation. There is an informative talk of cocoa's history in the area and a chance to grind roasted cocoa beans and sample a cocoa drink. I found the guide was very informative of the terrain in general. I would recommend this tour over La Selva if you want a shorter and easier trek. That evening some of our group ventured out to dinner and found a place they raved about. Great sea food! From La Quinta they turned right and went about 5 km. They thought the place was called San Selva. Said the decor was very uniquie, tables and chairs made out of tree trunks and buttress roots. The three of them shocked and delighted the owner by eating a dinner for 5.
The next morning we were up early for white water rafting. My mother does not swim but she felt secure with the lifejacket and sitting in front of our guide. The river was down due to earlier lack of rain. The usual class 2 & 3 was certainly not as exciting as our earlier ride on the Picuare class 4 but it was a good introduction to the others that had never rafted. We rode with La Sarapiquie Rafting.
Back to the hotel for a quick change and on the road to La Fortuna. The roads are always interesting. We only had one close call with an 18 wheeler and a hair pin curve! Made it safely to Hotel Arenal Paraiso.
While in the area we rode horses, enjoyed a delightful massage and dinner at Tobacon Hot Springs, went on the day trip to Cano Negro Refuge (a most and don't miss the iguana lizards at the Iguana Restaurant on the way up there), shopped in La Fortuna, ate dinner one night at the Arenal Observatory Lodge and were all captivated by the lava flow. We felt the rough road is worth taking and will stay there on our next visit for at least two nights.
In La Fortuna we located an ATM at the Bank of Costa Rica (2 blocks east of the town square) that took everone's card. Also found a local restaurant called Masa Mama's. Walk behind the nice 2 story store, past the ice cream shop, turn left and it is 2-1/2 blocks down on the left. Lots of food, low prices. Also enjoyed burgers at Bugy's on main street.
The next day off to Monteverde. Nothing could prepare us for the road condition. OK, I have been there, done that, may never return! But if I had known the way I would have prepared a picnic lunch, worn my swin suit, and stopped at the Vienta Fresco Waterfall site and taken a rest. You come across it not too long after you leave the paved road. Be warned, our Suzuki APV almost did not make it up the first steep hill when we left. My husband had to back down and make a faster start up. There is a series of 4 waterfalls. The first waterfall had about a 50 foot pool that was about 4 feet deep under the fall. They had made a concrete dam to form the pool and we enjoyed sitting on the edge and dangling our feet in the cool, clear water. The first two wterfalls are a short walk, the third waterfall has a large pool under the falls and a grassy place to catch the sun. However, it was a 200 meter walk and only our two young guys checked it out. Also, they saw two snakes cross the trail.
Back on the road and after a three hour bone jarring ride we arrived at Monteverde just in time to buy some cheese at the Cheese Factory before they closed. We stayed at the El Sapo Dorado Hotel. It was very nice but our Sunset Terrace room was a steep walk from where we could park. I will have to remember to ask for rooms close to the road next time.
The next day we had to do Sky Trek...what a rush, I loved it! Mom decided to sit that adventure out. I was glad she did after the hike to the first platform. My husband and I make it but had to catch our breath upon arrival. Mom stayed near the reception area at their hummingbird park and delighted in all the birds she got to check off in our bird book.
Arose early and spent our last day traveling to Sarchi for some serious trinket shopping. In addition to the Cooperative de Artesanos store we found a mall on the road to Grecia called Artista's Plaza. Restaurant to the left of the entrance had CR/Mexican food that was good. The place is full of individual shops, maybe a little higher than the coop store, but a large, varied selection and I enjoyed browsing while the rest shopped.
Back to Hotel Villa Bonita for our last night with Humberto and Carmen and little Felipe. Enjoyed our last dinner at a Peruvian restuarant 2 blocks away that Shillmac told me about. My cerviche and pan fried sea bass was a delicious final treat!
Then back to home and reality the next day! We have seen the east coast, the north central region, next...the west coast! Looking forward your advice to help plan that trip next year.
Forgive my typos and misspelled words.
Still dreaming about a small vacation home in Costa Rica!
May 24th, 2007, 08:38 PM
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LOL! Maybe we could jointly afford a duplex! 
Thanks for all that great info. You sure turned up some new stuff for us, and I plan to print out your thread. And you mentioned lots of stuff that we've not had a chance to talk about yet, so I especially enjoyed reading your report.
I've mentioned in a few posts about how you guys got your CR intro by staying at the Don Carlos and taking a few daytrips from there last Sept. Occasionally someone asks about doing that, and I tell them that, for you guys, it seemed to have been a pleasant experience.
I'm glad you liked Arenal Observatory Lodge. We stayed there last year. It is a long rough way out there, but what a nice property. Good birding there as well!
Thanks for taking the time--know how busy you always are.
For those of you who are wondering as to Cherbear and my "connection", we used to work together! When I was doing youth ministry, she was church admin. assistant--still is. Cher has taught me almost everything I know about computers--and I need a few more lessons!
Thanks for all that great info. You sure turned up some new stuff for us, and I plan to print out your thread. And you mentioned lots of stuff that we've not had a chance to talk about yet, so I especially enjoyed reading your report.
I've mentioned in a few posts about how you guys got your CR intro by staying at the Don Carlos and taking a few daytrips from there last Sept. Occasionally someone asks about doing that, and I tell them that, for you guys, it seemed to have been a pleasant experience.
I'm glad you liked Arenal Observatory Lodge. We stayed there last year. It is a long rough way out there, but what a nice property. Good birding there as well!
Thanks for taking the time--know how busy you always are.
For those of you who are wondering as to Cherbear and my "connection", we used to work together! When I was doing youth ministry, she was church admin. assistant--still is. Cher has taught me almost everything I know about computers--and I need a few more lessons!
May 25th, 2007, 04:38 AM
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Thank you for the great report. A cocoa factory? We don't drink coffee, but a lot of chocolate products find their way through our door! I'm going to write it down as a possiblity for our next (or next after next) trip!
May 25th, 2007, 06:04 AM
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ShellD,
You hit it on the head when you said its more fun to read the reports now that you've actually been to CR. It's sort of addictive, really! Costa Rica exceeded all of my expectations and it's so cool to read other people's impressions and learn about other areas of the country I might want to check out on future visits.
Thanks for sharing your information, cherbear! Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. How nice to share it with your mom and other family members!
You hit it on the head when you said its more fun to read the reports now that you've actually been to CR. It's sort of addictive, really! Costa Rica exceeded all of my expectations and it's so cool to read other people's impressions and learn about other areas of the country I might want to check out on future visits.
Thanks for sharing your information, cherbear! Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. How nice to share it with your mom and other family members!
May 30th, 2007, 10:09 PM
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coolbluewater
I need to clarify the Tirimbina Wildlife and Coco Plantation site I mentioned in my quick report.
We did the Tirimbina Wildlife Center and Cocoa Plantation tour. This site was located by taking a right at the highway leaving the La Quinta Hotel and traveling south about 2.7 km. There is a sign at the place on the left of the highway. But there is no mention of the cocoa plantation so just look for Tirimbina Wildlife Center. This was a 2 hour hike that started by crossing the longest suspension bridge over the Rio Sarapiqui. Our guide, Daniel, was very informative about the vegetation we were seeing and about the wildlife and such. We saw the dangerous Bullet Ants and a poisonous snake near the path. This was a shorter and cooler walk than we had experienced earlier in the day at La Selva.
We went back into the forest where there was a grove of cocoa trees. This area was no longer harvested but left for the tour purpose. We were all amazed that the cocoa beans grew in pods that grew out and off of the tree trunk and branches. Daniel picked a few and took them to a sheltered area. While we had been out hiking and among the trees a young lady had arrived before us and had already been roasting the beans in an iron skillet over an open fire. The aroma was wonderful. Daniel began by breaking open the pod and giving us each a bean covered with a sort of slick membrane that was quite tasty. These moist beans would be set out to dry in the sun. Then the hulls would be removed from the beans and the beans would be roasted. The young woman ground some in a stone bowl with a pestle. She added some sugar and cinnamon. This was then stirred into some hot water. When it was mostly dissolved we were given a cup to sample. The whole time this is going on Daniel is giving us information about the history of cocoa. We were also given a sample of some chocolate candy. It was not a sweet as a Hershey bar but did satisfy our sweet tooth. You could buy locally produced chocolate candy bars back at the shop.
I would recommend this tour in place of La Selva if you did not want to make as long of a walk but still be in the midst of the rain forest with a knowledgeable guide.
Sorry it is not a chocolate factory as you thought. But I think it is a place others would enjoy.
I need to clarify the Tirimbina Wildlife and Coco Plantation site I mentioned in my quick report.
We did the Tirimbina Wildlife Center and Cocoa Plantation tour. This site was located by taking a right at the highway leaving the La Quinta Hotel and traveling south about 2.7 km. There is a sign at the place on the left of the highway. But there is no mention of the cocoa plantation so just look for Tirimbina Wildlife Center. This was a 2 hour hike that started by crossing the longest suspension bridge over the Rio Sarapiqui. Our guide, Daniel, was very informative about the vegetation we were seeing and about the wildlife and such. We saw the dangerous Bullet Ants and a poisonous snake near the path. This was a shorter and cooler walk than we had experienced earlier in the day at La Selva.
We went back into the forest where there was a grove of cocoa trees. This area was no longer harvested but left for the tour purpose. We were all amazed that the cocoa beans grew in pods that grew out and off of the tree trunk and branches. Daniel picked a few and took them to a sheltered area. While we had been out hiking and among the trees a young lady had arrived before us and had already been roasting the beans in an iron skillet over an open fire. The aroma was wonderful. Daniel began by breaking open the pod and giving us each a bean covered with a sort of slick membrane that was quite tasty. These moist beans would be set out to dry in the sun. Then the hulls would be removed from the beans and the beans would be roasted. The young woman ground some in a stone bowl with a pestle. She added some sugar and cinnamon. This was then stirred into some hot water. When it was mostly dissolved we were given a cup to sample. The whole time this is going on Daniel is giving us information about the history of cocoa. We were also given a sample of some chocolate candy. It was not a sweet as a Hershey bar but did satisfy our sweet tooth. You could buy locally produced chocolate candy bars back at the shop.
I would recommend this tour in place of La Selva if you did not want to make as long of a walk but still be in the midst of the rain forest with a knowledgeable guide.
Sorry it is not a chocolate factory as you thought. But I think it is a place others would enjoy.
