Live from Costa Rica...
 

Finally here, after 6 months of planning!!!

I figured I'd update this thread during our stay in lieu of a journal, which I never end up doing.

The family is myself, wife Daniela (from now on 'D"), and our boys Ryan (8) and Christopher (6).

We arrived yesterday and took a taxi to the Pura Vida hotel just outside of Alajuela - everything I read here about this hotel is true. Actually, it is better as pictures don't do it justice - just beautiful. We were greeted by Carlos who promptly got us a drink and took my boys around the property to pick fruit. Couldn't ask for better hospitality. Pura Vida had arranged our car rental ahead of time and an agent with our car met us and dropped off our 4x4 - so easy.

Afternoon was spent getting lost in the hills (needed directions from local children) on the way to the Doka coffee tour, which was very well run and informative. Pouring rain from 4PM through the night, but it was okay since we were just driving around, lost again, trying to find a restaurant we read about in a guide book on the outskirts of Alajuela (finally found it and had a great typical local meal).

This morning we were awakened by roosters at 5:30 (weather is PERFECT) and we are planning to check out the farmer's market, playground in town, and then drive up to Arenal for three nights at AOL followed by two at Nayara, then on to a night in Tarcoles (Cerro Lodge) and 5 nights in Manuel Antonio (Tulemar).

Thanks to all here for the invaluable help in planning!!!!

Great -- I am in the (very) early stages of planning a potential trip with my nephew, so will be following with interest!

Have fun!

Having a glass of wine at the room's terrace in nayara hotel. Beautiful resort, plenty for you to look fwd to when u arrive here!

Looking forward to Nayara CPT!

Day 2:

Amazing breakfast served by Berni at Pura Vida this morning before we drove the scenic route to Arenal Observatory Lodge. We made brief stops in Sarchi (Berni suggested a certain ox-cart maker), Zarcero (interesting/weird topiary), and Muelle (lunch). Tricky drive without a GPS, but we did okay. Massive rain storm in the afternoon - more rain in a half-hour than I've ever seen - and it's been on and off since then. Expected, and not too bad.

Our Junior suite is beautiful as is all of AOL - no complaints. People do complain about the food a lot but we just had dinner and it was fine...nothing special, but good.

The grounds are spectacular. Ryan was so happy to finally see a rain forest like the pictures in his books (he's very into nature). We did a little afternoon walk on one of the trails and saw 2 howler monkeys growling at each other. We have a private tour scheduled for 6AM tomorrow - the kids can't wait and are already in bed (8PM).

Actually, I'm tired already myself and it's nice getting up with the sunrise so, until tomorrow...

great report keep it coming.

actually have left AOL for tabacon.com in the past

due to rain flooded roads and awful food so glad u

are doing well there... love puravidahotel.com too..

HappyTravels,

Day 3:

7PM and the kids are asleep already....talk about a new schedule!?!

Our 6AM, private birding/wildlife tour at AOL was great (and a bargain at $35 for the four of us). We saw tons of birds, spider monkeys, and even an eyelash viper. Our guide, Christian, was savant-like in his ability to spot wildlife.

After breakfast we headed to The Springs resort to check out the hot springs. Gorgeous, albeit totally artificial, upscale vibe. We all enjoyed the pools and springs, and our time here overall. Very different from AOL (which is more our style) but beautiful nonetheless.

From there, headed to Los Lagos to zip but the rain forced us to reschedule for tomorrow. The kids checked out the pools but after The Springs this was just too crowded (we were practically alone at The Springs).

Dinner - Pizza John's (Jardin Escondito) in El Castillo. Highly recommended! Eating here is like visiting with an old friend...well, one with howler monkeys in his backyard. John is extremely warm, funny, and has great stories about his new life in Costa Rica. He's in a tiny village, which was cool to visit in of itself. The homemade pizza and ice cream were great as well.

More tomorrow...

Oh good, your report is becoming my bedtime reading each night, keep it up! The details are really helpful. If you have a chance, I'd love to hear more about how the kids are handling the new schedule -- they are obviously adjusting by going to sleep earlier, but has it been hard to pull them out of bed for all of the early morning activities? That's only thing about Costa Rica that I've been thinking my nephew won't be enthusiastic about. Thanks and enjoy!

We had a junior suite at AOL when we were there 2 weeks ago and really loved it. We also thought the dinner at AOL was fine - but wasn't it insanely dark? My husband said it felt like the power had gone off and they were short candles. We could barely see our food! And lucky you that Christian was available for a private 6 am tour - we tried to book that with him when we were there but he wasn't available. If you're still at AOL, be sure to try out the gigantic hot tub. My kids loved it - especially in the middle of a downpour!

Moongirl: The kids are waking up at 5-5:30 on their own, no problem! they adjusted so quickly and we are loving it too - D was asleep at 7:30 last night herself!

BAJJ: Yes, the restaurant is insanely dark at night! We haven't done the hot tub yet, later this afternoon, thanks!

Did you see coatis here? We haven't seen any yet and really wanted to.

We just did a morning hike (on our own) to the waterfall, had breakfast, and we're headed out to zip at Los Lagos - I'm a bit nervous!

I also had a great time at AOL (also more my speed) and thought the food at dinner was just fine. Did you sons enjoy meeting Max and Yagi at Pura Vida?

I don't think I saw any coatis at AOL, but if you are headed to Dominical later, and still haven't seen any, head to the fruit stand near the police check point on the coastal road (at the turn off to San Isidro). The vendor feeds a flock to draw attention to his business. At Hacienda Baru I saw a HUGE male near the turtle center, and a family with babies up in a palm. I hope you do include a guided visit at Hacienda Baru if you're in that area.

john127, thanks for reporting back on the kids' sleep habits -- that's really encouraging! So glad to hear the whole family is having a good time. Looking forward to the zip line report.

No, we didn't see any coatis until we got to the Osa. They are pretty cute!

btw, if you buy your kids t-shirts from AOL, be sure to buy at least one size up because they really shrink.

mlgb: Great tips for when we get to the coast. We are planning on visiting Hacienda Baru. And we all loved the dogs at Pura Vida!

BAJJ: Thanks for the shirt advice!


Day 4

Hiked to the waterfall at AOL this morning - nice walk, tough uphill climb for the kids back, but they did okay.

Zip line at Los Lagos was a mixed bag for us. The staff there was AMAZING with the kids though and very professional - we felt very safe and secure. Ryan was pretty nervous and he never really got over it - he did the first two lines on his own, got a little upset, and then went with a guide the rest of the way. I have a big fear of heights, so I'm proud of myself for even doing it, and while it was exhilarating, I'm good now! :-)
On the other hand, D and Christopher LOVED it! The little guys was smiling the whole time and is asking to go again already.

Lunch at Soda La Parada in La Fortuna was very good and the rest of the afternoon was spent back at AOL - swimming and dinner. Okay, first bad dish at AOL - a pasta dish which I warned D not to order (we're Italian) but she didn't listen. I had a very good vegetarian casada though, so stick to the simple or local stuff here and you'll be fine.

A couple of zip line videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V14S07FURfw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6b3zAprl8I

And pics here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...892.1014725928

Hahahaha.. no pasta for sure!

Day 5

Wonderful last morning at AOL. Remember I mentioned wanting to see a Coati? I woke up to Ryan at our porch yelling, "Coati...Coati!" There was a curious little guy coming right up to the glass to check Ryan out - so cute!

We hiked on our own this morning and found ourselves surrounded by monkeys - we saw spider and white-faced capuchins who were very playful, swinging through the trees across the trail as we walked.

Arrived at Nayara this morning for what we figured would be two nights to splurge for some luxury. While the resort is intimate and gorgeous, the room amazing, and the staff exceedingly helpful and friendly, tonight we all miss AOL. Just personal preference. We are definitely AOL people.

We actually spent the afternoon at The Springs resort because we still had a day on the two-day pass and we're wishing we had splurged for two nights there only because the pools and springs are so amazing. And the place is EMPTY! We are stunned - why are places like Baldi and Tabacon so crowded while this place goes unnoticed at $20 a day for visitors!?!

Lunch at Soda Visquez in La Fortuna today - VERY good! Dinner back at La Parada followed by a stop at the Chocolateria (I love saying that) and ice cream next door (across from the park). A perfect way to end the evening!

Totally digging the live report. Nice

these are great posts! we are leaving on the 7th for CR (in 2 days!!)- 1st stop Nayara, then on to Tortuguero with a final stop at Arena del Mar for some sun-time (we hope). I have been noting your recs for lunch, dinner etc in La Fortuna as well as the info re The Springs. Didn't know if we would bother going there but it sounds fun. I have a major fear of highs too so CONGRATS to you for conquering the zipline. Your sons made it look easy! Enjoy the rest of your adventure.

Glad you saw a coati! I don't know what your budget is, but we had dinner at Don Rufino and it's not just hype - that place is good! But, even if you didn't want to spend that much on dinner, the desserts alone are worth a trip. Maybe eat somewhere else and then just stop in for dessert?

Are you off to Tulemar/MA next? We ate a couple times at Sancho's (which is just to the right, on the left-hand side, when you exit Tulemar) and it is very good. Lots of kid-friendly, inexpensive things to choose from. Also, while I'm thinking about it, the strawberry slushies at the bar at the Tulemar beach are delicious!

BAJJ: Again, great tips. We were thinking about Don Rufino for tonight - okay for the kids though or more of an "adult" place?

flatfoots_muse: You're going to love Nayara, the room is the nicest I've been in...ever! The Springs is worth a stop at that price - again, very artificial but still beautiful and crowd free. Make sure you check out the Perdido springs there and not just the main pools and springs.

The menu is definitely "adult" - although the setting and atmosphere of the restaurant is not. When we were there, a lot of people were sitting at the bar and watching the Stanley Cup. My older son got the ribs and liked them. There were hamburgers on the menu and, if we ever went back, I would probably get them a burger and cut it in half. The portions are pretty big. But it's not that kid-friendly of a place in terms of menu items. That's why I might just go back for dessert only.

http://www.donrufino.com/en/ is a link to the Don Rufino menu if you want to see if your kids would like it. It's a yummy restaurant. Glad you guys are having fun. We saw a whole herd of coatis by the side of the road in Arenal. They are so cute. Be sure to try some batidos while you're in CR - they're yummy fruit milkshakes made with the fresh local fruit.

We haven't been to The Springs yet. How easy/difficult was it to get to? It's away from the main road isn't it? Our guides described it as fake, but it seems like everyone who goes there really enjoys it.

BAJJ: Thanks again. We may go for total dinner juxtaposition...treat the kids to Burger King (actually, me and D secretly like trying fast food in different countries to spot tiny differences) followed by dessert at Don Rufino.

volcanogirl: Thanks for the link...oh, and we've had a dozen or so batidos so far :-)

We enjoyed The Springs Resort. It IS totally artificial, and could be anywhere in the world, but pretty and fun nonetheless. Not too bad to get to, like a 5 minute drive down a hilly, rocky gravel road.

By the way, typing right now from our porch at Nayara surrounded by beautiful plants and many stunning birds, looking out at the volcano. I mean...it's ridiculous!

Mmm, have one for me! We had a funny takeout experience at Don Rufino. We were pretty full, but they offered to pack up a dessert for us to go, so we just asked for a brownie. Even though it was "to go" they put a big scoop of ice cream in there! El Novillo has some good steaks if you're in the mood for that. La Choza de Laurel is another pretty good spot - known for their roasted chicken.

Has the visibility of the volcano been pretty good?

I think we'll try The Springs next time we're in town. We really enjoy their sister property The Peace Lodge.

Next time we have to try Peace Lodge.

The volcano has been totally visible (the crater included) at a few sporadic times throughout each day. Sometimes it is puffing smoke, sometimes none at all. I can't believe how it used to look at night with lava streaming down (we've ssen many pics) - we really missed out on that, but it is stunning anyway. I'm actually a little obsessed with it - I have a million pics and the kids now make fun every time I mention how it currently looks (like every 10 minutes or so).

Day 6:

Liked Nayara a whole lot more today :-)
Wonderful breakfast buffet and many birds on property. The place really is first class.

This morning we visited the La Fortuna waterfalls, which were absolutely stunning. The only downside, although we arrived at opening (8AM,) was sharing the falls with three unruly high school classes on a bus tour. I actually mentioned to one of their teachers that part of taking the kids on a trip like this should be to teach them how to be good travelers - I was so annoyed - my kids actually asked why they were being so loud. The were loud and obnoxious all the way down to the falls and then continued in that manner while climbing over the rocks at the base of the falls - so loud we had zero shot of seeing any wildlife.

Anyway, sorry for my rant. They eventually left and the kids swam and played for quite some time - we had a nice morning.

Lunch at Nayara was terrific as was the afternoon by the pool - the kids got chocolate milk shakes served to them IN the pool...I mean, does a kid's day get better than that?

We returned to La Fortuna in the late afternoon, treated the kids to Burger King, and browsed the shops in town. We finished the evening by taking the advice of BAJJ - we had the most delicious, refined desserts at Don Rufino! Really outstanding stuff (in particular the specialty iced coffees).

We will be sad to leave the Arenal area tomorrow (and my volcano) but look forward to the next stop...one night at Cerro Lodge in Tarcoles and a visit to Carara National Park!

I'm glad you liked it too! I swear I still think about the tempura strawberry ice cream ball I had there. Yum!

I look forward to hearing about Carara - I hope you see lots of scarlet macaws!

Day 7:

Left Arenal Nayara for Cerro Lodge (near Tarcoles) this morning. The drive here was pretty insane! Lots of winding, narrow mountain roads - I think I should've taken a different route. I'm just glad I get to take that new highway back to the airport next week.

Great lunch at a soda in Orotina - first one we've been to where no one spoke english and no english menu. I'm kinda in love with the "casado" - it really is a perfect plate of food! You can have any kind of meat or fish and a bunch of yummy sides (and the sides vary place to place). I can have one a day, easy!

Checked in at Cerro and headed to the bridge in Tarcoles to see the crocs, which we did, but we also saw tons of Scarlet Macaws! They were all over the trees near the bridge, flying back and forth - beautiful!

Okay, getting eaten alive here on the porch at the reception area at Cerro Lodge....gotta run...

Glad you are having a super trip! We, too, saw tons of scarlet macaws on the road near Carara, more than we saw in the park itself.

BTW, give yourself enough time on the way back to the airport in case the new highway is closed. Due to landslides and shoddy construction it seems to be closed more than it is open. The old road definitely takes more time, lots of traffic and curves on steep slopes.

colibri: Thanks for the tip. We are actually staying at Pura Vida again the night before we leave, so no worries if it takes longer than expected.

Day 8:

Slept okay at Cerro Lodge. Lack of AC wasn't as bad as we thought it would be.

At 8AM, we took a tour of Carara National Park with Victor (http://www.victourscr.com) who I'd recommend, even though it's a bit expensive. He's not only knowledgeable, but also very personable. The trails were very wet and muddy but after some initial complaining and whining, the kids go through it okay. We saw Macaws, a baby crocodile, toucans, and a ton of capuchin monkeys.

We arrived at Tulemar in Manuel Antonio in the afternoon, swam in one of the pools for a bit, went shopping, and then watched hung out at the private beach...which is pretty amazing! I watched the sun set from a lounge chair under tree while a sloth played overhead and the kids played in the surf. Just perfect!

I sat all day under a sloth at Tulemar too. I'm sure it's the same one. I named him Ernesto (Ernie). Did you see anyone completely wipe out on the kayaks? I think we only saw one person navigate the waves successfully. Are you staying in the Mot Mot unit?

Still reading with rapt attention. So glad that your wish to see a coati was fulfilled! I'll be very curious to hear how you like Tulemar -- sounds like a hit so far.

BAJJ: Funny you mentioned the Kayaks...I'm looking at them lying on beach thinking, "How in the world...!?!"

MoonGirl: So far, so good!

This has been so helpful and fun to read-we are leaving for CR the 15th-we have lots of things planned, however I left several days free so we could be a little spontanious-so we'll try the Springs! Thanks!

Sarahmcgoo: Have a great trip!!!

Day 9:

Lazy day today...beach for much of the day. I must say that the private beach here at Tulemar is its best feature by far. Not to say the bungalow isn't really nice, it is. The grounds are lovely too. But the beach...just perfection.

They have sand toys for the kids, boogie boards, kayaks (I did see a few people get out into the water without wiping out, but I'm not gonna attempt it), and they even have a little beach bar that serves lunch. Above all though, it's a picturesque meeting place of jungle and shore...so shady and peaceful! No crowds...well, except for the troops of capuchin and squirrel monkeys that parade overhead once in a while. And a sloth or two.

Swimming pool and relaxing in the bungalow rounded out the afternoon followed by a nice dinner at Agua Azul.

At dinner Ryan got very homesick (starting crying a little) for the first time. Christopher had his moment last night. They are both having so much fun during the day but seem to miss home in the evening. Funny, we've been to Europe a few times with them and that's never happened. Daniela thinks it's more of a culture shock here. It IS a long trip, and I know they are having such a good time, so I'll try not to let it bother me.

Pics here, in case anyone is interested (you don't need to have a Facebook account to see the pics):

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...14725928&saved

It does sound like a long trip and it's hard to be away from home for so long-sound like they just need to sleep! We are going for two weeks as well. Our son has been in CR for 7 wks. he's 21, volunteering-building homes for the locals and I am hoping he doesn't get tired of being in CR for so long...Our trip will hopefully be pretty luxurious compared to what he has experienced so far...I think you always take a chance on a long trip-but hopefully both will be unforgetable! Have fun on the rest of your trip-a good nights sleep can heal most things-Best to you!

You can keep tabs on your volcano via the webcam

http://www.ovsicori.una.ac.cr/vulcan...deoarenal.html

Doesn't look so great today, you were lucky to have such nice views!

Great photos! Fellow Brooklynite here -- howdy. By the way, I think the spider photo is of a golden orb, looks like it.

I've been really jonesing for Costa Rica lately, and your photos have made it worse -- thanks :-) The photos of the Tulemar beach took me right back, and AOL has been on my list for a long time, but the monkey sightings you had have moved it up a couple of notches... thanks for posting.

Thanks for reporting both the ups and downs of your trip. Homesickness is natural -- that's why we have a word for it (at least in English) after all. Though it's important to be sensitive to how the kids are feeling, I certainly would not let it weigh on your mind too much. One of the benefits of traveling is not only the new things you see while you're away, but also learning to appreciate the things you like (and maybe don't like) about being home. I bet at some point in the not too distant future, they're going to be at home talking about what they miss about being in CR! Please continue to keep us posted, this is really informative!