We will be staying at Vista del Valle for a couple of nights to round out our trip for a family of five.

What is the best way to spend a day? I had originally thought going to Poas and then the La Paz waterfall. I want to see the volcano, but not sure I want to pay the admission x 5 to the waterfall, as I will have seen a few by then?

Is it worth it, and I heard about Los Chorros as an option.

Thoughts, comments or other options?

Thanks

francetrip--we can talk about this more at Bosque del Cabo, but La Paz actually would be a nice way to spend your time. The entire property offers a lot more than just the falls--the butterfly conservatory (is that the word I want??), the hummingbird area, a few trails. . .the price is a little steep considering you can do it all in a couple of hours, but it is very nice. Haven't been to Los Chorros, but am interested. . have the same questions about it as you. Someone posted about it several months ago and piqued my interest! Poas is very nice early in the a.m. Also a tour of the Doka Coffee Estate would be nice--all in the same general area.

You could also enjoy just visiting some of the little towns--Grecia, Sarchi, we LOVE Zarcero with its topiary in front of the church.

I'm laughing because I just read out loud your response to my daughter prefaced by "how good is that" we will actually meet. She replied your so weird, didn't anyone tell you not to trust who you meet on the internet.

Messages get through selectively!

The great news is thanks to this forum I have Oscar lined up for the tour date.

Ciao

Family of five - does that include younger kids? Then, I would highly recommend Los Chorros. It is a neat place for kids to spash around under a waterfall safely. Mind you, Los Chorros is not fancy in the least ($4 per person). It is nothing more than a local "swimming hole" really, but a delight nonetheless. Quite beautiful, and if you go during the week, you'll have the place to yourself. It is quite popular with the locals for family picnics on weekends, though.

Up the road from Los Chorros is Los Trapiches, a tico recreation center with a swimming pool, nice little lake where you can take a boat out, a small typical restaurant, and an old sugar mill (trapiche) that they crank up only on Sundays.

Then there is the new Else Kientzler Botanical Gardens in Sarchi Norte ("google" it), one of the nicest in the country actually, and almost unvisited since the guidebooks haven't yet discovered it. Joanna at Vista del Valle will know about it though.

Of course, there is plenty to do at Vista del Valle without ever leaving the property. Some 0f the best horseback riding in the country, among other things.

It's good that she is monitoring your internet activity! And keeping you safe!

Frankly, I have thought about that. Some of us get pretty informative about ourselves. Los Chorros sounds pretty cool, doesn't it?

Great tips that do indeed get me excited. The girls are 11, 14 and 16.
They are very good with the travel, but one never knows when a revolt is pending.

I like the idea of some of the different things. On another post I pondered the risk of all of us pounding the same path.

Thanks