orangetabby

Hi,

We had some booking problems (Crica messed up our reservation) and now we're scrambling to book two nights in the Arenal Volcano area in February. Do you recommend staying two nights at Hotel Lagos -- any comment on this hotel? -- or staying one night at Tabacon (a standard room) and one night at the Arenal Observatory (Smithsonian room)?
I'm also looking for tips on Manuel Antonio. Has anyone been canyoning? Is it difficult? How athletic do you have to be to do it?
Any tips on canopy tours -- the one at Hotel Lagos, or one at Manuel Antonio?
Any tips on driving in Costa Rica -- any maps I should purchase before hand?
Any tips on packing -- certain clothing or supplies we should make sure to pack?
Thank you much.

lakers

I'll try to answer as many as I can. First, take a look at Montana de Fuego in Arenal. I stayed there last year and found it suited my needs perfectly. Amazing views of the volcano (better than Tabacon), nice little pool, rooms are "cabins" spread out over nicely landscaped grounds. Never went canyoning. We did a canopy tour in Monteverde which was so cool b/c you flew through misty clouds at points. My driving tip - don't drive - the roads are bad and it is not that expensive to arrange for transportation through the hotels. Packing - DEET bug spray, DEET bug spray - can't emphasize it enough! Also, we packed those wind pants that zip off at the knees, so we could wear pants during hikes and unzip the legs if we got too hot. And a light rain jacket. We also packed an inexpensive pair of binoculars which came in handy. Have fun!

Suzie2

Pros and cons to all.
Montana de Fuego and Arenal Paraiso are both in the best position for viewing the lava. I like the volcano heated swim up bar pool that the Paraiso had. Just floating and looking at the volcano was awesome.
Regarding your other options. Have heard decent things abount Los Lagos but on the other hand, if you stay at Tabacon for a night you will have free entrance to the hot springs. A must do at night especially. Tabacon and the Observatory Lodge are so different that it would almost be like being in two very different places. Tabacon is very touristy and very busy. The Observatory Lodge is around the other side of the Volcano and off a dirt road away from everything. It is a fascinating place. We enjoyed our stay there a few years ago. We stayed in one of the Observatory rooms and when the volcano erupted it woke us up and all we had to do was open our eyes and look out the picture window.
Tips on driving. Take your time, look for pot holes, let the locals do their thing (they are crazy drivers) and stay out of their way. The road to Manuel Antonio from Arenal aren't too bad. If you should stop at the Tarcoles Bridge, take turns looking while one person stays with the car or make sure everything is out of sight and the car is locked.
Deet for sure, sometimes you won't even need it but when you do you will be glad you have it. Be sure to have plenty of suntan lotion. Stuff like that can be more expensive down there. I too like the zip off pants but if this is your first time, it would be an expensive purchase if you aren't sure you will use them again. A light weight pair of nylon pull over sports type pants that you could pull over your shorts and easily take off might not hurt. There are times when you will feel like you need a little something on your legs to protect them from the bugs when hiking or if you are horseback riding. You would also be more comfortable wearing them if you do a zip line canopy tour. Those straps can be a little rough sometimes.

louiss

hello orangetabby we just came back we spend thanksgiving week over there i did all the driving i was a little strees out because i was the only driver if you have to people drive it will be much easier they don"t believe in signs or lines on the road and like susy says the bridges are in bad condiction so some times you have to drive real slow and that new road to arenal that borders the lake is falling apart no maintanance at all advise make sure you leave early in the morning because some times a 3 hour trip may turn to 5 hours and i would suggest don"t drive at night if you can help it plan your drives it took me 5 hours from quepos manuel antonio to monteverde under the rain but we made it safely another thing the car rentals push this terios 4x4 as an suv is like a match box if you have 3 adults your luggage is not going to fit i recommend the susuki gran vitara thats what we renterd any questions ask louis

Cakes

I also recommend not driving long distances at night due to possible poor road conditions and a severe lack of lights. And as far as maps go I recommend Berndtson's map of Costa Rica, it saved us on a trip in 2002. You can find it at Barnes & Noble or online at www.berndtson.com. The rental company will give you a map too, but I have found the Berndtson map to be much more helpful.

Also, a lot of roads are only two lanes so as already mentioned a 3 hour trip can take a lot longer if it's raining or if you get stuck behind a big truck so patience is definately in order. On the bright side, driving in CR has always been part of the adventure, in my opinion.

I hope you have a great trip!

orangetabby

Thank you so much. We are breaking up our drive so that we don't have to drive at night -- in between manual antonio and volcano arenal, we're staying at vista del valle.

We don't need luxury, but we heard that Hotel Los Lagos is like staying in a mobile home. This might have been a miscommunication? Not to diss mobile homes -- it's just that this is our honeymoon. We tried Paraiso and Montana de Fuego -- both were booked. Suzie2 -- what have you heard about Los Lagos?

Thank you again!

Sandra

We visited Los Lagos last March. Our kids thought it was great, but I don't think it's really a honeymoon spot. Very crowded (tour buses, I think), public spaces pretty dirty (washrooms and change rooms near the pools), tons of people in the hot pools. Have you considered Arenal Lodge? Lovely and quiet, beautiful views, removed from the action (up a very steep road!).

Suzie2

For a honeymoon, I would try to find someplace else. From what I saw, it seemed to be more for parents with kids. That can get noisy and messy.
Arenal Lodge is out of the way as was mentioned. also, the Observatory Lodge. Arenal Lodge is a little nicer I think for a honeymoon. Problem here is that if you want to go on any tours they will cost a little extra. You will have a car so that really won't be an issue.
You could try Arenal Country Inn. Someone did mention having a problem because they arrived late and couldn't get something to eat at the restaurant because you have to let them know the day before that you will be eating with them. Other than that they seemed to enjoy the place.
Arenal La Mansion is quite a bit higher priced and is further down the road but is a really pretty place with beautiful views of the lake.

GCE

My sister and I just returned from Costa Rica trip over Christmas. We stayed at Los Lagos and really enjoyed it. Loved the hot pool with the swim-up bar. The restaurant food was very good.

The canopy tour at Los Lagos is no longer operating. We went on the canopy tour at Arenal Paraiso and is was AWESOME! I would highly recommend this canopy tour. In fact, we liked it so much that we tried to go on other canopy tours (one in Monteverde and one in Manuel Antonio). The one in Monteverde was closed the day we had reservations because high winds had caused a branch to fall and damage a platform. In Manuel Antonio, the tour was fully booked on the only day we had available.

As far as driving, we didn't. And I'm very glad we didn't. We used Interbus (you can make reservations on-line). They pick-up and drop off at most hotels. While in a location, we used taxis. Most of the tours (canopy tours, horseback riding, etc) include pick-up and drop-off from your hotel in the price. The roads are not very well marked and I'm glad we didn't have the stress of trying to figure routes. At times, the bus driver made a turn when there was no sign posted at all. If we had been driving, we would have had no idea to turn! Also, we actually saved money by using buses and taxis.

dfarmer

If you are still researching accomodations in Arenal. We stayed at the Arenal Paraiso in 2002. And was pleased. Little cabins with really good views of the volcano. Actually got to see quite a bit of activity just sitting out on the porch. The food was good, the staff very friendly, grounds pretty enough. The rooms were a bit musty smelling, but nothing my candle did not cure. We tried to book Tabacon, but could not get in. Once there I actually think Tabacon would have been too crowded for our taste.

RufusTFirefly

We just got back yesterday--stayed at the Arenal Paraiso. It and the Montana do have the best views of the lava flows. We could see it directly while lieing in bed. The swim up bar makes a very nice mango daquiri.

RufusTFirefly

Oh, tips on driving--always leave plenty of time. Many vehicles are old, slow, underpowered--block things up on 2-lane roads. Not unusual for an overloaded truck to lose its load on the highway.

Imperial is a nice, refreshing beer.