plambers

Hi. We recently got back from our first trip to CR and LOVED it. We stayed at La Carolina for 2 nights and then rented an amazing all inclusive villa (cook, maid food bar etc) in Ocotal, 15 minutes from Playa del Coco.

We want to return next summer. Any places that you know of like La Carolina (meals cooked and served communal style), off the grid and amazing?

thanks all

volcanogirl

What about Bosque del Cabo? Or if you want to try Belize, Lamanai Outpost Lodge? Tortuga Lodge in Tortuguero is nice too.

plambers

Volcanogirl, I am looking at BdeC because of all the great comments on this board. why is it so so amazing and the favorite of many? Can I fly there from Liberia or must it be San Jose? Also, how it is in July? tons of rain?

RAC

Having stayed there myself, I would say:

--Great wildlife (we saw puma and peccary there)

--great service

--tons of trails to explore on your own, plus plenty of guided tours

--stupendous ocean views from the casitas

--great food

--relaxed vibe

--lovely cabins with outdoor shower, etc

--nature, nature, nature

Keep in mind this is a higher end nature lodge, not a quaint B&B type of place.

volcanogirl

plam, we've been in July and that is the rainy season there, but we didn't get rain. You could get some rain, but usually more evening showers. I'd avoid September and October for that area though. Like RAC mentioned, we saw amazing wildlife at Bosque del Cabo - all 4 kinds of monkeys, sloths, scarlet macaws, toucans, agoutis, coatis, and even an anteater. It's prevalent, and we saw a lot of it from the front porch of our cabin. It's a nice combo of comfortable and unplugged; some of the cabins have beautiful views of the water. The food is good, and the people are friendly. We came in from San Jose and took a quick flight down. Check Sansa or Nature Air for schedules. I think it was about an hour or a little less. They have great guides. Our cabin was Tucan, and it even had an outdoor bathtub. I took a bath and had monkeys swinging over my head! It's pricey, but it will give you what you're looking for. If you go to their website, they have a nice video to give you a better idea of what it's like.

plambers

RAC and volcano girl, thanks. i was also looking at Las Caletas, but not sure the lodging is what i am looking for for 4 or 5 nights. BdeC does look great-just want to make sure it lives up to its hype!

a few questions-can you also do nature or sansa from liberia or must we fly into san jose?

for 4 of us which would be the best lodging?

RAC

I believe BdC also has villas for rent. You might also want to look at Iguana Lodge, which has multi-family places available.

Pretty much any place in the Osa is going to be serving communal style meals and will be off the grid.

volcanogirl

There are several cabins that have a loft area too. Tucan is one of them. It has a big bed downstairs and two smaller ones up in the loft area. We thought BdC was just jaw dropping. When we were there they didn't even have locks on the doors, that's how away from it all you feel when you're there. To save expense on tours, you can check with other guests and combine transportation costs.