erinnq

Staying 4 nights - maybe at the Hotel Villas el Parque (beautiful view, pool, kitchen, near beach) with kids ages 8 and 6. What should we do? We have 3 full days but thinking we want half day acitivities with time for playing on the beach. What is the best beach for kids?

erinnq

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

hipvirgochick

Hi erinng -- Of course you'll want to spend some time in the park! There's also horseback, zip-lining and most likely some other tours that are listed on your hotel website to choose from. Depends on your interests... From what I understand, the 2nd beach inside the park is the best swimmable beach.

airwayvz

The "main" beaches in the MA area are within the park itself or just outside it so going to one should allow you opportunity to visit them all.

I'm sure you're already planning on taking a park tour...another half day tour that I'd recommend is a Damas Island/ Mangrove tour. It's pretty cool to go out a narrow river at low tide that gets much MUCH wider as you reach the Pacific.

Pat_Hewitt

There are three beaches inside the park, and you have to pay an admission to enter the park. The public beach is the long beach outside the park. It is a nice beach, but be aware of the current when the waves are crashing.

I have enjoyed some nice afternoons sitting at the little restaurants right on the beach here. I go with local friends, and enjoy lunch and table service. You can take a quick dip when you feel hot. These little places look dumpy, but the food is usually quite good and reasonably priced.

The park is worth the relatively cheap admission. The second beach within the park generally has gentler currents and waves. There is no vending in the park. So make sure you pack in your food and beverages for the day. Unfortunately, you have to be aware of theft here. So keep an eye on your stuff.

A couple words of advice too about your other plans. Villas El Parque is not close to the beach. Like most hotels, it is up in the hills. It has an ocean view. You will have to cab it, or take the local bus to the beach. I had friends that owned a unit here. I was not particularly impressed. But they are all different. Keep this in mind. They are all decorated differently and at different levels. So they can be a little inconsistent.

For someone that tries to be positive, I am sure coming up with the negatives today! But I have to disagree with the Damas / Mangrove tour. This operator feeds the monkeys, and encourages interaction with the guests. This is very bad for the monkeys, in a multitude of ways.

But this is also extremely dangerous for the guests. As cute as the little buggers are, they are really very nasty creatures. They are filthy and aggressive. They are very strong, and the white face monkeys have fangs that rival a pit bull's. They are very unpredictable, and having them on your boat expecting food is a recipe for disaster. These guys have done it for years. But many hotels have stopped recommending this tour.

I will get off my soap box now!

Hope this helps! Let me know if I can offer more advice.

Warm Regards,
Pat Hewitt
(Travel professional)

faithie

Try Villas Nicolas instead of Del Parque.... it's nicer IMHO. True about Damas, they feed the monkeys which is NOT good. And the monkeys do have HUGE fangs!!! Even "more" kid friendly(at least for us) is Hotel Costa Verde.... although this place was accused of feeding monkeys in the past I think they have cleaned up their act ...? We like Beach #3 inside the park(which is actually the 2nd beach after entering)we spend hours in the water with the children.

erinnq

We will have a car - is there a place to park at the beach/park? I found the place on vrbo, the view looks fabulous! We are spending the 4 nights prior to this right on the beach. Any place you would suggest?

kencolian

We kayaked in the Damas Mangrove with Iguana tours. There was no feeding of animals on this tour. The guide did complain about some of the other tour operators practices.

tully

I'd really suggest taking the bus to the beach over taking your car. Parking can be scarce there and I've seen them charging outrageous rates for parking and/or to "watch" your car. The bus runs on the road (the only road that dead-ends into the park) every 20-30 minutes and would be under a dollar for your family each way. Agree the beaches in the park are much nicer, #2 is almost always very calm.

Jayneann

You're right! The view from Villa el Parque is beautiful!! This place is a little run down, however, if you're looking for a breathtaking view for a reasonable price, this is the place!

My kids have been to quite a few places in the world, yet still talk with such fondness about MA park/beach and Villa el Parque!

faithie

The view IS fantastic, no-one could argue that...

I'd bus it to the park, they actually pass every 15 minutes and cost about .25 cents pp.

airwayvz

Pat -

I respectfully disagree. On our mangrove tour NO ONE fed any monkeys, and in fact we were told by our guide about the damage done by doing so. If there is a particular company that is doing this, it may be helpful to list them here...but to make is sound as if all guides are doing so is incorrect.

Pat_Hewitt

I really try to keep it positive in this forum. When I do have to say something negative, I don't like to single anyone out.

But when I operated my Quepos office (closed two years ago), there was only one Damas / Mangrove tour. I forget the guy's name, but it was named after the guide. He had hooked up with Iguana tours. They were doing his promotion and van transfers.

At that time, he fed the monkeys and they would come right on the boat and interact with the guests. If this is the same guy mentioned in the previous posts, then they have cleaned up their act. This was not the case when I was spending at least a week a month there.

In the last few years, there has been an increasing awareness of the dangers of feeding the monkeys. Both for the tourists and the monkeys. In the old days (ten years ago?), even the park rangers used to bring a stalk of bananas to the beach every day. There was a road that led to the second beach in the park. The monkeys would come flying when they heard the loud motor of the beat up old pick up truck.

I have to admit that it was all kind of amusing. It was fun to watch the monkeys beg for food. If the rangers came to the beach without bananas, the monkeys would be upset. They would try to maneuver through the trees until they were over the rangers. Then they would urinate or defecate over their heads. But the rangers were too smart for this, and kept an eye out. Usually an unsuspecting tourist would get slimed.

There has been a campaign to prevent these kinds of practices over the last few years. Feeding the monkeys is bad for many reasons. Bananas really aren't on their diet. The high sugar content is bad for their teeth, and bananas do not contain necessary nutrients. They can get bacteria from our hands. These are benign to us, but can sicken a monkey. They can lose their foraging skills and become dependent on humans for hand outs. They also lose their natural fear of humans, and become aggressive when not fed.

The Quepos community has also been working on other ways to protect the monkeys. They are gradually separating the power lines a few feet apart. This is so that a monkey that comes across them while swinging through the trees, can't touch two lines at once and get electrocuted. When you are there, also look for the thick blue ropes strung high above the roads. These are monkey "bridges," and are there so that they don't have to come to ground or use the power lines to cross the clearing created by a road.

So there is a lot of positive stuff going on in Quepos. If the aforementioned company is doing better, then I am glad to hear it.

Hope this helps! Let me know if I can offer more advice.

Warm Regards,
Pat Hewitt
(Travel Professional)

bamababe

errinq, we were in MA late May /June with kids your ages. They did enjoy the beach, but as someone said please be careful in which ever place you choose to swim. The current can be very strong and it changes 1 hour to the next. Our daughter (who is a strong swimmer) got caught and my husband was on his way to get her! However my 12 yo was closer and was able to grab her. She just wasn't being aware of her surroundings . Too busy enjoying the water. This was NOT at 3rd beach but at the public area.furthur down from the cafes. This isn't to scare you but to caution.

We did the zip line with Canopy Safari. It was fun, but IF you don't repel think twice. I didn't know about the repelling part so I was taken by surprise as was my 8yo. There are other tours that probably don't repel.

I would definitely take the bus. Parking is at a premium. We didn't have a car but we were at a house that was on the road to the beach so we walked. Everywhere.

Do watch your things. We didn't have a problem but we never tempted anyone by leaving them unattended.
Enjoy your trip