We are planning our 2nd trip to CR for May - husband, 5-yr-old daughter and myself. We will be renting a car and want to start with 2-3 nights at Peace Lodge and 2-3 nights in Sarapiqui, making the loop around Braulio Carrillo just to see a bit of the Caribbean side. Next stop is Villablanca/LA Cloud Forest. Any reason to favor going to PL first, then Sarapiqui, vs. going the other way around? Also, any input on most kid-friendly lodging in Sarapiqui? We are leaning toward Selva Verde but welcome comments. We also want to do a boat trip there - any recommended tours/operators? Thanks for your help!

If you really want to do the BC loop, I would go to Sarapiqui first, then over to Peace Lodge. You would have to back track a tiny bit from Peace Lodge to swing over to San Ramon but it would take you on a more scenic ride than going back to the airport and going to SR via the Inter American. You would go through Ciudad Quesada (San Carlos). Down the road a ways you can stop in Zarcero to see the topiary at the church, from there you can swing over to San Ramon and then Villa Blanca. Do have a good map with you. You will run into truck traffic on your way to BC but after you turn off to go towards Las Horquetas it will disappear. You will pass the Aerial Tram near the turn which might be a fun stop for the family if you have time.

BC, La Selva, Selva Verde, Rara Avis, Tirimbina are all connected and preserved so there really won't be much difference going into BC vs one of the others if you decide to go to Peace Lodge first and then directly to Sarapiqui rather than doing the BC loop.

There are two places in the Sarapiqui area that I have stayed in, Selva Verde and La Quinta de Sarapiqui. I really enjoy the people over at La Quinta and they have done a lovely job on their frog area where you can see poison dart frogs easily, and the gardens are very pretty. They do have a pool and the food is very good.

On the other hand, Selva Verde does have its own rainforest that is connected to the other ones. With a 5 year old this might be a really good thing if she gets tired and needs to get back to the lodge. It is a nice place and you do have a little more flexibility at meal times. They put the food out for a couple of hours and you just get in line at any time during those hours. At La Quinta, dinner is pretty much a set time.

As far as the boat trip goes, the tour operators are pretty much all the same from what I have seen. I have been 3 times plus taken one of those boats up into Nicaragua. The hotel would be a good source for that information plus they can make the arrangements for you. You do have a couple of different options. You can do the covered motor tour from the main dock in town or you can do the safari rafting tour with Aguas Bravas just down the road from Selva Verde. I haven't done that so don't know how much you will actually see but I suspect you will see monkeys and iggies.

Thank you so much - just the kind of info I am looking for, esp. re: meal times etc which the guide books, of course, don't mention. We hadn't thought about the Quesada/Zarcero route but that is a good idea. We did that in the other direction 2 years ago en route to Arenal, but no stops because our daughter had fallen asleep. Thanks again.

Enjoy your trip.

We are just back from our first trip to CR (thanks, everyone). We stayed at Selva Verde and the La Selva Biological Station (Holbrook made a mistake with our reservation, so we had to move to La Selva one night.)

We really liked SV. The photos on the website are accurate. The main part of the resort contains the river room buildings, dining room, reception, etc. The bungalows are across the road and up the hill. They will drive you up and down the hill close to the bungalows if you like.

We did not stay in the river rooms, but others on the board have. We thought they would not be very private with the walkways around the outside and open windows for the air. They do have chairs and some have hammocks outside. We stayed in bungalows both nights. We liked #1 as it was at the end of the walkway and most private (you can see in through the curtained windows of the bedrooms). The bungalows had two double beds, bathroom, screened porch, and air conditioning (which we used in the afternoons as a nice break). One afternoon I sat and watched a howler monkey eating about 20 feet away at my height.

The meals are served buffet 7-9, 12-2, and 6-8. We thought the food was excellent--breakfast offered fresh juice, cereal, fruit, rice/beans, eggs, and a meat. Dinner would be 2 entrees, rice, 2 vegetables, and dessert. On the day we came back to SV we ate lunch after 1:30pm and the food was still fresh.

The free birdwalks were simple and short. We lucked out and were the only 2 one day so Alex (photo on website) took photos through the scope while we watched the birds. I told him of the short list of birds and mammals I hoped to see on my trip and he found a howler monkey and sloth within 5 minutes.

They are also trying to schedule more evening activities--cooking class to make tortillas, night walk, talk on medicinal plants.

The room at La Selva was clean and basic with ceiling fans and an oscillating wall fan, balcony, and the hardest twin beds I have every experienced. I thought about taking the think mattress onto the floor rather than on the wooden slats. Our room just contained 2 twin beds. We had a 15-minute walk on a paved trail to the office, dining room, etc. The food was decent, but they hadn't mastered keeping food hot on a buffet line. We took a private early birding walk and they held our breakfast in the heating holding thing; it was great. The morning birding walk was good, but not great. The natural history walk was great. We also took the night walk, but thought it wasn't worth the price when the most interesting thing we saw were the leaf cutter ants at work (though they were interesting). Decent prices in their gift shop.

Kay thanks for posting about Selva Verde, I will be there in early May. I have a couple questions if you don't mind....

Are there small fridges in the bungalows? I was thinking of asking the SV driver stop off on the drive there so I could grab some soda & juice to keep in my room. Any of their tours/trails you'd suggest? I'll have 2 1/2 days there and don't have anything planned, just figure I'd wander around. Last, how long is the drive to Selva Verde from the airport? Thanks!

Tully,

Yes there were minifridges in the bungalows. The first was stocked with 3 bottles of cold water and the second bungalow's was empty and turned off.

Diego from SV picked us up at the airport (waiting outside the window with our name), drove us up through the national park--took 2 hours with lots of truck traffic. Diego also took us to La Selva and back to the airport. Nice guy, making sure we got checked in, bags to bungalow, bags to La Selva room etc.

The bar sells sodas at SV, but we didn't buy any so I don't know the cost. The juice in the dining room each meal was fantastic.

Their trail system is limited for unguided hiking. If you look at the map on their site, you can see the trail uphill from the bungalows (muddy) and down paralel to the road. The other trails loop around the lodge. It isn't really hiking, just a walk/climb in the forest. We did not go on the natural history walk--I assume that goes across the bridge into the preserve. We saw Alex and a couple walking over with a spotting scope late afternoon.

The free early morning birding walk was good in that you get Alex's excellent ears and eyes along with the spotting scope.

We went there so that I could get away from the phone, computer, and family. I needed a nature recharge after the death of my mother. It served that purpose great for me--up for an early bird walk, leisurely breakfast, stroll around to see the iguanas, poison dart frogs, etc., take an a/c break and read a book, look at the flowers, watch the monkeys. Not a lot happening, but a pleasant place to spend a couple of days/nights. And you can go on a river trip or other day trips.
Any of their tours/trails you'd suggest? I'll have 2 1/2 days there and don't have anything planned, just figure I'd wander around. Last, how long is the drive to Selva Verde from the airport? Thanks!

Kay thanks for your response. I'm sorry to hear of your loss, hope the trip provided some respite. I am hitting SV as soon as I arrive and have much planned for the rest of my trip, so I think I will be doing much the same, just easing into CR and taking it easy.

Kay, thanks for the SV report. We have decided to stay there and are inclined to book a bungalow but are being urged to opt for the lodge rooms instead, because of the walk and street crossing, since we are traveling with our 5-yr-old daughter. She is quite a trooper (joins us for dog walks and short hikes all the time) - what is your take on the trek to and from the bungalows?

The highway is busy, but not hard to cross. The parking lot guard always walked up to check the traffic when he saw anyone approaching from the covered walkway. You would have to hang on to the 5-year-old for sure. I was amazed by the mix of pedestrians, bicyles, motorcycles, and semis on the narrow 2-lane highway that was never quiet.

Once you cross the highway, you cross a small flat area that they are turning into a botanical garden, then you start an uphill climb. There is a covered paved walkway with steps that are low, but deep so they don't fit a normal gait. We found it easier to just walk up and down the dirt/gravel road except when raining. It has some lighting. We were always sweaty from the walk up.

Then there is a flat concrete walkway to bungalows 1,2, maybe 3? The other bungalows are up another series of concrete steps, so there is another climb.

If your 5-year old is used to an uphill climb like on a trail in the woods or climbing several stories of stairs, then no problem. If only used to a walk around the block in the cool air, that's another story. It's like climbing hills in San Francisco, but with humidity.

There is a swimming pool by the dining room. So it would be easier to go back and forth to the pool from the lodge rooms than from the bungalows. Our first evening the pool was full of teenagers. No one was there during the mornings.

The staff told us several times to let them know when we wanted to be picked up at the bungalows for dinner, when we wanted a ride back up, etc., but my husband and I are used to hiking and love the mountains, so climbing up a hill may be slow and hot, but we were always looking for birds and flowers. If I had been traveling with either of my sisters and kids whose exercise consists of walking their dogs around the neighborhood and an occasional swim, I know they would have opted for the rides rather than climb up the hill. I don't have any children so I can't give firsthand advice.

We spent quite a bit of time over on the "main" part of the property, sitting and watching the river, birds, and frogs; walking the short trail around the lodge area; watching the carver demonstrating his work; stopped in the gift shop once. Then we retreated to the a/c and privacy of the bungalow for the afternoon or evening.

Kay2, thanks for the very detailed and helpful description. We have decided to go with the bungalow and hope we too get to see some howler monkeys and/or friends up there.

Loved Selva Verde!!