Newbie..
 

Hi Everyone..I'm Dory and just wanted to introduce myself to this forum. This will be my first trip to CR and a very special one at that...my 10 year anniversary! I have been researching for about 3 weeks now and reading through many posts...so I am getting a great "feel" for CR. My question for today is...will you tell me where you think is the most romantic place in CR? I am trying to figure out where to stay for the "10 yr honeymoon". I figure 2-3 days and I am ready to splurge.... I plan on being in CR for 9-11 days and don't mind moving around. Any comments would be greatly appreciated!

Hey Dory

congrats...for me the top 3

www.xandari.com close to airport

www.thespringscostarica.com Arenal

www.losaltosdeeros.com Nicoya

usually rent a car for freedom flexibility

from Vamos or Tricolor or Mapache

www.mapcr.com good map most important

www.interbusonline.com

if you do not want to rent a car,

Have fun,

We love the Peace Lodge; it was damaged in the earthquake, but it is supposed to be reopening. Our room had a fireplace, waterfall shower, indoor and outdoor jacuzzi tubs, a hammock, a great view, and a cozy bed. There are 5 pretty waterfalls on the property that you can hike to. It's a great spot for 2 nights. We've been there twice and would definitely go back.

Agree about the Peace Lodge.

You may also want to take a look at Punta Islita. I have never been, but it looks great and is on my wish list.

MY

Here is a link:

http://www.hotelpuntaislita.com/

MY

I just got a look at Casa Chameleon near Mal Pais on another thread - it looks gorgeous.

Thank you for the suggestions so far...Volcanogirl..I saw Casa Chameleon on another sites Top 10 most romantic. Bosque del Cabo also made the list. Noone here put it on theirs though, hmmmm also La Mansion Inn in MA...anyone know that one?

dory, we've stayed at Bosque del Cabo before, and we loved it. I guess when I think honeymoon I think posh, relaxing, etc. and BdC is a little more rustic - can't use a blow dryer, get pretty sweaty during the day. The food, staff, and wildlife there are wonderful though.

thanks VG...I think I don't want "rustic" I'm thinking....jungle setting...ocean views...cocktails while relaxing in private jacuzzi....

Well, it's sort of fancy rustic; you do get the jungle setting, ocean view, and cocktails, but no jacuzzi - outdoor shower instead.

Volcano Girl & anyone else who may know..I checked out BDC's website...really beautiful..this might be the place! Have you ever been to or seen Arenas del Mar in MA? it looks pretty swanky. Another place I checked out was the Tabacon Grand Spa in Arenol-which of these 3 places do you think would offer the most romantic setting? I dont think I can afford to stay at all of them (unfortunately) also Peace Lodge...Ive read mixed things about it-too disneyish?

You could not pay me to stay at Tabacon; we went to their hot springs, and it was overrun with tourists (like us!) coming to use the springs. They have a rep in the community for being really greedy, corporate-owned etc. It wasn't our kind of place, really loud music when we were there, and it seemed over priced. We went later in the evening because they reduce their prices, and my husband thought the guy said $17, so that's what my husband gave him, and the guy just started laughing hysterically that we thought that could possibly be the price. He said, $70! And just kept laughing - it just rubbed me the wrong way because all the other people we met were so warm and friendly. Several of our drivers made the same comments. I have heard they have a nice spa though.

We love the Lost Iguana in Arenal; our room had a great view of the volcano, comfy bed, two rockers on the balcony and a wonderful jacuzzi on the balcony as well, also very nice grounds for hiking. For hot springs, we liked Eco Termales - very nice chicken dinner there too.

We heard the same Disney thing about Peace Lodge, but you can check it out on tripadvisor.com and see what you think. It's the kind of place you would stay two nights, not the entire time. We ran around pushing all the buttons to light the fire, turn on the waterfall, run the aromatherapy machine. We were like little kids. The Disney thing comes from the fact that they use fake rocks I think. Our favorite thing is the waterfall hike; the grounds are really beautiful and the five waterfalls are stunning. The rooms are very comfortable with CD players and lots of amenities. We've stayed twice and would go back.

BdC is really wonderful. If you go, get Mariposa; it's known as the honeymoon cabin because it has a tub and is on the end so slightly more private. The cabins have gorgeous views of the ocean because they're up on the cliff looking out over the water. Dinners are communal which we liked but not sure if you would enjoy that if you're trying to be romantic. It's the kind of place that if you know what you're getting, you would love it. When we were there, there was a couple on their honeymoon, and the girl was very upset that there were no door locks, she couldn't use her blow dryer, that she had to shower outside, that the dinners were communal - definitely a case of her not researching enough. If all of that is okay with you, then I think you would love it.

Thanks VG you are so helpful! I can't believe your story about Tabacon...DEFINATELY not cool and not where I will spend my money. I looked into Eco Termales and they seem to ofrfer the same thing for a much more reasonable price. Peace Lodge looks amazing to me...I may take your advise and do 1-2 nights there...just to enjoy the waterfalls if nothing else. So far...I think BDC is it...is it hard to get to from MA?

Casa Chameleon in Mal Pais was the most romantic and incredible place we have ever been! We also stayed at Peace Lodge which was nice but a little over the top. Mal Pais and Casa Chameleon were more like the real Costa Rica we were hoping for. Cool beaches and great little shack restaurants. So many monkeys! It was rugged because of the dirt roads but Casa Chameleon was so luxurious but still natural if that makes sense. Many celebrities stay there and rent out the whole place so it's hard to get in. There are only 3 couples villas and it's adults only. The villas are far apart and so you get great privacy. The views are Wow! We spent our honeymoon here last year and can't stop talking about it to everyone we know. We plan to go back as soon as we can! Mel Gibson was building his house behind Casa Chameleon and there are other celebrities building houses there. I'm sure they chose Mal Pais because it's not touristy and its just so beautiful and natural. There weren't any big hotels and the options for places to stay were very limited. Which was great because we had the beaches to ourselves. I think it will still be like this for a long time just because of the way the area is spread apart and there is only so much room to build. A beautiful place if you like nature and great beaches. If you want romantic and very unique, there is nothing like the Casa Chameleon.

dory, I'm glad I could help. BdC is a wonderful place. Check out flights on Sansa or Nature Air; that's the easiest way to get there.

Eden, I was looking at Casa Chameleon for a future trip. What did you guys do when you were in Mal Pais? Was it dry and dusty there or lush and green? Did you go to any of the nature reserves?

Hi volcanogirl,
We were there in the rainy time so it was not dusty. But the roads were bumpy. None of the roads are paved so there are big pot holes. Everything was very lush and green. It wasn't even that rainy. Most of the rain fell late in the day after we had already done everything. It was beautiful watching the lightning show over the ocean from bed. We stayed busier than we thought. I didn't realize there was so much to see. We spent a day at the Curu reserva and it was great! We had lunch on the island and hiked the reserva where we saw scarlet macaws, monkeys, lizards and wild boar. They weren't wild. They were actually cute! You will love Casa Chameleon. It's just beautiful and everyone is so sweet. They help you with everything and with where to go for the day. They tell you what beach is better depending on if the tide is high or low. We couldn't get over all of the great beaches. Since you loved Bosque Del Cabo, I think you will love Casa Chameleon from what I've heard. Casa Chameleon actually told us we should go to Bosque Del Cabo too on our next trip since we love nature/animals so much. I agree that Costa Rica would be too rustic in general for some people but we thought is was amazing. It was like a jungle version of BC Canada with the beautiful mountains and scenery.

Thanks, eden - it sounds wonderful!