Sorry. I forgot to put "CR" in the subject of my previous post.

gumper

Hello. I am 57 years old and my wife is 55. We will be spending a week in CR next month. We are interested in a mixture of relaxation, nature and fairly mild adventure. My wife has an "iffy" neck at times from a whiplash injury. We will baically have one full day in Monteverde (from one afternoon to the next), 3 days near Manuel Antonio,and one full day at Peace Lodge. We have arranged our trip through Gailink Tours. My questions are:
1. What would be your "must do" for the one day at Monteverde?
2. What tours or activities would you suggest for Manuel Antonio?
3. Which would be the most tame zip line or canopy tour in the areas where we will be, or are all of them likely to be too much for us?
4. I seem to recall a dolphin tour near M.A. If so, who runs it and is it worth while?
5. Which is the best coffee tour near Peace Lodge?
6. Is there construction now at Orquideas, Fonda Vela, Tulemar, or Peace Lodge? If so, which buildings or rooms should we try to avoid?
7. Do we need any vaccinations?

Thank you in advance.

gumper

not to confuse things, sorry, I was just trying to get Gumper's questions with his post

I am really confused now! But I want to mention that I also have an iffy neck from a previous whiplash injury. I went to Costa Rica in June 2005 with family. My favorite place was Monteverde. However I would absolutely never return there for fewer than 3 nights minimum. The reason is the roads up there are very very very very bumpty (did I mention they are very bumpy)? and although it's a beautiful and wonderfully primordial cloud forest up there, it's simply asking for trouble to have an iffy neck or even a regular neck and take that drive up there, then have to turn right around and drive back down.

To give you an idea of how bumpty the drive is, on the worst part, my daughter in the far back seat wacked her head on the window, and I felt like the chiropractor was in the car adjusting my neck, and also I was pretty sure my uterus was detaching from my insides!!!

I say this because if someone goes up to Monteverde with unrealistic expectations, they might be disappointed.

Again, I want to say I loved Monteverde...if you click on my name and find my trip report written after my June 2005 trip to Costa Rica you can read how much I loved Monteverde. I plan to return there someday, and will stay for 3 nights (or maybe even 4 nights.) Our first trip was 3 nights and boy was I glad.

The drive to Arenal isn't as bad as the drive to Monteverde though it can get pretty hairy too.

We did a similar trip in June 05, and loved every minute.
Monteverde...don't miss the hummingbird place, within walking distance of the entrance to the park. Try to go at dusk, just when they close. The hummingbirds swarm inches from you! Also, Stella's bakery!
In Manuel Antonio, we stayed at the Si Como No. They have their own "nature park" across the street and we were lookng for something to do our first evening, so we signed up for a short nighttime nature walk. About 6 of us, one guide...all with flashlights. Was nice.

No, no vaccinations needed. We didn't even bother to NOT drink the water. IT was a fabulous vacation.

We did the dolphin tour in MA- Planet Dolphin, I believe. It was nice, very nice. Saw lots of dolphins, just some average (or maybe a little below) snorkeling, and have a great meal and unlimited drinks. It was a very nice afternoon.
We used Canopy Safari. My 55 yr old mother LOVED it!

Are there any whales to view? What was the meal they provided? We're planning to do this tour in March.