Opinions on Bosque del Cabl cabinas
 

My fiance and I are set on spending 4 nights in BDC in early August during our honeymoon. We are trying to decide between deluxe vs. standard cabinas.

I would greatly appreciate any advice from those of you who are experienced with BDC. A couple questions I currently have:

1. Would my fiance and I be perfectly comfortable in a standard cabina? (We'd like to save a few bucks if possible)

2. If you have any advice or opinions on the following cabinas -- Manglillo, Mariposa, Bambu, Sol -- I'd love to hear it!

Thanks so much!

We stayed in a Deluxe because we wanted a king-sized bed and loved it, but the people I know who stayed in a standard loved them as well. Mariposa is known as the honeymoon cabin because it's on the end and offers a little more privacy and a bathtub. If I were choosing, I'd pick that one. I believe Manglillo offers a loft.

I've only stayed in a deluxe, but never heard a complaint about the other cabinas. Bambu and Sol face the Pacific and are at the end of the row, next to some dense woods. There is sort of a lawn behind these (standard) cabinas that was filled (well almost filled) with coatis of many sizes each evening-plus an agouti or two. My wife loved sitting out on a pool towel among them as they prowled for food. There is a huge fig (I think) tree close by that was often filled with monkeys eating the fruit (in February). Our honeymoon was before the event of king-sized beds, but, looking back, I think I would have preferred one.

We've stayed in both Deluxe and Standard. We love Sol and are requesting it again in July because it offers the best view from the shower! And that is such a fun experience. When we stayed in Lapas, the shower was completely enclosed with walls (no ceiling, of course). We like that low front wall on Sol that really opens up the view to the gulf. We don't care whether we sleep in a King or have 2 doubles. The porches are a little larger on the deluxe cabinas. We are like you, though, and like saving the extra $$.

Thank you for your responses. Is there enough sheltered space on the porches/decks of the standard cabinas to sit out there while it's raining and enjoy the storm from the dry comfort of a chair or lounge?

Absolutely--and there are nearly always monkeys in the trees to the left of the porch at Sol.

Hi tflananag1 -- I just got back from CR an hour ago.! :) Won't be posting a trip summary for a few days most likely, but we stayed in Pizote, which is a standard, and loved it. It's to the left of Sol and has a wonderful shower view as well as shares the tree shillmac mentioned above that the monkeys like to hang out in.

We stayed in Gecko last year, which is a deluxe and is wonderful too, but actually prefer Pizote or Sol.

They're all fantastic though and you can't go wrong with any of them!

P.S. -- Hi volcanogirl and shillmac! Was in Dallas today and thought of you Texas gals. ;)

shillmac and hipvirogchick, your comments sound awesome. Is there a hammock and nice ocean view from the Sol porch?

I'm thinking that I might be leaning towards Sol over Mariposa, as I don't know if the king bed and small extra deck is worth the extra money. It sounds like Sol might be fantastic.

hip, Welcome back! I have a heinous cold, so instead of coughing in bed, I decided to pop in here. I can't wait to hear all about your trip!!!!

t, if the king bed isn't important to you, I think Sol would be great for you. Shillmac raves about that shower view, and you can bank on anything she says. I say go for it!

Hey Hip, welcome back! Been thinking about you and hoping you and A. were having a great time!

vgirl, sorry about that cold. I'm in the same boat as you--feeling crummy.

tflanag1, yes there is a hammock, couple of rockers, and a nice ocean view. It's a good way to save a few bucks, for, as hip says, they are all good. If I have to compromise some of the things I'm looking for, I'll spring for the more expensive digs, but if I can get about the same thing for less, then it's a no brainer for us!

I wrote Kim (the owner) recently and told her they might need to trim some of the plants back just a little (inside the shower) to enhance my shower ocean view! :)

Hip, my daughter was at DFW yesterday also, returning from a jaunt with her sister to Montreal.
Can't wait to hear all about your trip. I am putting ours together bit by bit--got Peace Lodge booked yesterday. I had e-mailed them 3 times with only one response. Finally wrote a pointed e-mail to that effect, and they called. Probably the last time we'll ever stay there. It has gotten TOO expensive and now that breakfast isn't included--well, I think a protest is in order!

Maybe not. It's still less $$ than someeplace like BdC and you have those beautiful grounds to explore. Also thinking about Bosque de Paz, waiting for Tully's review!

Welcome home, Hip! Can't wait to hear about your adventures!

I can't help with the standard vs. deluxe cabinas, tflanag. If you decide to spring for a deluxe, we stayed in La Palma this past December and were very happy there. It had a very nice view of the gulf from the shower.

BdC is such an amazing and special place. August will come fast (especially with all the wedding planing you likely have underway!).

Thank you all for taking your time to provide your experiences, opinions, and advice. It sounds like any decision I make is the right one. That's a good problem to have. The right decision, it seems, is deciding to stay at BDC. I cannot wait for this trip!

So which cabina did you choose :) Yes, you are definitely going to have a blast and there are no wrong cabinas to pick!

shillmac when I am down there I will get on the groundskeepers to get right on that ;)

Yes, please do. I know Kim will be too busy to worry about it! :)
Did you have a nice weekend? DD is back in Tampa after a long weekend in Montreal. Glad to be back in warmer weather, but had a great time with her sister. I got to babysit and I'm sure I had the best time of all! :)

We are making a reservation for a standard cabin. I will probably request Sol tomorrow. Are the others that you all mentioned (Mariposa, Lapas, Pizote) all standard cabins as well?

Do the cabins have AC? My husband wanted to make sure we have AC. I asked this in my e-mail to BdC. They answered every other question except for that one. Hubby is concerned that b/c of humidity, even if it is in high 80's, it will feel really hot at night w/o AC...

Sol and Pizote are standard cabinas; Mariposa is a deluxe.

No, there is NO a/c at BdC. We loved BdC but you should be aware that it is an "ecolodge", at least to the extent that they generate their own electricity, use spring water, etc. Lights in the cabina are sufficient but somewhat dim and there isn't enough electricity for accessories such as hair dryers, battery chargers, etc.

The cabinas all have lots of doors/windows for ventilation and it does cool down at night but it can be humid.

We'll be there in mid July (I probably already said that in an earlier post).

Pizote is also standard and just to the left of Sol. Good cabin for monkey visits as well. . .

There is a huge difference in climate comfort between the rainy season and the dry. Naturally there will be a bit more rain, which keeps the air cooler and more pleasant. You won't feel the need for AC at all during the night. Even in the daytime, it generally feels very pleasant when you are out and about.

I was there last March and again in July--world of difference!

There are a few trade-offs for those cooler temps, though. Some of the trails will be muddy (but don't envision sinking in to your ankles--it's not like that!) and there are more bugs (don't envision the Expedia commercial--it's not like THAT!).

We were able to horseback ride in March. In July I had to cancel that tour due to slippery trails (my decision). I was there 4 nights, and it rained during every night (loved it!). No rain whatsoever during the day except on the morning I left--I'm hoping we will be that lucky this year!

kippy, there is a lot of humidity on the Osa, but it's bearable. During the day, we got quite sweaty. I completely gave up on wearing makeup because it would just slide off my face. At night, it got down into the low 80s, and we got a nice breeze. The cabins do have little plug-in fans, and we used those just to keep the air moving. It was never unbearably hot, just damp feeling for us. We went in July and surprisingly did not get any rain. The windows are louvered, so we slept with all of them open. Also, our cabin had front door sliders that you could open to expose the entire front of the cabin to the breeze. A lot of people sleep with those open as well. The cabins do not have locks on the doors, but we felt perfectly secure.

No a/c, no tv, no radios - yeah! There is always a great breeze, and there are small fans by the bed if you want to run at night. It actually cools down down nicely at night I always felt. Also, re chargers, I've always charged my camera in the cabinas and never had an issue.