Osa or Nicoya for honeymoon?? Please help!
 

Hi!
Ok, we are getting married in MA next August '08 and we are wanting to travel to a different part of the country for our honeymoon, the last four nights of our trip.
We have been to CR twice but have not been to Nicoya or Osa and we can't decide which to choose. My FI is a very experienced surfer so surfing is a must, which he would LOVE to surf Pavones. We love nature and we are moderately adventurous. My initial thought was BDC. Any opinions? Are we missing something great if we skip Nicoya? Please give us any suggestions!!
Thanks!

I haven't been to Nicoya, so I can't give you a comparison. However, I can 100% tell you that you can't go wrong with BDC, and of course you'll want the "honeymoon cabina" Mariposa. :) Since your husband is an avid surfer, there is Backwash Bay and a couple others which I'm sure he would enjoy. Plus, there's just so many other things to see and do from BDC. The food is incredible, the wildlife amazing, the trails spectacular, the staff fantastic. Just a perfect place all around for a honeymoon!

Congratulations!

Nicoya is a whole big Peninsula...or the town of Nicoya...If he likes surf..In Nicoya he can find...Tamarindo...Playa Grande...Playa Naranjo..Avellanas..and some more...

Pavones is a popular destination...if he like the idea of Pavones...you must try Osa.

Paradise

We just got back from 4 nights at Bosque del Cabo in the Osa and just loved it. It's everything hip said. Mariposa would definitely be great for you. When we were there, there were 2 couples on their honeymoon, and they just loved it.

The food and service are quite nice, and the wildlife is jaw dropping - howlers, capuchins, squirrel monkeys, spider monkeys, toucans, macaws, agoutis, anteaters - we really were in awe.

I have not been to Nicoya either, so can't offer a comparison, but I can vouch for BdC. One couple we met was taking surfing lessons there, so I know there is surfing available. BdC looks out onto where the Pacific and Golfo Dulce join. It's a hike to the beach - if that doesn't bother you, I think it would be great.

Nolegirl0923 - check out Harmony Hotel in Nosara or Casa Chameleon in Mal Pais for surfing/honeymoon ambience. I'll try to give a full account of our fantastic five days at Harmony Hotel when I can get my head above water at work.

Thanks everyone! I've heard so many great things about Osa and BDC that it's hard not to lean toward that option! That nature part is what intrigues me! Can someone tell me if we'll be able to survive the August heat without AC in BDC? I know that is a snobby thing to ask but FI is ALWAYS sweating (and we live in FL!!)

Mrand~ Thanks for your advice too. We just stayed in Mal Pais in June at Moana Lodge. I've heard great things about Casa Chameleon but since we've been to Mal Pais, we want to try somewhere different. We enjoyed Mal Pais though, it was a cute little surfer town! BTW, I'm loving your trip report, I've been glued to it. I can't wait to read more!

Anyway, if we went to the Nicoya Pen., we would want to try like Samara or Nosara. I just don't know! Your responses have helped me lean more towards Osa! Keep the suggestions/experiences coming! Love to hear them!!
Thanks!!

Hi, Nolegirl - we did think it was warm at BdC, but it wasn't unbearable. We were there in July. Temps at night were in the low 80s and humid, but we got a breeze off of the ocean. We slept with our louvers open on our windows, and they provide you with fans you can plug in. There are nice outdoor showers and a pool, and the ocean is right there if you want to hike down. I wanted to mention to you that you can't bring a blow dryer - not sure if you knew that, but they don't have enough power for things like that. I am an air conditioning queen (live in Houston), and my husband didn't think I would make it either, but it was fine. Just bring very cool clothes like shorts, tanks, and capris. It is warm, but it's worth it. We saw a lot of the amazing wildlife without ever leaving our porch.

One thing your husband may enjoy if he likes the water - you can swim with wild dolphins there. They pull you behind the boat and dolphins swim all around you.

August will be into the rainy season and not at the hottest like here in the states. I'm a wimp cause I live in the NW and we were at BDC end of May/June this year. The heat wasn't bad and I assume it's because the cabinas are up on the bluff with good breezes. There is also a fan, but we only used for one night for a short time. I was never completely dry, because of the humidity, but you're probably more used to that being from Fla.

Woooaahhh...no hair dryer??? OMG, my hair will be HUGE! Lol. I have naturally curly hair and when I don't blow dry it, lets just say it isn't pretty=) That's ok, I'll deal with it, I'm sure!
Do they have power to plug in smaller things? Such as my camera battery? or a portable DVD player to charge?
Oh my, I sound like such a snob! That really isn't my intention!

One more thing, is it advisable to drive down from MA or are we better off hoping on a domestic flight? FI wants to rent a car there so we can go to different surf spots. Anyone have experience renting a car out of P. Jimenez?

Nole, that's why I wanted to warn you! I was a total nature girl by the end of the trip. I do my hair every day, and in the Osa, I didn't even recognize myself, but it was kind of fun! I let my hair dry naturally and ditched my makeup.

Yes, you can definitely plug things in in the cabins; there are outlets that we used to plug in our battery recharger for our camera, and ours had lamps and the fan I mentioned - just no major energy suckers like blow dryers. BdC operates on solar and I think also hydroelectric power.

LOL! Yes, you can recharge your camera battery, probably the DVD too (not sure how much power that sucks). There is ONE rental car place in PJ. Otherwise, you can do the drive from MA, but it's a long one. I'd fly Nature Air from Quepos instead.

I wouldn't want to do the drive - I'd hop on Nature Air or Sansa. The roads are rough down there.

I love BdC, but 4 days is a short time there. You'll wish you had more!

Really like the idea of the Malpais area for surfing and Casa Chameleon which gets fabulous reviews. It, too, sounds like a wonderful honeymoon spot, and would take us a little less of your time in travel, I THINK.

Congratulations and happy planning!

Not sure of the season they have it but part of the year you can fly direct between Quepos & Puerto Jimenez. If you're really into wildlife & beautiful scenery I would say BdC would be the cherry on top for the last 4 nights of your trip. It would also give you the option of having plenty to do if husband wanted to surf down at Matapalo.

If you really want to stay in Pavones, I came across this place the other day while "surfing" myself: www.castillodepavones.com/ I don't know anything more than the website says but it really looks cool (and if you look into & find out the prices please post them here!) Congrats!

Thanks everyone! I'm pretty sure we're going with Osa, most likely BDC. Although, Tully, that link that you sent looked really nice! Did you see it in person? Hmmmm, decisions, decisions!
Thanks for the advice on Mal Pais but we definitely don't want to go back there this time. Not that we didn't like it, just that we want to go somewhere different. (We just went to Mal Pais in June '07) I haven't heard anyone raving about anywhere else on the Nicoya which leads me to believe that Osa is the way to go for our last hooray!
Some people say that 4 days isn't enough at BDC and some say its plenty. I guess we'll just have to try it out and if it isn't enough, we'll have to go back for our 1 year anniversary!
Thanks again everyone!