Moonpie

My hubby and I will be travleling to Bdc at the end of April. I have been doing a lot of research, but I still have one question. Many people mention "critters" in their casitas. How do they get in there? Are there no doors to keep them out? I'm not talking about small insects, rather the larger animals. Thanks

shillmac

Highly unusual for the larger critters (opossums, etc) to enter unless you're talking about Miramar, which is quite open. Mostly you'll only need to be on the lookout for the small stuff. We had a spider (rather large) on the inside of my mosquito netting one evening. How he got on the inside I'll never know, but you know spiders! Crafty little critters.. .

We were very careful to keep our luggage zipped up at all times to avoid scorpions getting into stuff, and we checked our shoes every time we put them on. Saw nothing else--just that one spider. We wouldn't have been surprised to find geckos or beetles, etc. I suppose if someone left their door open during the night larger animals might enter. I'm guessing that may have happened. . .

Oh, and I think we had a bat in the upper rafters because we found some droppings of some kind on the floor a couple of mornings in the same spot--as if it had come from the high pointy part of the ceiling both times.

tully

There are a couple ways, especially for the crafty and the hungry. Many people sleep with the patio doors open to the sea for the breeze (I don't personally as the temps are pretty nice at night when I go). Not to mention when housekeeping comes, they always leave the doors open. As far as insects, there are doors and screens etc, but none of it is extremely sealed. I've had a huge spider in my closet once and weirdly enough a crab in my shower (how he got over the wall I've no idea). Finally grabbed Kevin to please remove the crab.

coolbluewater

Left our mosquito nets down and our doors open at night--we didn't have a bug OR animal problem at all. I think the larger animals shouldn't be an issue if you are in a cabina. I didn't hear of anything (besides the opossum) when I was at BDC.

Moonpie

Thanks so much for your input.....I am a huge bug phobe, but I will tough it out.

A few more questions......

Does BDC put everything (drinks, tours) on a Credit Card? I'm trying to figure out how much cash to bring.

Also what kind of alcoholic beverages do the have and what is the average price? I prefer wine and beer.

Is there a huge difference between the deluxe and standard cabinas? Also has anyone stayed in new cabina "Vista Mar?"

What is the proper attire for dinner? I am trying to pack lightly....for the first time in my life.

Thanks again for the replies!

tully

moonpie - some things you can put on credit card, like bar tab, tours, with a 6 or 7% surcharge. Tips need to be paid in cash, as well as Sansa if they've booked for you and haven't already charged you yet.

Drinks they have a nice large selection. Lots of sodas, plus beers, plus mixed drinks of course. Jose makes a mean daquiri. I don't remember exact prices but I think sidas were like $1.50, beers about $2.00 (local ones like Imperial) and drinks were around $3-4.

I think the main difference btwn the standard & deluze are the deluxe are slightly bigger and have a patio plus decks, whereas standards have patios only. But all look out at the same view!

Proper attire for dinner.....I would suggest something that doesn't smell so rank to offend other guests, that's about it, everything else goes. Seriously, t-shirts & shorts. Pants or sundress if you want, but keep it simple, get too dressed up & everyone will wonder where the heck you came from

Moonpie

Tully,

Thanks. I am still waiting for BDC to fax me the the reservation form. How do most people pay for their reservation? I would like to avoid the credit card surcharge if possible. Any other helpful hints or "must do" excursions?

coolbluewater

As I recall, they do not charge the 6% surcharge for the room and board. However, bar tab, tours, excursions and tips WILL be subject to the 6% surcharge.

I paid my deposit with a personal check that I mailed in. You can also pay your balance at the end of your trip with a personal check or travelers check.

They can also do laundry for you (24 hour turnaround)--not sure of the cost of this.

I share a deep-seated terror of bugs and can tell you that I didn't have a problem at all. The Golden Orb spiders are scary, no doubt, but I swear you will get used to them and will be able to avoid them pretty easily!

tully

As far as reserving goes, I believe it's 60 days prior to arrival you must send 50% by check to Miami, then the other half is due at the lodge and that you can pay by CC or cash or traveler's checks. I end up just sending payment in full so that's one less thing I have to worry about.

As far as excursions, I've heard most people usually enjoy the ones they take. Myself, I've only taken the horseback riding tour and that was great, keep in mind though Miguel speaks very limited English, but either way it's a great couple of hours. There really is so much just right on the grounds, free so to speak, to do, that you can keep yourself very busy without having to leave.

Hints....hmmm bring some clothespins, keep your bags zipped shut, check your shoes first, walk slowly & listen, adjust your wake-up time so it coincides with the congo's and all will be well, the walking sticks they have right at the restaurant entrance are very handy, don't leave your lights on any more than you have to, bring a big plastic bag, and have a fantastic time (very easy to do).

Moonpie

I can't thank you all enough for the advice. I'm sure I will have more questions before our departure!

janenicole

Thanks for the great questions and tips, everyone! When you mail your deposit check, make sure to mail it 2-3 weeks ahead of the due date. It took ours three weeks to get to Bosque (from Minn.) - made me a little nervous. It was during the holiday season, though, so may have been more delayed than normal.

bamababe

I'm wondering if this is a place to bring children or is this mostly for adults?
Thanks for all the great tips tully and Shillmac! I love reading your posts. It makes the places seem so vivid in my mind!

Moonpie

Here I go again....more questions!

What type of flashlight is best? We have a rechargeable, but I'm not sure if they have a place to plug in.

Hair dryer? I read that you should not bother taking a hairdryer. Not a huge deal, just a thought.

BDC takes awhile to return my emails. I still have not received the reservation form. Maybe I'm just too darn anxious to reserved my place in paradise.

coolbluewater

I can't answer the kids question--but I would think if you had active kids BDC would be great. Someone mentioned in a different thread how there was grass to run around, too, and the kids would see plenty of wildlife without having to take too many hikes if they didn't like them.

Oh, and no hair dryer, definitely not! I don't think there's enough electricity to handle that.

You will only use your flashlights coming to and leaving dinner, so I'm not sure you'll even need to recharge them.

fishee

This is very reassuring to hear that the rooms aren't always filled with spiders and bugs -- I was really afraid that they would be constantly crawling on the walls. So how big is a "big" spider? I'm just trying to prepare myself.

I'm not afraid of crabs but I've never found one in the shower!

tully

Actually I felt really sorry for the crab, and they are such beautiful colours. I noticed he was in a corner for about 24 hours straight (I'm surmising he didn't move at all as there were "droppings" underneath him). You'll see lots of them in CR. There are some big beautiful spiders in CR (from someone who hates bugs), very delicate, and as far as I can tell, not prone to moving much. I had one right outside my entrance to cabina once and I swear he never moved the whole time I was there. As I mentioned, one of the best things you can do is keep your lights off or use as little as possible, especially at dusk and leave them off when you go to dinner. They freak me out but even I'll admit after a day or so you get rather blase about them and just swish them away with your hand without a thought how icky they are.

2 or 3 basic flashlights are fine, make sure you have fresh batteries and some spares (says one who accidently popped the top off one and watched the batteries roll off the deck into space).

I think kids would be fine at BdC, although I haven't often seen them there. If they have an open mind and a good sense of adventure I would think they would love it.

Hairdryers - I wish ! I comfort myself knowing all the others look about as "lovely" as I do, lol. Bring plenty of barrettes, bands, whatever to help keep it out of your face. My last trip I did not and I admit borrowing the kitchen's scissors to cut my chin-length bangs, they were driving me bonkers.

I'm sure they will send your reservation info soon, I just heard from Jose a couple hours ago so I know email is up & running.

Moonpie

Tully - you are too funny! I'm sure the animals won't care how fabulous I look! It will be quite refreshing to be somewhere that I don't have to get all dressed up for dinner. I admit that I am a girly girl, but I am looking very foward to this experience.

I just completed all my reservations with Natureair. We will have to overnight in San Jose on April 22nd- then off to BDC for 6 nights.

I spoke with Jose this morning. We are getting a standard cabina. I can't wait. I just bought my husband a pair of Merrall hiking/water sneakers. IMO I like them better than Keens....no holes.

DOCROX

We paid our deposit by check before we went, then I took a personal check made out to BdC with no amount on it. That way if I lost it no one else could use it easily and I wouldn't have the extra 3% charge from my credit card. We tipped in cash. They have a full bar but during the day it is an honor bar so your choices would be limited to what you could do yourself. One note on spiders. When we hiked the trails I was always sent first as there were lots of spider webs from one side to the other. I got used to it and only saw spiders with the webs about 1/3 of the time. Dinner dress is casual. We felt bad when some people showed up looking fresh as daisies with crisp pants and sundresses on. We walked in from Miramar and that works up a sweat so we always wore shorts and casual short sleeved shirts.

Moonpie

I'm not sure if I will every look fresh as a daisy considering the small amount of luggage that we can take. I am a notorious over-packer. My husband laughed when I told him we could only have 25 lbs each. It will certainly be a challenge for me!

Hopefully, I can enjoy the spiders and bugs from a distance. If one should happen to get up close and personal with me......well I will be the crazy blond screaming like a school girl!

Haydencat - see you soon. I'm counting the days!

janenicole

I have been packing up for our trip to BdC in two weeks, and realized that my husband needs a lot less toiletries than I do (hey, I will need plenty of hair gel along with no hairdryer to use), so am loading his bag up with some of the weightier things like flashlights, batteries, big bottles of sunscreen, and anything else I can pawn off. LOL!