Robbietravels

So glad to find this is an active board. Just emailed Lost Iguana for extra night. Great advice. Muchicimas gracias.
Robbie

Juldie

Robbietravels, I am also in the middle of finalizing our plans for Dec. 21- Dec. 31. It's great reading everyone's contributions here. Instead of Bdc we are staying at Lookout Inn. Anybody familiar with this place in the mountains near Chirripó National Park://www.monteazulcr.com? It looks amazing and quite unique.

rivet

On the 25th, you might try to catch a glimpse of the lava flow close up at night. It's very cool! You could drive up to Arena Observatory Lodge and try to gain admittance to the Observatory Deck. Every time we have been staying onsite at AOL, there has been volcano activity on that side of the volcano and you can see the rocks tumbling down and hear the popping. If you are worried about the road, which is terrible, I recall seeing buses in the evening along the AOL road trying to catch a glimpse, but I'm not sure how to organize that tour. Here's a youtube that shows the Observation Deck and the lava flow in case it interests you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIXMijorSUs

I'm not certain how it works for non-guests as there is a security gate at the entrance to AOL....once when we were there, some other tourists arrived to the Observation Deck and enjoyed the lava flow for a reported $10 each. If you can not get Iguana Lodge , you could consider the Smithsonian Rooms at AOL the most deluxe rooms there.

Or you could book one of the Hot Springs - Tabacon would be nice for Christmas night if they are open.

IMO if you already have 3 nights at Aguila de Osa, then try for an extra night at Bosque.

Cattail

If it's it's within your budget, I would stay at BdC for greater wildlife opportunities. We've been to both areas.

Cattail

Is the volcano active again, rivet?

colibri

Last I knew Arenal had been dormant for about the last 1 1/2 years. Turrialba is very active, has been upgraded a few times in the past month or so.

volcanogirl

That's right - Arenal hasn't had any lava flow for quite a while now.

Robbietravels

Things are getting better. I did get the third night at Lost Iguana. What are some of your favorite activities in this area? Is a day trip to Monteverde worth it?
I'm waiting to hear from Bosque D C if they can accommodate us one day earlier. Aguila cannot but we could stay at a B & B in Drake Bay the 29th and have Aguila get us on the 30th for a 2 night stay there (we want to visit Corcovado fom Sirena station while on Pacific side, yes?) Flying from Tortuguero-SJ-DrakeBay is such an efficient solution.
I just emailed Toucan Rescue Ranch to see if they have room on Dec 21. Then we'd drive from the Ranch to Lost Iguana. If they don't any other places to stay?
For driving to Arenal, can we do it in a regular car. I've never driven a 4 WD. Favorite rental agency?
Juldie maybe our paths will cross. As I recall I decided Lookout Inn was too remote and I think a car was needed. We don't want to rent on Osa.
Colibri I'll look forward to hearing about your experiences on the Caribbean side.
Gracias por su ayuda con estés preguntas (8th grade Spanish, pardon).

colibri

Robbie - don't even consider a daytrip to Monteverde. The road is rough, it takes 1/2 day. MV is a beautiful cloud forest environment that deserves 2 or 3 nights, lots of activities there.

At Arenal we enjoy Eco-Termales for thermal spring soaking and hiking at the Hanging Bridges (get a guide). Most people do their ziplines at Sky Trek, very popular. I did mine at Arenal Paraiso, 11 platforms.

I love the Cano Negro boat trip, but would skip it since you will be in Tortuguero.

La Fortuna waterfall is very popular along with horseback riding or hiking in the national park.

I wouldn't think you'd need a 4WD at Arenal.

Enjoy your trip, I'm just back from the Osa and will hit the Caribbean side next Feb. after your holiday trip. You will love Bosque - you might like to see my Bosque photo link in my recent Trip Report.

volcanogirl

We like all the same activities as col. If you want a fancy hot springs, you might look at Tabacon, but Eco Termales is smaller and to me more charming because they limit the number of people who can enter. Proyecto Asis animal rescue center is nice if you want to get close to some monkeys, sloths, macaws etc. We were able to feed them while we were there.

rivet

Cattail... and Robbie. So sorry, I didn't realize that the volcano has gone completely dormant. If you can not book the Toucan Ranch, maybe you could visit to Arenal Observatory Lodge... there's something very memorable about the Observation Deck, where rows of chairs are set up like an outdoor National Geographic classroom - the volcano is right in front of you and the view of Lake Arenal is lovely. We have enjoyed many interesting and educational conversations on that platform as the lodge seems to attract more science-minded guests, and it is the aspects of nature and biology that we find fascinating about CR. The hikes around AOL are also good and now that Arenal is not active, I wonder if they have reopened the Old Lava Trail?

Robbie, I have driven to Arenal twice,both times to AOL, once in a 4WD and once in a car. It was easy driving to the town of La Fortuna, good roads and there are some interesting towns to break up the drive. If you go further than La Fortuna, up to AOL, the roads are not as good - lots of wash boards and ruts. Had to drive slowly. We have usually used Tricolor but most of the rental agencies are just a shuttle ride away from the airport so one would seem as convenient as the other.

Robbietravels

Now that I've booked 3 nights at Lost Iguana and the volcano is inactive, am I making a mistake?
Should I revert to the plan of 2 nights Lost Iguana? Based on that idea I just emailed AOL and Villa DeCary for 2 nights each and replace Lost Iguana. Your thoughts, por favor.

Any one stayed at Toucan Rescue Ranch? Is two nights too long?

colibri

You can easily fill 3 days at Arenal - loads of activities whether volcano is active or not. It's still a stunning area to explore.

volcanogirl

The Lost Iguana is a wonderful hotel. I'm not sure why you'd want to change it. We've stayed there several times, lava or not.

Robbietravels

Thanks volcanogirl, I guess I jumped the gun. If I stay at Lost Iguana 2 or 3 nights I still have a night to book before heading back to SJ for early am pick-up to Tortuguero. WHERE WOULD YOU TOUR/STAY?

Before I commit, I may as well ask you trusty travelers how you'd compare Tortuga Lodge with Maratus Lodge - we'll do a 2 night package with one of them. We usually like smaller places without kids (my six year old granddaughter excepted, of course) great guides a must, good food never hurts.

volcanogirl

Tortuga Lodge is wonderful. They're known for good food and good service. Most lodges put you into groups to eat and tour with at scheduled times. Tortuga Lodge lets you do your own thing. When we boated in they surprised us with a picnic on the side of the river. I've never heard of anyone else doing that so I don't know if it's a common thing or not, but we had so much fun. They pulled out wine and fresh fruit juices, ice, linens - pretty swanky and fun. We also had our boat driver all to ourselves vs. other lodges that had boats packed with people. It seems like they really focus on nice service and individualized attention. When we got off the boat, a lot of the staff came and introduced themselves by name. Tortuguero is pretty rustic so we weren't expecting all of that, but wow we were surprised and so happy. I commented on something we ate and how good it was, and they gave me the recipe. They also have a program where people can help teach English to local school kids which seems pretty cool. When we did our canal tour, we were the only people on it, and our guide would zoom wherever we were interested in going or get up close so we could take pictures. We would really recommend staying there. The rooms are rustic but nice; they have open screens for windows like most places there just so you can get a breeze. When we left they had us fill out an in-depth survey of what we thought, who gave us great service, who went beyond the call of duty and things like that. Seems like they really like to reward good employees. We would definitely stay there again. I haven't stayed at the other spot so can't really compare but Tortuga Lodge gets a big thumbs up from us. I'd recommend bringing bug spray - Tortuguero had a lot of rain when we were there so consequently a lot of mosquitoes.

Regarding their pricing, we chose to fly out on Sansa and booked that on our own because it was cheaper than flying out on the airlines Tortuga Lodge wanted us to; they'll modify your package however you want.

rivet

Many people on this forum like Orchideas Inn for accomodation. While charming, it is in Alajuela and we found that it was not on the pick up route for our Tortuguero tour. We had to take a taxi and meet the bus at The Holiday Inn Express near the airport ( more precisely , Rostipollos Resaurant), so we were the first people on the bus. As we picked up other travelers in downtown San Jose we saw a bit of the city. What I learned from that experience is that I don't ever plan to stay in the city center and most convenient to have a direct pick up. Perhaps you could narrow your choices to a couple of hotels then check with Tortuga to ensure they will get you right at the hotel.

Not familiar with Toucan Rescue Ranch but see that it is in Heredia, very near SJO airport. You could get up and drive back to Heredia, drop the car, taxi to Toucan, spend the day/night at that hotel, then taxi to a meeting spot if the lodge will not pick you up directly from Toucan Ranch.

When you book your return flight to SJO from the Osa, go with Sansa as it will save you time and a cab fare. The Sansa terminal is right beside SJO, easy to walk a few steps for your international check-in. The Nature Air terminal is miles away.

volcanogirl

You lost me a little bit, Robbie. For that night are you just looking to get closer to SJO or stay right near SJO? If you just want to get a little closer, I'd look at the Peace Lodge which is about an hour from SJO. Or if you want a city hotel, I'd go Grano de Oro or for a place with a great view Xandari.

Cattail

I don't think you're making a mistake, robbie. The volcano is magnificent even when it's not erupting, and there's ton to do and see in the area. Lost Iguana sounds like a splendid choice!

Rivet makes a good point; tours often won't pick up outside of San Jose, which is how we ended up in the city on a couple of occasions. There are some good hotels in the city, and worthwhile things to see, just that most of us wouldn't trade days elsewhere to do so.

Is Toucan Rescue Ranch the spot that is advertised at Orchideas Inn, and where their caged birds are from?

volcanogirl

If you end up staying at Tortuga Lodge, they will probably pick you up wherever you want. We had them pick us up in Arenal because that worked better with our schedule. They sent a driver for us who drove us to Cano Blanco where their boat came and picked us up. Boating in was really amazing. Most lodges will only do pickups in SJO so that was another reason we went with Tortuga Lodge. The tradeoff is they are a little more expensive, but it was worth it to us not to have to back track to SJO.