TAGriffin

Dear Fellow Fodorites: I will be returning to Costa Rica for my second visit on July 3. I have reservations for most of our stay, except for 2 nights we want to spend near Arenal. When I traveled to Arenal last June, I had no trouble finding places to stay (La Fortuna was virtually a ghost town). Is this area of Costa Rica more crowded in July? If so, will we likely be able to find a decent place to stay the day we arrive? I'm reluctant to make reservations because we'd like to have some flexibility in our itinerary. We're considering Arenal Country Inn, Volcano Lodge or Arenal Paraiso, so any feedback on these hotels would also be appreciated.
Thanks! Terri

karenf

Terri, I am also leaving on July 3. Last year I went on July 4 and only booked first and last nights at Xandari. We did all the major sites and were able to get our first choice everywhere except Manuel Antonio and I think that is because we arrived on a Friday afternoon. There were rooms at Montana de Fuego(where we stayed ) and Tabacon ( which we checked out but felt it was too busy.) It seemed to me that almost everyone had openings. In Manuel Antonio we were at Hotel California and there were only one or two other families there. Even at Villas Nicolas, which I think it quite popular had rooms.I am going to make our first night's reservation and will probably try to stay somewhere cheap because we arrive late. Have fun. By the way, where are you going this time? This will be our third trip.

TAGriffin

Karen - Thanks so much for the info. I thought we probably wouldn't need reservations, but it's nice to have the reassurance. BTW, I also stayed at Villas Nicolas last June (without reservations) and absolutely loved it.

This year, we're going to concentrate mostly on the Central Valley during our first week. My mom and aunt are avid gardeners, so we will be visiting La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Lankaster Gardens, as well as Poas, Zoo Ave and World of Snakes (for my 13-year old cousin). We're splitting our time between Posada Mimosa in Grecia and Xandari. In between these 2 places, we will be staying 2 nights near Arenal.

The second week, we'll be traveling down the Pacific coast on the Pacific Explorer, which is a small 100-passenger cruise ship operated by Cruise West. Over the 7-day cruise we will visit Curu, Isla Tortuga, Corcovado, Golfo Dulce, Drake Bay, Isla del Cano and Manuel Antonio. Perhaps we'll see one another down on the Osa??

Thanks again!
Terri

karenf

Dear Terri, You must post a trip report when you get back. The cruise sounds wonderful. If you have not stayed at Xandari before you will love it. We are flying down on the 3 from Chicago connecting through Houston. Which type of room did you have at Villa Nicolas? Their web site is not very good and last year when we went they only had this huge place available which would have been more room than two people would ever need, and could not show us another one. Was it quiet enough? It seems so close to the street. Thanks for your help.

TAGriffin

Hi Karen: I stayed at Xandari for 2 nights last year, but this will be the first time for my mom, aunt and cousin. I can't wait for them to see it.

I think we had a Type 3 room at Villas Nicolas last year. (Room 8D.) It had 2 double beds, a full kitchen and small living area. Even though we were at street level, it was pretty quiet. We did have what we thought were windchimes ringing all night long, but it turns out that it was a type of insect - I swear they sounded exactly like windchimes. Then, of course, there were the howler monkeys at 3 am, but we loved waking up to their calls.

We are also connecting in Houston July 3rd! We fly out of San Francisco at 9 am and arrive in Houston about 3 pm (Houston time). We're on a Continental flight, which departs Houston around 6 pm. Are you on this same flight?
Terri

karenf

Terri, We are on that flight. We have a very short connection from Chicago which worries me but we did it last year and we were okay. Thanks for the info. We will be at Xandari for our last night which is the 18. See you at the airport.