Response to Golondrina
Jun 9th, 2004, 07:54 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 163
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Response to Golondrina
Hi!
Let me start by saying that we really enjoyed our days at Bosque del Cabo. The scenery was magnificent, the food was the ultimate in comfort-meals and the other guests were great.
Everyone who stays there has done their research, made great efforts to get there and knows exactly why they are there and what they're doing. In other, more touristed places like Arenal, we had the misfortune of meeting up with too many package tourists who couldn't pronounce the name of the town they were in, didn't know where they had been the day before and were totally reliant on the guide to get them to their next destination. I'm being harsh, but that is a huge pet peeve.
All that to say, we enjoyed the company and conversation at Bosque very, very much.
Night time comes very early. By 6 p.m., it is pitch black. Bring a good flashlight (maybe two so your kids can keep one, as well) and extra batteries. I have never experienced such thick and heavy darkness. If you're a light sleeper like me and you tend to wake up in the middle of the night, it is very disconcerting to wave your fingers in front of your eyes and see absolutely nothing. A few times, I needed to turn on the flashlight to make sure I hadn't gone blind.
Most people retired back to their cabins immediately after dinner. When it's that dark, there's not much more to do than sleep.
I would have liked if Bosque had some board games that guests could borrow, but they had none. This may sound so silly and paltry, but of all things, I wish we had brought a travel game of backgammon or chess (or something that a whole family could play).
There's not much that I didn't bring but wish I had. I was very glad to have brought a good supply of pepto-bismol and immodium with me. First I got sick, then my husband did. At Bosque, we lost electricity nearly every night, and often along with the electricity went the water. That meant no flushing toilets during some of my worst hours.
I also had gotten a prescription for an antibiotic (3 day dose), which I think is a good thing to have. I didn't end up using it, but I was relieved to know it was there in case my stomach flu had gotten any worse. (It's also good for a bladder infection, which you don't want to be dealing with in such a remote location as Bosque.)
Contrary to what I imagined, the mosquitoes weren't a problem. I went well prepared for them, inclusing mosquito-net pants and 30% DEET repellent, because I have terribly painful reactions to mosquito bites, but I only got a couple and they were not bad at all.
Having said that, our bed and one other couple's bed were infested with what we believe were no-see-ums. Every morning, my husband work up with more and more small red welts all over his body. We applied repellent very generously every night before getting into bed, but to no avail. The bites didn't have the characteristics of bed bug bites and we couldn't see anything in the bed, which we checked thoroughly every night.
The bites weren't particularly itchy, just a little unsightly. I avoided them by wearing pyjama pants, socks and a long sleeve t-shirt, which I recommend bringing. (With the fan on, I wasn't hot at all.)
Aside from the no-see-ums, we also had tons of roaches, huge spiders, one scorpion, many ants, a bat and other insects inside the room. (Some were really exciting to see, in fact, like the katydid--a leaf-mimicking insect--that sat on our window slat for 5 days.)
When we discussed our finds with the other guests at breakfast everyday, people were surprised to hear about the level of bug activity in our cabina. One couple was supposed to move into our room after we left, but after hearing our stories, they asked to be moved to another room. Then again, it could be that us city-folks were just looking too hard. Still, I hope you and/or your children aren't afraid of sharing the house wih large and active critters.
Later on in our trip, we became fed up with a nightly infestation of what seemed to be leaf-cutter ants in our room and bed (they bite and it hurts!!!) at a luxury beach resort, so we went out in search of ant traps.
No one in Costa Rica has heard of these things! We wished we had brought some, but we then decided that the ant traps sold up here in the north would be way too small for the ants that were coming into our rooms.
If these things are likely to bother you, you might consider bringing something like that with you (oh, how totally un-politically correct of me! Someone is going to have something to say about this!). We bought a bottle of Baygon (like Raid) at a grocery store, but it did little other than temporarily easing our nerves.
Other than that, your packing list sounds fine. If you're bringing a film-camera, bring lots of film. There is something to snap a shot on every inch of land and sky there. If you're bring a digital camera, bring a ziploc to protect it from the rain and humidity.
Other than that, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! Can't wait to hear about your time there!
Let me start by saying that we really enjoyed our days at Bosque del Cabo. The scenery was magnificent, the food was the ultimate in comfort-meals and the other guests were great.
Everyone who stays there has done their research, made great efforts to get there and knows exactly why they are there and what they're doing. In other, more touristed places like Arenal, we had the misfortune of meeting up with too many package tourists who couldn't pronounce the name of the town they were in, didn't know where they had been the day before and were totally reliant on the guide to get them to their next destination. I'm being harsh, but that is a huge pet peeve.
All that to say, we enjoyed the company and conversation at Bosque very, very much.
Night time comes very early. By 6 p.m., it is pitch black. Bring a good flashlight (maybe two so your kids can keep one, as well) and extra batteries. I have never experienced such thick and heavy darkness. If you're a light sleeper like me and you tend to wake up in the middle of the night, it is very disconcerting to wave your fingers in front of your eyes and see absolutely nothing. A few times, I needed to turn on the flashlight to make sure I hadn't gone blind.
Most people retired back to their cabins immediately after dinner. When it's that dark, there's not much more to do than sleep.
I would have liked if Bosque had some board games that guests could borrow, but they had none. This may sound so silly and paltry, but of all things, I wish we had brought a travel game of backgammon or chess (or something that a whole family could play).
There's not much that I didn't bring but wish I had. I was very glad to have brought a good supply of pepto-bismol and immodium with me. First I got sick, then my husband did. At Bosque, we lost electricity nearly every night, and often along with the electricity went the water. That meant no flushing toilets during some of my worst hours.
I also had gotten a prescription for an antibiotic (3 day dose), which I think is a good thing to have. I didn't end up using it, but I was relieved to know it was there in case my stomach flu had gotten any worse. (It's also good for a bladder infection, which you don't want to be dealing with in such a remote location as Bosque.)
Contrary to what I imagined, the mosquitoes weren't a problem. I went well prepared for them, inclusing mosquito-net pants and 30% DEET repellent, because I have terribly painful reactions to mosquito bites, but I only got a couple and they were not bad at all.
Having said that, our bed and one other couple's bed were infested with what we believe were no-see-ums. Every morning, my husband work up with more and more small red welts all over his body. We applied repellent very generously every night before getting into bed, but to no avail. The bites didn't have the characteristics of bed bug bites and we couldn't see anything in the bed, which we checked thoroughly every night.
The bites weren't particularly itchy, just a little unsightly. I avoided them by wearing pyjama pants, socks and a long sleeve t-shirt, which I recommend bringing. (With the fan on, I wasn't hot at all.)
Aside from the no-see-ums, we also had tons of roaches, huge spiders, one scorpion, many ants, a bat and other insects inside the room. (Some were really exciting to see, in fact, like the katydid--a leaf-mimicking insect--that sat on our window slat for 5 days.)
When we discussed our finds with the other guests at breakfast everyday, people were surprised to hear about the level of bug activity in our cabina. One couple was supposed to move into our room after we left, but after hearing our stories, they asked to be moved to another room. Then again, it could be that us city-folks were just looking too hard. Still, I hope you and/or your children aren't afraid of sharing the house wih large and active critters.
Later on in our trip, we became fed up with a nightly infestation of what seemed to be leaf-cutter ants in our room and bed (they bite and it hurts!!!) at a luxury beach resort, so we went out in search of ant traps.
No one in Costa Rica has heard of these things! We wished we had brought some, but we then decided that the ant traps sold up here in the north would be way too small for the ants that were coming into our rooms.
If these things are likely to bother you, you might consider bringing something like that with you (oh, how totally un-politically correct of me! Someone is going to have something to say about this!). We bought a bottle of Baygon (like Raid) at a grocery store, but it did little other than temporarily easing our nerves.
Other than that, your packing list sounds fine. If you're bringing a film-camera, bring lots of film. There is something to snap a shot on every inch of land and sky there. If you're bring a digital camera, bring a ziploc to protect it from the rain and humidity.
Other than that, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! Can't wait to hear about your time there!
Jun 10th, 2004, 03:09 AM
#2
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 10,212
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
MonaManeul,
After several posts regarding Bosque del Cabo over the past months, this is the first I've read of giant and many critters! My husband and I read it together and wondered if you were speaking of the same casita that will be housing us in less than a month. We can deal with just about anything, ANYTHING, but no-see-ums in the bed! Doesn't appeal at all. . .Our experience with no-see-ums is that a good DEET repellent deters them fairly well. Do you suppose it could've been anything else? Also, no-see-ums itch like crazy! We are just wondering what would be best to take if beset with este problemo!
Everything else sounded good--we are anxious to get down there and see for ourselves! Thanks for the great advice and head up! We'll be mightily prepared
After several posts regarding Bosque del Cabo over the past months, this is the first I've read of giant and many critters! My husband and I read it together and wondered if you were speaking of the same casita that will be housing us in less than a month. We can deal with just about anything, ANYTHING, but no-see-ums in the bed! Doesn't appeal at all. . .Our experience with no-see-ums is that a good DEET repellent deters them fairly well. Do you suppose it could've been anything else? Also, no-see-ums itch like crazy! We are just wondering what would be best to take if beset with este problemo!
Everything else sounded good--we are anxious to get down there and see for ourselves! Thanks for the great advice and head up! We'll be mightily prepared
Jun 10th, 2004, 05:09 AM
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 163
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Shillmac,
We stayed in Mariposa. It is the last cabin away from the restaurant, on the edge of the forest. Some people attributed the amount of sitings in our room to our proximity to the trails.
You should know, though, that while we were there another couple found a scorpion on the their balcony, several cabins away from ours. We were assured that the scorpions weren't poisonous and that, if stung, most people suffer a moderate reaction that lasts only a couple of hours.
As for the bed bites, I don't know what to say. I assumed they were no-see-ums because we literally couldn't see anything (although the cabin was very dark). They definitely weren't bed bugs. Fleas, perhaps? I don't know. What else lurks in beds? In any event, as I said, they weren't terribly itchy (they itched a bit days after they appeared).
As for the other stuff, the things that bothered us the most were the few big spiders we found and the scorpion. The roaches were ugly, but we knew they weren't going to do anything.
Just remember: my hubby and I live in a norethern city, in an apartment. We just don't have that many insects here. Once we had one cockroach and our lives stopped for a day until the pest-control guy came!
I am a spoiled urbanite. Go, keep your bags zipped up and enjoy! You'll love it!
We stayed in Mariposa. It is the last cabin away from the restaurant, on the edge of the forest. Some people attributed the amount of sitings in our room to our proximity to the trails.
You should know, though, that while we were there another couple found a scorpion on the their balcony, several cabins away from ours. We were assured that the scorpions weren't poisonous and that, if stung, most people suffer a moderate reaction that lasts only a couple of hours.
As for the bed bites, I don't know what to say. I assumed they were no-see-ums because we literally couldn't see anything (although the cabin was very dark). They definitely weren't bed bugs. Fleas, perhaps? I don't know. What else lurks in beds? In any event, as I said, they weren't terribly itchy (they itched a bit days after they appeared).
As for the other stuff, the things that bothered us the most were the few big spiders we found and the scorpion. The roaches were ugly, but we knew they weren't going to do anything.
Just remember: my hubby and I live in a norethern city, in an apartment. We just don't have that many insects here. Once we had one cockroach and our lives stopped for a day until the pest-control guy came!
I am a spoiled urbanite. Go, keep your bags zipped up and enjoy! You'll love it!
Jun 10th, 2004, 07:25 AM
#4
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 189
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
After one very bad night in a Tamarindo hotel room infested with no-see-ums, I now travel with my trusty mosquito coil and my hanging fly trap. The fly trap is a great conversation starter w/the cleaning ladies and the coil does the trick.
The spiders, well...........
The spiders, well...........
Jun 11th, 2004, 05:12 AM
#6
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,194
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Think of a mosquito coil as a fat piece of curled incense...except it doesn't smell as good as incense. You light the tip and it slowly burns and smokes like incense....and help keeps the mosquitos away.
Jun 15th, 2004, 02:56 PM
#8
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks a million for all that information about Bosque, Mona. I haven't had a chance to check back in for the last few days so I was happy to come across your response. Yikes - really sounds like bugs-ville - we'll bring extra bug spray plus light-weight pants for sleeping. Looking forward to when we can read more about your trip! Many thanks, Katie
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
sylviam
Mexico & Central America
9
Mar 15th, 2008 08:33 AM
