annie928

Hi,
We are planning a trip in Feb with 2 girls 8 & 11.
Would love advice on the following itinerary.
Current plan:

1 night San Jose at Orquiedas
3 nights Arenal at Los Lagos
2 nights MA at Si Como No or Hotel California
4 nights Osa at Yellow Coco lodge on Playa Platanares

I just found out that Bosque del Cabo has some availability. One option is to skip MA altogether and spend 3 nights at BdC and 3 at Yellow Coco .

I would love your advice! Thank you!

Annie

tully

My answer would be very obvious - YES! Spend the extra days on the Osa. That would be a great mix too as you'll have the wonderful views & wildlife at Bosque then some beach time at Yellow Coco. Do post a report wherever you end up at.

hipvirgochick

We didn't go to MA our first trip, we chose Osa instead were extremely happy with that choice. (I took my 10 year old daughter). That said, we're going to check out MA this March for our 2nd trip (but still returning to Bosque).

The one thing MA would have to offer (unless you do a split between Bosque and Coco as tully suggests) is a little beach time. At Bosque I don't go for beach time.

JeanH

Although it's been several years since I was in Costa Rica, I'll share my opinions anyway.

I really enjoyed our time in the Osa. But, I was really glad to get to Manual Antonio so I could eat, drink, tour on my own times and at restaurants of my own choosing.

Just my personal take, but I like options for dining.

shillmac

No question for me. I'd accept the offer from Bosque del Cabo for sure UNLESS it is in one of the cabinas in the tropical garden or one of the casas that requires a 10 minute or so walk. With your girls you need to be in one of the bungalows (deluxe or standard) near the restaurant. I wouldn't want the after dark walking with younger children. But that's your call and my opinion! Either way, you'll have a great time. MA is nice, too!

ShellD

I haven't been to MA yet, but I was at BDC last year and I think my opinion is different than most of the BDC'ers -now is that a word? here...I just do not see BDC as the ideal vacation place for kids. From what I believe MA to be, I think I would stick with your current plan. I agree with Jean's comments and I also know "my" kids who are slightly younger than yours (6 and 8) I know that BDC would absolutely not be for them at this time. I would go nuts worrying about them falling off the 500 foot cliff at the edge of the cabina. They would love the wildlife, but they could get that in MA and at your other Osa location. BDC isn't a beach destination and you have that at MA. Si Como No looks like an awesome place for families - and it gets great reviews for younger children. I would pick Si Como No in a heartbeat over BDC with younger kids. I just feel that there is more to do, more to see, more flexibilty and as a parent a bit less to watch out for - the trails are steep, the cliffs, etc...

But again - I think I'm one of the few here that is going back to CR this year and not making a second trip to BDC myself While I had a wonderful time there and thought it was an special place - I want to see other parts of the country.

ladystack

Have been to both Si Como No and BDC.. in the Manuel Antonio area there will easier and cheaper access to river trips and other activities that appeal to your children plus as other posters have said, more flexible dining. BDC is wonderful and not to be missed however 4 days is enough with children.

volcanogirl

I think Manuel Antonio is great for people with children - makes the beach so easy to access, tons of restaurants to choose from, etc. Personally, I loved the Osa so much more, but with kids, I'd say keep MA. We spent 4 days at Bosque del Cabo, and that was a good amount of time for us.

shillmac

shelld--totally agree. BdC is ideally suited for kids 12 and up. And only if the kids have a pretty keen interest in nature hiking! Otherwise, there would be a need to spend a lot of time away from the property looking for other things to do (of which there are plenty).

We may look at it a little differently, but we don't go there to spend most of our time down around Puerto Jimenez. That said, one of these times we are going to work in some extra time at one of the hotels IN Puerto Jimenez and sample some of the other activites.

msteacher

On a totally separate note, you've made a great choice for your stay in Arenal. Los Lagos is a wonderful choice for families... you may have a hard time getting your kids out of the pool!

annie928

Thank you everyone!
BDC didn't work out anyway so we are sticking with 2 days in MA and 4 days at Playa Platanares. I would love to hear people's suggestions about what to do WITH kids in Osa when you're not staying at BDC! Thanks!

volcanogirl

Annie, I would try to take them to the animal sanctuary. We took a boat there from BdC, and it was really neat. They have small orphaned animals, and you can hold baby monkeys, etc. Little girls would really love it.

hipvirgochick

I'm not familiar with Yellow Coco, but things to do with kids are basically swimming and water activities, hiking, hiking and more hiking, Wildlife Sanctuary is a not to miss tour, the kids might like to combine that with a dolphin swim (not a tame one, you get towed behind a boat on a boogie board attached to a rope and the pod swims around you behind the boat, horseback riding, guided hikes/walks where you can learn about the plants and animals from someone who knows what they're talking about and knows how to spot wildlife.

Suzie2

The Yellow Coco is right by a place that I have stayed several times. As a matter of fact the web site mentions walking there to eat. The people that own the Pearl also own the Iguana Lodge next door where I have also stayed. The rooms at the Yellow Coco look very much like the rooms at the Iguana Lodge.

Because it is not right in town, but close enough to get to, that is my favorite area to go to the beach. I am usually traveling solo at that time because my husband is not a beach person. I have always felt perfectly safe walking miles of beach by myself.

Not many people on the beach because it is too far out of town although I have walked to or from town several times. I enjoy looking for neat birds along the road. It has been a wonderful place to watch the Scarlet macaw population grow. My first few times there were very few but now I see lots of them.

I do have one word of caution. Having grown up on the East Coast I learned a valuable lesson that saved my life one time while swimming in that area. I never swim alone. There was an unusually strong surf that day. It was fine when I first went in but got strong very quickly. It finally reached the point where I could not fight the pull out where a huge wave was building and it came crashing down on me. Just about the time I really felt like I was a goner, I felt a hand pull me out. I had made friends with a sweet English couple and was out in the water with them. They saw what happened and came looking for me. You will need to be cautious during the tidal changes. Most people have a tidal chart so I would check to be sure you are out of the water during the tidal change. Low tide is fine.

One thing you might want to do with the kids and they would be absolutely amazed at would be to go to the animal sanctuary. The boat ride is a little pricey but it is a wonderful experience.

campjulie

We took our two kids (7 and 9) for a two week trip to CR in November. Stayed in Arenal, MA and then on to BdC.

They loved each place: Highlights for them at each location =

Arenal - Hanging Bridges, EcoTermales and SkyTrek - Tram only for 7 year old

MA - Beach, beach, beach and pool, pool pool

BdC - Animal Sanctuary, Tree Climbing, Hiking on the Trails, Animal Sightings

They were the only kids at BdC when we stayed there, but they really enjoyed the place. The food was wonderful even for picky eaters and there were so many animals to see. We had some of our most quality family time there: including lots of Cribbage and Yahtzee tournies during Happy Hour.

Suzie2

More Cribbage fans!!! We have had some fun games with people at BdC. We always have our travel cribbage board with us and are often seen playing at the bar at happy hour.

hipvirgochick

I love cribbage and there was no cribbage going on when I was there so I guess I need to take a board and get something started!

annie928

Thank you everyone, your posts are helping me to get really excited for this trip!
If anyone has any recommendations about travelling around the Osa area, that would be great too!
Thanks,
Annie

tully

annie what exactly are you looking for? To get down to the Osa, or to travel from, say, Puerto Jimenez to Corcovado or something else?