HansHederman

.... for all the great info provided by the CR experts, especially shillmac, glover and a few others. Two weeks to go and the days are draaaaaggging. Anyways..... with the advice of some, we decided on Los Lagos (with three kids) for 4 days... then off to Casa Bambu which I am very psyched about for a week. The first day will be very long as leave from JFK at 5am and arrive at 930am and have our driver (Danny) take us directly to Los Lagos. I think the adrenalin will keep us awake. We do have Cano Negro planned with Canoa Aventura and MUST book Eco Termales tomorrow. Looking at Liquid Lava tour with Desafios. Hanging Bridges... Half of our party may do Sky Trek (8 of us)... if there is time we'd like to see the waterfalls... can anyone recommend the best way to see them (horseback?). Also.... if anyone can recommend restaurants in the Arenal area that would be awesome. As far as Osa goes, we booked the refuge... also looking for a night hike. Does anyone know anything about Cano Island? Is it worth the trip? How about a fishing charter that doesn't break the bank? Any other suggestions would be appreciated. Sorry I'm long winded. I'm pretty excited. I'll be sure to share my adventures and perhaps pics with you all. Thanks again.

volcanogirl

Our favorite restaurants in Arenal are El Novillo for steaks and La Choza de Laurel, known for their rotisserie chicken.

volcanogirl

Phillip at Bosque del Cabo usually offers a short night hike around the property each evening; you might check with them to see if you could get in with a group there.

HansHederman

Thank you volcanogirl.... you've also been extremely helpful. If there are any "musts" I should take with me, please let me know. Pretty much going with lots of t-shirts, shorts, my salomon techamphibian shoes, DEET, sunscreen and camera... I'll get the cervesas down there

cmerrell

Hi Hans,

We really liked El Novillo and La Choza de Laurel for dining as well (VG and I tend to think alike in many respects! ;-) ).

I know that you can hike down to La Fortuna waterfall and many people get in the water there. Not sure if there's a horseback tour available. The waterfall was unfortunately the one thing we didn't have time for when we visited the area (we loved Cano Negro, Sky Trek and the Hanging Bridges.

I've always heard sort of mixed reviews of Cano Island. Maybe because most people go to dive or snorkel and it seems that visibility is highly variable for those sorts of activities in CR. It might also be a bit of a haul for you to get there as it's off the Pacific Coast and you'll be on the Golfo Dulce side. You can probably find a way to get it set up if it does sound particularly appealing.

The wildlife refuge is definitely a crowd pleaser. Where else are you going to have monkeys climbing all over you? We did the refuge combined with a mangrove tour and dolphin watching through BdC. I'm sure you could line up a similar combo tour if you'd like. I think you can also readily find things like kayaking, and probably surfing lessons too.

Keep in mind that you'll want to have some hiking and beach time as well. Even hiking the same trails each day can be a new adventure because you never know what you might see...

The day we visited the beach by Casa Bambu, we had a whole troop of capuchin monkeys cross the road right in front of us. They had crossed Casa Bambu's yard to get to where we were standing.

Have a wonderful trip!

volcanogirl

Ç and I do think alike! I would bring something long-sleeved or a light jacket in case its cool at night. We've needed that at Arenal because it can get cool in the evenings. You'll also want a pair of long pants, especially if you zip because shorts will ride up. Have fun!

shillmac

Have fun, HH. . .and don't forget to fill us in when you get back! Safe travels and Pura Vida!

HansHederman

Thanks folks... you're all great. Yep, cmerrell, wife definitely wants to get some beach time in. Hopefully, the riptides aren't as bad as when we last visited Montezuma. Also got the kids travel rods as I hear the fishing is decent in front of Casa. I will ask the owner of Casa Bambu if they can incorporate mangrove tour with the refuge. Pretty much set except I'm waiting to hear from Eco Termales and Canoa Aventura for Cano Negro. Hope Eco's not a sellout. Volcanogirl.... thank you for the recommendations on the restaurants and I'll contact Philip for the night hike. Cheers, my friends!