psbroome

Hola, Just got back from our first trip to CR and am starting to plan our next trip already.It was fantastic. I want to keep this short, but since we went some places that don't seem to get much coverage, I wanted to mention them . If anyone wants more details, I will be happy to respond.
There were negatives and I want to get them out of the way first. We were in Monteverde for 4 days leaving the day before the robbery. It was a trajic event that we watched play out from the other side of the country,but don't let it stop you from visiting this magical place. Next if you plan on using plastic while in CR, look at the back of your cards, especially ATM cards. Cirrus locations were the only ones that worked for my wifes card. My card only had plus ,visa and interbank and never worked. So when I tried to call the customer service number on the back, the 800 # does'nt work outside of the US ( turns out you're supposed to call before leaving and get a special access # for the country you'll be visiting) And the last bummer was the Hotel Santo Tomas in San Jose.Rundown, claustraphobic, NOISEY!!! and way overpriced(93.00 a night)The staff ranged from friendly and clueless to surly. At night it was definetly not safe to leave the hotel. The "tropical breakfast" was wonderfull fruit,mediocre coffee and day old stale pastries. It does have a good location for visiting museums and the mattress were comfortable ,but I'll nevr stay there again.
So much for the rants, now for the raves. We LOVE Costa Rican food.With the one exception, every meal was a delight, and we ate and drink everyting (yes, salads,cevieche,tap water and ice) and NEVER got sick. Some favorites, Tin Jo in San Jose, The Sapo Dorado,Morpho's,MARVILLA'S,Pizzeria Johnny,And Stella's Bakery in Monteverde. In Cahuita go to Miss Edith's,Cha Cha Cha, Roberto's(great breakfasts) and our favorite Sobre Las Olas (great food, delightfull staff,right on the beach and fabulous Pina colada's for dessert.)Others deserving special mention are Caribbean Dish resturant in Siquirres, The food at Mawamba lodge at Torteguero and "the best breakfast in Costa Rica" served at Orquideas Inn In Alejuea.
We primarily used Interbus transfer aruond and they were fantastic. The vans were comfortable and spotless. Drivers were professional and helpfull. Now when it comes to schedule , they were either dead on or early and when you see the driving conditions this is nothing short of incredible.At our destinations we would either walk, taxi or boat.All worked well,were cheap and all were prompt( if there is such a thing as CR time, it's every body is early)
For places to stay I would recommend Orquideas Inn, Arco Iris Lodge(Monteverde),Atlantida Lodge(Cahuita)and Mawamba Lodge(Torteguero).
Some of the favorite things we did include guided trips to Monteverde cloud forest, Santa Elena cloud forest,Monteverde butterfly garden,The Frog pond@ Monteverde,Avarios Del Caribe,snorkeling the Cahuita coral reef and Torteguero National Park. We visited Cahuita national park, the Jade museum, the national museum, national cultural museum and Selvetura Sky Walks on our own. And of course the birding(we even spotted new birds at Hotel Santo Tomas)We saw quetzals,toucans,parrots and so many other species that I would be here the rest of the day listing them. And if you are a serious birder , get a copy of "THE BOOK" before you leave the US. It's heavy but worth it.
Well aren't you glad I kept this short? Any way we loved CR, I got lot's of help and good advice from the chat room while planning our trip and would be happy to return the favor. Special thanks to Neta and Shillimac PURA VIDA! Ciao, Phil

Melissa5

Phil, thanks for sharing the trip report! I'm glad you were safely away from Monteverde when the attempted robbery occurred. Such a tragic event.

Since you have seen San Jose, downtown, I'd like to ask you...would you classify it as a must-see, or an okay-to-miss?

It sounds like you enjoyed Orchideas. Which type of room did you have? did you have a quiet room for sleeping? What kind of neighborhood is the Orchideas Inn...did you feel it was a safe neighborhood?

gannetmusic

Regarding the Orquideas Inn. We were there in January.

Our room was a 'deluxe' which was up a small hill from the main building. It was quiet - no traffic noise noted at all, although there is a road close to the hotel.

The hotel is in an 'OK' area but I wouldn't suggest wandering about at night outside the grounds.

We very much enjoyed our stay at Orquideas. There is a very pleasant and comfortable atmosphere about the place. The gardens are pretty, the restaurant good and the bar was fun the one evening we dropped in for drink.

cheers

Jerry

Melissa5

Thanks for the info on Orchideas, Jerry.

psbroome

Hola Melissa5,I personally don't feel downtown San Jose is a must see. But then I don't like big cities. The Jade Museum was very interesting and Tin Jo was a great resturant. We had a standard garden room at Orquideas Inn and it was very nice and quite enough for my very light sleeping wife. I think the birds on the grounds were noisier than the traffic. The grounds are lovely, great pool, really cool bar(the Marilyn Monroe bar)and a helpful and knowledgable staff.I think it would make a good base from which to day take day trips around the central valley. As for the surrounding neihgborhood, it looked fine to me. Remember, it's an urban area and you always need to "pay attention" in those types of areas. Pura Vida Phil

ldilauro

Hi. I stayed at Orquideas on March 6th 2005 in a mountain view room up on the hill (#31). The room, hotel, gardens and staff were great. I could not hear the traffic from this room. I also stayed downtown at the Holiday Inn - Aurola on Feb 28th, on the next trip I would stay at Orquideas or Club Martino again and just go into downtown to visit a museum or two.

Samstorm

Could you explain a little more about how Interbus works? We want to be able to spend a couple days in a number of destinations. Will the bus pick you up at your hotel on the days you want to leave and take you to your next destination? Are there restrictions?

mfenimore

We arranged our interbus in advance over the Internet and they pick you up at your hotel. They have scheduled trips so you must look at the schedule

shillmac

thanks for a very informative report! Negatives and all--helpful to everyone! I'm so glad you guys had a great time!

Melissa5

psbroome, thanks for your info and opinions on downtown San Jose. Based on all the great info I've found on Fodors, I've decided we'll spend our first 2 nights in Costa Rica at the Hotel Bougainvillea, which is basically between San Jose and the airport. Orchideas sounded good too, but Bougainvillea has a better cancellation policy, and since we need 2 rooms for our family of 5, I have to consider that, just in case.