midvale

Thanks to everyone here on the site with info. We were in CR July 4-10 and had a great time.

July 4 - arrived 9pm into SJ and got picked up by Hotel Le Bergerac. We had prearranged pickup and rental car for next day. Quick ride to airport without stress and we slept.

July 5 - Great breakfast in the courtyard at Bergerac. The car arrived ontime from Adobe and we headed for Arenal. It was a great drive, but slower than I expected. There is only one road to wherever you're going in CR and therefore they never put any signs. It's very fun! It took 3-1/2 hours to Tabacon. We were in top floor of 300-block building and the view would have been great but for the clouds. We went to the Hot Springs and they're beautiful...and too hot. We stayed in the pool by the bar where there was some cool water. Fantastic. Great dinner at Tabacon while it poured rain.

July 6 - Had to change hotels to Arenal Paraiso, but we are so thankful that we did. Paraiso was about 40% less and we liked it much more. Everyone gets their own cabin with a great view of the volcano. Even in July we saw the volcano sometimes and even saw a mini-eruption with lava and smoke on the side of the volcano. Paraiso was very open and we enjoyed walking the grounds and swimming in the hot springs pool. We had a wonderful, economical lunch there and did the zipline tour on premises. Great. 11 lines. Scary at first, then you'll wish there were more. Great dinner there too.

July 7 - Longgggg drive to Manuel Antonio. It is beautiful, but I wasn't ready for how slow it was. Again, one road, from sea level to 6000 feet, windy, and when you get behind a truck carrying bagged concrete, you go slow! All the same, beautiful and scenic. The road was in great shape, but plan on 30 mph. We checked in at Si Como No and got room 20. I hadn't appreciated from the posts that this area is made up of hotels built into the side of cliffs. Expect lots of stairs to get from reception to your room -- it's great. We ate at the "adult" restaurant and it was great food - bit pricey, but not bad.

July 8 - Arranged through the hotel a guided tour through Manual Antonio. Wonderful walk with tons of info from the 24-yr old biologist Roy. Saw great animals and enjoyed it. No problem at all with bugs. Stopped using bug spray because there weren't any. Shopped outside MA and there are lots of T-shirts and beautiful sarongs, etc. Went back to hotel and walked around the area to see local hotels. Walk down to La Mariposa even if you don't stay there as it has a commanding view from the top of the hill. We ate dinner that night at the hotel La Colina, about 2km from Si Como No -- OUTSTANDING. They had a live band and we had tremendous meals there of steak and Pork.

July 9 - We played in the pool and then drove back to Le Bergerac in SJ. It is an easy drive over good roads, except for the E-ticket rides over two bridges that will amaze you with their endurance. We arrived in SJ at 4pm on Friday and got to see every citizen of SJ as the streets are packed at that hour. We had a great meal at the hotel and talked about our great week in CR. We flew out the next morning.

Costa Rica was green and beautiful and the people were wonderful. We spoke a bit of Spanish with the locals and several asked us about our stay and our impression of their country and the people. I think that says a lot that it is important to them that the tourists had a good time. I think we packed in too much driving into our 6 days. From Denver we arrived late on the 4th and left early on the 10th. We loved Arenal Paraiso; I would recommend staying there and paying the entrance fee to the Hot Springs..in off-season it is $23pp. Tabacon was nice, but expensive. We loved what we saw and will return asap.

poss

Midvale-- Thanks for the report. Did you happen to see Makanda as well as Mariposa? We're trying to decide where to stay in that area-- want someplace beautiful and "up-scale" if possible. But if Si Como has more gorgeous grounds than the other 2, we'll probably opt to stay there. Thanks-- and glad you had a great time!

JeanH

Poss, You are having a tough time figuring out where to stay in Manual Antonio. We stayeda at Si Como No the year before we stayeda at Makanda. It's a much larger property than Makanda, two restaurants on site, two pools, swim up bar. Too 'Disneyish' for some people, but we enjoyed it. We stayed in a room that was a step or two above their cheapest, and it was nice. No TV, but that's fine with us. Great breakfast. Beautiful views. It's also easier to walk to other restaurants since it's on the main road between Quepos and Manual Antonio. Also the bus stops right out in front. They did (I'm guessing they still do) have a shuttle to take you to the beach at Manual Antonio.

Jean

Kwoo

midvale, what did you think of La Colina? We are staying there in August.
Thanks.

poss

Hi Jean,

Thanks for responding. Yep! You're right-- I am having a hard time deciding where to stay in MA. And I remember your post from before-- that you'd stayed both places. My problem is that we keep see-sawing about whether to go to CR at all. Everyone on these boards seems to be full of endless vigor and terrific flexibility, not needing great comfort, etc. etc. In earlier days, we did lots of camping, lots of "roughing it," lots of staying in non-high-end places. At this stage of our life, we really do want to be comfortable-- have even started enjoying "luxery." We do NOT need hot and cold running servants or tv (blah) or antiques. But we do like being comfortable (not sweatsy/itchy/noisy/smokey etc)-- and most of all we love gorgeous surroundings. I don't think we'll being doing a lot of going into "town" at the various places, just going out to take our many "tours." That's why I hope our accomodations will be especially pleasing and comfortable. Makanda worries me a little because it's so small. I like the idea that a person can move around a bit more at Si Como-- esp. that there's more choice for meals. (And I've never liked breakfast in the room-- doesn't left-over food attract bugs??) But I wonder if we'd find Si Como No a too "happening" place. Since you've been to both, can you tell me which is most beautiful? Obviously, there's a good deal of subjectivity there, but is one the clear winner hands down-- just for gorgeousness of the surroundings (and the rooms)? Thanks, Jean! P.S. I'm also having trouble trying to decide whether to stay at Villa Caletas-- we'd thought to do that for 2 nights to break up the long ride from Arenal to MA. Ahhh-- I am becoming such a nuisance, I fear....

poss

p.s. to Jean: I'd originally planned to stay at Si Como No, by the way-- sounded/looked great (I looked at website, read guidebooks, etc. etc-- of course websites can make anything look good..) But then I found out that Si Como could not guarantee no-smoking accomodations-- in fact, had none. That's impt to us. Makanda (supposedly!) can guarantee non-smoking. (On the other hand, I also frequently read that what CR hotels SAY and what they actually deliver aren't necessarily the same thing. CR isn't the only place where this happens, of course-- but I get the idea that it's more frequent, that the art of hotel management isn't all that prized in that beautiful country. would love to find that impression mistaken..)

kimschulze

We have stayed at both Si Como No and Makanda. For us, Makanda was way better! We are into more laid back comfort and quiet, beautiful surroundings. We fall into that category that thinks SCN is too Disney-esque. Lots of small kids there when we were there. It is pretty, but bamboo is fake, rocks by the pool are fake, our room was nothing special. Makanda is much more "natural". We stayed in a villa and had excellent accommodations. Very lush grounds, beautiful, peaceful pool, excellent service. We had a villa that opened up all across the front, w/ rocking chairs and hammock (a comfy one)- perfect during the day. We could close the doors at dusk and turn on the A.C. for cool sleeping and no bugs... Loved it.

JeanH

Poss, please e-mail me:
[email protected]

Jean

midvale

Kwoo, I didn't see too much of La Colina, just the restaurant. I only went there at night and it was pouring rain. I talked to the owner after dinner and he seemed to be interested in doing things right, for what that is worth. The food was great. I don't agree with the Disneyland comments on Si Como No. Everything was top notch and first rate. You'll have a great time.

shillmac

For everyone who wants to break up the drive from Arenal to Manuel Antonio, you should check out La Finca Que Ama (Neta's place). Everything about it is wonderful and Neta and Arbel are excellent hosts! You could be there in 3.5 hours from Arenal, and the drive to MA would be another 2.5 or 3.

As for Si Como No, we loved it! Would definitely stay there again. I don't think one could really pinpoint a hands-down place in MA--there are several very nice hotels, all with some positives and negatives depending, of course, on the traveler!

midvale-I was so glad to hear that you enjoyed Arenal Paraiso. We have recommended it many times--think it is a great place to stay, especially for the price and the lovely grounds. I'm glad you enjoyed your trip so much!

allison04

My 2 cents on Si Como No--loved it. And as far as it being "natural," everyone likes different things, but Si Como No is rated well by the Certification in Sustainable Tourism and the others are not. (They rate hotels on their impact on the environment, conservation, and interaction with community/workers.)

LA_FadeAway

For what it's worth, we just returned yesterday and we also loved Arenal Paraiso. Nothing to complain about what so ever. We stayed at Villas Nicolas next to Si Como No. The grounds at Si Como No looked nice and the people we met who were staying there loved it. However, I did see several children there if that matters to you. We really enjoyed Villas Nicolas, but I wouldn't clasify it as "upscale".

I'll post a trip report once I'm done wading through the mounds of paper work piled up on my desk at work and the mounds of mail piled up at home. Returning from a long vacation is quite a nightmare!!

lvk

Welcome back LA. Hope I get a chance to read your trip report before we leave on the 15th! (no pressure, though)

Kwoo

Welcome back LA! We are leaving on the 10th; I would love to read your trip report before we leave but I certainly understand if you don't have time before then. Could you briefly tell me what the weather was like in MA & Arenal? Glad you liked Arenal Paraiso. We are staying there, also.

LA_FadeAway

The weather was absoluetly perfect everywhere we went, especially on the Carribean coast (if you can believe it). It rained briefly some days, but usually early in the morning (4 or 5 AM) or late in the afternoon while we were showering for dinner. We never actually got rained on (more than a mist) during any outdoor activities. The longest afternoon rain we experienced lasted about three hours in MA. I'm guessing we were lucky, but maybe you will be too!

Kwoo

Thanks, LAFadeAway! I hope we are as lucky as you. Do you know when you will be posting your trip report?

LA_FadeAway

Kwoo,
I'll try to at least put together a summary this weekend. I'm a little too swamped to do anything detailed right now. I'm going to Boston and Vermont next week for a few days and then in two weeks I'm going to Jamaica for ten nights, so you can imagine how crazy it is at work right now!

shillmac

Jamaica? What's up with that? I want YOUR job!

Seriously, it's great that you are getting to do so much this summer. I'm glad for you! Keep us posted!

Melissa5

Midvale, thanks for posting the trip report. If you are still on-line, can you tell me more about Le Bergerac? Which type of room did you have, was it quiet at night, did you enjoy it? What's the atmosphere like at the hotel? We will have a car. Is there any place to walk to from Le Bergerac? How long is a cab ride to downtown San Jose (to Jade Museum, Gold Museum, El Pueblo?) Did you have time to see San Pedro area? Thanks! If you have time to e-mail me at [email protected] that would be nice, and please mention Le Bergerac in the subject line if you do. I'll check back here too. Thanks.