My boyfriend and I just returned from a 10 day trip to Costa Rica. We had an amazing time (can’t wait to go back) and found the message boards to be very helpful in planning our trip so I would like to return the favor.

Arenal (4 nights, 3 days) – Lost Iguana
Santa Teresa (4 nights) – Milarepa
Mal Pais (2 nights) – Casa Chameleon

I would like to start out by saying we had the best time, loved Costa Rica and the local people, and can’t wait to go back. Our trip went to fast and now we are buried in 2 feet of snow. We flew into San Jose (on a direct flight from Newark, NJ on Continental) and were immediately met outside by a Tri-color representative. They had a shuttle waiting and took us to their off site location. We had no problems and the car rental process was very smooth. We were off to Arenal. The drive was scenic and enjoyable – it took about 2 ½ hours. I’m glad we decided to rent a car and drive to Arenal because it allowed us to see and appreciate the countryside. We got there around 6 pm and checked in to the Lost Iguana. It was dark so we didn’t know where anything was so we decided to head down to the pool. The next day we decided we would go on the canopy tour. We booked it through the hotel and it was very simple. We had so much fun doing this although when we saw the first cable I got a little nervous. The next day we went on an ATV tour and had a blast. I have to say this was my favorite. The LI gave us 2 ATV tour options and we chose the challenging one. I had never ridden one before but after a few min. got the hang of it. We went through pastures, around a dormant part of the volcano, etc. It was great! It ended up being just my boyfriend and I on the tour with the guide (who was excellent) so we were able to go at our pace and stop for pictures whenever we wanted. After that we went into town to have lunch at Nene’s (a spot the guide recommended). We really liked it and ate their another time too. Another good restaurant is Don Rufino’s. On our 3rd day in the Arenal area we went to the Hanging Bridges in the morning and in the afternoon went on the Puretrek canyoning tour. We enjoyed the canyoning excursion but it wasn’t my favorite compared to the canopy tour and atv’s. I did think Puretrek was thorough in their safety measures and the guides really took pride in what they were doing. I think 3 full days in Arenal was the right amount. We were happy with the time we had there. We didn’t feel rushed and didn’t feel like we missed out on doing something we wanted to do while we were there. We also had time to relax, enjoy the town, go for lunch/dinner, or hang out at the hotel pool and bar. My boyfriend and I really liked the Lost Iguana and would definitely stay there again. The room was good, the staff were very helpful and friendly, breakfast was delicious and felt like it was a great hotel with a great view (we were lucky and got to see the lava 3 out of the 4 nights we were there). We didn’t have a problem while we were there.

We headed back to San Jose to drop-off our rental car and then flew on Nature Air to Tambor with our final destination being Santa Teresa. Once we arrived in Tambor (we had a very bumpy 30 min. plane ride) we had arranged for a small 4x4 to be waiting for us at the airstrip through Budget. I didn’t like them as much as Tri-color. We then headed to Milarepa to check in…the roads are very bumpy in this area. The main road through Santa Teresa is so dry and dusty. We stayed at Milarepa for 4 nights and the first night we were totally disgusted with the place. There were ants EVERYWHERE. Not the little ants that are in the US…they were much bigger and they were on everything. On the mosquito netting, all over the floor in the main room, in the bathroom ,etc. It was way beyond the normal amount of ants you would expect to find. We completely understood that we were in Costa Rica and were staying in an open bungalow but this was too much. We asked the hotel and they sprayed for us the following day and it helped but wasn’t 100% better. We had the hotel arrange the Isla de Tortuga trip for us. It was a nice boat ride, the island was nice, the snorkeling was ok, lunch was good and overall we were glad we went on this. It was something different to do. Other then that we hung out on the beach, went surfing and relaxed and had some good lunch and dinners. We checked out Florblanca for lunch a couple of times since it is right next to Milarepa. Overall, I felt like Milareapa was different once you saw it in person compared with the pictures they have on the website. The website pictures seem a little more luxurious and cleaner. I thought the bungalows (especially the bathroom) showed a little wear. The hotel staff was somewhat friendly but not informative and helpful. On our first day when we arrived there they said 2 sentences to us and handed us the keys and we were on our own. We expected more from them and were disappointed with what we got. They walked around with a little bit of an attitude which we didn’t appreciate. I wouldn’t stay at Milarepa again if I returned to Santa Teresa.

Our last 2 nights of the trip were spent at Casa Chameleon and we absolutely loved it. I can’t say enough good things about this place. The location is beautiful, the bungalow was gorgeous, Anthony and Bobbie are such nice people and we truly enjoyed our time there. I can’t wait to go back there. There are only 2 villas so you basically have the pool, common areas, to yourself. Anthony took my boyfriend surfing which was cool of him. We relaxed and did more relaxing while we were there.

Overall, we had a great time and fell in love with Costa Rica. It is such a beautiful country, the Tico’s are very friendly and we can’t wait to go back!

If you have any questions about any of the above, let me know and I will do my best to answer them. Thank you to anyone who gave me advice on this message board for my trip –it was a huge help!

Pura Vida!

It is comforting to know that you liked Lost Iguana. We're booked there and the reviews on Trip Advisor have been bad lately.

Question for ya - how much did budget charge you to drop off the car in Tambor? And did you also have to pay a fee when you returned the car in Tambor? Thanks!

I forgot to mention in my trip report that we flew from San Jose to Tambor and Tambor back to San Jose via Nature Air. Our return flight was originally scheduled for 9:40 and we waited and waited for the plane....and it didn't show up. Someone called the airline and they said the flight was changed to 10:40.....but they never told us the change!!! Luckily we still had enough time to get to the San Jose International Airport and get on our flight back to the US.

Hi! How did you like the Santa Teresa area? Did your boyfriend like the surfing there? Thanks!

We both liked the Santa Teresa/Mal Pais area. It was a little adjustment after coming from Arenal but we got used to it and had a lot of fun. It's a really laid back, beach/surfing town. Everything is pretty low key. The two things we didn't like was: (1) how dusty the main road was (it was bad since it's the dry season), (2) how bumpy the road was. It was the worst road we encountered. Other then that we had a great time. My boyfriend liked the surfing. There were some good waves.

Thanks for the report! Do you have a phone number for Casa Chameleon? There isn't one on their website, and they haven't replied to my emails. Thanks!

Thanks for posting, we're booked into Flor Blanca in April what did you think of it? Which way did you drive to Arenal from SJ and were the roads good?
I'm glad you had a good time, shame about the hotel in Malpais, well done for not letting it spoil your experience, at least you are wiser next time. How did you find costs, food/fuel etc as i am trying to work out how much £££'s to take

Thanks again

Andrew

Andrew-
We thought Florblanca was very nice...but weren't sure if it was worth $400/night. But that is just our opinion. The food and drinks there were good but when we are away in other countries we like to try some of the more local spots which we did. The Florblanca food can be found anywhere in the US...but we still enjoyed it. Check out Milarepa one day for breakfast or dinner. They do have a nice small restaurant that is very laid back and relaxing.

We drove from SJ to Arenal and then from Arenal to SJ. Like I said, I really liked doing that drive (we did it in the daylight hours) because it was very scenic and you got to see the Costa Rican country side. For the most part, the roads weren't bad - they are just curvy when you are going through the mountains.

Gas is expensive in the Santa Teresa area since there aren't many gas stations but we still really liked have a car because we could do our own thing and didn't have to rely on anyone else. In terms of food costs it depends on where you ate. Florblanca is more expensive compared to some of the local places but you can put it on your room tab. I brought $550 with me and used the ATM machine once.

Hope this helps.

sll1031,
Great to hear you enjoyed Mal Pais and Casa Chameleon! They are both my favorite places(as everyone on this board knows by now)! Sorry to hear about Milarepa. Casa Chameleon gets celebrities too but they treat everyone the same. Milarepa seems to ignore anyone who isn't famous. This is my opinion, but several friends have said the same.
rominacr,
try e-mailing Casa Chameleon again. If they haven't answered yet, it's probably because they're booked. In my last correspondence with them they said they were receiving 25-50 e-mails per day! They only have two places so they must be overwhelmed! Their phone number is not on the website for a reason because they get calls in the middle of the night from all over the world (I know this because I asked them after reading another person's querie on another message board). Anyway, it sounds like they're booked for most of the year, but they are awesome people so if you ask nicely I'm sure they will do their best to fit you in! Good Luck!

sll1031
Thank you, thats most helpful, we tend to prefer local type food ourselves, so we'll try out as many eateries as possible.
I didnt phrase my question about your drive to Arenal very well, what i actually meant was did you go via the Interamericana to Canas and Tileran or the more direct route from San Ramon straight(ish) to La Fortuna. I am also looking forward the drive, we are taking the car down to Mal pais after Arenal and Monteverde, as we to, like to have some indepedence.
I can't wait for April to arrive now and am praying (like everyone else) for some clear weather in the mountains

Andrew-

In the La Fortuna area we liked Nene's (you have to look for it b/c it's down a side street in the center of town), and Don Rufinos.

Driving to La Fortuna, we used the directions that were provided on the Lost Iguana website and went thru San Ramon, Bajo Rodriguez, Santa Clara, etc. I'm not sure what route this is but you should check out the directions on their website because it gives you the option of saving 25 min. by going the scenic way.

In Mal Pais/Santa Teresa we liked
-Mary's (Mal Pais)
-Piedras Mar (Mal Pais)..tiny little spot right on the beach with waves crashing.
-Mar Azul (Mal Pais)
Buenos Aires (Santa Teresa...great spot to have a drink and watch the sunset)