Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Trip Report - La Paz, Arenal, Costa Rica Marriott, whitewater rafting, Xandari

Trip Report part II

From the Osa Peninsula we arrived at Pavas Airport via Nature Air. A very nice flight on a small, colorful plane. We arrived a little early, but a representative from Dollar Car Rental was already waiting for us. He took our luggage and drove us to their offices near by. All transactions went smoothly. They actually upgraded us for free due to some small problem with the car we were supposed to pick up.

Our destination: La Paz Waterfalls, staying at the Peace Lodge. The problem: no street signs (I guess they don’t name theirs) and a maze of streets. The rep from Dollar tried to verbally give us directions, and we did write everything down. However, twenty minutes later we decided we needed help. My son speaks Spanish so he got out at a gas station to ask if we were headed toward Paos Volcano. A taxi driver stood near by and attempted to help, but finally said the streets were too complicated. He told us to follow him and he would lead us to the correct road. I was a bit nervous as I had seen this same movie once when visiting Miami. It didn’t turn out very well -someone attempted to rob us. But you’ve got to love the Ticos. He drove us as directly to our road as possible. We stopped him and gave him a nice tip.

The drive to the Peace Lodge was very green with colorful wild impatients blooming along the way. The air was much cooler than our time in the Osa. It began to sprinkle and by the time we reached the Peace Lodge it was pouring rain. My husband’s attitude became a little testy as he was paying $500 (villa rate plus $80 for our two sons plus almost $100 in taxes) to sit in miserable weather. Mind you, he had not yet seen Monarch Villa. If ever I can enjoy rain, it is when I am relaxing in a bubbly Jacuzzi with a fire glowing next to me. Let’s see, which fireplace did I like best? Was it the one in the Great room, the master bedroom, or the bathroom? We have stayed in some of the finest hotels in the world and I must say this one ranks right near the top. My husband was more than satisfied – apologizing profusely for his ugly remarks. This forum has described the Monarch many times, so I won’t go into every detail. Even knowing what to expect did not prepare me.

And now for another blessing of rain; it keeps the general tourist crowds away. We put on our rain gear and hiked all the waterfalls (the best I saw in Costa Rica), then enjoyed the Butterfly Exhibit (very informative and beautiful) next, our favorite, the hummingbird exhibit. For those staying at the Lodge, a special program by Ricardo begins around 9:30am, and again around 4:30pm. Check the times, but I think that is correct. Anyway, Ricardo covers all the hummingbird feeders and then puts a tube filled with nectar in your hand. The birds were all over us. Ricardo is wonderful, pointing out the various colors and sharing information about the different types of hummingbirds. Some are large and some are very tiny. Some are bright violet and others are iridescent green. It was something the whole family enjoyed. This was one of those days when you just knew it was the highlight of your trip. Between the beautiful waterfalls, gorgeous blue morph butterflies landing on our arms and head, and the hummingbirds feeding from our hands, our photo ops were unsurpassed. Bring lots of film or chips for your digital.

To answer general questions: The construction did not bother us at all. The breakfast is fairly good – they will make omelets, pancakes, etc. The dinners are OK but not great. The tortilla soup is very good along with the crepes for dessert. You can buy a la carte: soup $6, salad $6, entrée $20, or four courses for $27. Drinks are extra. If anyone is a “birder” – the birds are unbelievable. Even I began to watch them. So many, so different from any we see in the states.

The next day I pledged I would not leave our room until one minute before twelve (checkout time). We enjoyed our breakfast and revisited the butterflies and birds. Savoring every minute, I walked out of our door as the maid approached our villa. By the way, the Peace Lodge has excellent printed directions to just about any destination. Be sure to ask if you have not traveled the road before.

We were off to Tabacon Resort at Arenal. Now we booked this trip in February because it is supposed to be dry season. WRONG. It was very foggy and rainy our entire time in Arenal (3 days). We never saw anything but the base of the volcano. Roads in some of the areas were so bad we could not venture out very far. The positives: the breakfast was by far the best of anywhere we stayed and an entire family of coatis pranced around the dining area each morning. The front desk, nor the concierge, offered up this tidbit (we found out by accident)- the Hot Springs are open exclusively to the guests of Tabacon from 8:00am to 10:00am each morning. Now that may sound early, but in Costa Rica it is not. You get used to rising between 5:30 and 6:30. Just have your breakfast and off you go. Since it was raining and it was early, we thoroughly enjoyed having all the Hot Springs to ourselves. In fact, the cool rain felt good as sitting in the hot water tends to really raise your body temp. One more positive: while exploring along a foggy road, we came across an anteater. It did not seem alarmed by our presence and continued poking along licking under logs.

After a total of four days of dreary rain, we were ready to find some sunshine. Off we went to stay at the Costa Rica Marriott.

What a nice surprise to see an attractive hotel in such a lovely setting. The sun was shining brightly which lifted our spirits. This particular Marriott is not your average Marriott. It is set in the center of a coffee plantation. Our room looked out over the mountains with the driving range off to the left. The architecture is sort of a hacienda style with beautiful furniture and an open two story court yard. I was impressed that our reversible bedspreads and dust ruffles were made from expensive fabrics. Most hotels are cheap. There were two weddings while we were there. The hotel has nice gift shops and a travel office that will book any adventures or day trips you are interested in. I would definitely recommend staying there.

I had booked a trip from home that I hoped would be one of the highlights of our stay. It was a whitewater rafting trip through Rios Tropicales. The morning after our arrival at the Marriott, the van appeared promptly. A very personable fellow named “Gato” gathered together our family of 4 and 4 other guests for our trip down the Pacuare River. I can’t tell you how much I had looked forward to seeing the beauty of the mountains, rafting under the waterfalls, squeezing between the narrow cliffs. I read everything I could about it. After driving almost two hours, we arrived at the center and were provided a nice breakfast. While we were eating, Gato announced that the night before a large tree had fallen across one of the narrow passages. It would take at least a day to remove it and we would instead be going down the Reventazon. It is called a “beginner or introduction river”. The brochure was right. The surroundings were average and the waves were truly beginner. It was a HUGE disappointment. When we were brought back for lunch, several people wondered out loud about something that had been said on the bus earlier. Two hundred and fifty people from a cruise line were also to be rafting with Rios that same day. Could Rios have rerouted us to make room for them? Maybe the people from the ship went down another river, and it certainly is possible the tree really did fall. I don’t know, but it certainly was a let down. Rios did offer to refund everyone $15 or $20. We had paid $95 x 4 people for our reservations. Even with the refund, it was not worth it.

After checking out of the Marriott, we decided to turn our car in to Dollar Rental, not far from our hotel. The fellow who helped us was extremely nice. We told him we were on our way to Xandari. He shared that he grew up picking coffee on that plantation. His parents still live there. Then he had another fellow drive us to Xandari. What a generous thing to do. Again, love the Ticos.

I have rambled far too long, so I will share random thoughts about our last full day.

We arrived to see a brightly colored, small hotel - actually quite unusual looking. A sort of contemporary – Antonio Gaudi – Picasso combo. It is also set on a coffee plantation, very quiet, peaceful, unpretentious. The villas are spacious with fabulous views of the valley (San Jose) below. At night time you sit on the patio and the lights just twinkle. The mountains are just beyond. The food was excellent and quite reasonably priced. I happened by the chef, all dressed in her white, while she was in the herb garden with fresh cuttings for dinner.
My son had a massage by a female blind massage therapist at the spa. He said it was one of the best he’s ever had.
The hiking trails are not difficult. One of the waterfalls, the Xandari, is very picturesque.
And the last random tip: We loved all the beautiful wooden bowls we saw at each destination. We priced them and admired the workmanship. The best bowls and the best prices were at Xandari. We came home with six, one of which is quite large and a real family heirloom. While we were very pleased with Xandari, keep in mind it was $100 more per night than the Marriott. They are very different types of establishments, but both lovely.
That is all my friends. We have now experienced our first trip to Costa Rica.