wdp33

We (six of us) arrived in San Jose in the early afternoon on June 21. To our slight dismay, our ride to Hotel Grano de Oro was not there. However, the taxi drivers were really nice and helped us look for our ride. One of them even called the company when it became obvious that no one was there to pick us up. This is just one example of how we found the people of Costa Rica to be extremely friendly, honest, and most helpful.

Hotel Grano de Oro is a beautiful, somewhat unique hotel and not too far from the airport (15-20 minutes, though it was the weekend and there was little traffic). We walked around before a really nice dinner at the hotel and felt perfectly safe, though there is not a lot to see near the hotel.

Our flight left around 11:00 a.m. the next day for Puerto Jimenez. We were supposed to stop at Drake Bay, but because no one was getting off there, we went directly to Puerto Jimenez. After a long drive on a really bumpy road, we arrived in time for lunch at Bosque del Cabo. To the amusement of the staff, my in-laws (who had not been to Costa Rica before) ran to see some monkeys behind the restaurant during lunch (and also saw a toucan).

We had rented Casa Blanca for four nights, but were asked if we would mind moving to the somewhat bigger Casa Miramar after the first night (at the same cost) so that they could do some maintenance on Casa Blanca. Ultimately, we decided to spend two nights at Casa Blanca and two nights at Casa Miramar.

Casa Blanca: I read the review and pictures from the group that had stayed there earlier in the month and had some complaints. Let me assure you, the house is great. Sure, the stove is a little beat (we weren't using it anyway and was told it was being replaced), but to focus on something like that does not do the house justice. Because of wooden shutters on the windows, the house is a little dark inside, as others have noted. However, as has also been noted here, you will spend most of your time on the wonderful deck overlooking the Pacific Ocean (I understand they are also redoing the deck, which looked okay to me).

We had a big spider on the screen door to the porch, which we all enjoyed watching. There was a scorpion on the floor at some point, but that's about it. Without intending to be nasty, a person who feels the need to sleep in their car because of a bug or two perhaps should not be traveling to the Osa Peninsula (or, for that matter, camping in their own backyard).

Casa Miramar: This is a really cool looking house (no corners). The view from the deck may be slightly better than Casa Blanca, not to mention that it has a pool. The first day we were there, I was in the pool watching a coati climb a tree to my left, scarlet macaws flying overhead, howler monkeys on a tree to my right, and a toucan in a tree behind me. The house is open, meaning that you sleep with a bug net. Again, there was a bug or two, but that's about it. Also, the bathrooms and showers are outside (we were told that a puma once peaked its head in one bathroom while it was occupied). The house is also further away from the dining area etc. than Casa Blanca and requires walking up a fairly steep section of road. The consensus of the group was that Casa Miramar was better in the day and Casa Blanca was better at night, though both are really great.

Wildlife: Obviously, you will see monkeys. For other wildlife, you have to be a little patient, as we sometimes walked trails and saw very little. However, almost everytime we walked on the main road we something interesting. As an example, we hiked the Titi trail one afternoon because peccaries had been spotted. We saw a lot of birds, but no peccaries. As we walked back to Casa Miramar, my son spotted a dozen or so peccaries on the side of the road directly across from the driveway to Casa Miramar. I had the sense that if I took a chair and just sat on a trail, I would see a lot. One afternoon, I started up the path towards the garden bungalows and almost stepped on four small armadillos making there way down the path. They didn't see to mind me and one even sniffed my hiking boot. We also saw about 20 or so coatis cross the trail in front of us one morning, including several babies. We did not see any squirrel monkeys until our ride back to the airport when a troop crossed the road in front of us. As we stopped for pictures, a poison dart frog landed on the windshield wiper of the vehicle, as if on cue for its photo-op.

The trials are well-maintained and fairly easy to hike. There were times that I missed the sense of adventure and remoteness one feels when hiking in Corcovado National Park, but otherwise the hiking was a lot of fun.

Staff/Food: The food was really good and the staff very friendly (if somewhat shy at times). While we never really got a sense that there was someone in charge, the place seemed to run fairly smoothly. Both the younger and older members of our group thought there could be more activities at night – a lecture on wildlife, a movie etc. There is not a lot to do at night and it gets dark early. With that said, you do tend to get up earlier and go to bed earlier than you would elsewhere.

Weather: The Sunday we arrived was nice. On Sunday night it really poured. I remember lying in bed thinking that it was raining as intensely as I had ever heard it rain. Just when I thought it couldn't possibly rain any harder, it did. It rained most of the day on Monday, with some of us getting drenched hiking the Pacific trail. I must confess that I had some doubts about traveling in June when it rained hard again on Monday night, but the next morning the sun was shining and we were greeted with a bright rainbow that seemed to melt into the Pacific. It didn't rain at all on Tuesday and hardly at all for the remainder of our visit. I don't know if a rainy day like Monday is common or not (it sounded more like the kind of day you get in September/October), but if it is possible to string together two or three days like that, the trip would have been a disaster, as there is really nothing to do in such conditions.

We also did the animal sanctuary and dolphin tour. While it is obviously fun to have monkeys climb on you and sheltering damaged animals is a laudable endeavor, something didn't seem right about it to me. The dolphins were fun to watch.

After four days at Bosque del Cabo, we moved on to Manuel Antonio for three days. We stayed at Buena Vista Villas. The casa is really nice and comfortable. There is a washer and dryer, which was helpful. The restaurant and beach staff were great. However, the concierge service is not the greatest. The beach is nice, but unfortunately there was a "red tide" so we didn't swim, though we did still go kayaking.

We went on a guided tour of Manual Antonio. Our guide (recommended by Buena Vista Villas) was not very good. It was also very crowded and seemed a bit worn, for lack of a better word. In comparison, I never saw anyone else on a trail at Bosque del Cabo. The beaches are nice and we have seen sloths up close and moving both times in the park. Also, the monkeys are a bit closer because the trees are shorter. We also went on a mangrove tour, which was very interesting.

Tasha440

Thanks for the review of the two houses at Bosque del Cabo. Just wondering, did you cook any meals while staying in the houses, or did you do the meal plan for all your meals?

We have been trying to decide if we will stay in Casa Blanca or a cabina...there are 4 of us, so I am leaning towards Casa Blanca. However, I can only justify the higher cost of Casa Blanca if we eat some meals in the house. The other poster has me worried about having food in the kitchen though!!

parrmt

Nice report, we were in C Blanca probably a week or so earlier than you. We were there a week, we loved it. It was our second stay at C.Blanca, both times for a week. We love the house!
I agree, CB at night (only to omit that long walk back to CM!) and CM during the day, pool and oh what a view!
We hope to make BdC an annual event!

wdp33

We did the meal plan. I don't think there would be a problem cooking at Casa Blanca, if you kept everything sealed in plastic bags or refrigerated. I don't know what they offer for groceries in Puerto Jimenez, though.

I only saw the bungalows from the outside, so I don't really know how they would compare.

Casa Miramar would be tougher because coatis wander through the kitchen area at night. They even got gum out of my wife's backpack, which must have been partially unzipped.

Bill

janenicole

Thanks for writing your report! Always fun to read about BdC. How did your in-laws like CR?

cmerrell

Thanks for sharing with us wpd.

Sounds like you had a great trip overall. Are you planning to post your photos online?

Speaking of rain, I remember how it poured torrentially as we sat in the Sansa 'terminal' waiting for our flight back to SJO from Puerto Jimenez last December. Our flight took off in a heavy downpour and we were all just a bit nervous in that little airplane. Luckily, we made it back to SJO unscathed. It was the only real rain we experienced on the Osa, but then again, we were visiting at the beginning of the drier season.

I live in Florida and there's actually a pretty impressive thunderstorm underway here right now. Hope the electricity stays on...

tully

Nice reading your report, especially on the houses. Will be in Casa Miramar next June, not looking forward to the hike but I figure the view & pool will be the trade-off. Agree about MA, the Osa....I did BdC one year then MA and after the trails and such at BdC was kind of overwhelmed by the people, it was strange not having the trail to myself, lol. Will remember the puma sneaking a peek around the bathroom part...I've gotten used to taking my camera with me everywhere at BdC but the bathroom was the one place I didn't - now I know! Thanks for posting.

petite43

Thanks for your great report & update on Casa Blanca. I'm planning a trip for next May & was having trouble deciding which to book but after reading your description I'm going to go with Casa Miramar. It would be great if you could post some photos of your trip.

volcanogirl

Wonderful descriptions wdp; thanks for posting.

fae

We have stayed in Casa Blanca twice and took only lunch and dinner. After such large meals, no one in our family was really very hungry for breakfast. We would always do a good hike in the mornings and then really be ready for a good lunch. Lunch I think can start as early as 11 am. It is our favorite meal at Bosque del Cabo.

For breakfast, I had taken a bag of dry cereal, packets of oatmeal, and breakfast bars in our suitcase. We stopped in town and bought milk and orange juice. I had also brought coffee for the coffee pot but you can walk up to the dining area and get coffee also.

We did not have any problems with anything getting into our small amount of food. I think we just put everything in the frig.

Also, there are always snacks (like cookies and muffins) out in the afternoon and then there are appetizers out at the bar before dinner so we really never needed any food but breakfast. We really enjoyed doing our meals like that. I can still remember sitting out on the deck early watching the toucans in the almond tree and drinking my orange juice in a wine glass!

I am not surprised about the maintenance they are doing after the negative writeup that one patron posted on trip advisor. Perhaps good things will come out of it. The owner, Kim, personally called me on my cell phone to discuss the issue with me after I sent them an email about the posting. I really respect her for that and admire that they are taking positive steps to address the concerns that were raised. Anyone, that has been to Bosque and met them knows what pride they take in their establishment and genuinely care what guests think of it. She called me from vacation in Florida. I hope they will be there when we are there the first week in Aug. Sometimes, they have been traveling in the states part of the time on our prior visits.