cookbound

Hello again my Fodorite friends,

I have more questions for the Osa part of my trip. First, we will be staying at Casa Corcovado, has anyone stayed here recently, how are the villas and hows the food? Is it served family style?? My travel agent says he prefers CC to La Paloma, even though the rooms at LP look amamzing to me and what I would really like.

Second, I'm wondering what type of clothing to wear for my hikes in Corcovado. I'm assuming stuff that will dry as quickly as possible, however, do I need pants or will shorts be fine?

Any other info. you all might want to share about CC or the Osa would be very helpful. Or any suggestions on things that I must take w/me.
Thanks so much!

glover

You didn't say what time of year you're going, so don't know how wet it will or won't be . . Anyway, we stayed at CC in the Osa a couple years ago in February and loved it! We liked our cabina. The one we had was half of a concrete/stucco duplex. Nice sized bedroom with firm bed with mosquito netting and lovely bathroom. We also had a little living area with oddly hard furniture. There was hammock outside between some trees. This cabina, which was #11 or 13 I think had the advantage of being on the edge near a trailhead on the property. But were I to go back, I'd try to get #1 (I think it is), which was set off by itself and kind of round. The folks who were staying there invited us for a drink and amazing fireflies one eve. The grounds at CC are gorgeous and the "sunset bar" closer to the beach was also a nice spot. Their beach was nice too. Very private with a nice shaded area with trees. The current was rough though - at least when we were there - but I think this is true for most of CR. Saw lots of animals on our hike thru the park. Probably wore my wicking rainforest long pants and my bonafide hiking boots for that, though neither were really necessary. (But then it was dry season). Not many bugs mosquitoes at all during the day! Fierce at night though. Otherwise, wore as little as possible, since it was hot and humid. We love great food, but don't go to Costa Rica expecting that, so the food at CC met our low expectations. They have to have everything flown in just about down there so maybe that's why the food tends to be more "institutional." Seems as if they aim for some kind of "International Cuisine" sauced meats etc. I'd rather have just had simple fresh fish and rice and beans. Breakfast was good though with fruit and the simple lunches they packed for excursions were good. They have a nice casual screened in dining room and open air bar. I think we sat by ourselves sometimes and, by choice, with others on other occasions. Happy to answer any other specific questions you may have!

Txtrav1

Have not been to the Osa region, but have traveled Cr many times. In general it is warm to hot and very humid. Anything cotton will stay damp after you sweat or get wet in and will take a very long time to dry. Best bet for clothes are the fast drying nylon based fabrics such as REI or Cloumbia Sportswear have. Ex-Officio makes really nice Men's & Women's clothing that are perfect for this climate. Also their underwear is great. Fast drying and moisture wicking. Worth the expense & you only need a few pair and wash as you go with Woolite in the sink & hang to dry in a couple of hours. Hope this helps.

Brian

I stayed at Casa Corcovado for 6 nights this past March, and was very pleased with it. This was a solo trip for me, but it didn’t matter since you spend most of your time with other guests. As you probably know, it is quite an adventure just getting there. You first take a 45-minute flight from San Jose to Palmar Sur. The lodge set up all the internal transportation. I believe they usually use Sansa for the flights. When you land in Palmar Sur, a representative from the lodge meets you and takes your luggage to a large van. You then drive about 20 minutes to Casa Corcovado’s reception center on the banks of the Sierpe River. At the reception center, you can get something to drink and change clothes in preparation for the nearly two hour boat ride to the lodge. Your luggage is placed in large plastic bags and put on the boat. Be sure to hang on to anything you want with you on the boat trip (like a bottle of water, sunscreen, etc.) The first half of the trip is down the river, the second half, south along the Pacific coast. I found the boat trip to be quite pleasant. The only real rough spot was where the river emptied into the Pacific. Because of the sand bars and current, the water was extremely rough. However, the boat captain was very skilled and was able to maneuver around the roughest spots. Once past the river mouth, the ride was remarkably smooth, especially for the Pacific.

When you reach the lodge, you have to get out in knee-deep water and walk to shore. You may wish to change into a bathing suit at the reception center, just in case the water is more choppy than usual. Once on shore, you and your luggage will be hauled up a long driveway (probably 1/3 to 1/2 mile) in a wagon pulled by a tractor. Once up the hill, you are met by the lodge manager for a brief orientation and lunch. Your luggage will be taken to your room. The rest of the day is free. You can hike the lodge’s trails, go down to their beach, or lounge around one of their two pools. One of the pools spring-fed and set back in the jungle.

As for meals, they are served family style at several long tables. Dinner is served at 7:00. They want everyone to show up at that time. There are 4 courses – soup, salad, main course, and dessert. The main entrée seemed to rotate – one night beef, the next night chicken, and the next night seafood. One night was a “Costa Rican night” which was a buffet with a bit more variety. Breakfast is served from 6:00 AM to around 8:00 AM. You just show up any time and order the usual breakfast items from a menu. If you are on a tour, lunch is served picnic style, and consists of sandwiches, some type of salad, fruit, cookies, muffins, and soda, juice or water. If you are not on a tour, lunch is served in the bar area. I found the food quite good, especially given the fact that all of the food must be hauled in by boat and the lodge has to generate all its own electricity.

Depending on the length of your stay, you will probably have tours included in your package. The most popular tours are the Corcovado Hike and the Caño Island tour. My package included a sea kayak trip to San Josecito. I also did a hiking tour to San Josecito. The tours are all day, starting around 7:30-8:00 and ending around 3:00. You pretty much always go with the same group on all your tours, and you have the same guide for your stay. As for clothing, the lighter the better. Bring items that dry quickly. It is very warm and humid. When I was there, it rained every night, so by the next morning, it was pretty steamy.

Since I was alone, they put me in #2, which I understand is one of the honeymoon bungalows. It was a round building, with louvered screen windows all around. There was a large bed in the middle, with a ceiling fan and mosquito netting. I didn’t find bugs to be a problem. The larger bungalows have 2, 3, or 4 beds. The bathroom was quite nice, with a very large walk-in shower and plenty of hot water. In back was a hammock strung between two trees. There was plenty of room and foliage between the bungalows to ensure privacy if that is what you want. Overall, the accommodations were comfortable.

I was quite impressed with Casa Corcovado, and wouldn’t hesitate to go back. I found the staff to be very friendly and helpful, and everything -- transportation to the lodge, meals, tours – was run very professionally and efficiently.

If you have any more questions, you can post them here or drop me a note at [email protected]

cookbound

Thank you all so much for your responses. We will be going in July, I will be 4 mos pregnant and hope I can find wickable clothing to help me out.

Brian, thanks for the detailed report, sure helps me understand the way it works there, I just didn't quite know what to expect. When my husband & I take our vacations, we splurge and stay at high end places and do very active trips. This one is totally different for us, and I sure didn't want to be disappointed in our rooms at CC, since we will be staying in them the entire evening.

Thanks again everyone!