alisa23

Four of us (kids - 6 and 7 years old) are going to Costa Rica for the first time. I am looking for a lodge (or two) in the rainforest without too many people but with lots of wildlife (preferably not only birds and frogs) with comfortable accomodations for a family and with relatively easy logistics. For example we can catch an hour flight, that would be OK, but cannot take a five-hour drive. Not too rainy weather is important for us as well although occasional rain is fine of course. We will be going at the end of March. The kids are experienced hikers so we would love to hike around and look at wildlife and perhaps do something on the water although not necessarily).

Which regions / lodges should we consider? We are not too limited by the budget.

RAC

I would say either Selva Verde in the Sarapiqui area--about 2 hour drive away from the airport (maybe less if the road damaged by the 2009 earthquake has been repaired)--or one of the ecolodges in the Osa Peninsula--something like Bosque del Cabo if you're into land hiking or Iguana Lodge if you want more beach/water exploration.

volcanogirl

Bosque del Cabo is amazing - the best wildlife we've ever seen. We saw all 4 kinds of monkeys, an anteater, toucans, scarlet macaws. You can catch a flight to Puerto Jimenez on either Sansa or Nature Air. Sansa is convenient because it's right by the SJO airport. We took a tour to the animal sanctuary and saw dolphins on the way. There are also some cool tours on the property - birding, night hike, etc. If you're not limited by budget, that would be my choice. We liked Selva Verde too.

alisa23

Thank you very much! I will look into them!

volcanogirl

Another spot we really liked was Tulemar Bungalows in Manuel Antonio. The national park there is very popular and has tons of wildlife and lots of people, but Tulemar feels very private. The lodgings are more upscale with a.c. and all that, but they're individual bungalows so don't feel crowded, and you won't see a lot of other people. We saw howler monkeys, tons of capuchin monkeys, sloths, etc. on the property. It's nice to pair it with another spot if you have time. The Tulemar beach is great and they have free kayaking and boogie boarding. It's popular with young families. I'm mentioning it because you used the word comfortable and mentioned that you might like to be on the water, and the other spots I mentioned can get warm and humid, you can't use a blow dryer at BdC, can't flush t.p. at Selva Verde, etc. You can also do a mangrove tour in the area; monkeys get very close because they're used to people. Lots of restaurant choices in this area too. At BdC and SV, you would probably eat most of your meals on the property since there aren't a ton of choices around; both have good food though.

alisa23

Volcanogirl, yes, Tulemar Bungalows in Manuel Antonio sound very good. But what would I combine it with so we don't have to drive too much?

RAC

How long are you going to be in Costa Rica?

The Carara/Tarcoles area is not too far away--you could do a boat tour to see the giant crocs there, as well as hiking in Carara.

alisa23

We are planning to be there for 6-10 days. Not exactly sure yet. We will do one or two regions / lodges.

One more question on Bosque del Cabo. Can it accomodate young children? It sounds like they have rooms either with one king bed or two double beds. That won't be very comfortable for four people. They also say that some cabinas have lofts but they are not for young children so I guess those are out as well. What is left? Houses? Please clarify if you have a chance.

RAC

They do have houses for rent. For the cabinas with lofts they say not recommended for "small children or toddlers"--I guess judgment call on that.

They have two houses-Casa Blanca and Casa Miramar--that you could use as well.

With 6-10 days, I think splitting between Iguana Lodge and Bosque del Cabo would be a good plan. If your kids can last that long without television or a lot of Internet surfing. You can then do inland hiking at BdC and water activities at IL.

volcanogirl

We stayed in a cabin at BdC that had a loft. It was named Tucan. There was a king bed downstairs and then a set of stairs that led up to the loft. The loft had two smaller beds in it. It was a little dark up there if I remember correctly. I think some of the lofts are a little open on the front so that might be why they don't recommend for young children. I can't remember how open, so you could check with them. Some of the cabins might be different. I know that some of the houses on the property are very open to the elements, not sure if it's Blaca or Miramar, and I believe one has its own pool. I think you can find the details on their website. You can get to the beach at BdC, but you have to hike down or have them drive you.

volcanogirl

We did the croc tour recommend by RAC, and we really loved it. They feed the crocs right next to the boat, and they're huge. The kids would get a kick out of it. BdC is much more natural, like you're plunked in the middle of the jungle. No feeding of wildlife there.

MonicaRichards

We went to bosque del Cabo when our kids were 5 & 7, Tucan's loft works well.

alisa23

Got it, thank you!
I saw the pictures of the lofts and they look very open. The boys like to be silly and run around so I am not sure I would feel safe with them in the lofts. But I will look into the houses. Thank you!

And what about Arenal? How long is the drive from Arenal to San Jose airport? Is the road reasonable or do people get car sick? (one of my children gets sick easily unfortunately).

alisa23

No TV or ipad would be fine At least with the parents

volcanogirl

I love the Arenal area; that's one of our favorite spots; we try to go there every year. There's tons to do there - waterfall hike, cool natural hot springs like Tabacon and Eco Termales, the Cano Negro tour to see widlife, the Penas Blancas river float, Hanging Bridges, tubing at the Springs Resort, the Proyecto Asis animal rescue center, plus tons of adventure acitivities. SJO to Arenal is a little under three hours. I think all the roads in Costa Rica have potential to make people car sick. I take Dramamine before getting on any CR road.

alisa23

Volcanogirl, any lodging recommendations for Arenal? Something not Disneyland like but at the same time comfortable. Do you give dramamine to the kids?

volcanogirl

alisa, we don't have kids, so you'd have to read the label/check with your doctor. I know there's a patch available too, but again don't know if it can be used on children. We've stayed at The Springs Resort and Spa, the Lost Iguana, and Nayara. The Springs might be too Disneyland for you - it's a big property with a lot of amenities. Check those out and see what you think. Silecio del Campo and Los Lagos are both popular with young families. They may be more like what you're looking for.

volcanogirl

Monica, the kids didn't think it was too hot up in the loft? I wondered about that since we didn't stay up there. Was there a fan?

alisa23

And what about Tiskita lodge? Any thoughts?

Volcanogirl, thank you! Yes, I worry about the heat in the loft as well.

RAC

For Arenal, if you want wildlife, you may want to look at the Arenal Observatory Lodge. It's more rustic than the higher end places that you find in the Arenal area, but has fantastic wildlife. It's one of two places in Costa Rica we saw a wild cat (we saw a jaguarundi there and a puma at BdC). Tons of birds right at their feeders, plus monkeys, coatis, etc etc etc.