Just back from CR
Jun 3rd, 2006, 08:28 AM
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Just back from CR
We just returned from CR yesterday. Will post more details later, but if anyone would like any info on the following, please let me know:
Martinair and duct tape (someone ought to tell them to make their repairs out of sight of the passengers - it was a Kodak moment for sure)
Orchideas Inn
Doka Coffee Plantation, LaPaz Waterfalls and Gardens
Arenal - Lost Iguana, El Novillo, Hanging Bridges, Cano Negro
Monteverde - Monteverde Lodge, Johnny's Pizza, Childrens Eternal Forest Twilight Tour, Monteverde Cloud Forest in late afternoon (don't do it - more details to follow), big bugs, Jacamar Naturalist Tours (and specifically, Ronald Acuna, I highly recommend)
Manuel Antonio - Costa Verde II, monkeys, monkeys and more monkeys, Anaconda, MA Park, El Avion, La Contina, oh, and did I say, monkeys? More great bugs.
Sansa Airlines from Quepos to SJ.
Basilica, Lancaster Gardens, Orosi Valley (Sanchri Lodge lunch - yummy)
Martinair and duct tape (someone ought to tell them to make their repairs out of sight of the passengers - it was a Kodak moment for sure)
Orchideas Inn
Doka Coffee Plantation, LaPaz Waterfalls and Gardens
Arenal - Lost Iguana, El Novillo, Hanging Bridges, Cano Negro
Monteverde - Monteverde Lodge, Johnny's Pizza, Childrens Eternal Forest Twilight Tour, Monteverde Cloud Forest in late afternoon (don't do it - more details to follow), big bugs, Jacamar Naturalist Tours (and specifically, Ronald Acuna, I highly recommend)
Manuel Antonio - Costa Verde II, monkeys, monkeys and more monkeys, Anaconda, MA Park, El Avion, La Contina, oh, and did I say, monkeys? More great bugs.
Sansa Airlines from Quepos to SJ.
Basilica, Lancaster Gardens, Orosi Valley (Sanchri Lodge lunch - yummy)
Jun 3rd, 2006, 11:40 AM
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Hi! I am going to M Antonio for a week by myself(sinlge traveler) and staying at Vela Bar hotel. No plans yet-just going and seeing what sounds fun to do! Any suggestions, hints, helpful things to know would be appreciated. Plus--tell me about the BUGS and monkeys? How was the beach? and where there a lot of travelers around? meaning will it be easy to meet other people?
Thanks
Thanks
Jun 3rd, 2006, 02:46 PM
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fkmich999 - My husband calls Costa Rica one big stair stepper. We live in Florida which is an extremely flat state not to much above sea level. We were not prepared for the mountains, but I would also say that I have never seen anyplace more beautiful than Costa Rica. My daughter was so sick of me saying "It is so pretty here."
OK, that said, I loved the Lost Iguana. We stayed in room 23 (deluxe room I believe it was called) on the bottom floor with the open air shower. We changed our reservation from a standard to the deluxe after reading some reviews on this site. IMHO, it was worth every penny. Since we had three people in our room, they brought in a roll away. We did not have a car and it was tiring to walk the resort. It is spread out and just beautiful. They have two pools, one which was cooler and then a heated pool with a swim up bar which was very nice. All the rooms have a volcano view and we were not disappointed. Once I have my pictures arranged (took over 1000), I will post them somewhere. We had a pond outside our room with large toads hopping around it at night.
We thoroughly enjoyed the hanging bridges. You can walk to the hanging bridges from LI, but if you do not have a car and would like a ride, they have club carts that they will take you to and from the hanging bridges, which we utlized. They will also pick you up to take you here and there within the resort. You can call the front desk and it only takes a couple of minutes for them to get to your room. Also, their SPA is not yet completed. They say it should be completed in December.
The only problem we had while we were at Lost Iguana was that we needed to confirm our taxi-boat-taxi reservations for the next day for our trip to Monteverde and when I went to do that, the phones were not working. Evidently, there are 11 phone lines that are shared between the LI, the hanging bridges and another hotel. However, the on-site manager gave me her cell phone and one of the resort employees drove me up to the dam (could not get a cell phone signal from the LI), so I could make the confirming call. I was very grateful, but I would suggest if you need to make confirming reservations for anything or anywhere in Costa Rica, that you rent a cell phone. The phone would have come in handy throughout our trip as we ran into some other issues along the way. I would not hestitate to stay at Lost Iguana again. I'm currently going through CR withdrawal. It's a bummer.
OK, that said, I loved the Lost Iguana. We stayed in room 23 (deluxe room I believe it was called) on the bottom floor with the open air shower. We changed our reservation from a standard to the deluxe after reading some reviews on this site. IMHO, it was worth every penny. Since we had three people in our room, they brought in a roll away. We did not have a car and it was tiring to walk the resort. It is spread out and just beautiful. They have two pools, one which was cooler and then a heated pool with a swim up bar which was very nice. All the rooms have a volcano view and we were not disappointed. Once I have my pictures arranged (took over 1000), I will post them somewhere. We had a pond outside our room with large toads hopping around it at night.
We thoroughly enjoyed the hanging bridges. You can walk to the hanging bridges from LI, but if you do not have a car and would like a ride, they have club carts that they will take you to and from the hanging bridges, which we utlized. They will also pick you up to take you here and there within the resort. You can call the front desk and it only takes a couple of minutes for them to get to your room. Also, their SPA is not yet completed. They say it should be completed in December.
The only problem we had while we were at Lost Iguana was that we needed to confirm our taxi-boat-taxi reservations for the next day for our trip to Monteverde and when I went to do that, the phones were not working. Evidently, there are 11 phone lines that are shared between the LI, the hanging bridges and another hotel. However, the on-site manager gave me her cell phone and one of the resort employees drove me up to the dam (could not get a cell phone signal from the LI), so I could make the confirming call. I was very grateful, but I would suggest if you need to make confirming reservations for anything or anywhere in Costa Rica, that you rent a cell phone. The phone would have come in handy throughout our trip as we ran into some other issues along the way. I would not hestitate to stay at Lost Iguana again. I'm currently going through CR withdrawal. It's a bummer.
Jun 3rd, 2006, 03:18 PM
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rdufberg - What can I say. I LOVED Manuel Antonio, especially the beaches (public and the ones in the park). I loved the vendors outside the park...kind of reminded me of a Key West kind of atmosphere, only better.
I set certain goals of what I wanted or hoped to see everywhere I went. My goal for MA was to see sloths and monkeys.
There are so many hotels in that area, and I think there are probably monkeys everywhere. The first night at Costa Verde II, we were walking from our room to the pool and just to our left in the jungle was a group of white faced capucin monkeys. They were actually quite close, at least closer than I thought they would come. I thought we were so lucky to see them. Then, as the sun was setting, somewhere around 5:30 or so, we were sitting at the pool, when the bartender said the monkeys were here. I could not believe my eyes. A troop of squirrel monkeys came from the jungle and were jumping all over the canopy over the bartender's bar, trying to push each other off the top. I wish I had a video camera. The sight of so many monkeys brought tears to my eyes. Of course, I took my camera along with everyone else and shot away. The bartender said they were on their way to the Anaconda.
The next morning, after being awakened by the howler monkeys at about 5:00 a.m., I looked out our room and saw a white faced capucin monkey climbing out of a palm tree right across the pool. I was suprised because it was alone and I know they travel in groups. And I saw a single howler monkey making his way across our hotel complex as well. He was a large male and I wondered whether he had been kicked out of his troop and was out looking for somewhere else to go.
As far as meeting people, everyone we ran into was very friendly, not only the Costa Rican people, but also the visitors. We went on the Finca Valmy horseback riding tour (which was absolutely great) and we ended up being with two other couples from Alabama with daughters the same age as mine. The next day, while we were taking a tour of the Park, we ran into them at the public beach. And while we were on our tour of the MA Park, we ran into two other people from Germany who were on a tour with us in Monteverde.
It is easier than easy to meet other people anywhere you go, at least anywhere we went.
If you go to the beach in MA, I would suggest eating at the Marlin Restaurante. The food is very good and reasonably priced.
As far as bugs, I don't know if you mean the biting kind, or the very cool looking ones that may or may not bite.
I have to admit that when I was shooting pics of the squirrel monkeys, I was kind of in the brush and very close to the jungle. I either got bit or rubbed against something that did not agree with me, but the itching was intense and the more I itched, the worse it got, with blisters forming. I picked up some After Bite before we left on our trip that helped only slightly. One of the people on our tour of the park had a Bentadine anti-itch stick that worked the best for me. I looked for one at the Farmacia, but they did not carry it. They gave me some kind of anti-itch gel that worked ok, but not as well as the Bentadine stick.
I like bugs and I have never seen so many huge, beautiful bugs than I have seen in Monteverde and Manuel Antonio. The moths in Monteverde were great. I have some dynamite pictures of this long hairy-headed bug that was at our hotel in MA that no one has any idea of what it is. I showed it to our driver, and you should have seen the look on his face. It was priceless. LOL.
I am sure you will enjoy your time in MA.
I set certain goals of what I wanted or hoped to see everywhere I went. My goal for MA was to see sloths and monkeys.
There are so many hotels in that area, and I think there are probably monkeys everywhere. The first night at Costa Verde II, we were walking from our room to the pool and just to our left in the jungle was a group of white faced capucin monkeys. They were actually quite close, at least closer than I thought they would come. I thought we were so lucky to see them. Then, as the sun was setting, somewhere around 5:30 or so, we were sitting at the pool, when the bartender said the monkeys were here. I could not believe my eyes. A troop of squirrel monkeys came from the jungle and were jumping all over the canopy over the bartender's bar, trying to push each other off the top. I wish I had a video camera. The sight of so many monkeys brought tears to my eyes. Of course, I took my camera along with everyone else and shot away. The bartender said they were on their way to the Anaconda.
The next morning, after being awakened by the howler monkeys at about 5:00 a.m., I looked out our room and saw a white faced capucin monkey climbing out of a palm tree right across the pool. I was suprised because it was alone and I know they travel in groups. And I saw a single howler monkey making his way across our hotel complex as well. He was a large male and I wondered whether he had been kicked out of his troop and was out looking for somewhere else to go.
As far as meeting people, everyone we ran into was very friendly, not only the Costa Rican people, but also the visitors. We went on the Finca Valmy horseback riding tour (which was absolutely great) and we ended up being with two other couples from Alabama with daughters the same age as mine. The next day, while we were taking a tour of the Park, we ran into them at the public beach. And while we were on our tour of the MA Park, we ran into two other people from Germany who were on a tour with us in Monteverde.
It is easier than easy to meet other people anywhere you go, at least anywhere we went.
If you go to the beach in MA, I would suggest eating at the Marlin Restaurante. The food is very good and reasonably priced.
As far as bugs, I don't know if you mean the biting kind, or the very cool looking ones that may or may not bite.
I have to admit that when I was shooting pics of the squirrel monkeys, I was kind of in the brush and very close to the jungle. I either got bit or rubbed against something that did not agree with me, but the itching was intense and the more I itched, the worse it got, with blisters forming. I picked up some After Bite before we left on our trip that helped only slightly. One of the people on our tour of the park had a Bentadine anti-itch stick that worked the best for me. I looked for one at the Farmacia, but they did not carry it. They gave me some kind of anti-itch gel that worked ok, but not as well as the Bentadine stick.
I like bugs and I have never seen so many huge, beautiful bugs than I have seen in Monteverde and Manuel Antonio. The moths in Monteverde were great. I have some dynamite pictures of this long hairy-headed bug that was at our hotel in MA that no one has any idea of what it is. I showed it to our driver, and you should have seen the look on his face. It was priceless. LOL.
I am sure you will enjoy your time in MA.
Jun 3rd, 2006, 03:25 PM
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shillmac - I have to say I am sorry to be back, but alas, I must return to work. I really want to thank you for your input in helping us putting our trip together. It was unforgettable to say the least. Hopefully soon I will have time to get it all down and posted.
Thanks again.
Thanks again.
Jun 3rd, 2006, 03:36 PM
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fkmich999 - I'm sorry, I didn't answer your question about the hanging bridges. We did the bridges without a guide, but I think it would be worth it to hire a guide. They can always spot things you cannot. There are also a lot of workers at the bridges, and they will not hesitate to point things out for you as well. For instance, a couple of them found a blue jeans frog for us. We enjoyed the bridges and think it was definitely worth a look see.
Jun 3rd, 2006, 07:22 PM
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cahenn - Thanks. We did have a great time. I liked Sky Trek. But I like roller coasters better. I thought I would get more of a rush out of it than I did. The day we went was cloudy and rainy at times. At the highest zip line, No. 7, I couldn't believe how windy, rainy and cold it was. But after all the climbing, the cold felt good. I wore shorts and a tee shirt and I am really glad I did, although my clothes were ruined because of the rain and what I think was rust mixed with rain flinging off the lines onto our faces and clothes. I had to throw my shirt away, but the shorts mostly came clean.
When we were finished ziplining and waiting until our bus left to return us to our hotel, we found a number of interesting bugs, moths, etc. around the building. Also, one of the workers there said there was a quetzel nearby. My goal for Monteverde was to stand on the continental divide and see a quetzel, so it was all good. I was able to see the quetzel, a male I was told, and took a couple of pictures. It is a beautiful bird. Although the pic is pretty small, I am more than satisfied. What was even greater, though, was that I saw the bird fly. I've never seen anything so pretty in my life. Even my daughter, who is not easy to impress, thought it was the highlight of the day.
The same day we did the zip lines, we decided to go to the cloud forest since that was the only day we had left. We got to the forest at about 2:00 or 2:30 p.m. There were no guides there at that time and the forest is supposed to close at 4:00 p.m. We took a cab because we did not have a car. The cab driver gave us his card with his phone number and cab number on it and he told us to phone him when we were ready to be picked up. The guy who sold us our tickets told us that as long as we were back by 4:30 p.m., he would call the cab for us so we could get back to our hotel. Again, it was rainy and getting dark. We did not bring a flashlight with us, but every now and then the sun would peak through. The forest is very dense. I heard the prettiest bird sounds there. Just like music. I'll never forget it, but I never saw the birds that were singing so beautifully. We made it to the continental divide and decided we better head back if we were to be back by 4:30 p.m. When we got back at 4:25 p.m., everyone was gone...the guy who sold us our tickets and the lady who took our tickets. Everything was locked up. A cell phone would have come in handy about then but we did not have one. There were phones on the side of one of the buildings but it looked like they were only for calling cards and we did not have one of those either. There was one guy in the parking area with a tourismo bus cleaning the front window, and I thought perhaps he was waiting for some other people that were still in the forest. He did not speak very much English but he understood that we needed a cab. He went to the windows of the building at the entrance and started knocking and finally a worker (I think he was cleaning up), came to the door. He spoke no English but we handed him the card the cab driver gave us. He motioned for us to wait a minute and he disappeared for a few minutes. He came back out and motioned that there was no cab available. The whole time I was thinking I was going to have to sleep in the forest or start walking back to the hotel...quite a trek.
Just to let you know how wonderfully friendly the Costa Rican people are, the worker locked up the building and told us he would take us back to our hotel in his car. We hopped in his car and he floored the gas to get up the hill. His tires were bald and we were sliding back and forth all the way up the hill out of the place. I was sure I was going to die. Then he stops on a dime because some little animal (rat like looking critter) happened on the side of the road and he wanted us to see. They really care about their animals and such. Then just as fast, he floored the gas again and we continued on our back and forth journey up the hill and every other hill we came to on the way back to the Monteverde Lodge.
By the time we got back to our hotel, I wanted to kiss the ground, but I was so grateful nonetheless to get back, in one piece or two. My daughter was alone at the hotel and she would have freaked out if we hadn't made it back that night.
Needless to say, we paid him generously which he did not expect and which we had to somewhat force him to accept.
So what I learned about this little adventure was that it is better not go visit the cloud forest in the late afternoon, especially if you have no car, no cell phone and a limited knowledge of the Spanish language. What also was reinforced was the wonderful generosity of the Costa Rica people. Can you imagine something like that happening here in the US?
When we were finished ziplining and waiting until our bus left to return us to our hotel, we found a number of interesting bugs, moths, etc. around the building. Also, one of the workers there said there was a quetzel nearby. My goal for Monteverde was to stand on the continental divide and see a quetzel, so it was all good. I was able to see the quetzel, a male I was told, and took a couple of pictures. It is a beautiful bird. Although the pic is pretty small, I am more than satisfied. What was even greater, though, was that I saw the bird fly. I've never seen anything so pretty in my life. Even my daughter, who is not easy to impress, thought it was the highlight of the day.
The same day we did the zip lines, we decided to go to the cloud forest since that was the only day we had left. We got to the forest at about 2:00 or 2:30 p.m. There were no guides there at that time and the forest is supposed to close at 4:00 p.m. We took a cab because we did not have a car. The cab driver gave us his card with his phone number and cab number on it and he told us to phone him when we were ready to be picked up. The guy who sold us our tickets told us that as long as we were back by 4:30 p.m., he would call the cab for us so we could get back to our hotel. Again, it was rainy and getting dark. We did not bring a flashlight with us, but every now and then the sun would peak through. The forest is very dense. I heard the prettiest bird sounds there. Just like music. I'll never forget it, but I never saw the birds that were singing so beautifully. We made it to the continental divide and decided we better head back if we were to be back by 4:30 p.m. When we got back at 4:25 p.m., everyone was gone...the guy who sold us our tickets and the lady who took our tickets. Everything was locked up. A cell phone would have come in handy about then but we did not have one. There were phones on the side of one of the buildings but it looked like they were only for calling cards and we did not have one of those either. There was one guy in the parking area with a tourismo bus cleaning the front window, and I thought perhaps he was waiting for some other people that were still in the forest. He did not speak very much English but he understood that we needed a cab. He went to the windows of the building at the entrance and started knocking and finally a worker (I think he was cleaning up), came to the door. He spoke no English but we handed him the card the cab driver gave us. He motioned for us to wait a minute and he disappeared for a few minutes. He came back out and motioned that there was no cab available. The whole time I was thinking I was going to have to sleep in the forest or start walking back to the hotel...quite a trek.
Just to let you know how wonderfully friendly the Costa Rican people are, the worker locked up the building and told us he would take us back to our hotel in his car. We hopped in his car and he floored the gas to get up the hill. His tires were bald and we were sliding back and forth all the way up the hill out of the place. I was sure I was going to die. Then he stops on a dime because some little animal (rat like looking critter) happened on the side of the road and he wanted us to see. They really care about their animals and such. Then just as fast, he floored the gas again and we continued on our back and forth journey up the hill and every other hill we came to on the way back to the Monteverde Lodge.
By the time we got back to our hotel, I wanted to kiss the ground, but I was so grateful nonetheless to get back, in one piece or two. My daughter was alone at the hotel and she would have freaked out if we hadn't made it back that night.
Needless to say, we paid him generously which he did not expect and which we had to somewhat force him to accept.
So what I learned about this little adventure was that it is better not go visit the cloud forest in the late afternoon, especially if you have no car, no cell phone and a limited knowledge of the Spanish language. What also was reinforced was the wonderful generosity of the Costa Rica people. Can you imagine something like that happening here in the US?
Jun 4th, 2006, 12:06 PM
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Seawitch 1, Thanks for sharing your harrowing experience!! I'm glad you safely made it back to your hotel. It's adventures like these that make memories that you'll probably never forget even as dementia sets in. You are a great storyteller, too!
Jun 12th, 2006, 04:00 PM
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What an adventurous trip! I'm hoping to go sometime in Aug.
"Martinair and duct tape". Was this tape on the outside and silver? If so, it's called speed tape. It's FAA approved (and most likely approved in other countries) for interim repairs.
"Martinair and duct tape". Was this tape on the outside and silver? If so, it's called speed tape. It's FAA approved (and most likely approved in other countries) for interim repairs.
Jun 15th, 2006, 11:27 AM
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karen9 - Thanks for the info. It's good to know. Yes, the tape was on the outside and silver and he guy was really taking his time with the repair job. I'm sure he was trying to make sure it was just right.
Jun 18th, 2006, 04:07 PM
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coffeebean
I loved LaPaz even though it was raining off an on the day we went. The power of the falls is amazing...I think I said a cuss word in front of my daughter at the first waterfall we came upon. The grounds are very nice as well...spent a lot of time with the hummingbirds. The lunch buffet was very good and definitely worth the price. We spent about three hours there but could easily have spent longer.
We also enjoyed Lankester Gardens. They have a lot of orchids, some very rare. It was a nice and relaxing end to our almost two weeks in CR.
I loved LaPaz even though it was raining off an on the day we went. The power of the falls is amazing...I think I said a cuss word in front of my daughter at the first waterfall we came upon. The grounds are very nice as well...spent a lot of time with the hummingbirds. The lunch buffet was very good and definitely worth the price. We spent about three hours there but could easily have spent longer.
We also enjoyed Lankester Gardens. They have a lot of orchids, some very rare. It was a nice and relaxing end to our almost two weeks in CR.
Jun 20th, 2006, 10:40 AM
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seawitch, glad you had a memorable trip. I am still having Costa Rica withdrawal symptoms, and our trip was June 2005!
We enjoyed Lost Iguana too, and I'm glad you got the luxury suite after all. 8-)
We enjoyed Lost Iguana too, and I'm glad you got the luxury suite after all. 8-)
Jun 20th, 2006, 04:22 PM
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Thanks Melissa. We really enjoyed our time at LI. Trying to figure out how to get back to CR, but have run into a pretty hefty increase (over 255%) in our homeowner's insurance.
Although I can't escape just yet, it is my hope to eventually make a move to CR. I really love the Central Valley. The view from Sanchiri Lodge is to die for. I sat there staring for the longest time trying to decide where I could build my house. (sigh!)
Although I can't escape just yet, it is my hope to eventually make a move to CR. I really love the Central Valley. The view from Sanchiri Lodge is to die for. I sat there staring for the longest time trying to decide where I could build my house. (sigh!)
Jul 24th, 2006, 12:41 PM
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We must have just missed each other! What a great 1st trip to CR! Renting a car and driving ones self is an experience of its own and we loved it!
Just a couple of things I'd love to share: Agree on the Orchideas Inn as a jumping off and last night stay! Good food, very excellent staff and the owner, Bob, shares great tips!
AmaTierra (formally La Fincha Que Ama) is the soul of CR in the highlands about 1 1/2 hours outside San Jose. 17K west of Puriscal. Our hearts are STILL there! Bob and Jill Ruttenberg were simply the best and the food was better than any we ate. All created by local staff and such love in the air with breathtaking evening views. You can have Manuel Antonio Park. By far and away the BEST is, believe it or not, a PRIVATE park named Tu-Ru-Ba-Ri, a short 15-20 minute ride from AmaTierra! Greatest guides. Excellent flora and fauna and animals everywhere! Oh yes...Canopy Rides and a very unique "ride"....spread out like Superman for about a mile going 60 MPH 400 feet above the valley!!!! What a rush!
Quepos is a quaint but rather dirty little Key West wanna-be but tourists flock there like crazy so maybe it was me. Costa Verde II had beautiful views but I was amazed that there was no A/C in the costliest building there!
La Fortuna/Arenal area is a great drive that is an E ticket! Wonderful countryside, nice town, tourist heavy and the volcano is cool but cloud covered at the top most of the time. Arenal Paraiso was a nice "cabin" and friendly staff but the Arenal Volcano Hotel about 5 minutes away had excellent food and was not crowded at all! Ate dinner one night at Tabacon and it was overpriced. I still wonder why I'd get in 105 degree water when it is 95 degrees and humid outside!!
Last....part of the great trip was getting lost. No highway or street signs...no house or building numbers....everything is "by marker" even if that marker hadn't been there for 20 years! The locals knew it and figured everyone did....LOL. Never judge distance/time relationship like at home. Figure about 20 MPH average! Three simple rules in driving 1) If you think you have gone too far, keep going. 2) Stop and ask directions. Ticos are so warm and friendly and 3) HANG ON TIGHT!
Pura Vida!
Just a couple of things I'd love to share: Agree on the Orchideas Inn as a jumping off and last night stay! Good food, very excellent staff and the owner, Bob, shares great tips!
AmaTierra (formally La Fincha Que Ama) is the soul of CR in the highlands about 1 1/2 hours outside San Jose. 17K west of Puriscal. Our hearts are STILL there! Bob and Jill Ruttenberg were simply the best and the food was better than any we ate. All created by local staff and such love in the air with breathtaking evening views. You can have Manuel Antonio Park. By far and away the BEST is, believe it or not, a PRIVATE park named Tu-Ru-Ba-Ri, a short 15-20 minute ride from AmaTierra! Greatest guides. Excellent flora and fauna and animals everywhere! Oh yes...Canopy Rides and a very unique "ride"....spread out like Superman for about a mile going 60 MPH 400 feet above the valley!!!! What a rush!
Quepos is a quaint but rather dirty little Key West wanna-be but tourists flock there like crazy so maybe it was me. Costa Verde II had beautiful views but I was amazed that there was no A/C in the costliest building there!
La Fortuna/Arenal area is a great drive that is an E ticket! Wonderful countryside, nice town, tourist heavy and the volcano is cool but cloud covered at the top most of the time. Arenal Paraiso was a nice "cabin" and friendly staff but the Arenal Volcano Hotel about 5 minutes away had excellent food and was not crowded at all! Ate dinner one night at Tabacon and it was overpriced. I still wonder why I'd get in 105 degree water when it is 95 degrees and humid outside!!
Last....part of the great trip was getting lost. No highway or street signs...no house or building numbers....everything is "by marker" even if that marker hadn't been there for 20 years! The locals knew it and figured everyone did....LOL. Never judge distance/time relationship like at home. Figure about 20 MPH average! Three simple rules in driving 1) If you think you have gone too far, keep going. 2) Stop and ask directions. Ticos are so warm and friendly and 3) HANG ON TIGHT!
Pura Vida!
