cmazza

This was our 2nd trip to CR and I was not disappointed. We are a family of three with a teenage daughter. We flew Continental Detroit thru Houston to San Jose no problems. I had no delays entering Costa Rica and had our bags and was on our way. We booked transportation to Arenal with toucan Limousine service. They were prompt in picking us up and had a short delay for them to change vehicles. We had arranged to make donations to a school on the way to Arenal. School was not in session so we could not see the children, but got to see the school. The school was in the small village of Basula sp? We arrived at silencio del campo in La Fortuna and had not Problem checking in. A fruit drink was offered as we check in. I though this was a lovely hotel with a pool and a small hot springs pool. The cabins were nice clean with 2 queen beds and a nice bath with a shower. You do have a volcano view, but currently not on the Lava side. The food was very good and they provided a nice breakfast.

We went on a the sky trek /tram tour booked with arenal.net . I thought this zip line was great. I have previously done this before at other zip lines. The tram up was nice to see the surroundings. This zipline has a view of Lake Arenal which I was glad to see. We did a little shopping and walked around the small town of La Fortuna mostly souvenirs. We ate dinner at baristas I thought the food was ok. Our hotel restaurant was better. The next day we booked a combo tour with sunset tours. We did a safari float with a stop at small Costa Rican farm for coffee. On the float we saw some birds, monkeys and sloth. The float was very slow and relaxing. We then went to La Fortuna waterfalls it started to rain and we walked to the bottom several people were swimming in the water. I think if you have difficulty walking or hiking it would be a challenge to go to the bottom. We then had lunch and did the volcano hike which was informative and had nice views of the volcano. We ended the evening at the bridge in the evening to see the volcano and we were blessed with a small view of lava. Then head to ecothermal hot springs. This was a lovely place with approximately 7-8 hot pools 2 nice bars and a restaurant. We left the next day to Puerto Jimenez we flew nature air.

We arrived at Puerto Jimenez with reservations at Yellow Coco lodge I loved this place. I can not say enough how great this house was. We had transportation from the airport and stopped at the small grocery store to get few groceries the prices were slightly higher than American prices. We arrived at our house it was on facing the beach and was in the jungle for the best of both worlds. We relaxed and enjoyed the beach which had very few individuals on it . The water was warm and the views were great. We went next door to Iguana lodge and had a beach BBQ for dinner. This was a nice dinner the lodge provides. We took a boat to the animal sanctuary we found this to be a nice experience and it provide up close interaction with their monkeys. I was slightly disappointed with the boat ride. We paid extra for a dolphin experience which we saw none. But, with wildlife you never know...We also did the horseback tour which was the best horseback tour I had ever taken we got to trot and gallop along the beach and into the rain forest. We had breakfast delivered by our lodge each morning and ate a small lunch each day with our own groceries. We went to town ant ate a (carolines) I believe. The iguana lodge meals were wonderful. We hired a chef who fixed a wonderful meal at our house and provided a cooking lesson to our daughter. I had a wonderful time and loved the beach /jungle combo this area provided. We sadly flew to San Jose and Stayed at Orquideas inn before we flew out the next day. I thought this was ok but could use some TLC. I probably would not choose to stay here again. The grounds were nice and the kitschy Marilyn Monroe bar was nice. We left for the airport to fly home. Do not forget the departure tax. I travel often and CR is still my top destination. I love it for its beaches, jungles, wildlife, activities, and lovely people

MichelleY

Thanks for the report. How did your teenager like the trip?

MY

volcanogirl

It sounds like a wonderful trip. It was fun to hear about Yellow Coco - don't hear very much about that one. In La Fortuna, are there steps going down to the waterfall, or is it just a path? Is it paved? We haven't done that one yet.

cmazza

my teenager loved it. Besides the no telephone/text messages. It was good for her. I tried to add culture and fun and I think she got a good blend of each.
The falls has steps and some path portions it is steep.

janenicole

Thanks for the trip report. Have to chuckle about your comment about your teen not being able to text/phone. It IS good for them to have a break from all of that!

ShellD

Thanks for the trip report! I really enjoy hearing about everyone's different experiences! It sounds like you had a great trip.