has anyone been to Costa Rica?

[mingagreen]

If you have, would you mind sharing with me what you thought about it. All aspects, the weather, the locals, the language, the water!!! Please share.
TIA,
Lisa

 

[hlmr]

Date: 7/30/2006 11:26:41 AM
Author:mingagreen
If you have, would you mind sharing with me what you thought about it. All aspects, the weather, the locals, the language, the water!!! Please share.
TIA,
Lisa

Hi Minga!

We went to Costa Rica a year and a half ago, flew into Liberia and stayed at a resort called the Fiesta Premier Resort & Spa in the Guanacaste province. It was great! We really loved it there....Costa Rica is so incredibly beautiful and GREEN with incredible rainforests and active volcanos!!!! There are more varities of green plants in Costa Rica than anywhere else in the world! The weather was perfect everyday and nice and hot. We went in January and being so close to the equator pretty much guarantees the hot weather.

The rainy season lasts approximately from March to November, and then there is relatively no rain at all in Jan/Feb/March. The locals are very friendly and you don't see the extreme poverty you see in some of the Islands. The water is very nice. Our resort was on the Pacific side and in a bay area. The sand is volcanic ash and so if you are expecting white sand beaches you will be disappointed!!! We spent most of our time around the pool area whereas when we go to other places we hang out at the beach. The resort directly across the bay from us was a Four Season's and I believe they have a white sand beach but of course, costs $$$$$. I heard that Madonna and her family were there during the same week that we were.

Spanish is spoken and English at some of the better hotels, tourist agencies, etc. It really helps to be able to speak a little bit of Spanish though, and the locals love it if you do! Children are out of school there from December to February during the dry season.

Let me know if you have any further questions and I will try to answer them for you as best I can! We will definitely return to Costa Rica some day and travel more extensively next time, instead of staying at the resort.

 

[SeattleSparkle]

ooooh!! I''d love to hear more too!! I''ve booked my trip to Costa Rica and will be there the last week of August through Labor Day. My boyfriend (hopefully fiance by then) are flying into Liberia and we are going to Tamarindo, then going to Arenal (staying at the Tabacon Resort) and then we go to the Monteverde Cloud Forest area. We are then ending our trip back in Tamarindo but at a different hotel/area.

I know it will be raining a ton then, but I should be okay right? I''m from Seattle!! I''m a little nervous about the amount of rain, but I''m excited to go snorkeling, hiking, zip-lining, swimming, snorkeling ...

I''d love to hear more about people''s trips and I will be more than willing to share about my trip when I get back!!

 

[mingagreen]

ooh good info hlmr, I really appreciate it. I do some searches on Costa Rica and found lots of info I am just looking for real opinons of it!
Here''s the thing, Friday we were at a family picnic and some relatives on DH''s side were talking about moving to Costa Rica and then SIL said she would be there in February for a week long class. So DH and I got to thinking, we are considering moving there, especially if some other family members are there. It is actually something we have thought of for years, since we spent 2 months in the keys and honeymooned in Isle Mujeras, Mexico. We love the "beach"life, I am from Florida and he wishes he was!!! We are both at a point where we are ready to do something to improve our lives and happiness. We have 2 very small children, but he works about 17 hours a day and we see him only an hour or so a day and it aint workin! There are things we could do to improve this, I could go back to work, he could get a regular day job (he is a PIT for a large restaurant) But we feel like we are ready to enjoy life and stop trying to win the rat race and keep up with the Jones. The area we live in is growing fast, traffic is getting heavier, the winters are getting rougher, and if it is going to be this blazing hot I want to be near water. It is all a thought now but we are seriously considering it. Realestae there is CHEAP, we would probably rent our house out so if need be we could come back.
So if any of you have opinions on Costa Rica as a place to live or some inside info please share!

 

[hlmr]

Minga - that is so exciting to be thinking of moving there! We actually talked about buying real estate there as well. My DH met a real estate agent in town, who took him around a bit to look at new construction. You''re right, it is cheap and from what I have heard, a lovely place to live. If you will have family living there then why not go for it!! As you say, you could rent your place if it doesn''t work out and then you will have a retirement property waiting for you!

 

[mingagreen]

I know hmlr, I look at the pics and I can''t stop thinking about what it would be like. My DH has been a restaurant manager for 17 years so he could surely find a job at a resort and I could do something!!! I was looking at houses from realestete sites to craigslist and they are just downright cheap (and beautiful) gated communities, beachfront with pools.......I''m ready! I do love where we live, in Pennsylvania, but it is getting lame! I love our house we just built 2 years ago, but I dream of something different, I always wanted to move to Cali like most of friends did from HS but family kept me here, and now I feel like if I am not happy. It is a lot to think about but we are deffinately thinking.

 

[hlmr]

Well, I wish you the best with your decision making process Minga, and please update us when you decide!!!

SeattleSparkle - sounds like you have a wonderful trip lined up.....have fun!

 

[TravelingGal]

How interesting. One of my very good friends is considering this as well. She''s researched all aspects. They have a 2 year old son and said there would be a good school there for him. They have a home here in California which would sell for a million, and the homes she''s shown me are gorgeous for just a fraction of the price. They would do something related to tourism and go from there. They were supposed to move this year, but her husband is stalling.

She absolutely loved it...and she''s traveled quite a bit.

 

[mingagreen]

interesting Travelinggal, what area are they considering?? Our children are 3 and 7 months, but from what I have heard there are great schools in CR. We saw a house on Craigslist that is HUGE with an apartment on top in a gated community for 200K , that is crazy.
My father just bought a house in Hondarus, so that is another place we were thinking, although we are deffinately more interested in CR.

 

[TravelingGal]

I don''t know...I''ll find out for you....

 

[hlmr]

Date: 7/31/2006 4:36:16 PM
Author: mingagreen
interesting Travelinggal, what area are they considering?? Our children are 3 and 7 months, but from what I have heard there are great schools in CR. We saw a house on Craigslist that is HUGE with an apartment on top in a gated community for 200K , that is crazy.
My father just bought a house in Hondarus, so that is another place we were thinking, although we are deffinately more interested in CR.

Which area are you considering Minga?

 

[TravelingGal]

Here''s my friend''s response:


-------
Hmmm – well right now we’re looking at three different areas.
Playa Samara area
Dominical area
Playa Grande area

All are on the Pacific Coast. Playa Grande is the farthest north and the driest area. It’s close to Tamarindo which is one of the most popular beaches in CR and not too far (about 80km) from a major town. Playa Samara has a paved road all the way into town which is a huge plus and not common elsewhere. It also has a major town pretty close – about 25 km away, and Dominical is supposedly getting a paved road all the way there, has amazing beaches, a good ex-pat community and real estate is a little cheaper there.

I’ve done a TON of research. If you know what info she is looking for I can probably get it for you – or tell her where she can find it.

There is a website called therealcostarica.com that is pretty helpful.

 

[Kay]

I don't know much about buying real estate in CR, but we spent 2 fabulous weeks there in May. I am in the middle of writing my trip report for Trip Advisor, so I will post the first part here since it covers Arenal and Monteverde. Warning -- it is a bit long winded.

We landed in San Jose around 10:00 pm, so we decided to stay close to the airport. Early the next morning, we had a driver take us to Arenal with stops at Poás Volcano and the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. From the parking area at Poás, it is a half mile walk on a paved road to an overlook area that lets you look down into a crater that is 0.9 miles in diameter and 900 feet deep. Inside the crater, there is a green lagoon that spews boiling sulphurous gases. It’s pretty cool to see – when the fog lets you get a peek. We had been advised by previous travelers to arrive at Poás before 9:00 am when the fog usually rolls in. We got there around 8:00 am, but it was already foggy. We waited around for a little while, and the fog cleared enough a few times that we were able to get glimpses of the crater. We took a short side trail to see Botos Lagoon, a second crater which is now a lake filled with cool blue water. The second trail was a 30 minute hike through a beautiful forest with tons of tropical flowers.

Our second stop was at La Paz, with is connected with the Peace Lodge. They charge $25 per person to explore the grounds, which seemed a bit steep, but it was really beautiful and we had a great time. The gardens are truly gorgeous. There was one hillside covered in canna lilies (which I love) of many colors. We started by exploring the hummingbird garden, orchid garden and butterfly observatory, which are all in the central area of La Paz. The observatory is huge, with several feeding stations that let you get a close look at several species of butterflies. They also have a ranarium (frogs) and serpentarium (snakes) that we skipped. After the observatory, we went left and took the Fern Trail past the Trout Lake and through the forest to the river. We followed the Rio La Paz Trail along the river. The first two trails were lovely, and also very quiet since most visitors go straight to the Trail of Falls. There are 5 waterfalls on the Trail of Falls, and the first 2 are really spectacular.

Arenal/La Fortuna:

We arrived at the Lost Iguana Resort by 4:00 pm and spent some time relaxing in our room. We loved our room and would happily stay there again. We had a luxury suite with a patio area that had a great view of the Arenal Volcano and a huge shower with lava rock walls and tropical plants that is open to the sky (with screens to keep out bugs). Only the first floor end units have these showers, so you have to request it and hope you get one. During our 3 nights at Lost Iguana, we spent a lot of time sitting in the leather rocking chairs on the patio enjoying the beautiful gardens and the view of the volcano. We got lucky and saw lava every night. From our room, we could see thin streams of lava coming down the left-hand side of the volcano. The room had wine glasses, and I recommend picking up a couple bottles of wine at the grocery store in La Fortuna and enjoying the show.

Since we didn’t have a car our first night, we ate dinner at the hotel restaurant despite some poor online reviews. Most of the entrees were in the $12 to $16 price range. The French onion soup and hearts of palm salad were very good, the steak was fine but the sauce wasn’t very exciting, the pork chops with berry sauce had an excellent sauce, but the meat was overcooked and dry.

The next morning, Alamo dropped off a rental SUV (Daihatsu Terios) at 7:30. There was no extra charge for drop off and pick up at the hotel, and it was very convenient to have our own car for 2 days. We had the free breakfast buffet at the hotel, and it was very good.

The front desk made reservations for us at Sky Tram/Sky Trek for $48 pp (it is normally $55). The tram ride up the mountain is pretty slow, so you can enjoy the scenery. The zip lines coming back down were a blast. There are 2 small practice cables first, then 6 long ones. We had an amazing view of both the trees and Lake Arenal.

Since the Arenal Observatory Lodge is only a few kilometers from Sky Trek, we decided to drive over there to hike their trails. We paid $2 pp at the gate since we weren’t staying there, and the guard gave us a map of the trails. We started with the trail to the waterfall, which was very pretty. We also wanted to hike to the lava fields and asked at the front desk which trail we should take. The “Old Lava” trail, which starts near the hotel restaurant, is a very difficult trail and takes 4 hours, which was more time than we had. The man at the desk recommended we try the “New Lava” aka “Los Tucanes” trail, which is shorter and easier. The trail starts just outside the gate to the property, so we didn’t need to pay the $4 to get in, but it was nice to be able to leave our car in a lot next to the guard booth rather than just leaving it unattended on the road. We hiked through the forest for 40 minutes and then went up a flight of rock “stairs” and all of a sudden we went from lush green, dense forest to an alien landscape. There were vast fields of large black volcanic rocks. The view of the volcano was incredible – it seemed so close. The clouds had cleared in late morning, and we could see all the way to the top of the volcano. We also had an incredible view of the lake in the other direction. We were both very glad we made this hike because we felt like we really experienced Arenal.

We got back to the hotel around 4:30, threw on our swim suits, and headed to the pool. It was happy hour at the pool bar, and we discovered Cacique sours – yum! We met a fun American couple at the bar. We enjoyed the cool and warm sides of the pool for a while, and then the 4 of us headed to dinner at El Novillo, since I had read so many good reviews of it online. El Novillo was wonderful. If you are driving from LI toward La Fortuna, it is a little past Tabacón on the left side of the road. It is basically a large concrete slab with a corrugated tin roof and white plastic patio tables and chairs, but the food and view are wonderful. I had a good sized and very yummy garlic steak for $8. Dinner for 4 (4 steaks, 2 salads, 3 side dishes, 3 desserts, 7 drinks) was $81 with tax and gratuity. The only clinker in the meal was the yucca "french fries" a guide book recommended as a must try item – they were flavorless. The lava was flowing on that side of the volcano, and we had a wonderful view of the action for 2 hours.

We discovered over dinner that we were all signed up for the Pure Trek canyoning tour the next morning, so we drove over together. This was our favorite tour of the trip. There was only one other couple on the trip and we all had such a great time together. The three guides were very safety conscious and friendly (offering to take pictures for everyone as they went down the waterfalls). Rappelling down 5 waterfalls and one rock wall was such a thrill, and I’ve never even done rock climbing before. The first time (on a 161’ high waterfall) was scary, but by the third one I wanted to go back and start over so I could really enjoy the first 2 once I knew what I was doing. We would definitely do this again if we return to Arenal. The lunch they served us after the tour was very good. It was the most flavorful rice and beans we’ve ever had.

After lunch, DH and I decided to head over to the Tabacón Hot Springs. My prior research had indicated that the price was $35 pp during the day, or $29 pp after 7 pm. Since I wanted to see the grounds, the plan was to go for a while in the afternoon, go do something else for a while, and go back to Tabacón at night, when the hot water would feel better. When we got there, we found out they had raised the price the week before to $45 during the day and $35 at night. I just couldn’t stand the thought of being gouged that badly to explore the grounds, especially since it was so hot and humid that the hot springs didn’t sound that appealing. We decided to just go explore the town of La Fortuna, and then enjoy the hot tub on our patio at Lost Iguana.

We had an early dinner at La Choza de Laurel in La Fortuna. The charbroiled chicken was juicy and flavorful and came with fun sides. My husband had the casado with beef, which was also good, except the waiter did not ask how he wanted his beef and he did not think to specify, so it came well done and a bit tough.

Monteverde:

We decided to take one of the van/boat/van transfers from Arenal to Monteverde. The 30 minute boat ride was fun and we had great views of the surrounding countryside. I think DH took around 40 pictures on the short cruise. The road up to Monteverde was pretty rough, but the driver did a very good job at minimizing the bumpiness.

We spent 3 nights at the Monteverde Lodge. The room was large (larger than we needed), but kind of boring. I think it was just a bit of a let down after Lost Iguana. Our first opinion was that we could have stayed someplace smaller and less expensive since our time in Monteverde was all about hiking through the cloud forests and rain forest. However, after long days of hiking through damp and rainy forests, it was so nice to be able to go back to the hotel and relax in the large hot tub in the solarium. (I think only one other hotel has a hot tub, and it is pretty epensive.) The hotel also had beautiful grounds with water features and a sloth.

There are so many places to hike in Monteverde, so we didn’t want to lose any time. After we dropped off our luggage, we headed out to the Children’s Eternal Rain Forest for the twilight tour (5:30 – 7:30). We arrived 2 hours early so we could walk most of the trails in daylight before the guided tour. During the tour, we saw a kinkajou, an agouti, 2 porcupines curled up in a tree, frogs and tarantulas. Since it was after 8 when we got back to the hotel, we had dinner there. The food was good, but the portions were very small for the prices.

The next morning, we took a guided tour of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve with Carlos (arranged by Monteverde Lodge). We usually prefer to hike on our own, rather than with tour groups, but there was only one other couple in our group and Carlos was excellent. Thanks to his good spotting and the use of his telescope, we saw several howler monkeys, two quetzals, and numerous other birds.

On our way back from the forest, we had the driver drop us off near CASEM Coop, which sells crafts made by local artisans and we thought it was the best place to shop in Monteverde. We walked all the way back to Santa Elena (the main town), stopping for lunch at Stella’s Bakery (tasty, inexpensive sandwiches, meat pies and desserts) and to poke around the various galleries and gift shops. We wasted a meal at the Treehouse Café in town because it looked cool (the restaurant is built around a tree) and was convenient. We just wanted a light dinner, so we ordered nachos and a cheese plate. The cheese plate had one kind of cheese (or 4 white cheeses that tasted identical) cut into 4 different shapes. The nachos were tasty, but puny by US standards, especially for $8. The tab for the 2 appetizers, 2 beers, and 2 mixed drinks was $35 with tax and tip, so it was a rip off compared to other local offerings.

We did the Selvatura Walk Ways on our second morning in Monteverde. We figured $40 for 2 people wasn’t a horrible price since it included transportation from and to our hotel and the round trip fare to the nearby Santa Elena Reserve would cost us at least $16. In retrospect, we should have skipped it. The Walk Ways (elevated hanging bridges) offer a neat perspective on the forest canopy, but they are too close to the zip lines, so there are no animals in the area because of the noise. I wish we had done the Hanging Bridges in Arenal instead because I heard people were seeing wildlife there. The Selvatura shuttle back to town only runs every 2 hours, so we had to leave at 1 pm to make it back in time for our horse riding tour. After finishing the Walk Ways, we only had 2 hours left for the Santa Elena Reserve, which had some nice trails. As a side note, the gift shop at the Santa Elena Reserve had the best prices for carved wood items.

We had the Selvatura driver drop us off near Restaurante de Lucia, which is on the side street that leads to the Ecological Farm and Butterfly Garden. We had a fabulous lunch at Lucia, which is a very cute restaurant. I had the chicken a la’orange, which was a large portion of moist and wonderfully flavored chicken breast, served with a small potato and perfectly steamed mixed vegetables for $10. DH had a nice casado for $6. We skipped dessert at Lucia because we had heard great things about Sabores Ice Cream Parlor, which was just down the street. We had wonderful ice cream for less than $1 per cone (the coconut was so yummy and creamy).

We went on a 2-hour sunset horseback riding tour with a company recommended by the hotel (I think it had caballeros in the name). It was a pretty slow-paced boring tour. After 3 days of hiking through the forest, riding horses through a less impressive forest at an only slightly faster pace wasn’t much fun. There was supposed to be a sunset view of the Gulf of Nicoya, but we couldn’t see much.

We had dinner at Sofia, which is very close to Lucia and also has lovely décor and excellent food. We started with mango-ginger mojitos, and a yummy appetizer stuffed with smoked cheese. DH ordered pork loin in a fig sauce – we decided it was the best dish of the trip. I had a very good steak, but it couldn’t compete with the pork. It came to $46 for 2 entrees, 1 appetizer, 4 mixed drinks, tax and gratuity. We highly recommend Sofia, as well as Lucia.

Here is a picture of the first waterfall at La Paz: (ETA: I tried to delete the picture so I can repost it in the right direction, but I can't figure out how to remove the file.)

 

[Kay]

View of Lake Arenal from Sky Trek:

 

[Kay]

Arenal Volcano with lava fields in foreground (and me in my dorky hat to shield my pale face from the tropical sun):

 

[Kay]

Rappelling down waterfalls with Pure Trek:

 

[Kay]

View of volcano from our private patio at Lost Iguana:

 

[Kay]

The mist in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (very surreal):

 

[Kay]

A resplendant Quetzal in the cloud forest:

 

[Kay]

The grounds at Monteverde Lodge and Gardens:

 

[mingagreen]

Wow great write up Kay, thank you. The pictures are beautiful
TravelinGal, thank you so much for the website, it is awesome, so informative, I love his approach. The whole work situation is interesting and possibly confusing.
We aren''t sure what area. there is a small town called Toro, I believe, that is supposedly real laid back, we are also looking into areas that are tourist spots due to the fact that we would most likely end up working at a restaurant. Thank you all for sharing!