The Pre:
FLIGHTS & AIRPORTS: We are leaving from a small international airport in the north east US. This forces us to layover while still in the US. JFK and major airports south should allow you direct flights in to SJO (the capital San Jose) or LIB (Liberia, which is in the north of the country)
DOMESTIC AIR: We used Sansa Air. They fly all over the country but all flights hub to SJO.
GROUND TRANSPORT: If you rent a car in CR the country will mandate that you buy insurance for $50 a day ON TOP of the rental price. This was too much for me for the duration of the trip especially as private shuttles are widely available. We used: Luis Private Travels
The cost from SJO airport to Monteverde was $280 for the two of us. This includes any stops for lunch, supermarket, bathrooms, monkey viewing.
WHAT TO PACK:
Each of us brought:
- 2 pairs quick dry hiking pants, 3 pairs quick dry shorts, 2 bathing suits, 1 yoga pant, 5 tee-shirts/tanks, 1 set of lounge wear, 2 long sleeved shirts, lots of socks and undies
- 1 pair of flip flops **recommend water shoes or sandels that can get wet and strap on,1 pair of waterproof hiking sneakers (Keen)
- Gear: Snorkel sets & travel fins, binoculars, night vision, CR wildlife ID boos, camel back, Camera, Go Pro, painting or drawing kits
- First aid kit, reef safe sunscreen, bug bracelets, motion sickness patches
- Personal backpacks with laptop (yes, I have to do some work), Fiona’s tablet, downloaded movies, battery pack, cords, passports and print outs of all hotel & flight receipts/itinerary.
- BRING A DRY BAG. One small one for phone, wallet etc and one large back pack style. You are in the rainforest or cloud forest. Everything gets wet!!
We are wearing our regular road sneakers, yoga pants, tank and a light sweatshirt We plan on doing laundry every 4 days (Hotel Belmar and Iguana Lodge)
And we are off.....
Leaving not too too early at 5:00am
What???.....Surprise stop to Disney World!!!! WootWoot
DAY 1 &2: A stop at Disney World
I tried to do this on the cheep. It was a last minute surprise and helped break up the what would be long travel day….and who doesn’t like Disney, really?!?
We stayed at Coronado Springs Resort on Property. We have always stayed on Disney property. The included transportation is a huge factor. As soon as you are on property you are in the Disney bubble. There is little thought process in getting around and the whole trip seems more – in it’s theaming, mood and just overall experience. And I just know there will be no surprises. Disney just knows how to operate and knows customer service.
Joseph Cheung booked this trip for me. He is an amazing Disney travel agent. Email him here: josephcheung@travelmation.net Here is his podcast: Disney Deciphered There is no cost involved in using an agent. And all though I have been to Disney over 75 times (what?!?) it is just easier.
After landing we have half a day to spend at our favorite, Animal Kingdom with a Fiona focus to Flight of Passage ride. This virtual reality ride is a hands down must do. It is beautiful, exhilarating not a roller coaster and I cry every time.
The following day is quick over to Hollywood studios to Star Wars land – don’t forget your milk! And ending with Epcot. Walking around the countries and trying new foods will always be a fav in my family. It is also Arts Fest so this time of year is just extra. Even though it was in the 30s and windy!!
I will not go in to much about Disney here as this page is for Costa. Check out my Disney trip pages for more info.
Landing at SJO is easy. All though this is the largest airport in CR it does not feel too big. We crossed immigration in a half hour at the busiest time of year, at the busiest time of day. We were sorteted into the family lines of immigration which I think is the quicker of the routes.
Leaving the luggage pickup area and heading out side there are large lines of drivers picking up. Just slow down and pay attention.
We didn’t stay or stop in San Jose. Everything that I have been told indicates that it’s not the best place to stay in CR. Not that it’s bad…just that there are better places to spend your time.
We were met by our driver outside the airport. PrivateTravelCR.com
We were taken just out side the city to a great lunch spot called . This is a touristy kind of spot with butterfly garden ( the big blue butterflys are Morphos) and farm animals. The lunch was great, a simple buffet with local choices but my picky eater Fiona was really impressed or just starving ?!? and it was a fun little intro to the country. Lunch was $25 for both of us.
Then is was a 3 hour trip up into the mountains to Monteverde. If you get car sick, bring patches or meds!!! The landscape is amazing. Fiona slept but I couldn’t keep my eyes off the rolling mountains.
On the way our driver spotted a troop of howler monkeys. We stopped for Fiona to take pics of our first CR wildlife experience.
Monteverde....The cloud forest
Hotel Belmar: Stepping out of the car on to the grounds of the hotel instantly settled me. The stress of the US, the job, the daily, and the travel was now behind. In front of us is a sweeping view over the canopy to the pacific ocean. Dispite it being sunny, there is rain dancing on the wind. And although you can feel the moisture in the air, we don’t seem to get wet. Bits of rainbow play between the drifting rain and bird songs. Ahh peace.
The hotel is seemingly Swiss inspired from the outside. Stepping inside we are greeted with a lounge/reception area filled with local sculpture and art. The staff presents us with warm towels and “monkey water” a blend of ginger and juices in small wooden cups. Check in is seamless and we are to be in the Chalet building which is just across a driveway. There are three main buildings here. All small. The main building houses the main restaurant and three floors of rooms. The building behind it consists of rooms only, and the chalet is two floors of rooms with a common space, coffee shop, yoga studio on the main floor. I would go back to the Chalet building. We used the common space for painting and relaxing with a smoothie and sweet treat after adventures.
Our room is the most basic of the hotel’s offerings. A king bed, oversized chair, desk and fridge filled with locally made treats. And of course coffee! The balcony overlooks the woods and so many birds and happy butterflys. The bathroom is plenty large with a massive shower. We are very happy with the space. Note: no TV, no A/C
Day 4: El Tigre Waterfall hike
A 5k hike mainly down hill though what looks like Jurassic park. I half expected a T-rex to come crashing though the jungle! Absolutely wonderful, over hanging bridges winding by so many waterfalls. The trails were empty which added to the mystic of the place. We opted to ride horses back up the hill opposed to 4×4. The large package includes lunch
NEEDS: waterproof hiking shoes, dry bag backpack, water, camera, passport numbers for sign in
DONT: plan anything after excedpt a hot tub and a hot drink!
Weather: 60s, rain on and off
Day 5: Salvatura Park
We chose this zip lining park over the others for their diversity of experiences. The zip lines range from a few meters to 1 km long. It is two hours of zipping. There are sloth, butterfly, and reptile exhibits. I figured that at least we could see them in rescue habitat if not in the wild. And lastly, the hanging bridges – beautiful. They deserved more time than we gave them after the long day
NEEDS: small backpack, water bottle, sneakers, long pants
NOTES: pic package offered by the facility is only OK, there is a cafe on site. This is a long long long day
Weather: low 60s, windy, cold very overcast
Day 6: Birding @ C
This was a tour organized though the hotel. Juan our guide has a love for the forest that is infectious. He was amazing with Fiona and answered her machine gun questions. We were able to see a quatzel. Again the forest is just magical. All of the guides help each other leaving markers and indications where a major animal has been seen.
NEEDS: small pack, extra batteries for your camera, scope, hiking shoes
Weather: high 60s, sunny on and off shower
Day 7: Weather
Off to the Volcano
Day 8: Weather
Feelings on Arenal
Paradise Hotel:
Day 9: Weather
Day 10: Weather
Day 11: Weather
Osa:
Feelings on Osa
Iguana Lodge
Day 12: Weather
Day 13: Weather
Day 14: Weather
Day 15: Weather
Day 16: Weather
Day 16: Weather
Final Words
The Budget: