by Fritz Oelrich; Stafford, Va.
Over the years, my wife, Zelda, and I had been in the habit of giving our children money for Christmas. They are probably better off than we are now, so for 2011 I began checking for alternative gifts and found a family tour to Costa Rica operated by Trafalgar (New York, NY; 866/544-4434) that began on December 23rd, the day after school let out for the Christmas holiday.
Making plans
I contacted my favorite Pavlus Travel agent, Denise (Albuquerque, NM; 800/704-0385), who we’ve used for over 15 years, and discovered that the tour had space available and I could get several good discounts. When the family met at Thanksgiving, we discussed the trip. Our youngest, Suanne, and her husband, Jason, were reluctant, as they didn’t want to leave Jason’s mother, a widow, alone at Christmas, so we invited her along too.
As we were planning the trip, our older daughter, Regena, asked if it might be possible to add her friend’s family to the group. Though they ended up not going, Trafalgar said that our down payment had reserved a 16-passenger bus, so there would be room.
We declined air arrangements from Trafalgar, asking Brent at Cove Travel (Hillsboro, MO; 877/204-5876) to watch for low fares. Suanne also set her online fare alerts to watch for discounts, and when she was notified of a good rate, I called Cove Travel. Brent was able to book our flights at great rates, several at less than half the usual price.
The unexpected
After arriving in San José, we were bused to the InterContinental Hotel. The hotel was great, with a huge pool and an extremely large shopping center directly across the street.
We were instructed to eat a light breakfast before meeting in the lobby at 7:30 the next morning, as we would eat again later that morning — too bad, as the hotel’s breakfast buffet was fabulous.
When we all gathered at 7:30, we got a big surprise. We were expecting a 16-passenger bus for just our family, but we soon learned that there was another family group of 16 from Michigan who also was expecting their own bus, in addition to another group expecting a regular Trafalgar tour and a group of Canadians on a Brendan tour. In all, there were 43 people in the group!
Another surprise was that at Arenal we would not be staying at the expected Manoa but at Casa Luna Lodge, which we had never heard of.
However, all was not so bad, as we had a comfortable bus, two guides (one from Trafalgar and one from Brendan) and a very congenial group of travelers with whom to associate for the week.
Heading out
Our bus trip began with an interesting tour of San José. We passed the Army Headquarters, closed in 1949 when the Army was disbanded and now housing an art museum. Then we took a mountainous trek through Braulio Carrillo National Park to Selva Tropical Restaurant for our second breakfast and a rest stop. There was a large butterfly garden behind the restaurant, and the children had a great time taking pictures there.
As our bus proceeded, the roads became narrower and narrower, eventually becoming almost nonexistent, although the scenery was great. At about 11 o’clock we arrived at the Caño Blanco boat landing, such as it was, to board the boat that would take us to Tortuguero National Park. The boat was long and narrow but easily held our group.
The trip to Tortuguero took about an hour and a half, cruising down a scenic, narrow river featuring lots of birds and wildlife, including crocodiles.
After our arrival at the Laguna Lodge, we checked in and had lunch. All meals for the rest of the trip were buffet style, with lots of tropical fruit.
Our rooms were very rustic, with small ceiling fans. There was no air-conditioning, but it was not uncomfortable.
After lunch our group got on smaller boats, each holding perhaps 15, and were given a guided tour through the rivers and lagoons of the park. There were so many sloths, monkeys and iguanas that they began to lose their novelty. In the afternoon, we walked on the Caribbean beach and enjoyed the gorgeous pool.
That night it rained… and rained… and rained — over six inches. In the morning the lawn was flooded, but the sun was shining, so after breakfast we were off again to view the foliage and wildlife. It was Christmas Day, but no one paid much attention to the holiday. We saw many turtles and crocodiles as well as colorful birds.
After another interesting boat tour in the afternoon, we were given a guided tour of Tortuguero Village, but by this time it was pouring rain. Normally on this tour the group would visit the school, but the school was closed for the holidays.
Plantation visits
The following morning we packed up to leave the lodge. The trip back upriver took a bit longer, but it was a familiar route to the café and restrooms at the landing. Then we headed back up the bad roads to the Selva Tropical Restaurant and Butterfly Garden. After lunch, we climbed from sea level toward Arenal Volcano.
Our first rest stop was at a heart of palm plantation. The owner gave a very interesting presentation on the heart of palm production process. We were treated to a variety of heart of palm treats before getting back on the bus. It was hot, and we were glad to get back on the air-conditioned bus.
Our next stop was a pineapple plantation. It was owned by the Collin Street Bakery of Corsicana, Texas, world famous for its fruitcakes. We took a tour around the plantation in a large wagon pulled by a tractor, followed by a walking tour of the sorting and packing facility, then we were treated to pineapple drinks and snacks. The whole family enjoyed this visit.
Then we continued up toward Arenal.
We arrived at Casa Luna Lodge well after dark and were guided to our rooms. The hotel was new, and our room was large and a bit surprising. Zelda and I were puzzled by the lack of furniture and the low coat rack until we went into the extremely large bath with a ramp into the shower and figured out that the room was for a person in a wheelchair.
The hotel grounds had a large pool, beautiful plants, many hummingbirds and a grand view of Arenal Volcano.
Dinner was excellent, and the adults enjoyed a Happy Hour treat of margaritas. The guides also treated us to wine at dinner.
Arenal
We had an early start the next morning, as there were four activities scheduled that day. We arrived at Arenal Volcano National Park as it opened, and after an easy 30- to 40-minute walk, we came to the lava field that marked the beginning of our climb.
The lava field was covered with large boulders, and it was not an easy climb, though it was much easier for the young. We climbed to the top of the lava field — still well below the summit but with a great view of the steaming top.
We then traversed the nearby Arenal Hanging Bridges. There were perhaps five or so bridges in the treetops, and it was quite a hike from one up to another. The walkways between the bridges were made of partially buried concrete chunks, which were not the easiest paths to walk on.
After lunch we went to the Ecocentro Danaus ecological preserve and were given a guided tour, including descriptions of the many varieties of native plants. There were, of course, monkeys, sloths and birds in the trees, and my grandson Ben photographed a species of large native rat — a photo he was very proud of.
That evening we went bathing in the famous Tabacon hot springs, located in a hot stream flowing down from the volcano. The higher we climbed to get into the water, the hotter it was. There were waterfalls and natural pools, with water slides and man-made swimming pools near the bottom. It was an enjoyable experience.
The Pacific coast
The following day, December 28th, we left for the Pacific coast. The drive through the mountains was scenic and, at times, a bit chancy, but we had faith in our skillful driver. The road network in Costa Rica is not quite what we were used to, and in places it was not well maintained. There are few major highways, so even though a place may seem close on a map, it can take a long time to get there.
Along the way, we stopped at a huge gift shop, El Jardin, which was recommended for quality goods and fair prices. We loaded up on souvenirs and T-shirts.
Our two guides, each having different backgrounds and skills, educated us during the bus rides. We learned the history and geopolitics of the region, and they shared information about the country’s education and health systems as well as industry and commercial activities.
Arriving at the Pacific coast, we headed south. The rest of the day’s trip offered great ocean views through the windows on the right side.
We passed through the heart of the Pacific coast resort area, a region where many US citizens have homes. The weather was absolutely beautiful.
Upon arriving at Manuel Antonio National Park, we did not go directly to our accommodations, the Hotel Parador. First we stopped at Titi Canopy Tours and all rode the zip lines. It was quite a hot, sweaty, laborious climb to the top, but a great series of 10 zip lines got us back to the bottom in style.
Our children and grandchildren loved it (so did the grandparents), but some couldn’t make the climb to the top, and several in our group chickened out before jumping from the first tower.
One of the attendants took our two smallest grandchildren down the line on his knees, and Ben, the 11-year-old, was assisted, as he was too light to make it all the way to the far platform on the longest line (over 1,100 feet).
We got to Hotel Parador at dusk. The Parador received the World Travel Award for the number-one resort in Central America in 2011, and I feel it was well deserved. It is big and has a variety of rooms, several beautiful pools and marvelous gardens.
That night there was a pizza-and-ice-cream party. Even those of us who were just children at heart enjoyed it.
A day at the beach
On our visit to Manuel Antonio National Park, we weren’t sure what to expect. We went to the park early, and arrangements had been made to let us in through the exit gate. Our bus left us off some distance from the gate, since traffic was at a complete standstill.
We followed the exit trail, which, of course, at the start of the day was empty, and walked perhaps 20 minutes to a swimming area. The ocean was to the right, but the beach was inside a peninsula to the left, and it was beautiful.
We stayed at the beach until late morning. Monkeys and raccoons came by trying to steal our snacks. One raccoon got into Zelda’s purse before we chased it away.
That evening there was a farewell dinner to mark the end of our tour.
Cause for celebration
In the morning, our tour bus took the rest of the group to the San José airport, but our family group of 11 stayed an additional two days in paradise.
For the first day, our children and two oldest grandchildren had booked a white-water rafting adventure with Quepoa Adventures (phone +506 2777 0058) that was very highly rated on the Internet. Four- to six-hour trips range in cost from $65 to $88 per person, including transportation and safety gear.
My son-in-law felt that the trip was very well organized, with highly experienced, professional guides, most of whom were American.
The following day was New Year’s Eve. Our children and older grandchildren spent the day taking surfing lessons and had a wonderful time.
We didn’t know when booking the four nights at the Parador that a New Year’s Eve celebration would be included. We got a call that evening that a table would be set up for all 11 of us on a balcony overlooking the pool.
The evening started with a glorious buffet — all the steak, lobster and crab we could want plus an open bar. There were hats, horns, live music — the whole works. Later, in the main dining area, there were even trapeze acts.
We were lucky to be under cover because it started to pour. We took the two youngest children to our room when they could no longer keep their eyes open. Then the rain quit and the show began.
We could see part of it from our room and could hear and feel the vibration of the music. At midnight the fireworks went off and we opened the sliding door. The grandchildren didn’t even stir.
The details
Excluding airfare, the cost for the 11 of us, after discounts, was $12,700, including the two extra nights at the Parador. I had gotten $1,800 in various discounts from Trafalgar and a discount of $1,580 from Pavlus.
Spending the holidays in the wonderful tropical setting of Costa Rica and playing with the family in both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean was worth every cent.