My wife and I will be staying 2 days/3 nights in the Orosi Valley in mid-July, and we have had the Orosi Lodge recommended to us. It seems to be well-positioned for the hiking, volcano viewing, and coffee plantation touring we plan to do.
Does anyone reading this have experience with the Lodge, and thought on if this would be a good place to stay?
Thanks in advance.
I have not stayed there, but have had a meal there and its very nice, for the best option in town unless something else has come on in recent years. They were sold out, so we stayed up the road at a more old school lodge that was fine too, just a tad out of the way...
This is a nice place but was booked too....near town.
La Casona del Cafetal
This place is nice too, we ate dinner here...
Guayabo Lodge
and this place has some cool suites with outdoor baths,,,
CHALET OROSI
Mrmoto, you are an absolute font of detailed and useful information. We shall check out all of the places you listed. Thank you very much for the extra time you took to assist us.
No problem.
Been going to CR for years, one of the best attributes it has, is the great driving, roads and scenery. You can be in multiple climates and eco systems in a few hours drive.
Orosi is unique, as its has pine forest, and trout farms,in the mountains, the valley is surrounded by some great towns that are typical Tico lifestyles, although Cartago can have some rough edges.
Manual Antonio in contrast, is one of the first areas of the country to be developed for tourism, and although it is sort of touristy compared to other areas now, it possesses a nice European charm and the lodging all over this area is nice on many levels. This is where the middle class Josephinos escape the capital for a weekend. It also has weddings, honeymooners, couples, adventure seekers, backpackers and nature lovers. Just south of there if you have time, a 30 minute drive to Playa Dominical will afford you a glimpse into the surf crowd, though its rather young there, as many surf towns in CR are older, or expats retired and well heeled kids hitting the Pacific coast from El Salvador to Panama.
The mountains meet the Pacific once south of Dominical, and Playa Bellena is worth a stop too, want some good cuisine, head to Ojochal, a Canuck enclave with some great chef owned cafes...or hike up to the waterfalls from Uvita area, or horseback. I used to hang my hat here up in the mountains, then J Crew used it for a photo shoot years ago and then it was hard to get a room, nice feel there, all screened and Pacific breezes...open air family style kitchen...the owner raises Andalusian Horses....
http://www.costaricabellavistalodge.com
You can take a back way too, from MA to SJ, via Parritta and Santiago, to Santa Ana (lunch/stroll) and then around the capital to Cartago...(the first capital), if you have time, hit the Botanical Gardens there, they worth a few hours easy IMO, and I don't much about orchids and flowers and such but its a treat and really pretty....nice folks running it.
I have only been to Orosi twice, once solo on a hiking trip, camped up in the Tapani which was magical, but windy :(
The other time was with my now wife, she is a big hiker born in China and has hiked around Tibet, much of south of China and lot of the Great Wall. She likes Guatamala too for hiking. The climate in Oriso is just perfect, sort of feels like the Alps and Smokeys...
Keep in mind rainy season is now thru Dec, so expect late afternoon showers in CR, mornings are best for activity and that will be the pace in most areas, sleep early, rise early and get a move on for the days adventure. But bring SPF 30 for sure, and drink lots of water....
Let me know what else you need...
Tim
Chicago
Once again, Tim, you have gone above and beyond any reasonable expectation in providing us with information.
Given the early dusk and likelihood of afternoon showers, we shall plan on starting our days early.
Thank you very much for sharing your experiences to make our trip as perfect as possible.
Neil
North Carolina
This topic has been automatically locked due to inactivity. Email community@lonelyplanet.com if you would like to add to this topic and we'll unlock it for you.