Recommend March 2013 - (Page 94)

include a spa, a pool, kayaks (and a kayak school), river rafting, horseback riding, mountain biking, motorcycle touring, hot air ballooning, and a plantation (macadamia nuts, sugar, coffee) tour. It’s a perfect pick for active adventure vacations and some R&R. Rates with breakfast run between $165 and $452 dbl. Clients who want more than a white-water rafting day trip, should head for the jungly hills above the Turrialba Valley for an overnight (or better yet, at least two) at the plush Pacuare Jungle Lodge. There’s a cozy lounge-bar and gourmet restaurant with outdoor dining terrace, but most amazing of all in this isolated spot are the gorgeous, exquisitely appointed, palm-thatched bungalows. They come with teak ﬂoors, handcrafted rattan wicker chairs, kingsize canopy bed, indoor/outdoor showers, and vast river canyon views dotted with birds and butterﬂies. There are also hilltop suites with a private inﬁnity pool fed by natural waterfalls that are out of this world. While most guests are white-water rafters—expert or otherwise—and most arrivals raft into the lodge, other active options include ziplining, horseback riding, canyoning and hikes to an Indian village. Note: Perfect pick for active adventurers, birders and couples. Packages start at $358 pp sharing, including transfer from San Jose, river rafting, bilingual guides, meals and lodging. Getting there: Turrialba Valley is about a 2-hour drive (35 miles) from San Jose on the road to Limon and the Caribbean coast. drake bay (southern pacific) Drake Bay is named after Sir Francis Drake, who is purported to have anchored here in 1579. Connected to civilization by an air strip and rough road to the coastal highway, Drake Bay on the northern edge of the Osa Peninsula remains a rather isolated place, but a delightful one catering to naturalists, anglers, scuba divers and vacationers who love the solitude of pristine beaches, forests, the wildlife in the Corcovado National Park, about the best seats in the house for whale watching, and some of the best birding—350 species, and counting—in Costa Rica. Here, many of the mostly high-end lodges are accessible only by boat. PLAYING AROUND The primetime outing for the Drake Bay visitor is a trip to Cano Island, an uninhabited biological reserve located 12 miles offshore. A trip will include a visit to an ancient cemetery of a little-documented pre-Columbian culture that left mysterious, carved stone spheres. An excursion here offers a good chance for spotting dolphins and humpback whales (during migration times: December-April and late July-November). Indeed, Cano’s main attraction is its surrounding marine life that lives among the corals just offshore, offering some of the best scuba diving in Costa Rica—from brightly colored tropical ﬁsh to whale sharks, barracuda, manta rays and more. Snorkeling, accessed directly from the beach, is good, too. Other activities include a 2- or 4-hour Drake Bay Canopy Adventure (nine platforms, six traverse cables, three Tarzan swings, one rappel, one hanging bridge) and expeditions into the wilds of Corcovado National Park, the largest single expanse of tropical rainforest in Central America. WHERE TO STAY A true rainforest and marine adventure lodge, Aguila de Osa Inn overlooks a panorama of Drake Bay from the mouth of the Aguijitas River. Guests are accommodated in two suites and 11 large, attractively decorated rooms with hardwood ﬂoors, cathedral ceilings, ceiling fans, big bathrooms and great views. Gourmet meals, prepared with catch-of-the-day seafood and ﬁsh from its own boats and its own organically grown vegetables, are served 94 march 2013 92-94 LA CostaRica.indd 94 in an open-air restaurant that overlooks the rainforest and bay. In addition to a private ﬂeet of sportﬁshing and dive boats, the inn has its own naturalist guides, diving instructors and boat captains, and big game ﬁshing is big here (the Inn itself holds four world-ﬁshing records). It’s a perfect pick for active adventure vacations (scuba and ﬁshing). Rates for a 2-night stay, including transfers, lodging, all meals, guided tour of Corcovado and Cano Island, and taxes is priced from $525 pp dbl, low season. Perched above Drake Bay, La Paloma Lodge is tucked into a steep hill, backed by a tropical rainforest and overlooks the Paciﬁc Ocean. Privacy is guaranteed in 11 thatched ranchos or villas, spread throughout 12 beautifully landscaped acres. They feature varnished hardwood ﬂoors, ceiling fans, screened windows, balconies with hammocks and ocean views; the top picks are the 2-story sunset ranchos, set on two points of the property for the grandest sweeping vistas. Guests sip smoothies by the pool, walk to a small village to meet the locals and enjoy such activities as horseback riding, kayaking, world-class birding and sportﬁshing, as well as relaxing on-your-balcony massages. The beach lies below—a 7-minute hike down a winding jungle path—and excursions are offered daily in the company of La Paloma expert guides. It’s a perfect pick for nature lovers, active adventures, and for a romantic escape. Rates for a 3-night stay including air from San Jose, boat transfers, lodging, all meals, guided tour of Corcovado, and a full-day tour of Cano Island is priced from $1,275 pp dbl until April 30. Copa de Arbol Beach & Rainforest Resort is the new eco-luxury kid on the block in Drake Bay. Its 70 acres of pristine rainforest reserve are accessible by boat only. Within 100 yards of the beach, guests have a choice of 10 cabins, accommodating either two or four persons and ﬁtted with ocean and rainforest views, balconies with seating areas, pillow-top orthopedic mattresses, air conditioning, ceiling fans and tiled bathrooms with walk-in showers. There is a full bar and open-air, beachfront restaurant serving—just for starters—the freshest produce, catch-of-the-day ﬁsh, fresh-baked breads, tropical desserts, and specialty coffees. Activities include yoga classes and massage, as well as scuba diving and snorkeling, dolphin and whale watching, sportﬁshing, sunset catamaran sailing, and nighttime rainforest touring. It’s a perfect pick for a honeymoon, active adventure vacation, and nature exploration. Rates for a 3-night stay, starting May 1, are priced at $870 pp dbl, with transfers, lodging, all meals and tours. Getting there: Most visitors ﬂy directly from San Jose into the little airstrip at Drake Bay aboard Nature Air or Sansa; ﬂights take 40 to 50 minutes. From San Jose, Nature Air also ﬂies to Palmar Sur, and hotel-bound passengers then take a bus or taxi to Sierpe, to board small boats that make the roughly 25-mile run through canals to the sea and then into Drake Bay; hotels make these arrangements for their guests to/from the airports to their lodges. Coming here by car is for a 4WD only. ● Archived related articles (available on recommend.com): Belize + Costa Rica = Family-Friendly (September 2012) contact information Aguila de Osa Inn: (866) 924-8452; aguiladeosainn.com Borinquen Mountain Resort & Spa: borinquenresort.com Casa Turire: hotelcasaturire.com Copa de Arbol Beach & Rainforest Resort: (813) 246-4625; copadearbol.com Hacienda Guachipelin: (888) 730-3840; guachipelin.com La Paloma Lodge: lapalomalodge.com Pacuare Jungle Lodge: (800) 963-1195; pacuarelodg.com Recreo: (877) 268-2911; recreocostarica.com recommend.com 2/20/13 3:36 PM http://www.recommend.com http://www.aguiladeosainn.com http://www.borinquenresort.com http://www.hotelcasaturire.com http://www.copadearbol.com http://www.guachipelin.com http://www.lapalomalodge.com http://www.pacuarelodge.com/ http://www.recreocostarica.com http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend March 2013

Editor's Notes/Agent Speak
Hotel Desk: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
Tour Talk: Travel Indochina
Safaris in Southern Africa
Un-Cruise Adventures in Alaska
Alaska is Celebrating in 2013
"Hard Rock" Chicago-Style: Rock out in the Windy City
Mexico Destination Weddings & Honeymoon Planner
Girldfriends' Getaway at Eden Roc, Miami Beach
Kyushu: The Rising Sun of Japanese Destinations
The New All-Inclusives in Jamaica Claim Their Turf
RIU Punta Cana
Costa Rica: A Trio of Detours
Touring Central & Eastern Europe

Recommend March 2013