Recommend March 2015 - (Page 63)

onsitereview latinamerica J U LY 2 0 14 Parks & Recreation = Family Travel Highs IN COSTA RICA CHRIS HUNT carla hunt Ready for a ziplining adventure, which is very popular in Costa Rica. "If any destination is tailormade for family travel, Costa Rica is it." I wrote that sentence in Recommend's Costa Rica Specialist Program based on just looking around during many years of traveling in this family-friendly nation. Last July was time to sample the product: The Hunt family-son Christopher (50 years), grandkids Ethan (12 years) and Morgan (10 years), and yours truly (of a certain age)-traveled in an Adobe Rent a Car's 4x4 to a trio of kid-friendly wild places: Tortuguero National Park (three nights), the Sarapiqui region (two nights), and Monteverde National Park (three nights). Perhaps a trip report on what worked (most things) and what didn't (just a few) will be helpful in client trip planning. tortuguero national park Who is not fascinated by Tortuguero National Park? It's home to three-toed sloths, iguanas, river turtles, caiman river otters, Basilisk lizards, poison dart frogs and three species of monkeys, all sharing the 51,870-acre territory with 309 species of birds, including all six kingﬁshers found in the New World, as well as three species of toucans, eight parrot species and such special sightings as the great green macaw, the purple-throated fruitcrow and the white- fronted nunbird. All this you learn when keeping company with Tortuguero National Park guides; exploring by boat rather than on foot is not only rewarding, but generally easier on the stamina of young travelers. For the ultimate river discovery, book a 2-hour, single or 2-passenger kayak and paddle tour to discover the backwater creeks and lagoons up-close and personal. Of course, the top draw at Tortuguero is the nesting season (July to October) of the 300-pound Atlantic green sea turtle. The standard tour operates twice nightly (8 p.m. and 10 p.m.) with ﬁve different groups of 10 people coming to a nesting site at the same time; it's an orderly viewing, but to me off-putting with some 50 people ﬁling by in the dark. However, the hotel we stayed in during our visit to Tortuguero National Park, Tortuga Lodge and Gardens, offered an alternative: a private turtle nesting expedition with your own guide, boat, and turtle encounters on a remote beach, plus an elegant torch-lit dinner along the banks of the Jaloba River. It's pricey-from $199 pp for a group of ﬁve, versus $43 pp for the standard tour-and it must be booked ahead, for only one group (maximum six guests) goes out each night. On the other hand, free for kids of all ages is participation in the hotel's Word Adventure program that involves guests teaching English to youngsters in the surrounding community village of San Francisco; the day we four Hunts went, the subject we taught was prepositions, mixed with some singing and soccer playtime. Set on 146 acres of private land, Tortuga Lodge, located right on the water, offers river-view rooms and suites that have private bath and ceiling fans, with hammocks slung on verandahs. The lodge offers top-notch service, particularly when dining deliciously in the waterside dining room and bar. Rates start at $74 pp dbl for lodging only. Booking a complete package is recommended. the region of sarapiqui We headed west from Tortuguero to the Sarapiqui region, named for the river that runs through it. Less visited than most areas, it's also more committed to sustainable tourism than many. A leading example is the family-run La Quinta de Sarapiqui Country Inn, our base for exploring the region and a recent winner of the Certiﬁcation for Sustainable Tourism (CST) at the top ﬁve-leafs level; rates are $110 sgl and dbl, $140 for suites. Sitting on 10 acres of reforested former farmland, the property offers spacious rooms ﬁtted with air conditioning, good baths and patios. They are dispersed among ﬂowering gardens and connected by covered walkways to the main lodge where delicious country-style food- fresh vegetables from the organic garden-is served buffet-style. The sprawling lounge area embraces an excellent library. On-property, guests enjoy butterﬂy and frog gardens, a kids' march 2015 39 39-40 LA CostaRica.indd 39 2/24/15 8:25 AM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend March 2015

Editor’s Notes
Hotel Happenings in the Caribbean
GOGO’s Gone and Increased Commissions
Liverpool
Alaska: What’s New
Holland America’s Westerdam in Alaska
Turtle Bay Resort, Hawaii
What’s New in Hawaii
Miami’s Cultural Side
“Ahlan Wa Sahlan” Says Egypt’s Welcome Sign
Family-Focused Caribbean Escapes
Atlantis, Paradise Island
China’s Got It Going On
Parks & Recreation = Family Travel Highs in Costa Rica
Club Med Cancun Yucatan
Los Cabos

Recommend March 2015