Hi all :

Does anyone have any info on traveling from Jaco or San Jose up to Arenal ? I have to do one non-mongering thing this trip so I have some normal pictures.

Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks

I did the trip maybe 7 years ago or so. I was already in the north eastern part of the country so I just continued on the highway that leads past the volcano and circles the lake. Once you reach the immediate area it is very "junglish". I found it to be beautiful. There was a place to park at the foot of the volcano and a hiking trail part way up. The lake is equally stunning. At the time there was a botanical garden on the east side that was well worth the visit. When I got back to my car I found some howler monkeys in one of the trees. The whole experience was great as was every place I visited outside of San Jose. CR tends to get a bad rap from experienced mongers which is really too bad. No one should spend all their time in San Jose.

Thanks :

I actually just found a bunch of info regarding La Fortuna which apparently has a few decent places to stay. I'd like to go visit the volcano at night and try to catch some lava flows. Then the next day, do a half day fishing on the lake for the rainbow bass I understand get mighty chunky there. Then I'd be off to San Jose for the rest of my vacation.

Dano, Lake Arenal is world renouned for windsurfing if you are interested. You can also take a horesback ride up to the summit of the volcano. Mountain biking is also popular. You MUST do Tabicon though, it is awesome!

Thanks Val :

I have heard about Tabicon before. What's the main deal there ? I don't have any of my materials in front of me right now.

I have been a pig in Bangkok, Rio, TJ, Amsterdam and each time I try to make a point of seeing some cultural things or something educational. Or at least not too pig-ish.

I thought in CR, this area would be a good bet. You think Tabicon might be a better bet to stay for a day or two compared to La Fortuna ?

Actually you can do both. La Fortuna is the nearest town to Tabicon (about 10 km). The Tabicon resort is nice, but a tad spendy. I wold stay in La Fortune, make a da/eve trip up to Tabicon, and enjoy the local options in La Fortuna mornings (horseback ride to the waterfalls, canopy riding etc.). You can find some nice places in and around the La Fortuna are from $35 to $70 per night.

Tabicon, the Hot Springs resort is really cool! It is about $20 a day unlimited access. There you can sit in any of 25 or so pools of hot water (various temps posted near pool edge in degrees celcius), buy a massage, eat and just relax. Here are a couple of pics to give you the idea.





It is one of my favorite places to relax. Not the cheapest place around, but not too bqad either!

Ah Yes !!

Ok Val. I'm with you now. I have read about this one. I may take it up. It does look beautiful. I'm quickly finding that I have a lot more that I'd like to explore then I have time to do.

I need a job where I can take in a good 75 - 100K per year and still have a couple 8-12 weeks of vacation time.

"I need a job where I can take in a good 75 - 100K per year and still have a couple 8-12 weeks of vacation time."

That works for me too. Let me know if you find something. I sometimes fantasize about having an import/export business where I "had" to fly to some special place on a regular basis.

The pictures of Tabicon are great. They brought up some unpleasant memories though. The asshole waiters wouldn't let me take any pictures when I was there unless I first paid to enter the grounds. I was trying to check the place out from the outer edges which wouldn't work for a nice photo.

Tf :

I agree. I'm going to start my own import/export business where I have to import/export my loins to various parts of south/central america and asia.

i was there in a upscale resort across from the volcano, which by the way is best appreciated at night due to the red glow of the rock.there is a smaller hot-springs privately owned which is less crowded and probably a grest place to take a girl.

Jay :

Do you mean Las Fuentes ? I see that one is near by, smaller and cheaper, but with no view. I did find this :

http://www.arenal.net/

Has a map of both La Fortuna and the volcano along with places to stay and tours. I don't know, maybe someone can use it.

I have stayed at both Fuego Arenal and Montana de Fuego. Both are nice, with an edge going to Montana. The lodge across from Tabicon is really nice, although it is more expensive, and suprisingly enough has ongoing problems with giving customers hot water (this from a HOT SPRINGS resort..go figure). I and several friends stayed there several times over the last few years and at least one of our rooms had no hot water. BTW, Ticos DO NOT give refunds to Gringos for any reason.

Tabicon runs around $150 a night for the basic room if memory serves me, the others are less than half that rate.

http://www.vacationcity.com/costa-rica/hotels/la-fortuna/

Check this site out. It lists all the area hotels and includes prices and pictures.

Thanks to all :

I actually found a decent place right in the middle of La Fortuna. You can even walk to the bus station for the trip back to San Jose.

Looking forward to doing some fishing, relaxing before I'm off to whore myself around.

I am coming with my girlfriend and looking for an adventure outside of San Jose. Is this a good area for both nature and finding girls?

My info is bit dated, but we were there a week a couple years ago. Been all over CR and I really like this place. Lake is gorgeous, stunning scenery everywhere, you can stay over in various cabinas around the volcano, check out the natural spa area everyone mentioned above. You can actually see smoke coming from the volcanoes when the clouds disperse, espec. at night.

We took galfriends from San Jose, and didn't see too many opportunities for p4p around Arenal or in town -- La Fortuna.

So if you wanted to stay in the nicest place, where would it be?

If you are looking for a nice hotel in the Arenal area then Tabacon is your best bet. The hotel is first class, and the hot springs are to die for. I think the website is www.tabacon.com. They also have a free shuttle which will take you from the resort to downtown La Fortuna. I really didn't see too much p4p is Fortuna, but directly across the street from where the shuttle dropped you off in La Fortuna, there was a older 2 story hotel with a few girls hanging around and lots of activity. Definitely some potential. Have fun.