fishee

We had finally agreed on Tulemar only to discover a wedding has booked the place full for the last two weeks of May.

My sister isn't thrilled with Costa Verde, feels it's too far from the beach. She's considering Si Como No although the rooms don't look as nice as Tulemar for the price. Any other suggestions?

She's looking for accomodations with a swim-easy private beach (for her kid) within a few minutes walk.

tully

Technically, Costa Verde is actually closer to the beach than Tulemar, by road anyway. Keep in mind a lot of the allure of the MA hotels are the views, not being on the beach. It only takes 5 minutes by taxi/bus from CV to the beach by the MA park. If your sis must be on the beach, there is Karahe, not as nice as CV and definitely no great views, but it is on the beach. You can also walk there from Costa Verde (I did) though there are no sidewalks and it is a somewhat steep, slippery downhill walk.

cmerrell

Hi Fishee,

Be aware that some of the beaches in that area can have strong rip currents. The 2nd beach inside the national park was recommended to me as being a nice, safe beach for swimming (the setting is really beautiful as well!).

Few of the hotels are actually on the beach. Most are nestled into the hillside overlooking the ocean. The views looking down at the sea from above are really fantastic.

As Tully mentioned, if you stay at Costa Verde (or in that general vicinity), you will be only a few minutes from the beach via bus, taxi or car. Most of the hotels also have pools, so water is always close at hand to keep the youngsters happy.

Staying in a room with a view definitely adds to the overall ambience of MA. The setting of steep jungly hillside rising up from the beach is one of the things that makes MA a special place to visit!

Pat_Hewitt

Have you looked into Buena Vista Villas? They are more expensive, but they share the property and the beach with Tulemar.

I placed May and July clients in there today. So they may have space.

I hope this helps! Let me know if I can offer more advice.

Pat Hewitt
Costa Rica Travel Exchange
Costa Rica Concierge

faithie

Tulemar has the "private" beach, but you do not just walk out the door and have your toes in the sand. she would have to hike down the jungly hill at Tulemar as well to get to their small beach. I doubt Karahe would be to her taste so she needs to decide between the hotels on the hill. SiComoNo is the most "resorty" to me, offers the most amenities etc. I found the $170 charge for the standard room WAY too much for what it was. My pick would be Costa Verde, but she could be more comfortable with SCN.

fishee

It helps to know that the beach at BVV and Tulemar would also require a little hike -- I'll tell her this so she doesn't feel regretful. Personally, I'd LOVE to stay at Costa Verde and would have booked the Casa Quinta bungalow 5 weeks ago -- the price is great and leaves us plenty of money for activities. But my sister and her husband are used to more luxury when traveling than I am.

She's also trying to avoid chemical pesticides which has been a challenge since most of the places we're looking at spray a lot of pesticide both inside the units and on the grounds. (to placate us hysterical bug-phobes, no doubt). Many of the places she's contacted are using chemicals that have been banned in the U.S. and Mexico (and she's currently working on trying to ban several chemicals in the U.S. so she hasn't been happy seeing what they're using in CR.)

Anyway, thanks so much for your input everyone. Si Como No (Deluxe room with 2 queens) is still in the running, although I was also checking out Villa Nicolas next door which is another great value. The grounds of course aren't as nice as Si Como No but a poster said you can still use their theater at night which might be nice for my nephew, as well as the restaurants of course.

Sis is currently trying to convince Arenal Observatory Lodge to switch to natural, non-toxic pesticide alternatives. It will be a miracle if ever make it there...

faithie

I like Villas Nicolas better than SIComoNo, I'm one of the few who was NOT impressed with SCN.

PS Your sis is on the right track. I live in StLazare/Hudson Quebec and there is a ban on pesticides here for the last few years. In fact we were the 1st town in Canada to do so with the help of local activist Dr Irwin.

fishee

thanks faithie,

cool -- i'll pass this info on to her. I'm glad that other travelers to CR have similar concerns. I'm always very self-conscious of being too high maintenance but as she points out, it's the staff and workers who are at the highest risk of toxic exposure (esp. anyone who might be pregnant). So she feels like it's not just self-interest (i.e protecting her own) that drives her.

Did you stay in Villa Nicolas? Any comments? I've inquired about their #5 and # 6 units -- the balconies look beautiful. Waiting their response.

faithie

Yes, I've stayed here in the past. I do not remember unit Numbers though, sorry. Casa Quinta would have been perfect, its beautiful, newly refurbished pool at you feet, really nice. Did you see it on my pics?

fishee

faithie, I thought your pictures were great and you have a really cute family.

I recall some sunset pics that I think were taken from Casa Quinta's porch. Am I remembering that correctly or were there more? If so, I missed those, I'll take another look.

faithie

Hmmm...maybe I did not put the ones of the villa itself on webshots...? I'll have to check. The little pool in most of the pics is just in front of Casa Quinta and u would have it to yourselves. Thanx for the compliment!

fishee

Villa Nicolas has availability and they don't regularly spray pesticides unless requested by guests. Hmm, we may have a winner here...

The 2 br units are cheaper than Si Como No and I think the balconies/views look great. You prefer Villa Nicolas over Costa Verde?

http://www.villasnicolas.com/rooms.php#4

faithie

I would choose Casa Quinta at Hotel Costa Verde over Villas Nicolas. Villas Nicolas is charming, quaint, smaller, a very sweet place. But Costa Verde would perhaps be a little better with a child.