Hotel D'Oro San Jose - This is one of the 6 hotels affiliated with the distinctive hotel network that we will recommend repeatedly . We stayed in the roof top suite over looking the city. The bed and the private jacuzzi had a view of San Jose and the mountains of Alajuela. The room can best be described as, a 1930's Bostonian mens club, clean, comfortable and distinguished. The furniture was mocha ultra suede and the floor was marble. The view was worth the extra money. Treat yourself. The restaurant was good but over priced.

Casa Conde Apartotel - We always stay here the night before we fly out or in the middle of the vacation when we need to unwind from the road, wash clothes and relax. They offer efficiency suites with nice little kitchens so if you feel like cooking this is the place to do that. Ask the front desk for someone to accompany you to the market. I guarantee you will get lost if you try it solo. The hotel has good security but we heard that the neighborhood is rough, who knows, but go with someone the first time you venture out

Villa Caletas is on our most recommended list of places to stay in Costa Rica. We came upon it by accident, and if you are not looking for it, you could easily miss the unobtrusive sign on the road to Jaco. We cautiously wound our way up the driveway , have no fear, you are not the first to travel the road. The white knuckles will be worth it when you are led through the beautifully lush grounds to your private villa. Each mid priced accomodation comes with your own private entrace through a zen garden (left photo) complete with a gentle waterfall and bridge to your door. The villa has a 4-post french bed with yummy blankets, An infinity pool awates, filled with spring water (see photo from inside the room right). A jacuzzi sits over the edge of the garden with a 180 view of the ocean and the jungle below. If you want a massage you will only has to make your way to the attached massage room where the masseur will arrive through another entrance so as not to disturb others in your party.

Diner will be served above the italian ampitheatre overlooking the jungle and the ocean . The photo directly below is of the indoor dining room with views of the cloud forest below. The food is basically french and served with the usual grace we recieved from the Cost Rican people everywhere. The picture of me is our breakfast view. the ampitheatre is shown below me where they hold classical music concerts at night. The 4th photo is a shot of the infinity pool available to all guests,sheltered with beautiful tropical plants .

If you cannot get a villa no need to worry , we also stayed in the $80.00 rooms in th main part of the hotel which we enjoyed just as much.

The last photo is of the villa view from the new palace section. Don't miss a tour of this part of the hotel, its spectacular. Many room have private gyms and one has a mini museum attached with a secret passageway to access it.

For more photos of Villa caletas and the Palace click Here!!

Villas Rio Mar - This little resort is tucked away in the town of Dominical. This little town is on the way to Jaco from Puntarenas and is a cute little surfing town which is not as built up as Jaco. Since we arrived during the off season it was nearly empty when we arrived. The basic rooms did not have air conditioning so we opted for the mid range "better" room. We unpacked in what we thought was paradise. We noticed sand on the floor of the porch and all over thecoffee table so we requested a broom to sweep up. We figured since it was off season, maybe it needed a quick sweep. We lounged in our indoor/outdoor living room on bamboo couches replendent with white flowing curtains and had a lovely afternoon. We had a relaxing dinner and enjoyed the atmosphere until it was time for bed.

We closed the shutters and nodded off to sleep only to find the porch all covered with "sand" in the morning. Come to find out the cottage was infested with something. They didn't bite or even show themselves except for the residue they left behind. Needless to say we were pretty grossed out and left immediatley. I included the Rio in our list of places to stay because I think, or hope, that our experience was a rarity. I cannot believe that people from all over the world stay there with eggs in their bed so I'd recommend trying this place anyway. We were treated like dirt when we requested a discount due to the infestation and the fact that we were leaving at 5:00 AM like our pants were on fire. Maybe this occurance is something everyone just learns to live with in Costa Rica. The rooms epitomized what I thought a beachy bungalow would be like so we were very disappointed to have to leave. However, their real estate office had the BEST book on real estate contracts I've read to date. The paper pamphlet was my bible whenever I had a question regarding the details. Grab one if you visit there.

Linda Vista Del Norte was our favorite hotel for views of the Arenal Volcano . We stayed on the other side of the volcano for 4 nights, getting eye strain as we peered at the tiny puffs of smoke rising from the volcano before we found out that huge bolders were spilling down the lake side of the volcano. We stayed in the honeymoon suite (lower left photo) which had views of the volcano from bed. We ordered italian from their restaurant and propped up our feet for hours of lava watching. The second night, an electric storm started up just as the clouds cleared from around the volcano and the image was exactly like the one captured in the night photo below (right) . Our room had its own little yard surrounded by the flowers shown in the far left photo, which attracted gobs of hummingbirds right to our door. The photo of the lake is the view away from the volcano. Ordinarly that view would have been what we came away talking about if the volcano hadn't upstaged the panaromic scene of the largest body of water in Costa Rica. World class windsurfers zip all over the surface during the high season.

This was one of the only hotels to offer a tub in arenal so take advantage of the luxury. As much as the tub was nice the bed was not. There was a surprise waiting for us under the demure cover sheet on the bed. When pulled back it revealed an orange and black tiger blanket complete with a creepy fuzzy finish. Bring your own blankets if you are fussy about cotton. Bring supplies from town if you are planning on staying at Linda for a couple of days because it takes 40 minutes to get to Fortuna from Linda. It appears to only be 6km. from the police station off the main road but it takes 20 minutes to go the 4 miles. Don't miss the activities at the Arenal Observatory Lodge on the same dirt road as Linda. It boasts the closest observation of the Volcano and offers family style bunk beds and cots all with spectacular views of the volcano. There was a nice garden walk, a small suspended bridge walk and a little museum of "all things dead" to look at . There was also a self guided walk to the base of the volcano from their facility. We only made it half way as I was in heels and not planning on hiking that day.

Also near Linda is a very large canopy tour. Most hotels offer a discount card so you should be able to get tickets for about $45.00 per person. See my "fun" link to get more info on what a canopy tour actually is.

Le Mansion La Mansion Inn Arenal Lake Hotel is an exclusive, quiet and relaxing small luxury boutique hotel resort set on 25 acres (10ha) overlooking the Lake Arenal near the mystic Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna in Costa Rica. It is the ideal starting point to visit some surrounding Arenal locations like the: Volcano, the Arenal Thermal Hot Springs of the Volcano, Monte Verde, La Fortuna waterfall, Hanging Bridges.. The Inn has 17 private luxury cottages/villas with gorgeous views of the Arenal lake, and an insatiable desire to serve and please you. Enjoy our beautiful tropical gardens, first class service and luxurious, tranquil atmosphere. Our Gourmet restaurant with Tropical/European dishes is one of the best in Costa Rica. Incredible romantic sunsets will greet you and enchant you, breaking the horizon over one of the world’s most beautiful and peaceful lakes. This is the ideal starting point for your honeymoon. Consult our honeymoon and anniversary packages.

La Fortuna- We stayed at many of the little bungalow hotels that have sprung up all along the main road to and from the volcano. All have been built recently so none were musty. They were all made out of teak, had nice front porches with views of the volcano and all had enormous bathrooms. I guess they read somewhere that tourists like the bathrooms big. They were all about $50.00 for the night which included air , cable, and breakfast . You can't go wrong in Fortuna for lodging. Unfortunately the when I google the names, multiple listings come up. we stayed at a place called Paraiso (there are 2 of those). We stayed in the one with the horse farm right across the street. The photo shows the view walking up our path to our private bungalow. The Arenal volcano is off in the distance. We also stayed in one called Arenal Hot springs Hotel. The staff there was amazing. They even helped jump our car with chewing gum and a shoe string when we broke down one morning. Their breakfasts were good and were served outside with a view of the volcano. If I get the exact web site I will include it as a link. I recall that the driveway in was very long and it shared an entrance with the Volcano Inn I think.

The town is bustling with tourists and there is alot to do in the area. Don't miss the hot springs, the horse back riding, the hiking or the many packages you can take right from the lobby of any hotel you are staying at. They will charge resort prices for their services but just pay it. It's still less than half what it would be in the states. We spent most of our time day tripping around the area. The road to Guatuso and Upala are very flat and easy to drive. The drive to the town of Arenal is around the lake and is a fantastic ride albeit a bit riddled with pot holes. If you make it to Arenal go through town and stop at the soda on the left. Its made entirely of bamboo, you can't miss it. Get the fried chicken, or really anything there. She's a very good cook and there are bird nests all around. You feel as though you are lunching in a tree hut. Also try the german bakery in town for sweets. Fortuna is only 2 hours from San Ramon, which is a sweet not so little town, and the ride to San Ramon is spectacular. San Ramon has the closest movie theatre and the place where we get our eye glasses made. Try them, you won't be sorry when you new lenses only cost you $23.00. On your way back to Fortuna stop at the cigar shop on the right. He has wonderful cigars and some interesting history to impart.

We had dinner a few nights at the Vagabond just outside of town. The kids working their were very nice and they made the best brick oven pizza we had in Costa Rica Thyeir ziti and salad were very good too. We also tried the cantina next to the river right in town. I think it is called "River Soda" actually. Try to eat whatever they are having for lunch that day. Ask for a pork chop too. It will cost about $3.00 and it is quite delicious. They always give you too much to eat so take it to go, it travels pretty well for a few hours anyway.