Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [192]
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Sleeping & Eating
CAMPING
Camping is permitted only at the Santa Maria ranger station (US$2 per person). The campground has water, pit toilets, showers, tables and grills but you’ll have to be self-sufficient. Be prepared for cold and foggy weather year-round. The wet season is very wet (October is the rainiest month), and very full of mosquitoes. Insect repellent and mosquito nets are needed in the wet season, as is a strategy to keep your food secure from marauding raccoons and coatis. Dry-season camping in December, March and April is recommended. January and February are prone to strong winds.
LAS PAILAS SECTOR
Note that all of the following are a long way from any eateries, so you’re stuck with paying for (usually pricey) meals at your hotel restaurant.
HOTTEST SPOTS FOR THERMAL POOLS & MUD POTS
Costa Rica’s volcano-powered thermal pools and mud pots provide plenty of good, clean fun for beauty queens and would-be mud wrestlers alike.
On the slopes of Volcán Rincón de la Vieja, Simbiosis Spa (opposite) has several pools, a wood sauna and quiet vibe, all in a jungle setting.
While some hot spots around Arenal charge outrageous fees to soak in sparkly surrounds, Eco Thermales Hot Springs maintains its sense of elegance by limiting guest numbers.
Las Hornillas keeps it real on the southern slope of Volcán Miravalles, with a steaming, bubbling crater you can pick your way around before taking the plunge in its mud pots and hot pools.
The pinnacle of luxury dirt exists in the remote heights of Rincón de la Vieja at Borinquen Mountain Resort & Spa, where, if mineral mud is not your thing, you can opt instead for a wine or chocolate skin treatment.
Tico-run and family-friendly, El Guayacán has a waterslide, several thermal pools, a trail encircling bubbling mud pots and inexpensive cabinas so you can take your time enjoying it all.
Rincón de la Vieja Mountain Lodge (2200-0238; standard s/d incl breakfast US$45/65, bungalows US$60/75; ) Closest to the Las Pailas entrance, this rustic hacienda is on 400 hectares of protected land and has 49 spacious standard rooms, some with wildly painted walls or exposed-beam roofs, and even larger cottages with balconies. The electricity is produced by water falling into a turbine, but the ecofriendly power goes out after 10pm (candles are thoughtfully provided). Staff here are utterly charming.
Hacienda Guachipelín (2666-8075; www.guachi-pelin.com; s with/without air-con US$85/70, d with/without air-con US$100/89, all incl breakfast; ) On the road to Las Pailas, this appealing, 19th-century working cattle ranch is on 12 sq km of primary and secondary forest, and has over 100 attractively designed, spacious rooms and suites with private hot-water bathroom and porch. There is a garden-fringed pool and free wi-fi, and guests are received at check-in with a welcome drink. The downside (aside from charging all and sundry to cross the property) is that this place feels like a factory farm, catering largely to package-tour clientele.
Cropping up on the road to the park is an eclectic collection of truly lovely lodges that are worth considering if you’ve got your own wheels. The following are listed in the order you’ll encounter them from the Interamericana.
Rancho Curubandé Lodge (2665-0375; www.rancho-curubande.com; s/d/tr incl breakfast US$60/65/70, villas s/d/tr US$85/90/95; ) Quiet, peaceful finca setting with garden rooms; also has horses for hire.
Canyon de la Vieja Lodge (2665-5912; www.canyonlodgegte.com; standard s/d/tr/q US$70/90/114/134; ) Riverside rooms surround a palapa (shelter with a thatched, palm-leaf roof and open sides) bar and pool, and the attractive accommodations are a comfortable place to crash after a day of adventure tours.
Posada El Encuentro (8848-8149, 8875-0257; r incl breakfast US$75-85, cottages US$105; ) A few stylish rooms in the cozy house, plus a stand-alone