Royce Family Jungle Adventure Pt 3 La Fortuna

Originally when researching our family trip we looked at cruises (too hard to nap the babies) hotels (too expensive to feed all of the ages and not flexible enough) and rental houses (just right). We had searched many houses and I believe I printed off just about a ream of paper in researching options through Florida, the Caribbean, and finally Costa Rice. Jennine had first found an amazing house in the Dominical area but it was a rather difficult beach access. Now knowing the country a little better, the Dominical area would have also added maybe an hour to the trip. JR found some great options in Manuel Antonio and farther north but when he found Villa LaMacha we knew it was the right fit. And the reviews said it came with cooks and house keepers included! The owner normally books a Saturday- Saturday and since we were Wednesday - Thursday he was only willing to book the partial Saturday- Thursday for us. Then he said he would possibly allow the additional first 3 days only 30 days prior to arrival. Most of the group wanted to see a second location (and we eventually talked the rest of the group into it). We chose La Fortuna for our first 3 nights; It was a different environment then the Central Pacific area. I had perceived from pictures that the area around the volcano was flatter, but in reality, there are beautiful rolling hills and the roads perch atop the hills and wind up and down and into the valleys. The weather was a little more chilly then usual as a cold front had come from the north. But to us it was temperate.

After much research on Trip Advisor We arrived a little after dark at Kokoro Resort. It is 3 years old with separate cabins for the rooms and an open area reception/ dining area with a wireless computer set up. In the morning they feed the birds left over fruit from breakfast and the variety of birds flocking really add to the atmosphere. The live Arenal Volcano looms in front of us but it is covered by clouds. Only once at night could I see the glow of lava when the clouds slightly parted. At Kokoro the separate cabins were great for our group. It gave everyone a chance to be together as their own small family unit but close enough that with baby monitors we were able to be at the pool or in the hot tub or eating breakfast while babies napped and still feel safe. The first night Kristi and I ventured to the hot tub with Emerson and found a frog doing laps. Not ready to touch an amphibian (since many are poisonous in this country) we asked Felico to get it out for us, He said it was a very common occurrence. They love the warm water. That night we tried Costa Rican take out pizza. It was ok- certainly not the best pizza.

The next day we drove to La Fortuna Waterfall. I found the information about this waterfall through a web video I found http://www.travelcostaricanow.com/ . These two guys live in La Fortuna and through their videos chow many great travel tips for Costa Rica. What I wasnt prepared for was the steep hike down into the canyon to be at the base of these falls-- actually it was more the steep hike back UP the canyon that got me. But led by Kameson we all made it! This is where we saw our first monkey- a howler monkey. The falls were beautiful and everyone had a great time playing in the river or in the sand. A couple of girls stopped and talked to us. They guessed we were Mormons right off because we were so family oriented. But they also assumed that both Rachael and Rebekah were married to Giovanni. They had see too many episodes of Big Love and didnt realize that show doesnt depict our specific beliefs. We set them straight that there is one husband for every wife. The next day we spent at Los Lagos Resort. They offered a group rate for us to Zip Line and the day at their hot springs with a (petting) zoo included. We chose them for their great price but also because they allowed Jameson to zip line (he is 6 yrs old) It was an awesome experience. As I am a little afraid of heights and to be connected high over the canopy was an amazing experience. And it was fun to do it with our group. The girls did the morning and the guys with Jennine took the afternoon slot. The babies played and napped at the pools for hours.

We decided to try and see the volcano from the west side but it was also socked in with clouds. But we did catch an amazing sunset over Lake Arenal and the boys got a 4 wheel adventure in. Some of us even saw wild pigs. Then it was in town to eat at La Parada -- another recommendation from Trip Advisor travel forum. We ate most of our purchased meals at "sodas". These are road side stands that serve home cooked meals. Kind of like a "cafe" here in the US. The next day we bid farewell to Felico and his black panther and hit the windy mountian roads to Manuel Antonio. We loved La Fortuna even if we didnt have our lives in peril from a potential pyroclastic volcano blast. On to temp our fate on the roads and what should be a 5 hour road trip. My next post-- The road of opportunity.