"Two Vacations in One!" Provincia de Puntarenas by Bwana_Brown

Provincia de Puntarenas Travel Guide: 819 reviews and 1,355 photos

Villa Lapas Eco Resort - Provincia de Puntarenas

My wife and I travelled to Costa Rica for a week of vacation, in early February, 2001, in order to ease the painful passing of another Canadian winter. As a result of an ice-storm delayed departure, it was close to midnight when we landed in the capital city of San Jose and were picked up by a mini-van for transportation to the Pacific coast side of the country. There were only 6 passengers, plus the driver and his buddy for the nightime drive. I found it to be a very interesting trip down the twisting mountain roads as we wound down to near sea-level, even though all we could see were some magnificent displays of town and village lights spread out below. It was past 3 AM when we arrived at our first destination, a planned 3-day stop in the rain forest at an eco-lodge call Villa Lapas. As it turned out, we had a very pleasant stay there and found the staff to be extremely friendly! Villa Lapa was relaxing because it has only a limited number of rooms and it is located in the rain forest, away from other resorts. The site has a nice brook running through the property as well as its own sky-walk trail with suspension bridges within walking distance of the accommodations area. A Costa Rican-trained zoologist leads the tours and he did a fantastic job pointing out all the hidden delights of the forest canopy! From there, we travelled onward to the Pacific coast where we stayed in a traditional holiday resort just outside the town of Puntarenas for the final 4 days of our trip. Once again, the accommodations at the Fiesta Resort were first-rate. While there, we also took a one-day bus excursion to the Arenal volcano, with the drive through the Costa Rican countryside being worth the cost of the trip in itself! Altogether, we had an extremely enjoyable visit to Costa Rica!

Pros and Cons

Pros:Rain Forests, Volcanoes & Beaches
In a nutshell:A friendly and interesting place to visit!

Last visit to Provincia de Puntarenas: Feb 2001
Intro Updated Dec 16, 2004
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Reviews (24)

Enjoying the Pacific Coast - Provincia de Puntarenas

Relaxing in the Pacific Sunshine Things to Do (6)

Despite its rather deceiving name, the Fiesta Caribbean Resort is actually located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica,... more travel advice

Sunset over the Fiesta Pier - Provincia de Puntarenas

Winding Down on the Pacific Coast Nightlife (1)

The Fiesta Resort had a very nice wooden pier that offered a great view of both the waves, as they crashed ashore, and... more travel advice

Puntarenas Beach - Provincia de Puntarenas

Downtown Puntarenas Shopping (1)

One afternoon, the four of us ordered a taxi and took the short drive from the resort into Puntarenas. We left just... more travel advice

Frond Hats Local Customs (2)

Just outside the main dining room area, a Costa Rican artisan had set up shop to make hand-crafted hats from fronds. It... more travel advice

Warnings Or Dangers (1)
Fresh Cash Could be a Problem!
Restaurants (4)
See All Informal Eating
Hotels (7)
See All Pacific Beach

Transportation (1)
An Interesting Bus Ride
Off The Beaten Path (1)
Wade in the Brook
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Comments (30)

starship Jan 11, 2010 at 7:06 PM Report Abuse

Nice page! Costa Rica is a country I have long wanted to visit. It was obviously a great place to escape the Canadian winter.
Trekki Jan 8, 2010 at 11:47 PM Report Abuse

This Villa Lapas sounds like a great find!! I always had Costa Rica and the rainforest on my wishlist and I still dream to do one of these canopy walks and some riding :-)
Basaic Apr 4, 2009 at 11:32 AM Report Abuse

Looks like paradise. Love the sunset photo!
MalenaN Dec 16, 2007 at 11:40 AM Report Abuse

Rainforest, hot springs and the coast, sounds like you had a wonderful holiday! I have been to Costa Rica on two short visits, but it is 18 years ago and I would very much like to go back again.
traveldave Aug 5, 2007 at 10:23 AM Report Abuse

Costa Rica is one of the top countries in the world for birdwatching, so I'll definitely have to go there someday. Looks like a great place to escape the winter weather in the Great White North.
RAZOR-REN Jan 18, 2007 at 3:27 PM Report Abuse

HAHA, I SEE. YOU GOT LOTS OF PHOTOS EVERYWHERE...
Redlats Aug 11, 2006 at 10:20 AM Report Abuse

One of our future trips will be to CR. I especially like the idea of the canopy hike. What is the currency, US$? Heh, so to work at the resort, you had to cook, sing AND dance.
kyoub Jun 8, 2006 at 5:23 PM Report Abuse

The rainforest canopy adventure sounds great. Closer to the birds. How nice to be given a show just for the two of you.
globetrott Mar 4, 2006 at 12:54 PM Report Abuse

This place really looks like paradise !
pepples46 Mar 4, 2006 at 12:43 PM Report Abuse

I think they simply do not bother with ATM's, might get robbed. beside that hickup, lovely place to kick back&enjoy life. hotpools great stuff for the old bones LOL. fine page Glenn