The volcano was erupting when we were there in 2008. It was amazing. Ronald was our guide. No gray hair back then.
He's so knowledgeable and obviously proud of his country. Mike was our guide in Peru. Hotel Arenal Kioro hasn't changed at all.
Review/Report of ABD Costa Rica June 19, 2024 trip
- Thread starter Eastridge
- Start date
He's so knowledgeable and obviously proud of his country. Mike was our guide in Peru. Hotel Arenal Kioro hasn't changed at all.Interesting that they still stayed at that hotel while the volcano was erupting... I was going to make a joke that you get a really good view of the lava flow from your hotel room.
Arenal Kioro (grounds)
The lobby of the hotel was open air, reminding me of hotels in Hawaii
There are paths to get to the pools, hot springs, spa, etc.
There were several hot springs. The guides cautioned us to not submerge our heads in the water, due to a microorganism that can cause health problems (this is true of all natural hot springs). My family said they weren't very hot.
Since we are in a rain forest, there is also wildlife. There was a sloth but it was very difficult to spot and I don't have a good photo. We saw howler monkeys right outside the restaurant during breakfast. And then there was this creature on one of the paths:
We had to ask Ronald to identify that. Turns out it is a coati, similar to a raccoon.
The lobby of the hotel was open air, reminding me of hotels in Hawaii
There are paths to get to the pools, hot springs, spa, etc.
There were several hot springs. The guides cautioned us to not submerge our heads in the water, due to a microorganism that can cause health problems (this is true of all natural hot springs). My family said they weren't very hot.
Since we are in a rain forest, there is also wildlife. There was a sloth but it was very difficult to spot and I don't have a good photo. We saw howler monkeys right outside the restaurant during breakfast. And then there was this creature on one of the paths:
We had to ask Ronald to identify that. Turns out it is a coati, similar to a raccoon.
Dinner and dancing
Dinner was another buffet
There was live music while we ate dinner
Then two dancers joined us and demonstrated various dances. Afterwards, those who were interested could come up and they led the group through some dances (mostly line dances).
Ok, I'm finally done with Day 2! Just 4 more to go (besides the departure day).
Dinner was another buffet
There was live music while we ate dinner
Then two dancers joined us and demonstrated various dances. Afterwards, those who were interested could come up and they led the group through some dances (mostly line dances).
Ok, I'm finally done with Day 2! Just 4 more to go (besides the departure day).
Day 3: Breakfast at Arenal Kioro
There was a decent breakfast spread at the Arenal hotel. In particular, the papaya and pineapple were excellent. Ronald said Costa Rica is the top exporter of pineapples.
EDIT: Added volcano view below
From some tables, you get a nice view of the volcano if the weather cooperates. They often have the windows open at breakfast, so you may have to defend your food against bugs.
There was a decent breakfast spread at the Arenal hotel. In particular, the papaya and pineapple were excellent. Ronald said Costa Rica is the top exporter of pineapples.
EDIT: Added volcano view below
From some tables, you get a nice view of the volcano if the weather cooperates. They often have the windows open at breakfast, so you may have to defend your food against bugs.
Last edited:
Bus ride to the wildlife river cruise
The bus left at 7:45am and drove for over 2 hours to get to the start of the river cruise, which is near the border with Nicaragua. Fortunately the roads were mostly straight so you don't need motion sickness pills for today.
The guides handed out snacks:
Finally we arrived and could start our jungle cruise!
The back side of water!
Oh wait. Wrong trip (and wrong DISboard...)
Here's our actual river cruise boat:
I came prepared for this activity, with a telephoto lens for my mirrorless camera. And after leaving the air conditioned bus and boarding the boat open to the heat and humidity, my camera promptly fogged up due to condensation. Took over half an hour before it mostly cleared up. Fortunately Ronald also brought his camera.
The bus left at 7:45am and drove for over 2 hours to get to the start of the river cruise, which is near the border with Nicaragua. Fortunately the roads were mostly straight so you don't need motion sickness pills for today.
The guides handed out snacks:
Finally we arrived and could start our jungle cruise!
The back side of water!
Oh wait. Wrong trip (and wrong DISboard...)
Here's our actual river cruise boat:
I came prepared for this activity, with a telephoto lens for my mirrorless camera. And after leaving the air conditioned bus and boarding the boat open to the heat and humidity, my camera promptly fogged up due to condensation. Took over half an hour before it mostly cleared up. Fortunately Ronald also brought his camera.
Wildlife: Capuchin monkeys
The guides stated several times that these are wild animals and Disney can't promise that we will see any since they are not animatronics. I think the ABD lawyers forced them to say that. But in reality, there was barely a time we went more than a minute or two without seeing something, and this cruise took over two hours. Ronald and the boat driver were incredible at spotting well hidden creatures.
The Capuchin monkeys were easy to find, though.
Ronald cautioned us to not smile or show our teeth at these monkeys, because they interpret that as aggression.
Never smile at a Capuchin
The guides stated several times that these are wild animals and Disney can't promise that we will see any since they are not animatronics. I think the ABD lawyers forced them to say that. But in reality, there was barely a time we went more than a minute or two without seeing something, and this cruise took over two hours. Ronald and the boat driver were incredible at spotting well hidden creatures.
The Capuchin monkeys were easy to find, though.
Oh no, another tourist boat.
Get off my lawn.
Get off my lawn.
Ronald cautioned us to not smile or show our teeth at these monkeys, because they interpret that as aggression.
Never smile at a Capuchin
Lizards, reptiles and others
This is a "Jesus Christ Lizard." Not the real name, but that's what locals call it, because it can walk on water. Really.
Some caimans. They looked like small alligators.
Other creatures:
These were bats, clinging to a tree:
This is a "Jesus Christ Lizard." Not the real name, but that's what locals call it, because it can walk on water. Really.
Some caimans. They looked like small alligators.
Other creatures:
These were bats, clinging to a tree:
And... the sloth
While we saw all these creatures, the real prize was to spot a sloth.
There was one at the hotel but even in a zoomed in picture all I saw was a round ball of fur. Or maybe a bunch of leaves. It was hard to tell.
Similarly I have a bunch of photos where they said a sloth was, and I can't see anything in them.
I assume that if a sloth is easy to spot, it will soon be an ex-sloth.
The only photo I have that is recognizably a sloth is from Ronald:
While we saw all these creatures, the real prize was to spot a sloth.
There was one at the hotel but even in a zoomed in picture all I saw was a round ball of fur. Or maybe a bunch of leaves. It was hard to tell.
Similarly I have a bunch of photos where they said a sloth was, and I can't see anything in them.
I assume that if a sloth is easy to spot, it will soon be an ex-sloth.
The only photo I have that is recognizably a sloth is from Ronald:
Lunch and dinner
At the end of the river cruise, the boat docked at the lunch location.
Ronald showed us a Guanacaste tree near the lunch building. It is the national tree of Costa Rica, and the name of the province where the last hotel is. It is also known as an "elephant ear" tree because of the shape of the seed pods, which Ronald showed us.
Day 3 pin:
During the bus ride back to the hotel, the kids chose Inside Out for the movie. Rather than a more on-theme choice such as Coco or Tarzan. This was probably because Inside Out 2 had just been released. No, this isn't Disney Cruise Line where they can show just-released films.
There was a surprise stop during the drive back to the hotel, and I'll leave that as a surprise. It's not a major thing but it was interesting.
At the hotel, we were greeted by a towel animal:
We had maybe two hours on our own before dinner. Dinner tonight was provided, but not as a group dinner. Individual families got their own table and we could select courses from a limited menu. The food was pretty good.
We've now reached the end of Day 3!
At the end of the river cruise, the boat docked at the lunch location.
Ronald showed us a Guanacaste tree near the lunch building. It is the national tree of Costa Rica, and the name of the province where the last hotel is. It is also known as an "elephant ear" tree because of the shape of the seed pods, which Ronald showed us.
Day 3 pin:
During the bus ride back to the hotel, the kids chose Inside Out for the movie. Rather than a more on-theme choice such as Coco or Tarzan. This was probably because Inside Out 2 had just been released. No, this isn't Disney Cruise Line where they can show just-released films.
There was a surprise stop during the drive back to the hotel, and I'll leave that as a surprise. It's not a major thing but it was interesting.
At the hotel, we were greeted by a towel animal:
We had maybe two hours on our own before dinner. Dinner tonight was provided, but not as a group dinner. Individual families got their own table and we could select courses from a limited menu. The food was pretty good.
We've now reached the end of Day 3!
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Day 4: Zip lining, part 1
The activities today are all close to the hotel, which was a nice change. Boarding time was 9am, so we also enjoyed the later start time.
It took about half an hour to reach the Sky Adventures zip lining site. Ronald said that Costa Rica was the first to commercialize zip lining for tourists, in the 1980s. The original idea was to enable tourists to explore the forest canopy, but people found it more fun to scream so it turned into a thrill attraction.
The entire zip experience was 2.5 hours, because it took a while to get suited up, get instructions, take the tram up, and wait for your turn.
The base station had a large patio area and restaurant, with a nice view.
We were not the only tour group there.
Before going up the hill, an instructor told us what we needed to do. This was different from other zip lines I've been on, where you can just dangle from the cable and it doesn't matter much if you flip yourself upside down or do anything else. For this one it was important to follow directions. I'll get more into that in the second part.
To get to the top and the start of the zip lines, we rode a sky tram
I think the tram climbed a few thousand feet.
The activities today are all close to the hotel, which was a nice change. Boarding time was 9am, so we also enjoyed the later start time.
It took about half an hour to reach the Sky Adventures zip lining site. Ronald said that Costa Rica was the first to commercialize zip lining for tourists, in the 1980s. The original idea was to enable tourists to explore the forest canopy, but people found it more fun to scream so it turned into a thrill attraction.
The entire zip experience was 2.5 hours, because it took a while to get suited up, get instructions, take the tram up, and wait for your turn.
The base station had a large patio area and restaurant, with a nice view.
We were not the only tour group there.
The competition is here.
Before going up the hill, an instructor told us what we needed to do. This was different from other zip lines I've been on, where you can just dangle from the cable and it doesn't matter much if you flip yourself upside down or do anything else. For this one it was important to follow directions. I'll get more into that in the second part.
To get to the top and the start of the zip lines, we rode a sky tram
I think the tram climbed a few thousand feet.
Zip lining, part 2
After reaching the top, there are photo opportunities and then you walk to the zip lines.
The best way to see this experience is to watch this video:
The directions are summarized in this chart:
Direction #1: Maintain proper form. You cross your legs and keep your elbows locked and arms straight. Otherwise you turn and that will slow you down due to friction with the cable. Slow down too much and then you need direction #4. Mike demonstrates the proper form:
I tried pushing away with my arms rather than holding on. Even with that, I found that I would turn a bit, maybe because of the wind, so I did need to turn occasionally to get back in position.
Direction #2: If you are going too fast, the crew will signal before your landing by wiggling the cable. Then you turn the handle left/right to slow yourself down by causing friction between the handle and cable.
Direction #3: Before you come in for a landing, spread your legs. You can see this in the video. Otherwise you risk banging your knees or legs against the cable on landing.
Direction #4: If you come in too slowly, you won't reach the landing station. Then you grab the cable with a gloved hand so you don't go flying back out, turn yourself around, and pull yourself into the station by grabbing the cable hand over hand. My son demonstrates this in the next photo:
It's best to not wear white clothing, because if it rains stuff may drip from the cable onto your clothes. If you wear shorts, it is better to wear long shorts as protection from the harness.
Here is the first real zip line. There is a short one right before this that gets you to the launch platform. You can quit at that point and walk back up, but if you go on the next one, you must complete the entire circuit of about 7 zip lines that go back and forth across two ridges.
I'm not sure what the alternate activity is. I think you can walk around the top and then take the sky tram back down to the base station.
If you can follow all the directions, the views are great.
A person in our group looked straight up while zip lining, trying to focus on her form. One of the zip line crew told her to look around at the scenery, saying "You came here to see Costa Rica, not to find God."
The best line is the last long one which goes through a tunnel of trees. You can see that in the video.
At the end, you must walk over a bridge that bounces up and down, then descend a spiral staircase where you can look through the steps and see the ground below.
After reaching the top, there are photo opportunities and then you walk to the zip lines.
The best way to see this experience is to watch this video:
The directions are summarized in this chart:
Direction #1: Maintain proper form. You cross your legs and keep your elbows locked and arms straight. Otherwise you turn and that will slow you down due to friction with the cable. Slow down too much and then you need direction #4. Mike demonstrates the proper form:
I tried pushing away with my arms rather than holding on. Even with that, I found that I would turn a bit, maybe because of the wind, so I did need to turn occasionally to get back in position.
Direction #2: If you are going too fast, the crew will signal before your landing by wiggling the cable. Then you turn the handle left/right to slow yourself down by causing friction between the handle and cable.
Direction #3: Before you come in for a landing, spread your legs. You can see this in the video. Otherwise you risk banging your knees or legs against the cable on landing.
Direction #4: If you come in too slowly, you won't reach the landing station. Then you grab the cable with a gloved hand so you don't go flying back out, turn yourself around, and pull yourself into the station by grabbing the cable hand over hand. My son demonstrates this in the next photo:
It's best to not wear white clothing, because if it rains stuff may drip from the cable onto your clothes. If you wear shorts, it is better to wear long shorts as protection from the harness.
Here is the first real zip line. There is a short one right before this that gets you to the launch platform. You can quit at that point and walk back up, but if you go on the next one, you must complete the entire circuit of about 7 zip lines that go back and forth across two ridges.
I'm not sure what the alternate activity is. I think you can walk around the top and then take the sky tram back down to the base station.
If you can follow all the directions, the views are great.
A person in our group looked straight up while zip lining, trying to focus on her form. One of the zip line crew told her to look around at the scenery, saying "You came here to see Costa Rica, not to find God."
The best line is the last long one which goes through a tunnel of trees. You can see that in the video.
At the end, you must walk over a bridge that bounces up and down, then descend a spiral staircase where you can look through the steps and see the ground below.
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Have Camera, Will Travel
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That's some serious ziplining!! It's a lot to remember. And some pretty long runs. The zipline I did on Maui was sort of like that as far as the harness, etc, was concerned, but it was a baby zipline compared to this! Not at all like the ones in New Zealand.
Sayhello
Sayhello
Lunch / shopping in La Fortuna
Two more things about the zip line experience:
ABD gets all the professional photos and provides them to you at no additional charge.
Some of the photos I posted were from my rugged camera, which is usually attached to me via a wrist strap. But for this experience that wouldn't be a good idea -- the camera would have been dangling from my wrist above me, waving around and bashing against my helmet. Mike noticed this before we took the tram up and lent me his camera strap so that I could clip my camera tightly to the harness. Just one of the little things that make me appreciate ABD guides.
After the zip line, the bus dropped us off in the town of La Fortuna. This lunch was the only "on your own" meal during the entire trip, from the welcome dinner to the farewell dinner. In hindsight, I think a reason is that all three hotels are isolated, with no non-hotel restaurants within easy walking distance. The bus toured the town and Ronald listed off several recommend restaurants.
The temperature was in the 80s but with high humidity, so it was pretty miserable. Restaurants were not enclosed so there was no air conditioning. We picked the closest recommended restaurant. It took a while so we didn't have as much time for shopping afterwards.
This was the opportunity to buy coffee or other souvenirs. Ronald recommended Britt coffee, which the last two hotels served and we liked it. Reminds me of Kona coffee. Ronald sent us to a supermarket to buy that, rather than at a souvenir store. Even at the supermarket it was $15 for 12 oz. They compete on quality, not quantity or price.
Pickup time was 2:45pm. After walking around for a while I ended up inside a church near the pickup point just to get out of the sun. The church was not air conditioned but did have a breeze so it provided some relief.
Two more things about the zip line experience:
ABD gets all the professional photos and provides them to you at no additional charge.
Some of the photos I posted were from my rugged camera, which is usually attached to me via a wrist strap. But for this experience that wouldn't be a good idea -- the camera would have been dangling from my wrist above me, waving around and bashing against my helmet. Mike noticed this before we took the tram up and lent me his camera strap so that I could clip my camera tightly to the harness. Just one of the little things that make me appreciate ABD guides.
After the zip line, the bus dropped us off in the town of La Fortuna. This lunch was the only "on your own" meal during the entire trip, from the welcome dinner to the farewell dinner. In hindsight, I think a reason is that all three hotels are isolated, with no non-hotel restaurants within easy walking distance. The bus toured the town and Ronald listed off several recommend restaurants.
The temperature was in the 80s but with high humidity, so it was pretty miserable. Restaurants were not enclosed so there was no air conditioning. We picked the closest recommended restaurant. It took a while so we didn't have as much time for shopping afterwards.
This was the opportunity to buy coffee or other souvenirs. Ronald recommended Britt coffee, which the last two hotels served and we liked it. Reminds me of Kona coffee. Ronald sent us to a supermarket to buy that, rather than at a souvenir store. Even at the supermarket it was $15 for 12 oz. They compete on quality, not quantity or price.
Pickup time was 2:45pm. After walking around for a while I ended up inside a church near the pickup point just to get out of the sun. The church was not air conditioned but did have a breeze so it provided some relief.
Hot springs
After returning to the hotel, we had about two hours until the bus left at 5pm to go to the hot springs. At the hotel, we were greeted by another towel animal.
The evening event was at the Ecotermales Fortuna hot springs. The guides pointed out that Disney did not go to the big hot springs nearby that had several tour buses parked. Instead, ABD picked a smaller place that was less crowded. The venue had lockers and changing facilities. It was simplest if you arrived already in your swim wear, and then changed back to street clothes before dinner.
There were several different pools, all at different temperatures
One pool was cold and served as a place to cool down after you tried all the hot springs. The hottest got up to 105 degrees and felt like a jacuzzi. I only wanted to stay a few minutes in the hottest pool.
After changing back to street clothes, there was a buffet dinner at the hot springs in a private area.
After dinner, the guides handed out recognitions to guests who were celebrating a milestone. And they handed out pin #4:
We've now reached the end of Day 4!
After returning to the hotel, we had about two hours until the bus left at 5pm to go to the hot springs. At the hotel, we were greeted by another towel animal.
The evening event was at the Ecotermales Fortuna hot springs. The guides pointed out that Disney did not go to the big hot springs nearby that had several tour buses parked. Instead, ABD picked a smaller place that was less crowded. The venue had lockers and changing facilities. It was simplest if you arrived already in your swim wear, and then changed back to street clothes before dinner.
There were several different pools, all at different temperatures
One pool was cold and served as a place to cool down after you tried all the hot springs. The hottest got up to 105 degrees and felt like a jacuzzi. I only wanted to stay a few minutes in the hottest pool.
After changing back to street clothes, there was a buffet dinner at the hot springs in a private area.
After dinner, the guides handed out recognitions to guests who were celebrating a milestone. And they handed out pin #4:
Goofy isn't showing the proper form for the zipline
We've now reached the end of Day 4!
Day 5: Chocolate Rainforest Tour
This is a travel day, with some stops. It includes one of the highlights of this trip, the Chocolate Rainforest Tour.
This is our bus driver. I think his name is Albaro but the guides kept referring to him by nicknames. He earns his pay today. It's about a 5 hour drive to the coast to bring us to our final hotel. But after dropping us off, he then drives several more hours to return to San Jose.
Bags needed to be outside the room by 6:45am and we boarded the bus at 7:45
It was a short drive to the first stop: the Chocolate Rainforest experience, where we met our guide, Chapo Guapo. I think there are many guides at this place but Disney always uses Chapo Guapo. He's a real character, and greeted Ronald warmly when we arrived.
Disney released a video of Chapo Guapo and Adventure Guide Fico:
Chapo Guapo started by describing what chocolate is and where it comes from. He pointed out that most of it comes from west Africa, and those places use exploited labor. Since this is not a political board, I will not discuss that further.
After quizzing us on our knowledge of chocolate, we headed to another site. Along the way, the group saw a frog. Chapo Guapo told us to stay on the path while he walked in close to get a good photo of the frog.
On the way, we also saw cacao pods:
There are different types of cacao. The most common is forastero, which is more resilient and has a deep chocolate taste but it is bitter. Criollo is much rarer, with more complex flavors, and it is difficult to grow. At this site they grow trinitario, which is a blend of the two that attempts to get the best of both.
When we got to the other site, Chapo Guapo opened a cacao pod and we got to suck on the white pulp around the raw beans. Don't eat the raw beans, though.
The cacao needs processing before it can be mixed with sugar to become chocolate. This involves various steps including drying and roasting.
We were able to try some beans that had gone through all the steps. Now it started tasting something like chocolate.
This is a travel day, with some stops. It includes one of the highlights of this trip, the Chocolate Rainforest Tour.
This is our bus driver. I think his name is Albaro but the guides kept referring to him by nicknames. He earns his pay today. It's about a 5 hour drive to the coast to bring us to our final hotel. But after dropping us off, he then drives several more hours to return to San Jose.
Bags needed to be outside the room by 6:45am and we boarded the bus at 7:45
It was a short drive to the first stop: the Chocolate Rainforest experience, where we met our guide, Chapo Guapo. I think there are many guides at this place but Disney always uses Chapo Guapo. He's a real character, and greeted Ronald warmly when we arrived.
Disney released a video of Chapo Guapo and Adventure Guide Fico:
Chapo Guapo started by describing what chocolate is and where it comes from. He pointed out that most of it comes from west Africa, and those places use exploited labor. Since this is not a political board, I will not discuss that further.
After quizzing us on our knowledge of chocolate, we headed to another site. Along the way, the group saw a frog. Chapo Guapo told us to stay on the path while he walked in close to get a good photo of the frog.
On the way, we also saw cacao pods:
There are different types of cacao. The most common is forastero, which is more resilient and has a deep chocolate taste but it is bitter. Criollo is much rarer, with more complex flavors, and it is difficult to grow. At this site they grow trinitario, which is a blend of the two that attempts to get the best of both.
When we got to the other site, Chapo Guapo opened a cacao pod and we got to suck on the white pulp around the raw beans. Don't eat the raw beans, though.
The cacao needs processing before it can be mixed with sugar to become chocolate. This involves various steps including drying and roasting.
We were able to try some beans that had gone through all the steps. Now it started tasting something like chocolate.
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