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Von: labdee
Date: 16.May.2003
Time: 14:48:08 -0500
Remote Name: 62.202.95.15
We stayed in Arenal 4 nights and had a blast (13-yr old son)--2 nights in Eco Lodge on Lake Coter where we did rainforest hikes, horseback riding & canopy tours, and 2 nights at Arenal Paraiso, which we loved and had gorgeous views of the volcano plus warm and cool swimming pools. From Arenal Paraiso we spend a half day at Tabacon in the hot springs, which was plenty. Although the place was gorgeous and we were glad to visit, we were also glad we weren't staying there. It was big, very crowded, and almost Disney-like. We also went horseback riding to the Fortuna waterfall. Even though my son was looking forward to going to the beach the most, he didn't want to leave Arenal. We stayed at a big, gorgeous all-inclusive and just layed around the pool/beach for 3 days. We decided we'd never stay in a place like that again because it was just like being anywhere else in the world. Isolated, busy, and lacking the warmth of the smaller, more charming places. If I were you, I'd spend my time doing and seeing things you can't do at home. You miss a lot of the beautiful country and people in a big beach resort, and the tours can be so far away that they're not practical.