You may be interested in checking out Savegre, http://www.savegre.com
(Resplendant Quetzal among other rarities) and Rancho Naturalista
http://ranchonaturalista.net.  The cuisine and the birding are second to
none.

I do agree you can't go wrong anywhere in Costa Rica but the place I
returned to 3 times was Belize.

Have a great time!

Diane Brown
Middlebury


On Sunday, January 17, 2016, sarah rosedahl <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> The last 3 times I rented a car and drove...except over to Tortugero. I
> prefer drivingto save time and many of the buses and public transportation
> drivers really scare methere. Too fast, crazy and reckless for me. It is a
> small country and interesting thingsto see everywhere, so I prefer driving.
> It isn't very far from one place to another, butthe mountain roads can be
> challenging. I prefer to drive more slowly and safely myself.I would
> recommend 4WD.
> I stayed at the base of Arenal on the north side. Look on the map for the
> town of Fortuna. Between Fortuna and Tabacon to the west there are a lot of
> small lodges and hotels along the road 142. I can't remember the name but I
> stayed in one that had little "cabins" and the grounds were really nice and
> open with great views of the volcano, birds everywhere. The cabins all had
> big windows facing the volcano. Stay in one of the places on the north side
> of 142 for the best views of the volcano. I thought the birding in this
> area was the best for the variety and quantity of birds. It is hotter and
> more humid here.
> I stayed in Monteverde twice. The first time was about 20 years or more
> and I was there onmy bike, so not birding so much. I can't remember where I
> stayed. The second time I wasthere for two weeks at Spanish school and
> lived with a family. I went birding several timesin the Monteverde park
> with a guide, but I don't have his info any more. There are lots ofgreat
> places to stay. I found the guide through the school...maybe they can
> recommend someonehttp://www.cpi-edu.com/monteverde.htm
>
> If you know Michele Pantenaude, she was there in the fall and probably has
> good, morerecent recommendations for guides.
> Have fun! Sarah Rosedahl
> [log in to unmask]
> www.srosedahl.com
>
>
>
>       From: Fernando B.Corrada <[log in to unmask]>
>  To: [log in to unmask]
>  Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2016 11:19 AM
>  Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Costa Rica
>
> Thank you Sara for your reply. I did read the reviews of the Trogon Lodge
> and it is highly recommended. How far were you from Arenal and Monteverde?
> Fly or drive from the Trogon Lodge to a birding/Eco lodge in the Monteverde
> area? Thank you.
>
> Fernando
>
>
>
>