Casa Banda Costa Rica Feb 20-March 6 trip reoprt

This is our second two week trip to Casa Banda http://www.cocr.info the first being in February 2012 when they began the transition to clothing optional. My first trip report with a little background on how it came to be such a great clothing optional paradise is here http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/s...art=1&vc=1. Arne and Bibi have made this a truly remarkable place to stay and is in a great part of Costa Rica. While we love Casa Banda, the facility, beautiful grounds and the fact that its clothing optional, it wouldn’t be the same without Arne and Bibi as hosts.

We flew into Dallas on Thursday Feb 20 and connected on a 10am flight to Liberia. Thankfully, the flight was 30 minutes early. Clearing immigration is a snap and we grabbed our bags and we’re in the cab shortly after 2. Bibi sent us a form to pre-order grass fed meats and eggs from their supplier and they were in the freezer or fridge when we arrived. We also pre ordered organic produce from http://rainboworganic.cr to be picked up on Saturday. We had our cab driver make a brief stop in Nicoya for our liquid refreshments and other assorted needs not pre ordered. We arrived at Casa Banda in plenty of time to settle in, have a cocktail and watch one of many spectacular sunsets.

We stayed in the apartment called Buena Vista, the biggest of the one-bedroom units. While all of the apartments are nice and nicely appointed, we liked the extra space, especially the outdoor living space.

There are three beaches within easy walking distance of Casa Banda: Playa Pelada, Nosara and Guiones, the closest being Playa Pelada about a 5-7 minute walk south, Playa Nosara, about a 10 minute walk more to the southwest and Playa Guiones a bout a 16-18 minute walk to the southeast. Pelada has two great and very popular beach bar/restaurants, La Luna http://www.visitnosara.com/restaurant/la-luna or https://www.facebook.com/pages/LA-LUNA/187210908478
and Olga’s, https://www.facebook.com/BarOlgas In addition, about a block off the beach is Pepperoni’s https://www.facebook.com/pages/il-pepperoni/324354620941978
We had wonderful meals at all three but remembered from our first trip, the Ceviche at La Luna’s is the best we’ve ever eaten. Well, we had it 3 times and it’s still the best ever.

At the east end of Pelada there is an easy path over a small hill that puts you onto Guiones. It’s about 3 or 4 miles long and very flat with hard sand by the water, which makes for great walking running. There are a lot of people on the beach early mornings doing just that. The really cool thing is this is the surfing mecca of Costa Rica and Guiones in one of the more popular surfing spots. There are small boutique hotels and hostels all around with cheap bunk-rooms. The surfers flock here, stay cheap and surf all day and flock to the beach bars for sunset. There are 4 or 5 surf schools as well if you’re interested in giving it a try. Many of the surfers are expert and it’s really cool to watch. The third close beach is Nosara, which is a deserted beach. The only way to get to it is to cross the mouth of the river at low tide, which is good, as people don’t go there given the easy access of the others. We walked it nude two years ago and did so again this trip.

While there are a lot of touristy things to do nearby, our days were pretty routine. Get up fairly early and head out for a walk on the beach by 7:30. Our favorite beach to walk was Guiones. After about 4-5 miles or 90 minutes or so, we come home to lots of water, shower, a cool swim, bloody Mary, big breakfast and settle in for a day of reading. We were in heaven doing just what we planned….nothing. We relaxed by the pool and read books.

We cooked all of our meals the first week. There is a grill and charcoal in the pool house addition to well-equipped kitchens in your apartment. This was the plan as we didn’t rent a car until the following Thursday. On our first visit, the car sat in the driveway most of the time. It’s so relaxing, it’s really kind of hard to put your clothes on and leave. Plus whenever someone goes to town, they usually ask if anyone wants to tag along or needs anything from the store.

While Nosara is a coastal town, it’s also in the jungle. You hear the howler monkeys really loud in the mornings and evenings. There were days when we were walking to the beach and decided to follow the howls and find the monkeys, which we did a number of times. They are pretty cool to watch in their own element. There’s a short video at the end of the pictures.

The sunsets are absolutely spectacular as well. The sun is mostly unobstructed setting on the water and the clouds that are around, really light up. There are great sunsets from Casa Banda or you can put your clothes on and watch from the beach or just down the road at a sunset bar.

As mentioned, we rented a car, but only from Thursday to Monday. With the car we ventured north to Marbella and had lunch at the TikiHut https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tiki-Hut-Bar-Restaurant/126758607434942 and over the few days dined at La Luna, Olgas’s and Pepperoni’s

Another cool thing we did for our morning walk was a walk through the Nature Preserve http://www.lagarta.com/reserva.htm which was a great morning walk. We explored this the last full morning and really regretted that in two trips we had just done this at the very end of trip two. We’ll definitely walk it more in future trips.

The last night Arne and Bibi joined us for dinner and they recommended a local place we’ve been by several times never tried. It’s near town and from the road looks like a dive. Once inside, we were amazed how nice it was. It’s called Rancho Tiko. https://www.facebook.com/RanchoTicoNosara It featured great authentic Costa Rican fare and we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner and the company our final evening.

All in all, another great trip at a great place hosted by some really great people who have invested heavily in the facility; insuring their guests have a great vacation. During both visits, everyone got along fabulously, with email and contact info shared to stay in touch and coordinate future visits. It’s also worth noting almost without exception, when it’s time for a guest to leave, everyone gathers to say their goodbyes and there are hugs and often tears. You know it’s been a great vacation when that happens.

Prior to visiting Casa Banda, we took our 13th trip to St Maarten in January and have decided we’ll probably not go there next year, rather will likely spend more time in Costa Rica, exploring other parts of the country and ending with a couple of weeks at Casa Banda.

I’ve posted a few pictures (no nudity) and a couple of video’s here.. http://s851.photobucket.com/user/freshair1/library/Costa%20Rica%202014

Great pictures!

Thanks so much for the report! It does look really lovely. However, I think there is no a/c and no TV? I'm not sure what we personally would do in the evenings..

You are correct Carol. Their is no air conditioning or TV's. I know for some people they're both gotta haves. I will say we always slept with a sheet as it gets down into the upper 60's at night and there's a nice ocean breeze. I know guests use Netflix or other related services. We have a Slingbox which connects to our DVR at home so it's just like being at home. In two weeks, we watched it at night or in bed only 3 times. We are more music people and have a Bose remote speaker so the iPod was always going.

Now, for what we do in the evening :-)

So, the internet connection must have been pretty good then?

As far as the a/c is concerned, possibly this time of year you wouldn't need it, but isn't it a LOT hotter and more humid later on? Or not? What about mosquitoes? With all the issues with chikungunya in SXM lately, I worry about mosquitoes..

The internet connection is very good. There were some problems the first Saturday, kind of coming and going, but Arne was on it and didn't stop working on it until he had it back to everyones satisfaction and his as well.

It was hot during the time we were there, mid 90's every day and it would get there mid morning, but there was always a breeze. It does cool off nicely at night. I think the temps are pretty consistent year round but gets more humid as it gets into the rainy season which is during the summer months. I'm guessing on that though.

We had no problem at all with bugs or mosquitoes. There are candles provided for your outdoor balcony and we kept them lit, especially at night, just as a precaution and from our many travels and experiences in St Maarten. Neither one of us ever put on any bug dope and never had a problem.

Mid 90's is pretty warm to me, even without humidity..

No question mid 90's is warm, although the breeze and pool make it not seem so hot. Kind of funny you mentioned it though... we actually had a similar conversation around the pool and the consensus was as long as you didn't have to wear clothes, most anything was comfortable.

No a/c is a deal breaker for me anytime of year

Depends on what the humidity is too. Mid 90's here in Florida in August? All I want to do is sit in the a/c!!

We were there in February 2014 - just beautiful! The WOW factor when you first walk into the resort area is amazing - viewing the Pacific Ocean and seeing the jungle at the same time. This resort is a hidden gem and we will definitely be back. We have met amazing people there and Arne and Bibi are the best hosts! We have recommended this to our friends as well. To be honest - this felt like a tiny bit of paradise. Did not miss air conditioning or television as we had our computers. The pool and grounds are immaculate. FreshAir did a great job posting the local information and photos - nicely done. Check the links - and see for yourselves! It was difficult to leave after meeting so many nice people and yes, to have to put clothes on!

on a sour note, the west coast of CR has been experiencing an outbreak of dengue fever in the last 4 years, to record levels. The government launched a effort in 2011 to combat it but the levels of cases per year in the last 3 years has been 11000, 26000 then 49000, even with the governments efforts (which to me judging by the numbers is not working well). we love cr but will not go back as that disease can be serious, especially if you have any other risk factor. google it. Tourist sites usually dont mention things like it.

Living in Costa Rica, we are well aware of the risk of dengue fever and we take precautions to not attract the mosquitoes. Luckily, we have very few of those little buggers come to visit where we are located, far enough away from the river and on top of the hill where there is more breeze than the insects like.

Personally, I know one gringa who has lived here for lots of years and got the dengue, all other cases I have heard about are local people who live close to the rivers and are less diligent about cleaning up around their houses.

The biggest risk for getting bit is during rainy season, the part of the year when we have the fewest tourists visiting. Granted, there is still a risk the rest of the year, if there is clean standing water around where you are, but dengue is not rampant among the tourists.

Now that this new thread is underway I have locked the old 2012-2013 thread that COCR resurrected last week. Continue your discussions here.

Why would you do that Bill. I reference my first trip report that includes a link and much more detail in this thread. I understand if you don't want two trip reports on the same resort appearing on the front page, but at least make the link work

FreshAir--the reason the other thread was locked is that the resort kept bringing it up to the top themselves. Here is a link to your first trip report in the trip report archives.

Thanks Carol.

We are back for our third trip and hope it's not the final one. We arrived last Thursday and its every bit as beautiful as when we left it two years ago. Sadly, Arni and Bibi put it on the market due to some commitments in the states and with her father in Denmark. We are hoping that it would be nudists who buy it and keep it as such. I'm not saying this for advertising purposes, the reality is if you have any inkling to try it, I think they are CO until Easter but certainly check if you're interested. We're here for another week and hope we'll be able to come back and enjoy it the way we have in each of our three visits.

For the benefit of Those of you who might be visiting, a new restaurant we tried, ElChivo, Mexican and great atmosphere, food and service. Another breakfast spot in Guiones, a short drive is Rosi's. About 10 tables on a covered patio. Banana pancakes to die for and most every breakfast is prices at $5.60 in dollars and huge portions. Actually ate there the past 2 days. More later as the relaxation continues.

We loved COCR and were lucky enough to visit Arne and Bibi's paradise during 3 February winter getaways. We have to second Fresh Air's hope that it will stay CO. And hope we will get to stay in the PVS apartment again!

Were there any other guests while you were there

Obviously, you intended this response for FreshAir, not for me..

I'm sorry Carol yes I was just wondering how quite or busy the place is

If you're interested in c/o, possibly that may no longer be an option there. Best to check with the resort.