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To Villas Nicolas II

December 28, 2009

We breakfasted, got ready, checked out, and headed for Manuel Antonio in the BeGhetto. The drive was not so bad this time as the weather was beautiful and the scenery was lovely. Though the crazy drivers were still out, and in abundance, when you reached the paved road. (And the dogs were plentiful on the unpaved roads!)



lots of twists and turns

Lake Arenal in the background

along the eastern coast

We arrived at the hotel and dropped off our stuff in the room (#2), then we were going to drop off the rental car. One thing we realized at Villa Nicolas is that the specific room they put you in makes all the difference. We stayed in a type 3 room again, but this "ocean/jungle view" was far more jungle than ocean, and the room itself couldn't hold a candle to the one we had on the first trip. Again, these villas are all owned by different people and, thus, decorated differently, and this one to us was lacking. It was decorated poorly and the fixtures and appliances were pretty ghetto. That all being said, I still like this place and still would recommend it, but I'd ask for a different room, and I'd go during the low season.

tacky florescent light in the step-up bedroom, c'mon!

they love the towel art

The pictures actually make it look pretty nice. (And really, it wasn't that bad.)




the patio is nice, but, again, not much of an ocean view

 ocean view, courtesy of a ZOOM lens

So Nick is upset about the room. I'm upset about Nick being upset about the room. The mood is one of disappointment and hope that the trip is going to get better fast. On our way to the Adobe office, I see a cat on top of an abandoned building and would like to get a picture. So I'm setting up the camera, and I get a damn FEE error again - this happened in Monteverde - so I gotta take off the lens and put it back. We drive past because I'm throwing a temper tantrum, frustratingly putting the camera back in the bag. But the cat beckons, and we stop. I trudge over the rocky road to get to the right spot and take the picture, after more frustration with the autofocus. (Sigh.) Got it.



Then I cooled off a bit...


(FYI - We didn't have to get gas the entire way. It was $42 for a fill-up at the office, bringing the rental car bill to $426 for 3 full days. Sorry, that's too much for that crappy car.)


When we got back to the hotel, we sat outside by the pool. It was nice to relax outside as the sun set...

symbiotic

it's the same cat from last time! drinking pool water...


And with the sun setting, that means...

bats!

Back in our room, I made spaghetti. We had bought a can of Prego, garlic, salt, ground beef, pasta and cheese at the grocery store down the street, and I had packed a small container of olive oil. The water took FOREVER to boil on that stove. It was good though.

* * *

Villas Nicolas from the previous trip

next post >> Damas Island Mangrove Boat Tour
previous post << Adventures in the Treetops!
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