Update on Lodging (and Travel)

Party people! It's November already. This thing is really going to happen, and kind of soon! We're checking in with a quick update on logistical details to help you plan travel and lodging.

Plane Tickets
On the plane ticket front, we would suggest holding off on buying anything unless you are feeling anxious to get a certain route and/or very specific flight times, and want to get your ticket nailed down. I have been tracking airfares daily and they are pretty stable at this point. I have also heard from a number of people that there are generally better fares to be had within 3 months of your departure date, rather than farther in advance. If you are interested in keeping a close eye on the fares from your city, kayak.com has a really easy Fare Alert option where you can get emails daily/weekly and the updates always compare where the current fare is relative to the last alert. Technology is handy!

Lodging - Hotels
On the lodging side of things, I would encourage people to act sooner than later since as time passes all of those Playa Grande vacationers outside of our group are probably going to start making their reservations for their spring vacations. Thankfully, the kind souls at Hotel Bula Bula (www.hotelbulabula.com) - our reception site for March 26th - have blocked all of their rooms from Thursday, March 25th to Sunday the 28th for our group to help us avoid other vacationers honing in on the fairly limited stock of rooms in the Palm Beach Estates neighborhood. Bula Bula has six rooms still available for those nights, as well as a number of the vacation houses that they rent (more on that below). If you are interested in renting a room at Bula Bula, you should contact them by email at frontdesk@hotelbulabula.com. The online reservation system won't work because of the block on the rooms, so if you contact them first they will free up the room that you want in the reservation system, and then you can go proceed with reserving online. Rates are $120 per night, and they have been offering a 10% discount to our guests, so make sure to mention that when you reserve.

The other hotel option, Hotel Cantarana (www.hotel-cantarana.com), has a number of rooms and bungalows available too, with the details they provided to us listed below.

- 4 double rooms at Hotel Cantarana, each US$ 95/night, including breakfast

- 2 double rooms in Guest House Luna Llena de la Guapinola with a terrace (directly in front of Hotel Bula Bula), no pool but guests can use the Hotel's pool, each US$ 85/night, including breakfast

- a plain bungalow at Los Malinches (a complex consisting of a small Supermarket and a typical restaurant right between Hotel Bula Bula and Hotel Cantarana) with two double rooms and a small kitchen, terrace, a/c and fans, no pool, no breakfast included, US$ 100/night

- another plain bungalow at Los Malinches with two double rooms and a small kitchen, terrace, fans, no pool, no breakfast included, US$ 80/night (Note that Brendan and Nathalie strongly encourage you to avoid any options that do not have A/C!)

Lodging - Rental Houses
We also have the latest availability for houses rented by the Bula Bula owners. These would be good for anyone interested in having a kitchen to do some cooking and/or those interested in a more economical option for a group. There are also a bunch of additional house rentals advertised with Vacation Rentals by Owner (http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/central-america/costa-rica/guanacaste#a717) that are worth a look if you are considering this option.

Bula Bula has four rental houses still available, and we have photos of each of them, so let us know if you are interested in learning more about these options and we will forward the full details. A brief overview of each is below:

Casa 80 - Beachfront - Total of 3 bedrooms - two bedroom (King, Queen), 2 bath main house with pool. An “in-law” bedroom with separate entrance (but still attached to house) has a Queen bed and full bath. A/C in bedrooms and main living area. Living room has two built in couches which easily accommodate kids or teens. Fully equipped kitchen, cable television, dvd/cd player, washer/dryer. House completed major renovations July 2009. $350/night without in-law bedroom. $400/night with in-law bedroom.

Casa 134 - about 4 minute walk to the beach access - 3 bedroom (King, King, Queen) 2 bath. Swimming pool. A/C in sleeping areas only. Living room has two built in couches which easily accommodate kids or teens. Fully equipped kitchen, cable television, dvd/cd player. $300/night

Casa 130 - about 5 minute walk to the beach access - 3 bedroom (Queen, Queen, Sofa-Bed with full mattress) 2 bath – new contruction. Swimming pool. A/C in sleeping areas and main living room. Fully equipped kitchen, cable television, dvd/cd player, telephone. $300/night

Casa 47- New Construction about 3 minute walk to the beach access - Upstairs one bedroom with queen bed - one bath downstairs. A/C, comfortable living room, fully equipped kitchen, cable tv, wireless internet. Downstairs sofa is a pull out sofa-bed with full size mattress. $150 per night.