| A couple of what
might almost be called Lake Arenal "institutions," since
they've long been prominent in the guidebooks, have finally been shuttered
while long-term efforts to sell them have so far failed. La Carreta
Hotel, Restaurant, and Gift Shop in Tilaran went dark early in May.
The closing of La Carreta, located opposite the rear of the church,
means that readers will have to find their Tico Times elsewhere. Two
alternatives exist on the south side of the lake. One is La Tejona,
the outdoor restaurant located on the road between the lake and Tilaran.
Another is the car wash in Tilaran. It's not as easy to find as La
Tejona. There's no sign, but if you spot cars being washed in a lot
a few doors south of Hotel Marys, go to the little office in a back
corner of the property.
The other major closure is
Rock River Lodge, the nearly venerable caterer to windsurfers and
mountain bikers located high on a bluff at the extreme western end
of the lake. It gave up the ghost directly following Semana Santa.
Apparently about to rise out
of near-ashes is the Arenal Country Club, once an impressive facility
with great tennis courts, a huge
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pool and a pretty
indoor-outdoor restaurant. We hear it has been bought by a combination
of long-term and new residents living a short distance from the club.
The five modern two-story, three-bedroom condos are still for sale.
The buyers are already busy burning debris. The few over-the-hill
athletes still using the tennis courts and swimming pool are a bit
anxious to see what will happen to their recreative venue, where they
have been cavorting for just 5.000 colones a month.
The Arenal Ladies Lunch Club
has scheduled a change of pace for its June 7 meeting. This time
each person will bring her own sandwich and drink for a walking
tour through the old and second-growth forests of La Reserva, club
president Roberta Ward Smiley's 100-acre former farm. One way to
reach La Reserva is from Cinco Esquinas, the Tronadora/Nuevo Arenal
junction near the Lake Arenal "bomba." There's a dirt
road heading uphill opposite Renee and Jim Ioki's new real estate
office. At the May 3 meeting held at Terrillyn West's home, treasurer
Christina Glass collected some money to fund future good works.
The group is contemplating some fund-raising musical events for
both sides of the lake.
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