plumboy

For anyone in the NYC area, JetBlue is offering a $288 r/t nonstop fare (incl taxes, etc) from JFK to LIR (Liberia) right now leaving either May 31 or June 7 for a week. Just thought I'd share the bounty. This is one of those freaky, low fares that pops up from time to time, so I'm sure it won't last.

RAC

Holy cow. We're booked for memorial day to Managua, otherwise we'd jump.

tully

Well plum you are in NYC, you could make it a quickie vacation Too bad it's not a week earlier, you could join myself & hipvirgochick down at Bosque!

plumboy

I know! And Guanacaste is not my favorite part of the country... Not sure I want to be in that area for a week, but I'm considering it.

colibri

I'd jump on it, Plumboy, even though I'm not a fan of Guanacaste either. But, Liberia puts you close to Rio Celeste and it's worth two nights and you could go to either Palo Verde or Rincon de la Vieja or all three. You know Brasilito (Hotel Conchal!), so there's another option or Flamingo and those beaches. I wish I was going to CR this year, but heading to Colombia in August which will be awesome in a different way.

plumboy

Well, I finally caved and got tickets -- so... we're going! Going to rent a car at Liberia and head to La Fortuna (though I've been to CR five times, I've actually never been to Arenal) for a few days, and then head back to the coast for a couple days of beach time. The only thing is that I'm actually considering staying in Tamarindo -- yikes! Yes, Tamarindo. Found a new really cute hotel there that looks very appealing - and actually affordable. We'll have a car, so we can drive to other beaches and definitely will visit Brasilito while there. So, it's happening!

tully

Yes, awesome! When are you going?

plumboy

Actually, nix the Tamarindo part. I had a momentary lack of judgement there. What was I thinking?! Whew! Just emailed with Simon and confirmed a few nights at Conchal Hotel -- yay.

We're leaving June 7 and coming back June 14

plumboy

I wish it had been two weeks earlier and to SJO -- we could've joined you and hip maybe

tully

Aw wish you could join us too but sooo happy for you two, know you will have a blast. Hopefully Arenal will show her best side to you.

colibri

Oh, great - back to Brasilito - love that little place and still remember those restaurants!! Please tell Simon at Conchal that we said hello - we stayed there on our first trip to CR in '08 and worked with him on a project with the local elementary school.

Since I'm not an adventure seeker, I'm not a huge fan of Arenal, but absolutely love EcoTermales. It's the only thermal springs I've visited, so can't compare it to others. I think it's the only reason I would go back to Arenal, sooo relaxing.

I'm jealous and know that you two will have a wonderful time!

plumboy

Thanks for the tip, colibri. And I'm actually thinking of going to Termales del Bosque. It's a less visited hot springs about 45 mins away from La Fortuna near Aguas Zarcas (and a lot less expensive). They offer a horseback ride, lunch and hot springs day pass for a pretty good deal (and you know we got hooked on horseback rides last summer at the gtg!). The hot springs pools are back in the woods. Sounds very picturesque. We'll see. We'll have a car, so I'm totally up for exploring a little off the main path.

I'll be sure to say hello to Simon for you both!

colibri

I had thought about Termales del Bosque as it's off the beaten path (which I love!), but ended up going to La Carolina/Rio Celeste first, then came to Arenal from that direction, so it didn't work out.
If you do stay there, it's in the same region (well, sort of) as Cataratas del Toro which is a gorgeous waterfall and hummingbird garden.
http://www.catarata-del-toro.com/ We had the place to ourselves, visited it after the GTG, absolutely stunning.
At Brasilito, enjoy that great restaurant on the beach - Camarone del Oro - or something close to that!

plumboy

That place looks pretty magnificent, but I don't think we'll be able to make it there this time -- great find though. We'll see. We might get bored and do something completely unplanned, you never know.

I'm determined to check out more of the restaurants in Brasilito (and nearby) this time. Last time, we found Soda Brasilito and loved it so much that we ended up eating almost every meal there. Hope it's still there.

colibri

In Brasilito I think we liked the Italian place, same side of the road as Conchal, Happy Snapper / Snapper Jack? and the one right on the beach, Camarone - I can taste the seafood now!

You're going to have a great time no matter where you end up! Take me along?