bamafam

In our tentative plans to spend a week in CR next March, we've pegged three main things as priorities: volcanoes, a cloud or rain forest, and the beach. As I mentioned in another thread, our beach destination would probably be either the JW Marriott in Guanacaste since we can stay on points. (I looked into the Marriott Los Suenos, but that one doesn't suit our needs as well.)

In an ideal world, we'd split the seven nights between two hotels rather than three. Is it possible to do this and experience the three big things on our list? I'm not necessarily attached to marquee sites such as Arenal and Monteverde - lesser-known ones are fine if they have enough to offer.

Thanks!

kterving

You can easily do all three things! Three days in the Arenal/Monteverde area is about all you need which gets you both the volcano and cloud forest. Most hotels in the Arenal area (around La Fortuna) can arrange Monteverde or Santa Elena cloud forest trips if you don't have your own car.

The Pacific is just a 2-3 hours from Arenal depending on where you go. Tamarindo seems to be one of the better places for beach for anyone on a short timeframe.

While we haven't stayed there a friend has highly recommended Leaves and Lizards for Arenal and Cloud Forest and then over to Tamarindo.

If you don't have your own car there are vans that transport just about everywhere.

Hope that helps!

Cattail

By a week, do you mean 7 full days? FYI, cloud and rain forest are quite different. If you want to see cloud forest, there are a few good choices a couple of hours drive out of San Jose. You can also see a volcano on a day trip from the San Jose area. What I don't know is where the Marriotts are in relation to what you want to see.

volcanogirl

I'd plan on spending at least three nights in the Arenal area; we usually stay four there and still haven't done it all. For cloud forest, you could go to Monteverde, but I wouldn't bother unless you can spend at least two nights there. It's a pain to get to. Or you could spend a night in the Poas area. It's only about an hour from the SJO airport. We like the Peace Lodge, but there are more affordable options too. There's Poas volcano in that area, the La Paz Waterfall Gardens, and the Doka Coffee Estate if you're looking for things to do. I'm not that familiar with the Marriots or the Guanacaste area; we're Manuel Antonio goers.

kterving, can you really get to the Pacific from the Arenal area in that short of a time frame? That seems very quick to me.

bamafam

Thanks for all the input. Cattail, we'll have 8 nights, with 6 full days and 2 travel days, but the last night will be in San Jose or Liberia near the airport. The JW Marriott is on the Pacific coast about 10 miles from Tamarindo. The Marriott Los Suenos is in the Herradura area near Jaco.

I'm wondering if it might make sense to skip the beach entirely for this trip and split the time between the Arenal and Monteverde areas. We love the ocean, but we're more excited about the adventure activities, wildlife and nature, especially since we have beautiful beaches just a few hours from our house. Or is it a travesty to come to Costa Rica and not experience the coast?

Cattail

Good morning,bamafam; how fun to spend it trip planning! I have no doubt that you can see cloud forest, volcano and beach in one trip, but the Marriot caveat makes it difficult to do it easily. A thought, especially since you're looking for wildlife, adventure and nature: check if there's a Marriot in Liberia. If so, you could access all three of the eco-systems fairly easily on daytrips. Rincon Lodge (about 45 minutes or so from the Liberia airport) is known for its adventure tours, and the wildlife sightings within the park itself are better than Arenal IMO.

volcanogirl

A lot of the beaches in Costa Rica aren't what you think of as typical pretty beaches. They don't have crystal clear blue water, pretty sand, etc. Some are too rough to allow swimming or are rocky. The exception that we've seen is Manuel Antonio which is very pretty and has tons of wildlife. You can see sloths, monkeys, etc. pretty easily just strolling through the park. It's a more popular area though. If you're looking for a lot of activities, then it would be a good area for you with waterfalls, horseback riding, mangrove tours, spice tours, sailing, ziplines, etc.