cougtraveler82

Hello! My husband and I are in our late 20’s and in the midst of planning our first trip to Costa Rica. We are looking at flying into San Jose in late Jan/early Feb 2012, for at least 8 days but could swing up to 12-16 if needed and if our budget allows. We are both very adventurous and are looking for a vacation that offers lots of outdoor activities and adventures, but also some R&R time on a beautiful (preferably semi- secluded) beach. I have spent a lot of time reading through the forums and trying to plan our trip, but I am overwhelmed by all of the information available and don’t know where to start! I am very interested in the Arenal area (we have never seen a Volcano before and the pictures are stunning). We would also love to see local wildlife (monkeys, snakes, and more exotic animals if possible). We absolutely want to do zip lining, hiking, waterfalls, maybe rafting (although we go rafting on Class IV and V rapids at home every summer, so I’m not sure that it would be worth our time in CR since we can easily do it here). We definitely want to spend some time in luxury accommodations and partake in a few spa activities, but are also ok in standard clean rooms in areas where the view/luxury isn’t as important. Our budget excluding airfare is around $4K USD. We have no fears about renting a 4x4 and driving if needed. We don’t mind areas that are “touristy”, but I also don’t want to feel like we are being herded around with masses of other people either. Ideally , we would like to visit Arenal, Monteverde, and the Osa peninsula—but I feel like logistically everything is too far away and we would spend too much of our time driving. Suggestions or alternatives, anyone?

RAC

Semi-secluded beach--try the Ylang Ylang beach resort in Montezuma. It's like being on a deserted island--500m north of town on the beach, no road access, landscaped grounds, regular monkey visits, rooms 50 feet from the ocean, gourmet food, spa/yoga on site You can hike to the nearby waterfall. And you can book a ziplines tour that includes a swim in one of the upper pools of the waterfall, including a Tarzan swing.

Luxury in the Osa is EXPENSIVE. Best wildlife involves the least luxury--Sirena ranger station. We liked Drake Bay. Logistics without flying is a challenge.

There are other volcanos besides Arenal, which isn't even active. Still impressive, but it's a big conical hill/small mountain. If the purpose is to see an active volcano, consider Poas or Irazu--each is a little over 1 hour from San Jose.



Almost as good wildlife (and better birds, IMO) can be found in the Sarapiqui area. About 2.5 hours northeast of San Jose. We saw toucans, monkeys, and parrots with great frequency.

The Pacuare is amazing. Even if you're used to rapids, you're probably not used to traveling through jungle canyons and seeing 100+ foot waterfalls crashing into the river. Well, I envy you if you are used to that . . .

Deb15July

cougtraveler82,
Our CR trip covered the three locations you mentioned...Monteverde, Arenal and Osa. Here are the itinerary details.

Day 1 - Arrived at SJO and traveled to Monteverde with a private driver.
Day 2 - Full day in Monteverde where we did zipline and hanging bridges and a night hike.
Day 3 - Morning hike in Santa Elena Reserve, lunch and then jeep/boat jeep to Arenal.
Days 4 & 5 - Full days in Arenal; weather wasn't great and we never got a totally clear view of the volcano. We were worn out on first day and due to weather we just kind of hung out as we were concerned about hiking on slippery trails. Had a massage and facial and soaked in the hot springs at our hotel. Second day took a full day trip to Cano Negro for a boat ride which included lunch.
Day 6 - Private driver picked us up in Arenal and drove us back to San Jose (with a quick stop at the waterfall for photos) where we spent a night in a B&B outside the city and had a wonderful anniversary dinner at Xandari.
Day 7 - Fly to OSA on Sansa for 3 nights at BDC. Arrived in time for a late lunch and walked around grounds and hung out on our deck overlooking the ocean.
Days 8 & 9 - Hiking on BDC trails and massage for me!
Day 10 - Fly to SJO via Nature Air and stay one night in the Santa Ana area prior to our flight back to the US the next day.
Day 11 - Hang around the B&B in the AM and then off to the airport for our return.

qwovadis

First congrats on your trip...

When I was there last did a round robin

Flew into SJO spirit.com (first class for price of coach)

mapcr.com good map did a round robin Arenal MV Jaco MA Osa

rented a car servicecarrental.com $200/wk headed up to

tabacon.com FREE best hot springs lava view $140/nt last

fondavela.com MV hotelvillacaletas.com Pacific Coast

Costaverde.com(Penthouse CV2) Cunadelagel.com Dominical

Bosquedelcabo.com lookout-inn.com back to SJO

mybeaconescazu.com night B4 flight...

Stayed within your budget and time frame...

Happy Travels there are good folks to help you

if you need it www.lovecostarica.com www.travelexperta.com

2 good ones... Enjoy!

cougtraveler82

Thank you all for your advice and for sharing/suggesting possible itineraries. You have given me a good range of ideas, tours, and places to check into. I'm sure I will be back with many more questions in the weeks ahead!

sylvia3

If you want to head to Osa, maybe give these folks a try:
http://www.osamountainresort.com/