Costa Rica - 3 kids 7 days help planning trip

Old Jul 8th, 2009, 08:22 AM
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Costa Rica - 3 kids 7 days help planning trip

We are planning a trip to Costa Rica Late Aug 09, 2 adults and 3 kids ( all boys) 8,10 and 12. I have been reading all I can and any advise on what to not to miss is appreciated. We usually take trips to all inclusives in the Carribean where there is unlimited sun and fun at the beach but we are ready to try something different .
So I am thinking 3-4 days of exploring and perhaps 3 days of relaxing.
Here is what I am thinking
Day 1 - fly into SJO ? stay where ?

Day 2 - Rent car drive to Arenal . So far based on the advise here I leaning towards staying at Lost Iguana. They have a package, stay 2 nights get 3rd free. Do I need 3 nights there, is there much to do and see of is 3 nights too much ?

Day 5, 6, 7 - ? MA?


Do we need a car in Arenal ? I understand its between 2 and 3 hrs from SJO but once we are there do we keep or return car? How much rain can we expect late August ?
Thanks in advance for your help .
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Old Jul 8th, 2009, 08:41 AM
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I think your boys will love Arenal. I'd lean more towards Los Lagos for no other reason than the pools for the kids. It's a very family friendly hotel. Lost Iguana seems to be a bit more adult oriented - but I may be wrong. My kids loved Los Lagos, as a matter of fact, of all the places in CR we went, it was their favorite. The rooms are basic, but not expensive at all, but the grounds are great.

We liked the flexibility of having a car since things are fairly spread out in Arenal. It was nice to just head out for food when we wanted. Or decide to drive around the lake or whatever...The roads there are very good and to and from San Jose is a fairly easy drive. My husband found that to be part of the adventure!

Depending on your arrival time into San Jose, you may be able to head right up to Arenal. If not, there are several hotels right around San Jose that many people can recommend. We stayed at Hotel Don Carlos, right downtown and it was nice. We've also stayed at the San Jose Marriott, which is a very nice Marriott, outside of San Jose. Many people seem to like Orquideas Inn as well.

Three nights in Arenal isn't too much. There's a lot to do there. You can do Cano Negro, which is a full day. There's zip lining, the hot springs, Hanging Bridges, horseback riding etc....

It will take about 5 hours to get from Arenal to MA. We stayed at the Tulemar Bungelows there - the Mot Mot Villa is very nice for a family. They have their own private beach and you'll see a lot of monkeys there - right on your deck! We found MA to be our relaxing part of the trip. A lot of beach time and just hanging out.

We went early August last year, and did experience quite a lot of rain. Most days were just an hour or so. We did have one or two days for solid downpours. If I had no other choice as to when we could go back, I'd go back again in August. If I had a choice, I wouldn't plan a trip for August - or the rainy season. We went before in May and it was so much nicer. That being said, we had a blast anyway and my kids loved that trip more than any other we've been on. It was just very, very wet....
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Old Jul 8th, 2009, 09:03 AM
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Thanks I tried checking out the los lagos website but it just seemed so confusing to me that I left. I'll give it another shot, their prices seem more reasonable than Iguana and if we are going to be spending all day out and about I'd hate to spend a lot of money on a room that we will be mostly just sleeping in.
So I guess we will get and keep a car in Arenal.
I plan on taking the boys to the http://skytrek.com/index/index.html sounds like real fun.

Is it worth the 5 hrs from Arenal to MA. I dont want to spend my vacation driving long distances unless the destination is really worth it. I dont mind the drive I just dont want to be packing and unpacking every two nights or so.
If I just stick with Arenal and MA it does not seem so bad though.
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Old Jul 8th, 2009, 11:32 AM
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I agree, Shell, with 3 kids I'd lean towards Los Lagos. Fun for adults too! Not as lux as Lost Iguana, but a fun place, especially for families.

Also, as noted, you will probably experience quite a bit of rain in August, although never predictable. Here's a weather guide site http://costa-rica-guide.com/Weather/WeatherMap.html.

You might have better luck with beach time in Flamingo or Puerto Viejo over Manuel Antonio. A car is nice to have, especially in Arenal. Lot's of things to do there, at least worth 3-4 nights. I haven't been to Flamingo, but love the area around Puerto Viejo.
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Old Jul 8th, 2009, 11:58 AM
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vsntr- I think some type of beach location is worth the drive from Arenal. It's nice to have a split in your vacation. CR has so much to see, so it's great to be able to spend time in more than one location. We hired a driver for the Arenal/MA leg of the trip last time, and felt it actually added to the time it took. We got to see more of the country and it was a very authentic trip - even stopped to have coffee and snacks at the driver's friends home - but it took way too long and if we were to do it in the future we'd drive on our own.

I think if you can get to Arenal the first day, spend 3 nights there, and 3 nights in MA it would be a good split. If you have a later flight home you could possibly go right from MA to the airport instead of having to spend that last night near San Jose. Do you know your flight times yet?
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Old Jul 8th, 2009, 12:58 PM
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I dont know exact flight times yet still working on lowering air faire, but Continental has flights leaving here in the am and getting there at noon, so I might look into driving straight to Arenal. The more I think about it the beach days sound like a great idea. I am checking into the bunglows you recomended, looks really nice on the website.
How long is the drive from MA to San Jose airport for the way back ? There is a return flight I can take at 1 but that means I need to be at the airport at 11 am.
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Old Jul 9th, 2009, 05:06 AM
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vsntr - count on about 3 hrs for drive from MA to SJO. We had a 1:30 flight and left hotel in MA at 8am. Very pleasant drive with some beautiful scenery, but you don't make a lot of time.

We thought we'd have plenty of time and car return was quick, but the security lines that day (Sat) were out the airport door and we had to buy departure tax - so we barely made the flight. One tip - buy departure tax upon arrival so you don't have to hassle with it when you leave.
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Old Jul 9th, 2009, 05:15 AM
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Another tip - at least when we were last there ('07) SJO had a separate customs/security line for families. I forgot what the cut off is (I think 16 or 18), but we couldn't use it since ours were older. But that line was much shorter than the regular lines.

Also, people have reported widely differing experiences with customs and security so it's probably best to plan on more time rather than less.
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Old Jul 12th, 2009, 06:21 AM
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Arenal/MA would be a great combo for you guys. The Lost Iguana is our favorite property. In MA, I'd go with Si Como No or stay on the Buena Vista Villas/Tulemar property.
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Old Jul 13th, 2009, 08:56 AM
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Thanks dfr4848 on the tip regarding departure tax and family line I will keep an eye out for that.
I am thiking Los Lagos at Arenal and the Buena vista vialls for MA , just working out the date and the bookings now.
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Old Jul 13th, 2009, 09:12 AM
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When you arrive at the airport there's also a separate line for Costa Ricans and for visitors; be careful which line you get in. Several people from our plane got in the wrong line and didn't realize it, and then had to go to the end of the visitor line.
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Old Jul 13th, 2009, 01:55 PM
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Thanks volcanogirl I will certainly keep my eye peel for signs at the airport. I am reading yoru trip report and I ust love all the info.
Q seems like you took a cab from airport to Arenal. Did you need a car in Arenal at all? Should I give up the car rental plan and go with driver option. How do you get to the sky trek and cano negro etc from hotel , how about eating dinner how do you get there? walking or cab again?
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Old Jul 16th, 2009, 02:09 PM
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Ok so far here is where we are , I have booked air
we land at SJO about 11 am


Day 1 - drive from SJO - Arenal 11 am arrive 2 pm
lunch enroute ? suggestions ?
Hotel Los Lagos

Day 2 - Hanging bridges in am Chill in pm in hotel pools
Dinner in town ? suggestions ?

Day 3 - Sky tram and sky walk in am . Waterfall in pm ?

Day 4 breakfast an dthen 5 hour drive to MA
Stop at crocodile park on way there
Check into Tulemar bungelows.

Day 5 - Becah chill
Day 6 - Beach chill
Day 7 - breakfast 8 am and drive to airport for noon flight.

Any suggestions for lunch/dinner in Arenal or MA. I'd lve to go to local cusine places as DH and I like to try all types of food. Would be nice if they have some kid friendly food althought rice and beans should work for them.

Also I am still evaluating a car vs driver for our trips. With the kids it seems like having our own car might be much easier to do what we want when we want.
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Old Jul 16th, 2009, 02:45 PM
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I would look into how big a price difference it would be if you picked your car up in SJO (pick up at their offices, not at the airport itself) and dropped it off in SJO versus dropping off in MA as soon as you get there and then getting a driver for the ride MA - SJO. Just a thought as getting around MA is easy and cheap during the daylight hours on the bus, so you may save money that way, not sure! Dinner would depend on if you eat on-site or walk to nearby places or take a taxi every night which then could add up again.

One other thing, I would leave much earlier than 8am if your flight is at noon, I'd leave no later than 6am, 5:30 better.
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Old Jul 16th, 2009, 02:55 PM
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We loved Don Rufino in Arenal/La Fortuna - excellent food. More restauranty than some of the others. Last trip we liked El Novillo for steaks and La Choza de Laurel - both open air places without walls. Definitely do the waterfall; there's a little set of steps off to one side. If you go down them, there's a neat little "beach" with crystal clear water. We had a great casual lunch at the Hanging Bridges a couple of years ago.

In MA, are you going to the park? I'd take a guided hike there; you'll see lots of wildlife. Good restaurants are Ronnie's Place/Mi Lugar, Cafe Agua Azul, Cafe Milagro, Salsipuedes, and Barba Roja.
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Old Jul 16th, 2009, 03:52 PM
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Tully,
I checked with Tri color and I think the only option they gave me was rent in SJO and return in SJO. I can try a different agency and see what a one way car rental will cost me. Flight is actually at 1:45 I am estimating a no later than noon arrival.
Volcanogirl
Thanks for the info on the restaurants I will certainly try some of them out. I'll look into the falls some more. with 3 kids I dont want to over schedule them as DH and kids really just like chilling and I think the Los Lagos property has lots to explore on site for them and I know they will want to be in the pools.

I like the open air no walls restaurnat image.
Cant wait to go now
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Old Jul 17th, 2009, 01:35 AM
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One thing we saw on this trip that I thought was so cute was at dinner one night, a family with three kids was having each of their kids fill out a little journal. The kids were asking, "What else did we see, Mom, monkeys, crocs, parrots?" And then, "How do you spell volcano" etc. They were drawing pictures of everything. I thought it would be a great keepsake for them and good for entertainment if it's raining, etc.

v, a lot of the restaurants are just a cement slab with a roof; I think you'll enjoy it! If you want to eat cheaply, try some of the sodas, good local food. We had a pizza at Soda Parada in La Fortuna.
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Old Jul 17th, 2009, 04:05 AM
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vsntr- Tricolor will let you do a one way rental, you just have to pay a bit more since they have to send someone to pick up your car. Last trip we got our car in San Jose and then they came and got it at Los Lagos. I want to say there was about an $80 charge for that? Can't remember exactly. But if you email them about a one way rental, they will work with you.

My son is a very picky eater and he found something everywhere we went to eat. There's fairly kid friendly options everywhere. Even if it's just grilled chicken and rice. But many places will have pizza or something that will appeal to kids. But I will have to admit in Arenal we went to Burger King for lunch more than once because he was getting tired of the typical CR food and wanted "real chicken nuggets!"

I like v-girl's suggestion of a journal! My kids kept the fold out CR wildlife guides and had the wax pencils and circled all the animals that we'd see. They really liked doing that. I forget where you order the guides - but you can get a whole set of like 6 different ones online. Great for the kids and adults!

When we were in MA, the only thing we did other than the beach at Tulemar was the Damas Mangrove tour and we really liked that. Other than that - we did just as you plan - chill at the beach. The private beach has boogie boards, kayaks, a snack bar (somewhat limited - but still nice!) and it's just a great place to relax with the family!

You'll have a great time!
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Old Jul 17th, 2009, 05:19 AM
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Shell D
where did you get those fold out CR wildlife guides - sounds great. Love the journal idea for kids.
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Old Jul 17th, 2009, 05:23 AM
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We have those i.d. cards too; we ordered them online. Just do a search for Costa Rica animal identification cards and hopefully they'll come up. I used them when we saw some funky things - a tayra I think? It was fun to be able to know what everything is. I'll never forget seeing a coati for the first time - so cute!
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