Costa Rica itinerary advice

Old Feb 5th, 1999, 02:07 AM
  #1  
Clare Flynn
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Costa Rica itinerary advice

A girlfriend and I are planning to spend a week in CR in late March. Given the short duration, we are looking for a couple of prime spots. We definitely want to spend a couple of days near the volcano, but after that, we want to chill out on the beach. We're not the conventional backpacking type, but looking for a different and beautiful holiday. Also, I speak Spanish! Any suggestions?
 
Old Feb 8th, 1999, 01:20 PM
  #2  
lisa
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Clare: My boyfriend and I are also planning a weeklong trip to CR for later this year and have done a ton of research (books, maps, websites, etc.) and have talked to numerous friends who have been there in recent years. The common recommendation we have received is to spend a few days around Arenal, Tabacon, Monteverde, etc. and then head down to the Quepos/Manuel Antonio area for the rest of the time, which is on the Pacific coast. One hotel that has come highly recommended from all who stayed there is Si Como No (www.sicomono.com) but there are a lot of options in that area. Good luck!
 
Old Apr 6th, 1999, 04:41 PM
  #3  
Lynn
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Lisa --

Sounds like you have a lot of good advice. Any ideas on transportation between these areas? We're planning a similar trip in December.

 
Old Apr 7th, 1999, 06:05 AM
  #4  
JoAnn
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Buses in Costa Rica are very good, a lot of routes and cheap! Some are direct, and have a/c. Two other sites to check out: www.yellowweb.co.cr/crbuses.html# and the Costa Rica BBS www.casualforums.com/globe/CR_Forum/
 
Old Apr 7th, 1999, 08:40 AM
  #5  
lisa
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Lynn: In answer to your question, to be honest with you, we are still figuring out what to do about transportation. I have talked to people who have rented a car and driven -- some recommend it and some strongly advise against it. Factors to consider seem to be driving in the rainy vs. dry season (by the end of December when you're going I'd guess it should be drier), where you're going (people tell horror stories about roads between Arenal and Monteverde), whether you rent a 4-wheel drive (most recommend it), and whether you speak Spanish (unfortunately, we don't). I have also talked to some folks who have used the bus system and highly recommend it, although I'm having trouble selling my boyfriend on this option because he wants the flexibility of a car at each destination -- even though it sounds like taxi service is widely available. Other options are flying, taking vans or shuttles with other groups, or taking taxis/hiring drivers to drive you from one place to another (which sounds outrageous at first but when you consider that renting a 4WD is about $350/week and hiring a driver varies anywhere between around $50-$80 a day depending on how far you're going, it suddenly seems less crazy -- especially when you figure that you won't have to worry about gas, insurance, etc. One additional advantage of hiring a driver is that they can tell you more about the country and what you're seeing than you would know on your own. Most hotels we have looked into offer to arrange some kind of transportation to/from other parts of the country, for a price.) I think we will probably end up renting a car for at least part of the time. (You may want to check out http://www.centralamerica.com/cr/tran/dollar.htm just as one example, although there are lots of options.) One thing I've noticed is that flights within CR are not too terribly expensive and I know someone who flew the San Jose-Quepos part of his trip and thought that was a good decision. (CR airline webistes: http://www.crdirect.com/sansa/rates.htm, and http://www.crica.com/special/travelair.html.) I also know someone who took the bus between Quepos and San Jose and said it was one of his favorite parts of the whole trip -- inexpensive, easy, and fun because of the other passengers he met.

I would also be interested to hear what you're planning and any recommendations from other travellers. In terms of our itinerary, we have about two weeks and are thinking about staying two nights at Tabacon near Arenal (http://www.centralamerica.com/cr/hotel/tabacon.htm), and two nights somewhere near Monteverde -- we are considering the Monteverde Lodge (http://www.crexped.co.cr/monteverde.html), Hotel Fonda Vela (http://centralamerica.com/cr/hotel/fondavel), or El Sapo Dorado (http://www.cool.co.cr/usr/sapodorado/reserv.html). Then we would like to drive down to the Pacific coast. We are thinking about first staying a couple of nights at Villa Caletas (http://www.centralamerica.com/cr/hotel/caletas.htm) which is near Carara Biological Reserve not far from Jaco (although we don't really plan to spend any time in Jaco because we haven't heard such great things about it). Then we will probably drive down to Manuel Antonio/Quepos for a few days -- we are considering Makanda-by-the-Sea (http://www.makanda.com/) or Si Como No (http://www.crica.com/hotels/sicomono.html). We are considering flying down to the Osa Peninsula for a few days at the end of our trip, which seems to be the best option for getting there because it is so remote. The place we are thinking of staying there is Lapa Rios, which looks absolutely amazing (http://www.centralamerica.com/cr/hotel/laparios.htm). If we need to stay for a night or two in or near San Jose at the beginning or end of our trip, we are thinking of either Hotel Grano de Oro in San Jose (http://www.centralamerica.com/cr/hotel/granoro.htm) and/or Vista del Valle in Grecia which is closer to the airport (http://www.centralamerica.com/cr/hotel/vvalle.htm). All of these are places that have been recommended to by others who have been there, although if anyone has contrary opinions about any of them I would certainly be interested in hearing them.
 
Old Aug 19th, 1999, 11:10 PM
  #6  
scharle
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We stayed in Hotel Grano de Oro in San Jose. We liked it very much, but we would recommend Finca Rosa Blanca in San Jose over Grano de Oro. Finca is more expensive, but definitely worth the extra money. The food is out of this world and the location is much more serene. Treat yourself.
 
Old Aug 30th, 1999, 07:41 PM
  #7  
pete
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I recommend traveling as much as possible...we flew from San Jose to Manuel Antonio, $35RT a 20 minute flight,
stayed at Si Como No, excellent experience. Also rented a 4wd and drove around a week or so, next trip we will take a few bus rides, I want to go everywhere, but can't do it all in one trip. Visa del Valle was real nice, plus very knowledgable friendly hosts, Hotel Grano de Oro best food in Costa Rica...
 

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