MomInFl

In my original post I mentioned that our family of four (mom, dad, son 15, daughter 18) wanted to try CR in March /April for some adventurous fun. Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned . . . trying again . . .

Hit a glitch for the spring break trip but we're back on track now - planning on CR for 8-9 days in mid-June. Based on all the wonderful advice from everyone we've decided that an Arendal/Manuel Antonio/Pacuare rafting combo is our best bet for a first-time visit. Can I call on you all for a bit more help in fine-tuning our plans? Such as:

Intinerary . . . Any suggestions on how much time to spend in each spot and in which order? Our priority is adventure, wildlife, nature, hiking, etc. Though we'd consider taking in SOME beach time, a little will go a long way since we're coming from Florida (though I know there will be a difference). So does it make sense to spend more time in Arenal - sounds like it may offer more "activiites" for us?

Where's the river . . . I'm not sure where the Pacuare rafting is located but I'm thinking we'll save that for the end (I'm anticipating being a bit sore, based on previous trips, and don't want to spend the rest of my trip popping Motrin). Could this be a day-trip from somewhere?

4-wheeling it . . . We'll be renting a car (though I'm a bit nervous about theft) so we can make our own itinerary but should we plan on doing some of the acivities (i.e. hanging bridges, zip lines) via tours straight from hotels? Also, do we need to book these excursions in advance or it this something we do after we arrive at the hotels?

Viewing a waterfall . . . And what about La Fortuna? Another day-trip from somewhere? Based on posts it sounds like it is a "don't miss" but how much time should we plan on this?

Am I crazy tyring to plan this trip "from scratch" since I'm a CR newby? Would it make more sense to use an agent/tour company (though not our usual style)?

Gee, I just read over my post and I sound totally lost (even though I've been combing through posts until my vision blurred)! Just trying to plan the best trip with the time we have - specially since the first child is leaving for college soon and this may be our last big family trip for a while (sniff, sniff). Really appreciate all your help!

allison04

I haven't rafted, so I can't really say what to do about that or your itinerary.

But about renting a car, have you considered Interbus? We've used them to get around the country before, and we've also driven--both were fine. But if you're nervous about renting a car, it might be worth looking into. (They are vans, not buses.)
https://www.interbusonline.com/

And no, you're not crazy for planning the trip yourself. I did for both of my trips to CR. It's part of the fun, I think, and I wanted to choose everything myself, not leave it up to a travel agent. Good luck, and have fun!

volcanogirl

Most of the river trips are on the Pacuare; they leave out of San Jose. You can either daytrip or do an overnight excursion. Rios Tropicales is popular. You'd be fine to leave that for the end since you have to return to San Jose for flights out anyway.

volcanogirl

There's really no need to sign up for a tour; most people plan everything themselves pretty easily. The hotels can book all your activities for you if you want them to. We booked Eco Termales early just because they fill up and are really popular. I'd recommend doing the Cano Negro tour out of Arenal with Sunset Tours; you will see a lot of wildlife from the boat. La Fortuna has a waterfall you can hike to - I'd allow half a day for that.

qwovadis

www.riostropicales.com best for rafting...

Probably would do Arenal MA and Rafting in that order...

SiteC_er

For ziplinng, waterfall & hiking I recommend Arenal. We loved Skytrek, LaFortuna Waterfall(we did the horse back ride to falls and loved everything but the short amount of time they give you for swimming, etc...aprox 1 hr) & hiking the hanging bridges trail. As mentioned above, Eco Thermales is very enjoyable and the food is pretty good.

For rafting, swimming, and animal sighting I recommend Manuel Antonio. Though the rafting is probably not up to par with Pauare river, there are two rivers very near MA (we did the 1/2 day on the Naranjo). I highly recommend Buena Vista Villas / Tulemar property in MA. They have a great private beach and lots of wildlife on property (we had monkeys on our balcony daily). Enjoy!

PS: There is so much to do that it's hard to make a bad choice. Your kids (and you) will have a blast!!!

MomInFl

The excitement is building . . . So far, we've booked 3 nights at AOL and now I'm working on MA hotel selection. After MA we will head to San Jose for a couple nights so that we can do the rafting before heading home. We've been rafting before so we just can't pass up doing the Pacuare! Reading the posts I've found recommendations for airport-convenient hotels and also rafting pick-up hotels but can I get the best of both worlds? Ideally, I'd like to find a place that will work for both purposes so we don't have to change hotels again after rafting. We have an early flight out (8 a.m.) and a rental car to return so the closer the better. Any suggestions?

hipvirgochick

I like Don Carlos. It's not too far away from SJO and also convenient to city sights if you have any time for that. Rafting companies will pick up there.

volcanogirl

We really liked Grano de Oro; rooms vary from pretty basic to spectacular. They have a great restaurant on site and a rooftop garden with hot tubs. Wonderful service. It's built in an old mansion, so neat architecture. We had them arrange our driver/taxi to the airport. It was about 20 minutes. We had an early morning flight, and it was no problem for us.

MomInFl

Both those hotels look wonderful - the Don Carlos had a room so that worked out nicely. Meanwhile, we've also booked the other hotels (Orquideas first night and Costaverde in MA) thanks to the help from all you CR experts, and the plane tickets are a done deal. Now all we need is a car! Several of you suggested Tricolor so I'll start with them. Are cars usually picked up from an airport location or remotely? Does anyone have any advice on the car rental procedure?