First time CR intinerary help

Old Jun 25th, 2016, 10:27 PM
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First time CR intinerary help

So I apologize and advance for the lengthy post…My husband and I, and our two daughters (8 & 10), are planning on traveling to Costa Rica (10 days, possibly 11) for the first time. I've done a bit of research and have two itineraries in mind, but am finding myself torn. At this point I'm looking for any feedback or logistical considerations; anything that might sway me.

A couple things I've tried to keep in mind when researching: We don't mind driving, but would like to break up any rides longer 2-3 hours and don't want to feel like we spent too much time on the road. Also, I want us to be more "unplugged" than at home and get a feel for the country (so Airbnb, private homes that are open to nature/wildlife viewing are a lot more appealing than a hotel with all bells and whistles).

1: arrive SJO (8 am) drive to La Paz for the day, stay in Poas (I know it's backtracking a bit, but there's an Airbnb in Poas that looks nice and fits our budget), day 2: hopefully an early morning glimpse of Poas volcano and on to Arenal. 3-4 days in Arenal. Then to Manuel Antonio 3-4; stopping to stretch at Rio Tarcoles.

2: arrive LIB (am) drive to Arenal (3-4 days). Drive to La Virgen (1-2 nights on ecosustainable farm of Tico family). Continue on to Puerto Viejo de Talamanaca area (3-4 days). Fly home out of SJO.

From what I read, itinerary 1 is a very do-able, common, first-timer itinerary with a pretty relaxed pace. MA seems to be one of the easiest places to spot wildlife (which is very important to us) and I know our girls would love seeing wildlife while on beaches. Problem is accommodations in MA seem more expensive and something keeps drawing me to the Caribbean coast--Less touristy, cheaper and more unique accommodations with nature/wildlife right in your backyard, jaguar rescue center (instead of or in addition to Proyecto Asis in Arenal), possible BriBri tour, also seems to be more options for horseback riding on the beach (a must), chocolate tours (although we could do one in Arenal).

That said, we'd be giving up Poas and I keep hearing you don't want to miss MA. I also don't know if PV itinerary will feel too rushed or like too much driving given the roads and I want to be mindful of any safety concerns since we're traveling with little ones. I guess I just don't want to be led by my heart and a vision of something I have in my head, when I've never been there and don't really know what to expect! Any feedback is appreciated as I need to make a choice and book!
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Old Jun 26th, 2016, 10:08 AM
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We do an overnight flight that arrives about 8 AM and honestly I can't imagine driving anywhere after that! We spent our first night at the Toucan Rescue Ranch which is about 30 min from the airport and is definitely an up-close nature encounter. We did go to Poas, but we didn't get to see it because of weather. We ended up visiting the Peace Lodge just with a day pass. Very touristy, but beautiful. We stayed at a place called Hotel Altura which is really a guest house on a family's property with friendly donkeys and dogs, playgrounds, fire pits, views, and playhouses. We didn't do anything else in the area, but it was cold there! I'm not sure if that's common in July.
We also took kids to MA. It is very nice and an easy place to take children. We swam on the beach, did horse back riding in the rainforest, hiked. We stayed at Costa Verde where we had monkeys right outside our door every morning as we drank coffee.

We are taking our crew to the Carribean side next month, so I can't help you with that yet.
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Old Jul 2nd, 2016, 04:46 PM
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OK, let me see if I can help. I have lived in Costa Rica for 3 years. I live about 45 minutes from Arenal. You are planning your trip during our rainy season. So don't waste your 3 or 4 days. Return in March or April, stay at the tree top inn, hot springs for $4 a day near Aguas Zarcus. La Fortuna Waterfall, and Rio Celeste, are all a days drive.

If arriving in Liberia, head over to the coast near Volcun Rincon. You will be able to zipline, jungle hikes, volcanic mud baths.

The Caribbean side is VERY TOURISTY. You will see a side of Costa Rica that many Tico's struggle with. Drugs are prevalent, and the pushers have no problem following you down the streets or approaching you in restaurants. Upon saying that, I LOVE Cahuita, you can walk along the beach and into the National Park. Bound to see sloth, morpho but wear hiking boots.

Hope this helps. And by the way...you can get a bus to just about anywhere here
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Old Jul 2nd, 2016, 06:36 PM
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We love Tulemar Bungalows in Manuel Antonio; they have their own beach, and we saw tons of wildlife right on the property including sloths, monkeys, and an aracari. Love that we had our own kitchen for keeping breakfast stuff on hand and keeping drinks cold, etc. Your kids would love the La Paz Waterfall Gardens when you go to Poas; they have an aviary, ranarium, hummingbirds you can hand feed, and five beautiful waterfalls on site that you can hike to.
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Old Jul 10th, 2016, 03:48 AM
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I should have mentioned that we are traveling in the end of February 2017 so we shouldn't be in the rainy season. Tatty, I had been looking at the tree top inn. It was just what we were looking for in terms of something different. A was also considering Los Lagos. While it is much more traditional hotel style, I did like the idea of being in view of the volcano while relaxing at the hotel. You mentioned Volcun Rincon area, but wouldn't that put us further from Arenal than our arrival point at Liberia? I'm hoping to break up the drives for the kids. It also looks like it would give us some of the same activities as we could get in Arenal and would be pretty dry in February? I would like to have a bit of beach time on the end of our trip and liked the idea of going to the Caribbean side for a different experience, (and staying with a family on their farm en route),but am still wondering if we are missing something if we go to the Caribbean side instead of Manuel Antonio. We were not looking at PV proper, but as you mentioned Cahuita, or even further south in Punta Uva or Manzanillo. Again, any input is appreciated!!
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Old Jul 10th, 2016, 05:08 AM
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It is amazing to be in full view of the volcano, and you would be much closer to any activities that you wanted to do. Los Lagos is very popular with young families, as is Silencio del Campo. There are some nice things to do in the Arenal area - the waterfall hike is gorgeous, and you can swim in the river there, the Mistico Hanging Bridges that has gorgeous volcano views when the weather cooperates, the Penas Blancas river float, the Cano Negro tour to see wildlife like monkeys, sloths, caimans, and water birds, plus lots of adventure activities - ziplining, rafting. The Proyecto Asis animal rescue center is great; we were able to help feed monkeys and toucans there. We also really like the Toucan Rescue Ranch that flor mentioned; you get your own little casita with its own kitchen and bathroom and get to have breakfast with baby sloths. We were the only ones there when we did it.
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Old Jul 10th, 2016, 08:40 PM
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Thank you for the info everyone. I booked a flight into LIB and out of SJO. Any thoughts, given my above considerations about driving with kids and what we are hoping to experience during our visit...? From Arenal, would people travel onto Manuel Antonio or the Caribbean side of the country?
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Old Jul 11th, 2016, 09:20 AM
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Most people would go to Manuel Antonio; it's a pretty popular area to take young families. It's just easier, has great infrastructure, easy access to wildlife, and great beaches. Might not be what you're looking for though since you seem to want something less touristed. You could also look at some of the Guanacaste beaches since you decided to fly into Liberia.

Selva Verde is another nice spot; it's in the Sarapiqui area. Lots of wildlife on site, hiking, right on a pretty river.
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Old Jul 21st, 2016, 10:33 AM
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So,we just got back yesterday from 7 days on the Caribbean side (plus La Fortuna), and it was definitely not as touristy as other areas we've been to. We were in Manzanillo/Puerto Viejo area and it was less touristy than say Manual Antonio or La Fortuna. The roads were rougher, less bugs, less access to tours. There are lots of travelers in PV itself, but that was it. We were there during the low season, but it doesn't have the same infrastructure for tourism as the Pacific coast. It was wilder in good ways and bad (like rougher ocean and many, many more biting/stinging insects that we have experienced on the Pacific). It was quite an adventure. Maybe too much! I honestly wish we had done more time in La Fortuna and just a few days in Manzanillo since we were travelling with small children.
The Jaugar Rescue place was neat to see, but at the Toucan Rescue Ranch you get to sleep there and listen to the animals. You get the run of the place after hours. It's a pretty neat experience.
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Old Jul 21st, 2016, 10:35 AM
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* should have said more bugs, not less. And I'm not being too wimpy-- I mean bullet ants and scorpions
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Old Jul 21st, 2016, 11:59 AM
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Welcome back, flor - glad to hear about your experiences.
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Old Jul 21st, 2016, 12:09 PM
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Agree. I did not get the comment about the Carribean side being more touristy. Basic infrastructure and accommodations. No fancy resorts . I got eaten by the bugs there also
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