First time to Costa Rica-- seeking help

Most people do Arenal combined with Manuel Antonio for their first trip. I would do an even split between the two. If you have an early flight out, you might have to spend your last night near SJO. If you go to popular tourist areas like that you don't have to drink bottled water. The only time we've ever had to do that was on the Osa because it's so isolated. We've had several trips and have never gotten sick from food or water like we have in Mexico. For an ideas of costs, we've paid $120 to go from SJO to Arenal and $180 to go from Arenal to MA. Interbus is a popular alternative that's more affordable. They have a good website.

My husband and I spent five weeks in CR in spring of 2004 --- two weeks in the Manual Antonio area, two weeks in Nicoya, and about a week in Arenal-Monteverde. We rented a car in San Jose, so were able to come and go as we pleased. Public transportation is not good in the part of CR you will visit. You might reconsider that as an option. If you're staying in hotels, they may be able to provide you with drivers. You will also be there doing the rainy season, so the roads may be muddy.

We stayed in condos for the first four weeks and did our own shopping and cooking for many of our meals. ATMs at that time were hard to find --- long drives to towns big enough to have a bank. Some places are open only on alternate days, so check before you head out.

We stayed at Tabacon Resort while in the Arenal area for 3-4 days and enjoyed it a great deal --- pools of water heated by the volcano to different temperatures and waterfalls to sit under for a warm water massage. At night we could watch the molten lava slithering down the mountainside while we dined.

Since you will be nearby, I'd recommend Monteverde. It's cool and moist, the only remaining habitat of the resplendent quetzal. It was settled by Alabama Quakers in the 1950's. We stayed at a lovely place called Fonda Vela, peaceful and quiet. The town of Santa Elena nearby has zip lines over the rain forest so you can get a bird's eye view of the ecosystem.

Although CR says it's water is potable, we never drank water from the tap. We never do, even in Europe. Bottled water can be purchased in little markets in the various towns. If you're staying in a hotel, I'm sure they'll sell it to you at a higher price than the little markets.

Costa Rica is a beautiful country and the people are very pleasant. The government has done much to preserve its natural resources. I hope you enjoy your trip. Pura vida!

Jayne, I forgot to mention that we love the Lost Iguana in Arenal; it's a beautiful hotel with wonderful volcano views and lush landscaping. For a more affordable place, Silencio del Campo gets good reviews. Not sure what your budget would be...

Thanks, volcanogirl and indianapearl. I will look up Manual Antonio and Monteverde.

Do you arrange transporation ahead of time through your hotel or on your own? How do you pay for it? I read on one Website that U.S. money is widely accepted, but I'd like to have a plan.

We stayed at Fonda Vela in Monteverde also. Monteverde is a good spot for bird watchers; we saw some pretty quetzals there. It can also get quite cool there. We wore sweatshirts and fleece jackets in the evenings.

We booked the drivers when we booked the hotels; you just tell them you need a driver from city A to city B and ask how much they would charge. It's really convenient to go that route; the driver will be waiting for you at the airport carrying a sign with your name on it. Also you can set your own pickup times. Interbus requires you to be a little more flexible, but lots of people use it and love it. Within towns, taxis are usually pretty easy to get - just have the hotel or restaurant call for you, and they'll show up pretty quickly.

As far as paying, the hotel usually just charges for our drivers along with our hotel bill on our credit card; we have had drivers that preferred cash, so we've also done that. U.S. dollars have always been accepted everywhere we've gone. We've never exchanged our money.

I agree that Interbus is easy and convenient. I've been to CR twice, using a combination of renting a car and Interbus each time. I'd also recommend a combination of Arenal (seeing the lave coming down the volcano is amazing!) and Manuel Antonio (pretty beaches and lots of monkeys and other wildlife).

However, I've been to these 2 places and Monteverde in the rainy season, and I wouldn't go back to Monteverde in the rainy season--although it was beautiful, it was just too rainy and muddy the whole time we were there. In Arenal and Manuel Antonio, the rain didn't stop us from doing much (it sort of rains for a while and then stops). I don't want to knock MV, because it's amazing, but I'd choose to go there another time of year.

We drank bottled water most of the time but weren't super careful (we drank things with ice in them, etc.) and we were fine.

Good luck planning, and have a great time!

Great information...here's another question:
Is Monteverde a possibility as a day trip from Arenal?

Jayne,

No, MV is at least 2 1/2 - 3 hours each way if you do the boat-jeep-boat transfer, 4 hours or so driving. MV is wonderful, but deserves at least 2-3 nights on its own.

There is so much to do in Arenal, don't waste your time trying to do a day trip to MV. Do make sure you go to Eco Termales, Cano Negro, Hanging Bridges at Arenal. Sky Trek is considered one of the best ziplines in the country.

Don't know your budget but Arenal Paraiso is very nice with reasonable rates, has its own hot springs and zipline.

OK-- scratch the day trip to MV. indianapearl, I looked at Fonda Vela--nice and reasonably priced.

volcano girl, I did see Lost Iguana and it's beautiful, although a little high for a room with a king bed, which would be nice for a couple. ($225 plus tax.)

I got a great rate quote for Arenal Observatory Lodge, but after researching am worried it would be a drag without a car, trying to get into town for tours. Any suggestions on whether to find another place closer to Fortuna that still has decent volcano views?


Hubby suggested splitting the trip three ways between Arenal, Monteverde and Manuel Antonio. Is that too much running around?

Decisions, decisions...thnks so much for your input.

It would be too much running around for me. I'd pick Arenal plus one other location. Monteverde if you want cool temps and birding or MA if you want hot temps with beach time.

Lost Iguana was running a special when I booked it - go me! AOL is a long bumpy ride from town, but the volcano views are supposed to be wonderful. Did you check out Silencio del Campo?

There are a lot of places around the volcano with volcano views, the difference with AOL and Lost Iguana is that you have chance of lava views. We've stayed at a couple different places and highly recommend Silencio del Campo. The bungalows are really nice, the grounds are beautiful and they have their own hot springs. Plus they are locally owned and convenient location for tours. One thing that doesn't get mentioned much, that I really enjoyed outsdide of the regular adventure tours is the cultural tour with Desafio. It's nice to include that with all the other adrenaline/adventure things for some balance. Plenty to do in the area for 3-4 night easily.

Agree to skip Monteverde as a day trip, too much travel time. But, MA could be a good choice for you or another beach location. Interbus is a good way to get from place to place if you don't have a car.

I would spend 3-4 nights in each location and then depending on when your flight leaves maybe last night near SJO. The ATM's might not be plentiful, but I would just always ask a taxi to make a stop when I needed one if there wasn't one obvious, and it was never a problem. I've always been fine drinking tap water, but I have an iron stomach.

Yes, I did check that out and it looks nice and pretty reasonable. It seems much closer to town, too...

Yes, not sure how important a lava view is to you, but if you just want a volcano view, there are plenty of places with that. Check out the map at www.arenal.net.

The other major benefit of the AOL is the fabulous wildlife and hiking. Crazy numbers of exotic birds, and you never know what you'll see on the trails--we saw a jaguarundi and a kinkajou.

Manual Antonio is very touristy. Depending on your philosophy, you may or may not like it. Do you want to do beaches? We very much enjoyed the Nicoya area. I think there is much more development since we were there.

Yes, we would like to spend the last part of the trip at a beach. Seems there are plenty of beaches and we did consider staying somewhere near the Liberia area so we could catch a flight back to San Jose and save time on our last day. I'd rather not have to spend the last night in San Jose if possible.

You guys are really helping me get a handle on things. Thanks!

Hi Jayne-
We are going to CR for our first time in 6 DAYS!!!! we are so psyched! We are both teachers and so we did TONS and TONS of research. I felt like I was volcano girls friend by the time I was done reading all of her recs. We decided to go to Arenal (AOL) for 2 nights and then we are heading to Samara on the Nicoya peninsula. We chose AOL over lsot iguana simply for the fact of how close to the volcano it is. We figured if we were going to be that close to a live volcanow..we wanted to feel it rumble. We made all our travel arrangements through interbus and reservations online. Being the rainy season, we didn't want to be the ones driving on those roads. Everything has (so far) been incredibly easy! interbus is taking us from the the airport to arenal then to samara then back to the sanjose for one relaxing night at Xandari (thanks Volcanogirl...she always recommends that place!) we return at the end of june and we will be happy to let you know how it was...if you are intereted.

Heck yes I would be interested, CRnewbies! I am leaning toward AOL lodge at this point as well. I will look into Xandari...

Hi, I am heading to Costa Rica with my family on July 15th for two weeks. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with Las Lagos hotel in Arenal? It looked like it would be a lot of fun for the kids, but I don't see anyone mentioning it on this forum.

Also can you tell me if you used Malaria meds before during and after? My pediatrician is recommending it.

Thanks

Los Lagos gets high recommendations here from those traveling with children since there are several pools and kids have a blast there.

I have never used any Malaria meds in my Costa Rica travels, nor have most people on this forum. I think most people do what they are most comfortable with and follow their doctor's advice, especially if they are bringing their children. I think, too, it depends on what part of the country you are in - Arenal has a very low risk, but always use insect spray. I forgot one day and got chewed up by something at Tirimbina, never felt a bite, but had huge welts on my legs for days. Not pretty...

acdana, Los Lagos gets raves from kids; they have a lot to do on their property and kids love their pools and hot springs like colibri said. Hipvirgochick stayed there with her daughter, and they enjoyed it. The rooms aren't fancy, but they look clean and comfortable. We don't take malaria meds when we go, but it's up to you and your physician. We do wear mosquito repellent every day.

We stayed at Los Lagos last year and it was a great place for families. I was traveling as a single mom with 11 year old and it was really easy to meet people, plus lots of kids for my daughter to hang out with. The pools are great, especially the hot spring fed one with slide (and swim up bar you can get cocktails, smoothies, etc.) There's also a pretty thrilling slide into one of the cold pools. We stayed in the most basic room and it was clean and spacious and had everything we needed. They do have other "extras" on site too.

I don't think I ever mentioned this in my trip report, but I met LARRY DAVID and his daughters and some other family members there. They were all so great and loud and bought drinks in pineapples for me!

We always wear DEET because the mosquitoes love us. As long as we keep that on we do pretty well.

Hey all,

I finally booked one thing -- a driver to take us from the airport to the Arenal area. I'm reconsidering AOL due to the distance from town and was considering volcanogirl's suggestion for Silencio Del Campo How much will I miss by not book a "lava" view hotel?

Also, has anyone stayed at La Pradera? It gets pretty good reviews on Tripadvisor and is very reasonably priced.

If you wanted to, you could always do a volcano hike. We did one with Sunset Tours, and they take you to the best viewing spot. Unfortunately, sometimes the whole volcano is enveloped in fog, and you wouldn't even know there's a volcano there.

So, volcanogirl, are you saying that even if I get a "lava" view hotel, I might not be able to see the volcano due to clouds?

Also, just how scary are zip lines???

Yep, that's what I'm saying. Some people stay several days and never even see the volcano or only see the bottom of it. You could have a clear view every night or maybe go your entire trip without getting to see it. I just wanted to give you a heads up so you wouldn't be disappointed - hopefully you'll get a clear view, but there are no guarantees.

We were scheduled to do Sky Trek, but they had a lightning storm and wouldn't let us go, so we did the Original Canopy Tour in Monteverde. It was really fun, but honestly I wish it had been a little more thrilling. I was nervous before we went, but after we did one line, it was just really easy and fun. Ours had some repels that we didn't know about going in. One was off a 100 foot platform, and the guide told us to do it with no hands because it was more fun; we just let go and sailed to the ground - that was really fun! The lines at Sky Trek are higher and longer, so I think those would be pretty thrilling. There are a few others to choose from as well.

Well heck then, I'm not going to go out of my way for lava! I'd rather be closer to town and the tour opportunities. I think it costs about $25 one-way for a taxi from AOL to La Fortuna and that could be better used exploring.

There's this misty fog that rolls in and enshrouds everything. We had a weird experience at El Novillo in town one night. We didn't even know we were near the volcano because it was so foggy, and then all of a sudden there was this huge rumble right behind the fogbank. It sounded like a rocket taking off or like a T Rex was going to come charging out of the fog; we wouldn't have even know there was a volcano there without the noise! We also did the Hanging Bridges hike and came out in this spot that had a marker that said it was a fabulous volcano viewing point, and all we saw was fog - lol.

On our first trip to Arenal, we had great viewing every night from our balcony at the Lost Iguana. I just loved sitting in the rocking chairs out there with my husband. We watched it for hours. Unfortunately, you can't predict it.

Jayne

IMO, watching a lava flow, is one the highlights not only of a CR tour, but of one's litime experinces

Obsevatory (AOL) is probably the best place for that
(Though follow closely the opdates as scientists expect some volcanic activity)
http://ticotimes.com/costa-rica/arenal-volcano-smoking-vapor-level-3-alert

One possibility is staying in town and take a taxi/tour at night, trying to "hunt" a flava flow:
some drive on the AOL road
others go thw dam - see this link
http://www.igougo.com/story-s1353180-Arenal_Volcano-Lava_Viewing_at_Arenal_Volcano.html

aby

sorry
lifetime experinces

One time we were just riding in a taxi, and the driver said to check out the volcano; we glanced over and got to see the orange flow and rocks tumbling down. It really is amazing if you get to see it. Sometimes it sounds like a huge thunderstorm is approaching.

I'll put my pitch in for Silencio del Campo. It is an absolutely lovely place to stay. Beautiful grounds, has it's own hot springs, spacious bungalows, wonderful local owners (they treat you like family). Would definitely stay there again.

arrgh-- I feel like I am between a rock and a...volcano! I love the idea of being close to it! But it would be so much more practical to be somewhere that's easier (and cheaper) to get to town and all the tours.

Thanks for the links, aby. Very interestingn about the alert increase from 2 to 3 for Arenal volcano. Makes it more exciting!

Volcanogirl, how long are the canopy tours? This is a stupid question, but are there any bathroom facilities along the way at any of them, including Hanging Bridges? Gotta plan for everything! hehe

Great info, yall, thanks a zillion!

Our canopy tour was a couple of hours - depends on how crowded it is and how many zip lines they have. I think ours did have a bathroom at the office where you check in, but nothing along the trails; we were just hiking out in the jungle/woods. The Hanging Bridges has a place to buy tickets, a gift shop, and a pretty good restaurant/snack bar, so I would think they would have a bathroom there although we didn't use it. I don't think there were any facilities along the trails that I remember. We had lunch there, and I remember thinking it would just be hot dogs or something along those lines, but we had good casados and yummy fruit batidos there.

Hanging Bridges has bathroom facilities at the ticket office/gift shop area, but nothing that I saw along the trail. We spent about two hours, stopped for monkey and trogon sightings and lots of photos, so we took our time.

I did the Arenal Paraiso zipline where you hike up to the top of the mountain (10-15 minutes from hotel), then you have 11 platforms that you zip to, no walking or hiking to the next platform, no climbing towers or steps other than the first one. Definitely no bathroom facilities up there! There were 11 people in the group I was in and you wait for each person to arrive at the platform before the 1st guide goes on to the next one. It took us a good 2 1/2 hours, lots of waiting! The best one is towards the end when you fly down over the river.

If it helps any, when you're at Silencio even though you are more toward the base of it, it's smack dab in front of you. Practically seems right across the street. So, it's not like you're not close to it!

Same with Arenal Paraiso - the volcano is directly across from you - unless the clouds are so thick that you can't see the cabin next door! Paraiso has great little front porches with rockers to sit out and watch it, but it is not on the active side. I think only AOL and Lost Iguana will give you the active views.

How close is Silencio del Campo to town? I was thinking about spending a couple of nights at AOL and then a couple more at a place convenient to tours.

It's very close to town and just a couple miles past Eco-Thermales hot springs if you plan on going there.

jayne, I think that sounds like a good solution if you don't mind moving. Silencio is in a good location.

Thanks, volcanogirl!

A close friend of my just returned from Costa Rica last week. Torrential rains kept him from doing lots of things. Have some rain cancellation plans available.

No problem, Jayne. hip is the expert on Silencio del Campo, and she won't steer you wrong.

That's a shame, Carolyn - do you know what areas they were visiting?

That's the part I'm having such a hard time wrapping my head around -- the fact that there will be rain! I can't seem to realize that. What's the best kind of rainwear to take? I imagine hot and wet makes you not want to wear a jacket. Would rain slickers be OK?

We take those little ponchos that fold up into a small zippered pouch - got them cheaply at Target. We have worn them so many times. A lot of the hotels provide umbrellas, but they're a hassle to carry around.

Looks like you have gotten Great advice--I have been to Costa Rica 6 times -my kids will not go to Hawaii anymore -- you will love it-- I have been to Samara and the beaches there are lovely but MA is even prettier. We stayed at the costa verde -ask to be by the pool -the view is heaven. Rain ponchos are fine alot of tours will lend them - Rain can be hard in July in MA but it's just water enjoy it-zip lines are FUN. Another great place is Rincon de la Vieja - Buena Vista Lodge -in the mountains great horseback riding- more typical CR lodging- real CR food -no worries about the water never never been sick!!! Enjoy your first trip and plan your next as you go. ps on Monteverde --it's a really slow road to get there I would not reccomend trying to make a quick trip of that.

ticatrip-- I saw Costa Verde online and was very attracted to it. Someone also mentioned a beach town called Punta Leona. Anyone know anything about that?

Getting closer to the trip and I have a couple more questions:
1. Is there an ATM in the San Jose airport that we can stop at after we get off the plane?

2. Is it easy (and how expensive) to get a cab from San Jose Pavas to the main airport?

Thanks!

Hi,

I'm trying to plan my honeymoon to Costa Rica in September, but I don't know where to start. There are so many variables that I'm going crazy!

September is in the wet season, but not the whole country is wet. So I have to try to see which parts are not as rainy. But then those parts might not correspond with what I want to plan.

I guess the only thing I can ask of you guys is if you can give me a rough plan of the areas I should go to, from arrival to departure.

It will be about mid-September and last about 8-10 days.

Here are things I would want the two of us to do:

1. zip-lining and canopy tour
2. hike through a rain forest (this could be combined with 1, probably)
3. hike near or at least see the volcano, and bathe in the springs and waterfalls it produces
4. have at least 2 or 3 days/nights at a beach resort -- this is more for the fiance than for me, because she needs time to just relax and do nothing after the hectic lead up to the wedding
5. hang out in some non-tourist locale where we can at least see local life, not tailored for foreigners

6. *Bonus* Not empty my savings account.

Am I dreaming in trying to plan all this? Thanks for any help you can give.

You should think about the Guanacaste beaches more than Manuel Antonio, because they are a lot closer to Arenal and the climate is drier--very important for that time of year. We go to Costa Rica every year, and our family's absolute favorite place is the Flamingo Beach Resort. The beach there is absolutely gorgeous, the hotel staff is so friendly and wonderful, the hotel is bright, clean and with great amenities, and while it is not in a busy, hectic place like Tamarindo, there is a lot to do nearby--there's even an ATM machine in the village!!

jayne,

I just got back from Costa Rica last night and had meant to look for an ATM at SJO when we initially arrived. Of course, I totally forgot to actually do that, so I'm no help although I'm pretty sure I've read that they have one there!

There were a handful of taxis available at Pavas when we landed 2 days ago, so I don't think you'll have any problem grabbing one. We paid a cab 18$ to go from SJO to a San Jose hotel that's about 10 minutes away from Pavas, so you should be in that general ball park to go between the airports. Maybe plan on 20-25$...

So you're going straight from Pavas to catch a flight home? Just be sure you allow ample time to get to SJO. Traffic in San Jose can be crazy and congested, and lines at the airport can be long. I think it would normally take 30 minutes or so to travel between the two airports, but you'd want to add padding just in case.

PokerGreen,

You may want to write a separate post (if you haven't already done so) to ask your questions. You'll get better traffic if you start your own thread. September is unfortunately a pretty rainy time of year for Costa Rica. Guanacaste may work out okay for most of what you want to do. Also look into the Caribbean side which should be drier than other parts of the country. The southern and central pacific beaches will probably be very rainy indeed!

we are also going to CR for the first time. We've already booked two nights in San Jose at Finca Rosa Blanca in the Rosa suite. Can anyone recommend which volcano we should drive to go see? We will have a SUV rental car. We are here for 2 1/2 days.
We are then driving to Issimo Suites at Manuel Antonio. We will also be here two nights - 2 1/2 days. We are then driving back late to San Jose so we will be close to the airport for our early flight out. I would love to hear what someone recommends we do. Thanks so much in advance.

Hi Patricia,

You might also want to do a separate post to get more traffic and responses. but here's a few suggestions:

Poas will be the closest volcano to visit. You'll want to get there early in the day for the best opportunity to view the crater, as clouds typically move in to block the view by around 10:00-ish. You won't see lava flow at Poas, but the crater is really cool and the countryside around there is beautiful. You could pair Poas with a visit to La Paz Waterfall Gardens which is a gorgeous place with natural waterfalls, hiking trails, gardens, butterfly house and hummingbirds galore. It's close to Poas national park and a terrific choice for first time visitors to Costa Rica.

In MA, you'll want to spend time at the national park (which is closed on Mondays, FYI). The park has lots of wildlife, hiking and some really pretty beaches. I recommend a guided tour initially to learn about the flora and fauna, and then you can just wander at your own pace. There are several other activities in that area as well; mangrove tours, ziplines, horseback riding, fishing, sailing, etc... Your hotel will likely have a tour desk to help arrange whatever strikes your fancy.

MA is really easy to get around and has several good dining options so it's a nice choice for first time visitors as well. Enjoy!

Thanks so much. I am not sure how to do a separate post. Maybe I'll figure it out. You've been helpful though. Thanks!

Thanks cmerrell, for your tips. We have hired a driver to take us from SJO to Arenal, and he said he will direct us to an ATM at the airport or stop somewhere on the way. We have a good cushion of time to get from Pavas to SJO on the way home, and the same driver will take us for $20.

Glad to know MA is closed on Monday. Luckily, our plans are to be in route there on a Monday, so that works out perfectly.

So far we have booked the first two nights at AOL, and have three more nights before we head to MA. We had planned to spend those three nights in the LaFortunua area at lodging closer to town for easy access to tours and other activites. Does that sound reasonable?

We are missing Monteverde, but I am concerned about spending too much time moving from place to place and also heard Monteverde is really wet and muddy in July.

Any thoughts?

The MA/Arenal itinerary is terrific for first time visitors. I think you'll be very pleased with those 2 locations.

If you look at the map on arenal.net, you can get the basic lay of the land for where the various hotels are located.

http://www.arenal.net/arenal-costa-rica-map.htm

AOL is a bit of a haul into town, especially if you don't have a car, so splitting your time between 2 hotels makes some sense. I don't know much about the hotels right in La Foruna, but have heard great things about Silencio del Campo and Los Lagos which are both just a few minutes outside of town and wouldn't be bad from a transportation standpoint.

Giving Monteverde a miss this time around probably makes sense. If you completely fall in love with CR like so many of us here have done, you'll pick that locale up on a future trip!

Great! Now I'm getting down to details. We are going to get some local money at the ATM when we get there. Any suggestions as to how much we should get?

Are you traveling from the U.S.? If so, you really don't need to start out with local currency unless you really just want the experience of using it. Most places will readily accept accept U.S. dollars. You will frequently get change back in colones, although sometimes you'll get USD back as well. Many ATMs will dispense in either USD or colones.

Taking along several small U.S. bills (1s, 5s) is useful for tipping and incidentals. You can typically pay for bigger ticket items like tours with a CC if you like.

I've never bothered to get colones on any of my 3 trips to CR, and have never had issues with just using USD. If you were really going off the beaten track, it might be more useful to carry local currency, but for Arenal and MA, you won't have any trouble. It becomes a matter of personal preference at that point...

Your trip is coming up fast isn't it? Have a great time!

I usually carry both colones and U.S. The thing is, depending on what you're buying or where you're buying it, you might be paying 500 colones to the dollar when the exchange rate is actually 585 to the dollar, for example. This can add up over time, but usually vendors, restaurants, stores, etc., are pretty fair on the exchange rate so it's up to you. As cmerrell noted, always keep small bills and coins on hand.

Thanks for the money tips. I was also wondering how much to tip the private driver who will take us from San Jose to Arenal, and if we should tip Interbus drivers.

jayne, how much will it cost for you to have a private driver to arenal? i am considering whether to rent a car or not.

We are paying $150, which from what I can tell is pretty average.

We just made the trip from SJO to Arenal; we paid $140. We tipped $20 on top of that. Our driver was great. It's a very pretty drive; if you get at all carsick, you might want to take a Dramamine or something - it's curvy and twisty but really beautiful.

Thanks, volcanogirl. I was thinking $20 was about right, but didn't know...thanks for the heads up on the road. I am SO psyched about staying near the volcano!!!!!

Well have a wonderful trip. Arenal is our favorite area; we've been several times and always find new things to see and do there. I hope you guys gets to see the volcano!

Volcanogirl, we have two nights at AOL and three at El Silencio Del Campo, so surely we will see the volcano! Any special tips for the area that you discovered on this latest trip?

I wish it were that easy; you can get lots of foggy mist and never see the volcano. Plenty of people don't even get a peek unfortunately. We had one trip where we saw it every day and another where we didn't see it at all for four days. People we met on our latest trip said they thought the volcano was a completely made up marketing ploy because none of them had seen anything but clouds and mist.

My favorite things in the area are the Cano Negro tour with Sunset Tours, rafting the Sarapiqui with Rios Tropicales, and enjoying dinner and the hot springs at Eco Termales. Also really enjoyed our waterfall hike. If you want to zip, I'd go with Sky Trek. We loved eating at Don Rufino - best restaurant we've been to in CR. If you do the Hanging Bridges, I'd hire a guide; we didn't and all we saw there were ants - lol.

Thanks for the tip on the Hanging Bridges--I probably wouldn't have gotten a guide. How much does it cost to hire one?

Did you make your tour reservations from the hotel or do it at the tour sites in La Fortunua?

We usually book directly with the company because sometimes the hotels will add a little bit on to do the booking for you. When we went to the Hanging Bridges, you could buy a guided ticket at the entrance. The Lost Iguana sells half price tickets at their front desk since they're right next to the Hanging Bridges, so we just bought ours there. I didn't even think about getting a guide because it's a pretty easy hike with a trail to follow. But then I read people's trip reports about seeing vipers, howlers, cool birds, etc. when they went with a guide. No guarantees of course, but I think you increase your chances. You might check with Sunset Tours also.

Thanks- were the guides just there when you showed up at the gate? I noticed on the Hanging Bridges Web site there's a natural history tour you can take.

When we went, we just went to the Hanging Bridges (we had our own car) and paid for admission with a guide right at the ticket gate. And they sent someone out for us. We didn't preschedule anything. We didn't do a group walk or anything like that. It was just my husband, myself and the guide. There wasn't a huge amount of wildlife, but we did see way more than we would have without the guide and we learned so much about the area and the whole rainforest in general. And we did get to see a pit viper and many birds. I really enjoyed the walk a lot, mostly due to the guide.

Volcanogirl -- Did you make your Eco Termales reservations while you were there, or before you went on your trip?

Just returned-- great trip! Thanks again to all of you who helped me. Costa Rica will go down as one of my favorite trips.

jayne, sorry I missed your question, but for anyone else, we pre-booked Eco Termales with Sunset tours in combo with a volcano hike. Eco T only lets 100 people in, and I think it's a good idea to book ahead just in case.

Hey vocanogirl-- we did prebook with Silencio del Campo. It was fun and so reasonable on the drinks, which were delicious. The staff was so nice, they even drove us back to the hotel after I asked if there were a lot of snakes on the dark path back to the road.

That's awesome; I'm so glad you had a good time. That's a neat spot. Their drink prices do seem a lot more reasonable than some of the other places.

Speaking of snakes, I did see one this trip when we were going to dinner at our hotel. My first reaction was to grab my camera; I think CR has done something to me! If I saw that in the states, I'd run the other way!

Haha, I know what you mean...I was actally looking forward to seeing more snakes than we did.

Thanks again for you help--we loved both AOL and Silencio, BTW.