Kelmart

What can you tell me about the coast of Manual Antonio in July? We don't want to rent a car, but want to get the Zip-Lining, inland experience as well as some beach time. We will have about 9 days. Help!

volcanogirl

We've been in July - it was pretty hot - in the 90s with afternoon showers. MA pairs well with a trip to Arenal. When you're planning, remember that the park is closed on Mondays. Lots of good hotel and restaurant choices in the area. Check out Tulemar Bungalows, Buena Vista Villas, Si Como No, Mango Moon, Villas Nicolas, and Costa Verde.

Kelmart

Thank you VC. I'll check them out!

turaj

From what I understand temps are about the same year round but you will be dealing with the "green season" which means frequent rain showers which I think is not that bad unless roads get washed out etc. The humidity was incredible when we were there and therefore must be worse in July with the rains. You will need a place withreliable A/C and if you have a balcony/terrace which can be fun to sit on for views and monkey viewing make sure it was ceiling fans. I could not have spent much time on ours if it did not have those to move the air...no wind at all when we were there. I think the fans outside are pretty common.

tully

You will be fine without a car in MA. The bus goes by regularly from Quepos to the MA dead-end (at the park). Costs under a dollar and runs every 30 minutes or so; have exact change in colones (sorry don't know how much the current price is now). Costa Verde is a really nice place to stay, especially if you get the Studio Plus rooms. They also have 2 good restaurants on site. As mentioned the park is closed on Mondays, other fun activities are Canopy Safari (zipline) and Finca Valmy horseback riding. For the most part, rains come in the later afternoon for an hour or two, so always good to schedule everything for the morning. I've yet to ever have a complete rained out day on any of my trips.

shillmac

We've been in June, July, and August. It's odd but I don't recall incredible heat or humidity. The rain was about the same all 3 months. Late afternoon, as tully said. But not every day, our experience. . .

Good luck, have fun!

Travel_monkey

I was in Manuel Antonio last July, and we enjoyed good weather. Not too hot, limited rain (except for one soggy morning at Canopy Safari). The zip line companies (e.g., Canopy Safari) will pick you up at your hotel, as will most other outfitters, so you don't need to worry about a car. I enjoyed a mid-day catamaran trip to snorkel and see dolphins. The beaches inside the park are quite nice; you won't want to spend much time at the beach outside the park.

You probably don't need 9 days in Manuel Antonio itself. With 9 days, you could easily visit other locations as well, e.g., Monteverde/Arenal. Even for this, you don't need a rental car. The express bus from San Jose to Manuel Antonio/Quepos is quite comfortable and fast (less than 4 hours).