hockeycoach

Our family of 5 will be touring CR at the end of Jan/beginning of Feb for 2 weeks. We have a 9,7, and 5 year old which are all quite active. From what I have seen so far Arenal and MA are a must for the kids. Were looking for a nice mix of R&R(35%) and adventure(65%). We would like to take in as much as possible and do it as safely as we can.

Cheers

qwovadis

Rent a car cheapest with your crew www.mapache.com

www.casabellarita.com nice aorund your flights or

www.puravidahotel.com both nice

www.arenal.net www.tabacon.com gets you FREE best hot springs

for your crew otherwise $70 per person so you would

save a lot staying there...

www.villasnicolas.com in MA very nice also for price

www.tripadvisor.com/members/natureguide best MA guide

www.hotelvillacaletas.com very special for your last night

or 2 bout an hour from the airport on the coast.

Have fun,

mlgb

I recommend the Arenal Observatory Lodge for at least two nights. Excellent trails inside the preserve and good food *best hotel breakfast so far.

Then one of the hot springs places if Tabacon includes admission for EVERYONE. Baldi admission isn't that high if you get a discount eg some places around the waterfall were selling for maybe $22 per person.

Don't buy the food it's pretty awful unless you are just after quantity.

Melissa5

With 2 weeks and with kids I'd just stay in 2 locations. More relaxing. There is lots to do in the Arenal area! You will all love it. We loved the Lost Iguana hotel in Arenal area...our teens loved it too. Our teens liked the beaches in the national park at manuel antonio, but overall Arenal was our favorite spot. We also loved Monteverde, but for a first trip I think ARenal and Manuel Antonio are good choices. Manuel Antonio was too hot for me in June. Arenal and Monteverde were cooler. Not sure about January temps. Have fun!

hockeycoach

Thanks for the info, it will all come in handy. We are set on Arenel and MA but still decideing between Osa and Monteverde. Our choice will be influenced by which ever area offers the most for our children, culturally and environmentally.

It snowed here approximately 6cm this week. We can't wait to see CR

Does Las Logos have natural hot springs? I'm a little confused about the hot springs. What kind of options are there?

volcanogirl

Los Lagos is really popular for families with young kids. They have water slides and all that, in addition to the hot springs. Check out Tulemar Bungalows in Manuel Antonio. For choosing between Monteverde and the Osa, for me the Osa wins hands down. The wildlife is absolutely amazing, and there are beautiful ocean views. The most popular places for hot springs are Eco Termales and Tabacon. Eco T is smaller and locally owned and offers a good chicken dinner; Tabacon is bigger and elaborate, but it was loud and crowded when we were there. It is very pretty and has a water slide and big waterfall. Just depends on what you're looking for. If you stay somewhere with springs on the property, you may skip it altogether.

hipvirgochick

If I were taking kids those ages I'd probably go for Los Lagos. There's a lot if down time in the ever due to it getting dark by 6 and having those great pools were nice in the eves and morning. Silencio del Campo is much smaller and intimate but I also love it here for being family owned and family oriented. Eco-Thermales is a good choice for hot springs if you want something away from your hotel. In Manuel Antonio Tulemar Bungalows or Buena Vista Villas are great because you have your own little beach there but it can be a bit pricey and last I heard the restaurant was closed. Other popular options are La Posada Bungalows and Si Como No. If you are trekking to Osa (my favorite in all of CR) you'll definitely want to include flights here due to the long drive and length of time you have. Another great option would be Tortuguero for 2 nights.

butterflybush

My son loved Los Lagos. Lots to do there on site for kids. The staff was also very good with kids when we were there. (Many years ago now.) I know several families with kids who have stayed at the observatory lodge and loved it. I would want to have a car if I was staying there, as it is much further from town.

SassTraveler

Well, I've been to both Monteverde and Osa and absolutely loved both.

But go to Monteverde. It's the best answer for your brood, with many activities that will appeal to the kids: beautiful, magical cloud forest setting, hiking in the Children's Eternal Rain Forest, bird sitings and more, night hike (cool), zip lines, butterfly garden (sounds hokey but it is COOL -- has ALL kind of bugs).

The big closer -- Johnny's Pizza -- which uses ingredients from their own organic garden for awesome pizzas and salads. You've never tasted a tomatoe like this before. (We ate there all four nights).

We stayed at hotel Belmar and it felt like the Swiss Family Robinson house; the clouds were outside our windows! It was a 10 minute hike to town. Bring rain ponchos and boots or shoes which can get wet -- it really is a cloud forest.

Enjoy!

SassTraveler

Oh one last thing. You definitely need to take the family on a rafting trip. Use Rio Tropicales - they have all levels and are safe and professional, and cover the whole country. Have taken three trips with them and the best one was when we were staying in Arenal, but they were all good.

Have fun!

hockeycoach

Thanks everyone for all your input. We have hi hopes that this trip will create unforgettable memories for our children. We have decided on the Peace Lodge for a couple days, Arenal, and finish up with MA. There will have to be another trip sometime in our future to see more of CR. Hotels are looked after. Only activities remain. We would love to hear about everyone's experiences in these areas.

volcanogirl

The Peace Lodge is very indulgy and over the top; your kids will love it. Be sure to do the hand feeding of the hummingbirds. That's an amazing experience. We liked the nocturnal frog tour too. They seem to go back and forth between letting you hold them and not, but it's pretty cool if they let you hold them, and you can get some great pictures. Nice waterfalls on property too. If you don't want the fancy dinner, we ate a few meals at the Trout Bar. Hopefully it's all back open after the earthquake.