crazeecat

Hi! This is my second post about this trip for which I'd appreciate any help about our 7 day itinerary:

Jan 23 - flying into Liberia at 12:45 pm...going to reserve a rental car from Europecar on a friend's advice - does any one else have any experience with them? I am especially nervous about renting after reading all the reports on crooked cops and speeding tickets and such, not that we are speeders...but still makes me nervous! We thought it would turn out to be cheaper transportation for getting around.
- drive to La Anita Rainforest Lodge for 2 nights - will this be enough time in this area do you think, as I believe we will only be getting there roughly about 3:30 or 4:00? I could only get those dates for this lodge.
-for our last 2 or 3 nights, we plan on staying in Playa Hermosa, probably at Hotel el Velero (hopefully to do the Saturday night barbie on the beach and the sunset sailboat cruise). Do you think 2 days will be enough in this location? We are not 'lay on the beach' people...however I do love a pool and a bit of nightlife. It is fairly close to the airport for our 1:45 pm flight back to Canada.
-so in between the two are 4(potentially 5 if we only do Hermosa for 2)days!
I've found out from La Anita that La Fortuna and Arenal are about 3 1/2 hrs away...which is why I suppose we need the rental car!!! Should we proceed there or try and stay in our other locations a little longer if we can. I might mention that I am interested in the hot springs(as I have visited them before), but am open to any other hot springs suggestions as well and my husband would love to do some horseback riding and zip lining. I have already found a cute little motel in La Fortuna(thanks to all the wonderful people that post on here ), should we decide to go there, so the final question I guess would be...does this sound like too much to cram into 7 days with driving involved? I appreciate any advice that anyone can help with!

volcanogirl

Arenal does have a lot to offer. I think you'd love the Sky Trek ziplines and either the Eco Termales or Tabacon hot springs; you can also do a horseback ride to the waterfall, and the falls are gorgeous - you can even swim there. I can't really tell you how to allocate your time, but Arenal is worth seeing and experiencing.

Cattail

I'm not able to add much onto what volcanogirl offers, except that I'd personally allow more time in each spot to maximize your shortish trip. But that's me.

Have you considered a shuttle or driver?

qwovadis

mapache.com #1 Local out of LIR
better than europcar.com for me
they take my CC for insurance
other wise looks fine.Have fun!

qwovadis

mapcr.comeasy drive around the lake via Talaran to tabacon.com my fav best free hot springs
if you stay there deals for me booit.com sidestep.com
in the past. Roads all paved flat a piece of cake.
Driver/guides way more costly not needed.

qwovadis

bookit.com/costarica/lafortuna/hotels/tabacon-grand-spa-thermal-resort

Cattail

Actually, not usually more costly; shuttles especially can be very cost effective, and way less stressful. Comes down to a matter of preference, travel style.

volcanogirl

True - on a recent trip, our flight got in late which made the drive up be in the dark with really dense fog and rain. The car ahead of us was driving really slowly and kept jamming on their brakes, and our driver said, "I think we have tourists in front of us!"

livetoroam

This was our first trip where we hired a driving service. I think it was fantastic. My husband got to sit back and relax, enjoy the scenery, listen to his Ipod and not fret over the roads, the weather, the traffic etc.. It also saved us from those "marriage moments"- where we are less than positive with each other's navigation or driving skills. I figure it was about a wash in terms of cost- renting a car vs. the driving service and some taxi bills. Anywhere Costa Rica is who we used and they were on time and drove safely.

Deb15July

I agree with the others...get a driver or shuttle!

jdp867

We have been to CR four times and have had different drivers each trip. We have greatly enjoyed getting to know each and every driver. Hiring a driver is a great way to learn about the country and its people (both of which are amazing) as well as the Spanish. Consider it a 2-3 hour language immersion course.

Deb15July

Plus the drivers act as guides as they know where to spot various birds and animals. You can sit back, have a beer or soda and enjoy the ride! No Stress!!!

SeeCR

If you can get another night at La Anita, I'd say get it. There is a lot to enjoy there. If you're nervous about driving, I'd say do private transfers or shared shuttles, just to lower the stress level. That being said, lots of people rent, do well and are happy they did.

crazeecat

Thank you all for your great replies! Car is finally booked and we're not as nervous now about driving there. I will try and get us another night at La Anita SeeCR, wanted to originally but the agent said it was booked already, so maybe there will be a cancellation that we can jump on! We may not get to Arenal this trip, but will probably end up at some hot springs somewhere closer. Again, thanks everybody! 11 more days