Shorter Trip Review - Highlights (Arenal-MA-SJO)

I wrote an extremely long post below giving many details about my trip but wanted to also provide a shortened summary of my “must do’s” while in Costa Rica.

Hire a driver/guide if you are a backseat driver, scared of narrow, unpaved, twisty roads with no guard rails. Hire a driver/guide if you don’t want to be a co-pilot that has to navigate through maps or rely on a GPS (which we all know make mistakes). Costa Rica does not use road signs and the insurance you take out on a rental vehicle is $1,000! We used Wilson Rojas (wilson_elsy@yahoo.com) and he was hands down one of the best decisions we made in planning our trip. Wilson added much more to our experience then we ever expected from sharing information about his country to stopping and showing us places along the way. He made us feel welcomed, comfortable, and safe. PS – I had emailed him months prior when planning our trip and he was not available. 7 days out I still had not booked transportation and I sent him an email on a whim – guess what, he was available – so always check back!

Itineraries: Arenal (3 nights), Manuel Antonio (5 nights) and San Jose (1 night) was just enough time to not feel as if we were always driving and moving from one location to the next. Unless you have more time or are going to different areas within Costa Rica, I wouldn’t pack in a fourth destination with this itinerary. Only suggestion is, if you aren’t that much of a beach person, like adventure and experiencing the culture of your location add a night in Arenal and take away a night in Manuel Antonio.

Hotels: Arenal Parasio, Issimo Suites, and Gran Hotel – all great picks. Would highly recommend based on my expectations of what each hotel would provide.

Desafio is an adventure tour company used through Costa Rica. They are professional, established, safe, with guides that know what they are doing and who are personable! You MUST go white water rafting if you are considering it. If you are a beginner start with the Rio Balsa! If you are a dare devil you must try canyoneering. www.desafiocostarica.com

Jungle Coast Jets (Manuel Antonio): Do the Jet Ski safari – you get to jet ski of course as well as swim at a beach and snorkel. Being out in the middle of the ocean with big swells (due to a storm brewing was more scary then white water rafting) http://www.junglecoastjets.com

Arenal: Eat at Lava Rocks and El Novillo
Manuel Antonio: Eat at Quepoa and KuKula’s for very local and inexpensive cuisine. Eat at Kapi Kapi to spluge. Do not eat at El Gran Escape.

Do not spend more than one night in San Jose! Find the market place and do souvenir shopping here. Go towards the end of the day and they are more willing to negotiate when they are closing up.

***If you want to see a video I created about my trip to Costa Rica go here: http://hollywoodwannab.blogspot.com/