3 weeks in Costa Rica

Old Dec 3rd, 2005, 11:03 PM
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3 weeks in Costa Rica

Hey guys, I just started checking out the site tonight, it looks great! So as a graduation gift from college (6 long years!!!) my mother is sending me on a 3-3.5 week trip to CR! She will be paying for my portion and then my boyfriend and I will be splitting his portion. We're college students so we don't have a lot of money, so we're trying to make the most of it. We're really interested in doing things like playing with sea turtles, sloths, and monkeys, if that sort of gives you an idea of what we like. A little bit of beach time would be good, but not the entire time. Volcanos also sound awesome!

Sorry this is so long. Anyway, I'm basically asking for your advice. Where do you think we should go and for how long? Should we rent a car or just fly from place to place? Any advice would be greatly appreciated
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Old Dec 4th, 2005, 08:04 AM
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Wow, 3+ weeks! You are so lucky!
Few questions: what time of year will you be going (June?) - if it's during the rainy season that would probably affect where you go, or at least how you get there.

What is your budget? You say, not a lot of money, but this means different things to different people. You can find affordable places in CR, but it is not as cheap as other Central American countries.

Do you speak Spanish? If so I can recommend an amazing place.. Cerro Escondido Lodge on the Nicoya Peninsula. You can read about it in my CR Trip report from last year, just click on my name to find it. It is cheaper and gives you a chance to spend time with a wonderful Tico family, plus the hiking and waterfall are amazing.

Otherwise, we spent most of our time at the beach... but there is no end of people on these boards with a ton of volcano experience.

Regarding renting vs other modes of transport. I would rent a car for at least part of it - but only if you are a good driver with much patience! I personally loved the driving but many hate it because of the slow pace, bad roads and the big trucks you have to pass. Defnitely get an SUV, you'll be glad you did! The scenary is amazing and nothing beats getting lost in CR, some of our best experiences happened when we got off track.

Anyway, you will have a fantastic time, it is a wonderful country that I would go back to in a heartbeat.

Amy
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Old Dec 4th, 2005, 08:30 AM
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First go to your local bookstore and pick up a copy of Lonely Planet's guide to CR. Its a great resource that lists all types of accomodations from cheap to expensive, as well as all the other information you would expect about the country's attractions. The time of year you go will affect your costs: high season (and prices) is approximately from our Thanksgiving through Easter. July and Aug are also becomming busier. CR is not the bargain it was 10 or 20 years ago but still represents a value compared to Europe and other places. Good luck and have fun!
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Old Dec 4th, 2005, 08:36 AM
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HI also meant to say, if you are interested at all in supporting locally (Tico) run places, and eco-friendly places, the best guidebook is The New Key to Costa Rica...
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Old Dec 4th, 2005, 11:10 AM
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Sorry, I forgot to mention that we'll be going either at the very end of June or the beginning of July. Cheap to us would hopefully be around $1,500-2,000 for the lodging, food, activities and stuff. Basically the cheaper the better, but not dangerous or too uncomfortable. Make sense? Also, if 3 weeks is too long we could always go for less and then just take some extra time off work while I'm at home. We speak a little spansih, myself more than my boyfriend, but I'll probably try to brush up on it some before we go. I'll definitely go buy those guide books too
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Old Dec 4th, 2005, 11:11 AM
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Also, with the $1,500-2,000 range, it woudl be better if that was less. I just don't have a clue what to budget for CR for that amount of time!!
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