1st Time Planning has Officially Driven Me Crazy
 

OK, all this planning is starting to make me crazy!
First, let me say thank you to all of you that have responded to my posts so far. I am SO excited about this trip and I am a bit of a perfectionist so you can imagine...
We are flying into Liberia in August and will be staying in the country for nine nights. I am torn between not wanting to feel rushed, and wanting to do/see as much as we can because who knows when we'll make it back. That said, I have read everything I can find on travel times from region to region, and all the post warnings against doing too much, and still can't bring myself to only see a couple of places. As it stands currently, the plan is to spend 2 nights in Arenal, 2 nights in Monteverde, 3 nights in Malpais, and last 2 nights in Rincon de la Vieja. Crazy? Probably.
Our flight lands in Liberia at noon, so I figure we can make it to Arenal by 4:00. Had planned to stay at Arenal Paraiso since everyone here seems to prefer it, but they have no standard cabins available and I don't want to pay the superior cabin price. In Arenal, plan to do a Volcano hike, see La Fortuna waterfall, and check out the town.
Take the taxi/boat/taxi route to Monteverde and stay two nights at Los Cipreces (looks nice enough and the $40 a night includes tax and breakfast). Want to do Skytrek, and the San Luis waterfall horseback trip. Would like to explore Santa Elena and one of the cloudforests on our own or with a guide.
On to Malpais to spend 2 or 3 nights at Milarepa (the bulk of our lodging expenses, and the reason to keep the rest low). I had thought about Tropico Latino, but can't bring myself to give up Milarepa. Want to take a surfing lesson and relax. On the third beach day (a Wednesday) go over to Montezuma to check out Cabo Blanco and the local waterfalls. I had thought about spending the third night at Amor de Mar since we are going to Montezuma anyway and will be traveling in that direction the next day to head north. The hotel seems fun and well liked. They responded to my email however that they only take reservations for 2 nights or more. Very disapointing - I hadn't thought that would be an issue during the green season.
Regardless, leave for Rincon de la Vieja - all day in a car/bus??, can't seem to drive up the coast? - and hopefully spend last 2 nights at the lodge by the same name. They haven't responded to my email yet, but we'll see. Hike or maybe mountain bike, check out the volcano/hot mud/springs. Flight leaves Liberia on the 10th day around 1:00 pm.

Questions-
1. Are we moving around too much? I know it's alot, and I'm OK with that, but I don't want to be miserable.
2. Where to stay if not Arenal Paraiso? NOT interested in something big and fancy like Tabacon, clean and cheap is fine with me, but I'd like to have good service and a Volcano view just in case.
3. Since there is more on our list of To-Do's in Monteverde, should we spend just one night in Arenal? (I think I know the answer to this already, but I was thinking I could add the extra day to the beach, thereby being able to get Amor de Mar).
4. Is Rincon de la Vieja worthwhile? I love the look of the lodge, and the photos of the environment make me think of the American West. Plus, it's close to the airport, and we'll have to spend the last night somewhere nearby so I figured 2 nights = time to explore.
5. What is the deal with toilets and flushing toilet paper?!? I'm not really prissy, but that really bothers me! Should I assume that we won't be able to flush anywhere or only in some places?
6. Interbus - if we have to take the trip in legs (no straight shot from Montezuma to Rincon for example)but on the same day, are we going to end up paying twice? At $38 a leg per person, that would add up!

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

How do you plan to get around? I think you might have one place too many. I would maybe forget Rincon and increase the time in the Montezuma area. Just my opinion. If you do that you could increase one day in either Monteverde, Arenal or stay somewhere for one night on your way back to Liberia. Things in Costa Rica do no look far away on the map but sometimes they take more time than you think.

I know what you mean about the planning. But it will be SO worth it! My husband and I are leaving in one week!

Re Rincon de la Vieja: Relatives RAVED about this park, so we tried to make reservations at one of the two lodges near the main entrance; they didn't pan out. The first lodge had no vacancies. The lodge you mentioned FINALLY e-mailed me weeks after my first {I made several} inquiry, but at that point we had given up and booked a room in Arenal. I think that the lack of tourist infastructure coupled with its remoteness makes Rincon de la Vieja a difficult to set up {but appealing} option.

Please do post a trip report about this seldom-visited area if you persevere to make it part of your itinerary. I and others would be very interested!

We had 1 full day at Arenal and we were able to: horseback ride around the volcano (recommend this highly!), visit Fortuna waterfall (no tour, got there on our own), eat lunch in town, and then go to the hot springs that night. that pretty much sums up the high points of the area, though we wished we had maybe 1/2 day more to do some more hiking.

try Montana de Fuego for a room at Arenal, it's next to Arenal Paraiso and is owned by the same family. The prices there are a bit more expensive, though. check out www.arenal.net. They list several hotels/resorts in that area.

Arenal to Malpais will pretty much be an all day drive. We drove from Arenal to Punta Islita (a little further north on the peninsula from Mal Pais) and that took us 6 - 7 hours. Roads become rough.

Stacey

Alot of driving, but can be worth it as long as you don't mind being in a car and leaving early to get to your destinations. In regards to Rincon, the park is awesome, but I don't recommend staying at one of the lodges, but staying on the beach in either Hermosa or Coco and driving the 45 mins to an hour to Rincon. This way you can do multiple things and you'll have better dining experiences. Rincon Lodge is good, but a couple of the restaurants in Playa Hermosa are great. Either way, have fun, don't run yourself down so much with traveling that you can't enjoy the places once you arrive.

Mat, you will need 2 nights at Arenal because you will need to leave fairly early in the day to get to Monteverde. You won't be arriving until close to 5:00 p.m. and you would have to leave the very next day! Stay 2 nights. You will lose the better part of 2 days getting to and from MalPais. As for the Rincon, we loved it there. Didn't stay there, but the lodge we were at was very nice and it would've been a fun place to stay. It was near the mud baths. And, Playa Hermosa would also be a good place to stay. You could easily be at the airport from Hermosa on your last day. It may take you a little longer from Rincon because of the roads up to there from the main highway. But this area is great for hiking, horseback riding, etc. You'll like it. I, too, think you are doing one location too many. If it were I, I'd add another day at MalPais and not do Monteverde--too much time spent in getting in and out. MalPais/Montezuma you'll really enjoy! But, whatever you decide, have a great time!

BTW, the toilets do flush. But do put your paper in the waste basket. The sewage system doesn't tolerate paper very well. Don't worry, you'll get used to it, and when you come home, you'll be dropping toilet paper on the floor next to the toilet out of habit!

Sorry that I am replying in pieces! Check out the post called "9 Day Trip Report, Part 3 of 3". It has the name of the hotel I was thinking of at Rincon de la Vieja. Very nice place. I would like to stay there sometime. Perhaps you will get a better response from them!