1st time to Costa Rica

Old Nov 30th, 2011, 05:40 AM
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1st time to Costa Rica

My adult daughter and I are traveling to Costa Rica in February. Upon arriving in San Jose we will spend our first night. We will be renting a car. Our plan is to spend two nights in the Arenal area, two nights in the Monteverde area, and three nights in the Manuel Antonio area. Is this doable or should we stay put for the full four nights in either Arenal or Monteverde? If we were to stay in one of those areas which would you recommend? We definitely want to head to MA. I've gotten a lot of great suggestions from this website, hoping you will all help me make a good decision on my dilemma.
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Old Nov 30th, 2011, 05:49 AM
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It's doable for sure, but you may not see each one in great depth. The travel time in Costa Rica is very long for short distances. You should be able to make it from SJ to Arenal by car in ~ 2 hours, but by car from Arenal to Monteverde is around 5 hours I believe (the shortest way is car/boat/car, because there is a lake/mountains), also Monteverde to Manual Antonio is 5-6 hours. So all of that travel time will take up a lot of your days.

If you want to do just 2 of 3, for a first trip to CR it is usually recommended to do Arenal and MA as a pair. I loved the cloud forest and ziplines in Monteverde though. Are you stuck on renting a car? You may be better off arranging other transportation. Driving in Costa Rica seems scary to me, the roads just disappear (washed away) sometimes, with only a single pylon as a warning. You'll want to do your travelling in the daylight for this reason.
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Old Nov 30th, 2011, 06:29 AM
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I don't think you are giving yourself enough time for 3 destinations that require so much travel time.

An alternative cloud forest experience that is much closer, would be Bosque del Paz. It's very convenient on the way to Arenal (20 minutes after turning off at Zarcero), small lodge with a stream running through the property, trails loaded with ferns and bromeliads dripping with moisture, nice waterfall. It was fabulous sitting in the chairs watching hummingbirds swarming the feeders and clouds rolling through the trees and hills. It is cool at night!

http://www.bosquedepaz.com/
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Old Nov 30th, 2011, 07:14 AM
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ONe full day in the Arenal area, one full day in Monteverde, 2 full days in Manuel Antonio: sounds fine and fun. Lots of driving, but not that big a deal, and scenery is gorgeous.
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Old Nov 30th, 2011, 10:04 AM
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Make sure Manuel Antonio is open the days you want. All national parks are closed Monday and many (maybe ALL) are closed Tuesday; the closed Tuesday is recent (in the last year or two). All the tour books are not up to date on this...

It's going to be hot in February. Do NOT assume your hotel has air conditioning. On the phone the hotel may say it's cool enough, but I promise when you get there you'll be wearing shorts and a t-shirt and some of the locals will be in long pants and long sleeves (and maybe a scarf in the evening). My personal warning, but I like it cool.

Check out Montezuma on the Nicoya Peninsula. My favorite place on the planet. Beautiful waterfall you can hike up to!

Google my name and Costa Rica (or Montezuma) and you'll get a bunch of videos, photos or blog posts. I haven't moved their yet, but...
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Old Nov 30th, 2011, 10:08 AM
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PS - When you get to the airport they do have two ATM machines (but I think they only work until 10 pm).

Also in the luggage area, there is a visitor booth with lots of information, get this week's Tico Times (english paper) for free and get some other brochures. There are two visitor booths, it's the one that's not just a table and some brochures, it's got an area at the end of two of the luggage convertor belts.
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Old Nov 30th, 2011, 02:14 PM
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Personally I'd save Monteverde for another trip. Two nights in Arenal isn't enough time to see and do everything it has to offer - waterfall, volcano, Hanging Bridges, ziplines, hot springs, plus any adventure activities you want to do. It's kind of a pain to go to Monteverde since the road isn't in great shape.
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Old Dec 1st, 2011, 07:50 AM
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I agree with those who would leave Monteverde out unless a hectic pace appeals to you.
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Old Dec 1st, 2011, 08:29 AM
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I kind of disagree; loved the drive to Monteverde, and we hiked both Selva and the National Park (and the many bridges) in one day. The drive to MA from there was then pretty scenic, too.

And if you don't want to zipline (also doable at Selvatura), and save the hanging bridges for the many available in Monteverde, seeing the waterfall and maybe rocks rolling down the volcano plus one of the hot springs (and another activity or two) is very doable in 2/3 of one day and another full day.
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Old Dec 1st, 2011, 05:55 PM
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Yeah, we're real helpful AJ, lol! Let us know what you decide!
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Old Dec 1st, 2011, 06:52 PM
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Monteverde was very cold and rainy when we were there. We had to wear sweatshirts and fleece jackets at night. If you decide to go there, make sure you pack something warm just in case. We saw a lot of people who weren't prepared.
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