My husband and I are planning a vacation this spring and considering Costa Rica. We have never been there and aren't sure where to start with our planning. Would love ideas on where to stay, what not to miss etc. We are both relatively young & active, would be primarily interested in beach/water activities, although we would like to see some rain forest. We are not really in to hiking per se, but do enjoy getting out in nature. We're thinking of April or May, so would also like to know if that timing is OK. Trip would probably be 1 week long, and we'd want to relax as opposed to cramming too much in. Any help will be appreciated!

The most popular trip for first timers is a combo of Manuel Antonio and Arenal. MA has a national park full of wildlife, a beautiful beach inside the park, the Damas mangrove tour and Finca Valmy for horseback riding. Also lots of good restaurants in the area. Arenal has the active volcano, natural hot springs, the Cano Negro tour to see wildlife, a waterfall, Sky Trek ziplines, and the Hanging Bridges. If you just want to relax, it's fun to lie on the beach or just volcano watch, but there's plenty of activities if you want them. April/May is a good time to go. You may have to spend first or last nights near the airport depending on your flight times.

If you're deciding between April and May, hotel prices can vary drastically from one to the other. April is considered high season for most hotels (some go to mid-April, some to the end of April) -- but May is low season and prices can sometimes drop by 50% or more. So, going in May can reduce your costs quite a bit.

You've gotten some great advice from VG and plumboy.

We did the Arenal/Manuel Antonio itinerary for our first trip and absolutely loved it! Both areas have good tourist infrastructure; lot of choices for places to stay, things to do... It's a great combo that offers 2 different, but equally interesting locations.

These are both popular destinations, so you'll want to get started on our arrangements, particularly if you travel over Easter which is one of the busiest tourist weeks down there.

OK, we're sold on the combo of Arenal/MA and have scheduled our flights into San Jose, 3rd week of April. Now, what's the best way to be back & forth between the destinations? Air so we have most time on the ground? Shuttle bus, renting a car (think we'd prefer to avoid that if possible this trip).

Thanks!

I would either hire a private driver through your hotel, which is what we do, or take Interbus, which is a very popular shuttle. A lot of people do drive, but you don't have to if you just want to take it easy. When you get to town, you can just use taxis which the hotels will call for you.

to clarify, what's the best method to get from San Juan to Arenal and then from there to Manual Antonio then back to SJ?

oops, I mean San Jose

It's a fairly easy drive--renting a car is probably easiest. You'll want a car in Arenal--it'll pay for itself in saved taxi fares several times over.

OK, thanks for all the input, finally narrowing things down a bit. Staying in Arenal @ Montaña de Fuego the 1st 1/2 of the trip, Manuel Antonio at La Mariposa 2nd 1/2 and last night back in San Jose. Tickets and hotels booked, yeah! and I've worked out the transportation to & fro.

Next questions would be about not-to-miss actyivities in both locations. We're going to spend some time just relaxing and not schedule every minute, but if what would be your top couple things not to miss in each area?

My faves in Arenal - the Cano Negro tour with Sunset Tours to see wildlife, and dinner and hot springs at Eco Termales. The Hanging Bridges are a nice hike, and you can zipline with Sky Trek - just sitting on your balcony watching the volcano is awesome if your hotel has volcano views and the weather cooperates. You can also hike to the waterfall.

In MA, take a guided tour/hike through the park to see wildlife and enjoy the beautiful beach. I wouldn't waste my time snorkeling - it was a bust for us. Sailing was fun. Damas mangrove tour and Finca Valmy for horseback riding are popular.

Congrats on getting things finalized!