3 nights in Arenal
 

We are so excited about our first trip to Costa Rica!!Some advice please from you fantastic board members. After reading the helpful posts, we have sadly decided to skip Monteverde due to time constraints and spend 3 nights in Arenal after leaving Manuel Antonio. Plan to take the Fantasy bus from MA. (4th night is near the airport.) We won't have a car. Can we get around easily by cab or do we need a driver? We want a hotel close to the volcano with a great view. I thought about the Observatory Lodge but is it a problem without a car? Other hotel ideas? Does Lost Iguana have a view of the flow? I read the flow had shifted but can't find which side faces the hotels. Hidalgo hot springs vs Tabacon? Has anyone taken a 1/2 day raft trip that is not too far from Arenal? We plan to zip line in MA and maybe raft there also. I also thought about spending the 4th night at Peace lodge instead of closer to the airport at Country Inn, or visiting LA PAz for the day on the way from Arenal to the Country Inn.

All ideas are greatly appreciated for seeing things, eating and getting around Arenal without wheels. I'm guessing we can get to the hotel and they can book all kinds of things? Thanks so much!
Jo

The main problem regarding transportation is that in order to be closer to the volcano, you are going to be farther away from town.

However, most hotels will have shuttles to arrange your activities so that shouldn't pose too much difficulty, so I'd skip hiring a driver...for the price it would cost you you could rent a car.

I personally like the Arenal Lodge (which is different from the Arenal OBSERVATORY Lodge), but I don't know which way the lava is flowing right now. It gets cloudy a lot obscuring the view anyway...so don't count on a great view EVERY night.

The flow is not a sure thing. Not much happening the days before we arrived recently and then after we arrived the clouds moved in and we never saw the cone,after our meal at El Novillo, upon arrival to the area.
We stayed at Ar. Ob. Lodge 2 nights. The place is very nice but a $15-20 taxi ride to the other attractions in the area. We drove ourselves.

www.arenal.net will give you a good idea of where the hotels are located and supposedly the area of volcanic activity viewing.

Thank you for responding. Ca we rent a car when we get to Arenal? Not sure if I want to. I have read all kinds of reviews for Lost Iguana so I think I will look elsewhere. Maybe Paraiso or Arenal Lodge. Still working on it.

I did see an auto rental co. in La Fortuna as we drove through.

Hi, my name is Brian. Do yourself a favor and don't rent a car, been there done that, it's expensive and unless you know Spanish and know your way around C.R. its just not worth it. I stayed at the Lost Iquana, and they will provide transfer for you from the airport, and you can hire the driver they send or find another driver using this site to take you to your other destinations. I found a jem of a place on the Nicoya Peninsula, Playa Montezuma, when you leave Arenal, have your driver take you to the ferry in Punteranas and stay at the ylang ylang resort, check out www.ylangylang.com and stay at one of their bungalows. These bungalows are really nice and are only feet away from the ocean in the mist of tropical gardens. Sit on your porch in the morning and monkey are practically on your doorstep. Manuel Antonio is so touristy now and Playa Montezuma is laid back and instead of walking the busy road at MA you walk along the beach to the village from your bungalow where there are some nice resturants, plenty of activities in the area, horseback ride to waterfalls, ziplines, etc. Check it out you may want to revise your itenary, don't go where everybody else goes, read your Frommers or Fodor's. and take advice from people that have been there. This May will be my 7th trip, I love it there and you will too.

Brian
Thanks for the info. We are hesitant about driving but thought if we are just in Areanl it might be ok. We are going to MA with a group so we can't change our plans so we have only the 4 other days.

MAybe next trip

Thanks to all who replied! This was my first post and I have learned I did not put it in the Costa Rica forum so I am going to try todo another one.

Jo

FYI - there isn't a CR or Mexico or etc forum, they all show show up in the same place, it's mainly for look-up purposes or if people only want to read CR posts.

Arenal is easy enough to get around without a car if you won't be using it a lot.