Posted this in General Interest, didn't get much interest (except from dfarmer, thank you , hoping to get some more feedback:

First I want to thank everyone on these forums for providing so much
information on Costa Rica, I've been an avid reader for over a month &
trying to put together a good iternerary for my wedding (approx 1wk) &
honeymoon (approx 2wks) in CR next March 2007. We will be looking into
private transportation for the group & possibly interbus for our
honeymoon (would really rather not drive ourselves). We're mostly
interested in seeing lots of wildlife & amazing views while relaxing
with the occasional adventure.

This is what I have so far & would appreciate any input:

Plan for pre-wedding family & friends:
Arrive in SJ (hopefully in the morning/afternoon), private transport to
Arenal
Stay at Arenal Parisio 3nts (is this still a good place to see lava
flow at night?), activities: cano negro, hot springs (best w/ group?
Ecotermales? Tabacon?), La Fortuna waterfalls? volcano hike? anyone
gone to the caverns in this area?)
Private transport to Jaco (suggestions as to things to stop to see on
the way?)
Stay at Club del Sol 3nts (I know Jaco is not the general preferred
location but we've decided to get married @ Pura Vida Gardens & Club
del Sol & Club del Mar got great reviews & are reasonably priced, Club
del Sol $138 (w/tax) for a 2br/2ba new condo. Activities: Sunset at
Villa Caletas (maybe the first evening when we're driving in), day trip
to MA park (anyone ever done this?), Wedding at Pura Vida Gardens & Waterfalls, maybe a cruise
to Tortuga Island the day after the wedding(good group activity?)
After these 6nts I plan to advise guests to travel back towards SJ & go
see La Paz before they head home (maybe stay at Don Carlos or Hotel
Bougainvillea).

For our honeymoon:
Move to Villa Caletas for 1-2nts (just relax)
Travel to Mal Pais (interbus?)
Stay 4nts at Casa Chameleon (suggestion for day trips in the area?
although we mainly plan to relax)
Fly back to SJ
Stay 2nts at Peace Lodge
Stay 3nts at Bosque de Paz or Villa Blanca (or other suggestions for an inland location
with cool temps?)
Fly to Osa
5nts at Bosque del Cabo (suggestions on tours?)
Fly back to SJ
Final night at Xandari (massages & relaxation)
Fly home

Our guests will range from 10yrs to 70yrs of age, so areas with
varied activities are a bonus. We're anticipating approx 30 guests (10
or so traveling to Arenal & Jaco, approx 20 just traveling to Jaco),
with ranging tastes from those who prefer roughing it to those for
which nothing less then 5 stars will suffice (they'll probably end up
at the Marriott golfing...)

Fiance & I are in our late twenties and avid nature watchers, we're
hoping to see a wide range of biodiversity while still having time to
relax. Will we be missing out by not spending more time in MA? Would any of the locations above be good for seeing sea turtles (in the ocean) & dolphins? Are we missing any essential/must see place in CR?

<i>Stay at Arenal Parisio 3nts (is this still a good place to see lava
flow at night?), activities: cano negro, hot springs (best w/ group?
Ecotermales? Tabacon?), La Fortuna waterfalls? volcano hike? anyone
gone to the caverns in this area?)</i>

First, Congrats on the wedding! I can only give my opinion on this part, as I was just there a few weeks ago.

Arenal Parisio is very nice, but you can't see the lava from there, it's on the east side. Right now, the lava is flowing on the west side, but, that could change in a year! Check www.arenal.net for current status of lava flow and which hotels it can be seen from (Observatory Lodge, Lost Iguana, one or 2 others).

We went to Baldi Hot Springs and loved it. Less expensive and not as crowded as Tabacon. We liked it so much we went twice. About 9 pools, 2 with swim up bars etc...

Fortuna has lots to do - all the things you listed are there and will be fun. The waterfall hike is quite steep (and about 500 steps to climb back up), just so you know. But it was fun to swim in the river there. There are also zip lines in the area if anyone wants to do that. Take a guided volcano hike - that would probably be nice with a group.

Have fun!

Congrats! I haven't been to all the places you mention, but I can tell you we loved some of the places you list that we have been to.
-Xandari was GORGEOUS and has its own trails to explore. We stayed there the first night of our honeymoon.
-Arenal Paraiso was great (simple, though, not as luxurious as Xandari). We were there in June 2004, but at that point, we could see lava coming down the volcano from our room--and from the hot-springs-fed pool. The hotel's food isn't great--we probably should have ventured out for meals more than we did.
-We've taken Interbus on a few different legs of trips, and they've been great. We haven't been to Malpais but took Interbus from Monteverde to Montezuma, and that worked out well.
-MA park is beautiful, and we saw lots of wildlife there. We've been to CR twice and made sure we went back to MA the second time.

Good luck, and have a wonderful time!

I can't tell you about everything, but here's some points---
I am also in my late 20s and just got back from a honeymoon! In Arenal, we stayed at Arenal Lodge. VERY reasonably priced and VERY BEAUTIFUL and a PERFECT DIRECT view of the volcano. Ask for a junior suite. If you choose to do the villas, keep in mind they are a littel walk from the lodge for the older people. At least put the older people in the junior suites as they are IN the lodge where the dining area, pool, gym, and internet access are located.
The lodge has a few days trips for people who don't feel like going into town. The volcano is totally visible and you can easily sit on the deck, sip cocktails, and watch the lava flow. We could watch it from our porch at night which was super cool when it wasn't cloudy. If anyone is skittish, though, keep in mind that the volcano does rumble and shake. It's a little weird if you are scared of fiery explosions! But we were 4 km back with a valley between us. Also on grounds are a jungle trail (about 2.5 hours) where we were the ONLY people on the trail and saw monkeys, peccaries, and butterflies galore. It had a few stairs at the beginning, but was very managebale and cobblestoned. A bunch of lzier-looking Americans loved the 20 dollar horseback ride. Said they had great views of the mountains. The hanging bridges are also right next to the lodge and people said they were perfect for family in their 60s. Lots of wildlife, an experience, etc. From the lodge it would also be easy to get to teh Venado Caves. Someone posted about these earlier, just searc for it, and said that you definitely get dirty and will not be on some lovely lit path like in the states, but that it's cool for adventurers who don't mind gettng wet and being in small spaces.
The locals sat the volcano natl park is boring. I didn't go. Also, the Cano Negro, I think, would involve a 2-3 hour drive on bumpy roads each way.
If you want to see wildlife, hands down you really should go to Monteverde. I didn't, but the way locals talk abou tit made me wish I was. You will get plenty of wildlife, swimming with dolphins, etc. on the Osa peninsula. Didn't go there and wish I had, but didn'thave enough time.
Also, if I had a big family, I might stay in Montezuma rather than Malpais. Malpais is spread along a road and it's hard to get around.
The Los Mangos Lodge in Montezuma would be a PERFECT place for a family trip. There are delicious restaurants in Montezuma and more of a town feel with hippies selling beautiful jewelry, a place to watch movies in the evening. Keep in mind - the beach is HOT. Like the first night it was 90 and HUMID and we were SWEATING so walking around is not always appealing, especially to older people. In Montezuma, you are always 200 feet from the ocean and the beach and the restaurants and stores. It's a very small town. There are 2 pretty beaches in the area. There's a cool cemetary island you can walk out to and snorkel around. And during the day you can drive an ATV over to Malpais for 78/12 hours and get your fill of the Pacific side. In Malpais, it seemed like you had to walk ALOT and nothing was clearly marked. I don't know. Montezuma had some clubby music playing on Fri and Sat night, but other than that I thought it was ideal. I wouldn't stay there on Fri or Sat, though. The music ruins the serenity. Also, the Mono Loco has reggae nights Wed-Sun, which was fun. Also, I wanted to encourage you about a place to stay outside of Jaco. My friend stayed there last year and RAVED and it seems like the perfect place for a wedding party because you can rent the whole house - 17 rooms! - very cheaply. You MUST at least look at the website! www.casapuravida.com I didn't see it until AFTER I had everything planned, but he said it's even nicer than the pics and it's in the Jaco area.
Oh, I just realized you will be the only people in Malpais. Oh well! It's beautiful, but I was glad to be staying in Montezuma. Some people got bored in Malpais... but not because of the lack of nightlife, just because all there is to do is surf or lay out.

I would also recommend the zip line outside foertuna where you ride horses up to the starting point. On the way down to Jaco. Stop to watch the fresh water crocodiles at the large bridge,Sorry can't remember the name,just before Las Calitas hotel.

Thank you guys for the info &amp; suggestions! I'm still torn about MA, it sounds wonderful &amp; I'd like to go for a day trip, but there are so many places to go! Would it be worth it to skip Mal Pais (Casa Chameleon) and got to MA instead? I was somewhat hoping traveling to Osa would give us much of what we could also see at MA?

I am definitely keeping my eye on the lava flow in Arenal over the next couple months, hope to get a hotel with a lava view

neelym -- thanks for the heads up on casa pura vida, I'll definitely check out the site.

I would also love to go to a cloud forest...hmmm...how to fit it all in! So many places with some many great reviews

We are also torn between Mal Pais (Casa Chameleon) and Manuel Antonio! It has been very difficult planning this trip.

i prefer eco thermales hot springs:

http://costa-rica.typepad.com/photos...thermales.html

check out my la fortuna/ arenal travelblog for more info:

http://costa.rica.typepad.com/la_for...ome/index.html

We went to Casa Chameleon in Mal Pais BEFORE heading to Manuel Antonio. All we kept saying to each other in Manuel Antonio is that we wish we were back at Casa Chameleon!