as usual, planning the trip more last minute than i'd like, especially since we'll be going during busy time of year.

first trip to CR was an experiment/ did all inclusive in guanacaste region...not our type of trip, but we fell in love w/ the country. (ventured out on our own alot and even went to arenal and stayed overnight)

second trip, went back w/ another couple and rented a car and just drove around (no reservations b/c it was early may). went to arenal again, monteverde, and manuel antonio...also stayed in alajuela)

third trip we went to villa caletas outside of jaco area, manuel antonio, and down to the osa peninsula @ casa corcavado, and then back toward san jose staying at rosa finca blanca (great place)...
this time we are going w/ a different couple to show them why we love CR....have airfare only so far and know we want to go back down to the osa again....any other lodging recommendations???? and should we definitely fly there? has anyone driven there before??...we have 10 nights and will probably stay 3 nights there. we wouldn't mind trying at least one new area but not sure where? any advice appreciated...need to firm up trip plans soon! (going at the end of FEB! THANKS!

Since you haven't been to the Caribbean side yet, to Puerto Viejo, I would put that at the top of the list. We loved it there, the area, people and food, and are returning in March. A really great place to stay is Banana Azul. Beautiful lodge, great staff, right on the beach within walking distance to town.

Love the Osa too. If you're returning and are looking into a different area you should check out Bosque del Cabo. You're kind of in your own little world there. It's a wonderful place to explore the outdoors (they offer a great trail system for many hiking opportunities) with amazing wildlife around, but also treat yourself to great food and lovely cabinas overlooking the Pacific.

What about doing the Nicoya Penisula? We are heading there next week and staying at Mal Pais, Santa Teresa, Montezuma. Little hard to get to, but can fly to Tambor.

I second hip's suggestion of Bosque del Cabo; we went this past July and loved it. It's the kind of place people return to year after year.

thanks for the input re: the osa
my girlfriend (the other couple we are travelling with) will get stressed if we move around too much so the carib. side is out. have read alot about bosque del cabo....it sounds nice. still looking for suggestions between manuel antonio and the osa...we always stay at mariposa in MA , any other suggestions?? my husband and i enjoy moving around but we have to make the moves seem "minimal or fluid" for the other couple...

We stayed at Mango Moon in Manuel Antonio - a lot of the experience there depends upon the room you get. We got upgraded to the private King Upper Balcony Suite, and it was gorgeous with a gorgeous view of the water. You might want to check it out.

We loved the Buena Vista Villas in MA and of course can't say enough about Bosque del Cabo as well.

If you go to the Osa, and since you've been to MA before, I'd skip MA & stay somewhere further south, like the Dominical or Uvita area. As others, I definitely rec Bosque del Cabo. You can drive there, not saying it's not long, but doable. I think from SJ it takes about 9 hours and from Uvita about 4 hours.

thanks for all the advice! we are going to try somewhere new on the osa peninsula so we are taking everyones advice and staying at bosque del cabo. I can't wait to get away!
tully, we were thinking of trying dominical or uvita...where have you stayed??
has anyone stayed on the golfo dulce side..like villa corcovado? just wondering if there was anything unusual or different on that side. thanks again!

the trip is progressing quickly...staying outside of jaco first 2 nights at villa caletas just to relax and get acclimated. we have nothing planned the next three nights, and then we will be going to bosque del cabo for the next 4 (i was originally going to do 3 nights...is 4 too much?? it sounds so wonderful) and then the last night will be near arenal and we fly out the next day. interested in any input re: dominical/uvita or any other suggestions for the 3 nights we don't have palnned. although we love manual antonio, i'm afraid it will be way too crowded!

Noooooo, 4 nights isn't too much! We spent 5 nights there last May and repeating the same this spring. Granted though, you need to be an outdoor lover. Haven't been to Dominical/Uvita yet. Good luck!

hipvirgochick, thanks for the input...definitely a nature lover.

just found out tabacon is waaayyy more expensive than when we stayed there in '03 and '04....may stay closer to san jose last day. stayed at orquideas before and also finca rosa blanca. did doka coffee last time ....anyone know if cafe britt is worth it? had no luck seeing poas....so many decisions, so little time!

why not peace lodge your last night?

hipvirgochick,
peace lodge looks great....haven't actually been to the falls yet either...thanks for suggestion!

steph - haven't made it to Uvita area yet but was thisclose for next trip so I did tons of research. Here are some of the places to stay that I came across that I liked:

http://www.shelter-from-the-storm.net/index.html
http://www.villasgaia.com/index.html
http://www.rafikisafari.com/index.htm
http://www.cunadelangel.com/
http://www.lacusingalodge.com/
http://www.ranchopacifico2.com/

My trips to I've always stayed 5 or 6 nights, so take as many as you can, you definitely won't want to leave! Peace Lodge would be great for your last night, try to get there early enough so you have plenty of time to explore all the exhibits and trails and falls. I really loved my time there.

Sorry, I missed some words there....meant to say I've always stayed at Bosque 5 or 6 nights.

tully - thanks for the links...they were so helpful! we are having a "team meeting" tomorrow night with the other couple but peace lodge looks great and probably will try for one of the links you sent....you said you almost went, what did you do instead?? we are even going to discuss driving to puerto jimenez by making our way down from sj to bdc and leaving the car in pj, and then after bdc, flying back to sj area for last nite...still not sure about drive from dominical area to puerto jimenez....will have to read more...

steph - all that research changed (as it always seems to do!) for my next trip in May, am now going to Bosque de Paz, then Mal Pais, then Tambor then ending up at Bosque del Cabo. I really wanted to do that stretch between MA and PJ, but since I usually travel solo I've never really wanted to rent a car and it just got more & more complicated. I did talk with Leo at Bosque del Cabo about transfer times, he told me from Uvita to PJ it's approx 4 hours and from Palmar Sur to PJ is approx 3 hours. From what I hear, the road from Dominical to Palmar Sur is very nice (with, I'm sure, great scenery). Have fun deciding!

tully - how did i ever travel before i found this site?? everyone has been so helpful. thanks for the info on the drives. getting ready to go to dinner w/ our friends to have team meeting about trip. we're so excited! (we leave feb. 19 and my girlfriend already started packing..haha) does anyone know if it's possible to turn in a car in puerto jimenez, so we could then fly back to sj??

I think I read somewhere (the BdC website?) that you can pay about $300 to have a car delivered to you from San Jose (at PJ?) Therefore I'd think you could arrange the same thing in reverse. The folks at BdC would probably know.