MiamiBeachMomma

I have plane tickets on hold till midnight and I am trying to piece together a quick trip to CR. We would have 5 full days with out travel time. We are flying in San Jose and dont want to drive more than 4 hours or take another flight.
Dh and I visited over 12 years ago and he went back last year for a guys trip to Jaco.
We are bringing the boys -they are 11 and 8.
We dont want to go back to Manuel Antonio.
I was thinking of this...
Rent a car
3 nights in Arenal - but dont know where - Springs and Nayara are booked. There is space at Royal Corin.
2 nights at the Peace Lodge
Any thoughts? We dont care if we are near the beach. My kids prefer an amazing pool - they can go to the beach at home.
They want to zip line and see wildlife.
Little guy loves horseback riding.
Thanks!!

volcanogirl

I think Arenal and the Peace Lodge would be a great trip for you. Sky Trek is popular for ziplining. Have you checked out Los Lagos? Families with young kids always give it good reviews - not as fancy as Nayara or the Springs but popular. If you want to see wildlife, check out the Cano Negro tour with Sunset Tours.

MichelleY

I think you have a perfect plan. Have fun!

SakuraSakura

Agree with volcanogirl. Los Lagos will be a great choice, tour guide told me their pool is very popular among the kid.
http://www.hotelloslagos.com/hotel-pool-los-lagos.html

Have fun!

MiamiBeachMomma

Any thoughts on Royal Corin, the TA reviews of Los Logos are so so.

Deb15July

Royal Corin is an immense hotel and not the type of place I would choose to stay, but I did get into the property and they have a very nice pool. I wouldn't choose my lodging based on the pool, but you know your sons and I don't.

You might also want to check Silencio del Campo which is right next to RC and much more in line with what I was looking for in CR.

volcanogirl

Royal Corin ticked a lot of people off by building a huge hotel that looms over all the smaller more typically Costa Rican places. It's a lot flashier than most of the other places around town. I like something with a little more local feel to it, but if that's not important to you, you might like it there. It does get good reviews.

volcanogirl

You might also take a look at Tabacon; they have some really elaborate pools/springs/waterfalls.

qwovadis

www.royalcorin.com was nice for me have stayed there personally more modern than www.tabacon.com or
www.lostiguanaresort.com my favs...

The kids will love it though lots of Termes and a great
breakfast so I like your 5 day plan...

Go for it!

TiltedFlipCurves

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Alajuela.html ?

volcanogirl

The Lost Iguana is our favorite too. It just has simple hot and cold pools so not big and elaborate.

MiamiBeachMomma

Tilted - place is gorgeous!! But really seems secluded - are you near alot of activities?

librarychica85

Both are great spots, envious of your itinerary!

traveltalesfromtheredheadedtraveler.blogspot.com/
(My travel writing blog!)

TiltedFlipCurves

I don't know, never been closer to there than Belize, yet; hence the question mark. But I've seen others recommend it and it seemed to fit your criteria.

volcanogirl

It's about two hours from Arenal. Does look very pretty.

MiamiBeachMomma

After reading about road closures and issue near la Paz waterfalls I decided to book all the nights in Arenal. I think the family will appreciate staying put and relaxing more. Hoping to book the activites and exercursions before we get down there...zipline, rafting, hanging bridges, nature/wildlife hike, horseback riding. What else??

volcanogirl

The waterfall is really beautiful and you can swim at the bottom, and the natural hot springs at Tabacon and Eco Termales are popular. You could also do a volcano hike, although it seems like the volcano isn't doing much for the past few months. Check out the websites for Sunset Tours and Desafio, and you can see other options too.