I am trying to use up some vacation time by year end and came up with Coasta Rica today. Pretty crazy with such short planning as I would need to book airline soon. We would have 8 full days in CR (would stay 10 nights). I am 40 years old and would be going with my parents. We enjoy nature/wildlife, not so much laying on a beach for more than a day or even less.

From what I can gather from a few hours of frantic internet surfing, we would be interested in Arenal for maybe 2 days/2 nights (to see volcano, Tabacon hot springs, Cano Negro), Manuel Antonio for 3 nights (day to drive there from Arenal, MA National Park, and a beach day). My question is what are other good options for the remaining 3 days? Add them to the above destinations? Is there time for this Osa area I just started reading about? Osa instead of MA? I see there is another airport in CR besides SJO (Liberia or something) so need to decide on the in/out airports to use which I can't do until I nail a plan down, yikes.

Also is it even too late to get hotel rooms with us arringing Nov 30 and departing Dec 9? We are not picky about hotels and can rent a car when needed.

Thanks for any guidance you can give on an 8 day trip as I am desparate to plan this quickly...I will go to the library for a guidebook tomorrow first thing!

First of all, I don't think you'll have a problem getting hotel rooms at this time. Later in December, yes, but end of Nov-early December, there should be no problems.

You have chosen two of the best destinations for first time visitors (which I'm sure you've read). The activities you have in mind are excellent!

My suggestion: add to your existing itinerary 2-3 days in the central valley (area outside of San Jose). There are SO many things to see and do and it fits in well with your other plans. It is one of the most beautiful areas of the country.

If $$ isn't an issue, see if you can reserve a couple of nights at Peace Lodge. It is located on the property of the magnificent La Paz Waterfall Gardens--an amazing place that will easily entertain you for a full day. Fabulous rooms. Try for the Monarch Lodge (or villa, forget which it is called). From here it is a short distance to Poas Volcano. This would be quite a treat for you!

If you'd like to NOT spend so much on a hotel, see about accomodations at Vista del Valle (about 20 minutes west of the airport). From there you could visit La Paz, Poas Volcano (different from Arenal with a nice crater), and the Doka Coffee Estate. You could also see and experience some of the small colonial towns in the area such as Grecia, Sarchi, and Zarcero. VdV can provide you with a driver to help you see the highlights.

Another hotel option (less $$, but great hotel) is Orquideas Inn. They have an excellent tour desk and they can show you around in grand style, making sure you see all of the above--and more if you'd like (or have time). Good restaurant and bar here---great place to meet other travelers and swap stories!

Some people even stay IN San Jose (the airport is actually in Alajuela, about 20 min. west) and use the hotel tour desks for area tours. Grano de Oro would be a good hotel choice as would the Don Carlos (my favorite). Besides the attractions I mentioned above (all of which are north toward Arenal), there are some great daytrips to the south of San Jose--Orosi Valley, Lankester Botanical Gardens, Irazu Volcano (different still from the others), city of Cartago, etc. Note: Wady Tours at Orquideas Inn can get you to the same places.

You can work this Central Valley segment into your itinerary however you'd like. Whatever works out logistically for you, probably depending on your arrival and departure times. So get those flights booked (in and out of SJO would be best for your plans) ASAP! Then you can begin working with the hotels. You can do it yourself online. Not a problem at all. Arranging for tours can be done once you arrive. If you'd like a driver, you might set that up in advance with the hotel.

Depending on arrival/departure times, you may need to spend the first or last nights (or both) near the airport. Another reason to include the Central Valley in your itinerary! I'm thinking the Central Valley portion might be a good way to complete your time in Costa Rica--after you've been to Arenal and Manuel Antonio.

As far as how long at each location, I'd suggest:

3 nights Arenal (2 full days)
3 nights Manuel Antonio (2 full days
PLENTY)
2 or 3 nights Central Valley

The extra night might be needed for arrival day.

Good luck! Feel free to e-mail me at mickydee53gmail.com if you have other questions regarding suggestions above.

Hi, One LL, if you enjoy nature and wildlife and not so much laying on the beach, you might want to sub the Osa for Manuel Antonio. We loved the Osa so much and found MA to be a little bit too crowded and Americanized. The Osa is a little bit wilder; we stepped outside our cabin and saw howlers, capuchins, toucans, wild scarlet macaws, etc. It's still undeveloped, and we loved that. The properties down there like BdC offer lots of activities like guided hikes, surfing lessons, waterfalls repelling, and you can even swim with wild dolphins. For us, the Osa was an amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience. MA was nice too; it was really easy to get around and had great restaurants, but when you go to the park, it can be really crowded, so it just depends on what you're looking for.

Arenal is amazing; you've hit on all the high points; we especially loved Cano Negro because that's the first spot we saw any wildlife.

Totally agree with Shillmac on the Peace Lodge recommendation; we just had the standard room, and even that came with a cozy fireplace, jacuzzi tub, waterfall shower, and a balcony with a gorgeous view. There are 5 beautiful waterfalls there that you can hike to - loved it. Monteverde is another spot you might check into; we haven't been yet, but it has beautiful nature and great birding, amongst other things. Lots of people pair a couple of days there when they go to Arenal.

If you're not picky about hotels, you should be okay, but the "favorites" book up quickly. Have a wonderful time.

Meant waterfall repelling - need coffee.

Depending on how late you get in, staying at Peace Lodge your first night or two would be really nice. You could get up and go visit Poas and then go back and do the tour around the grounds at La Paz and be in Arenal/La Fortuna by dinner or take your time and just enjoy various parts of the La Paz Gardens piecemeal and take another day there to see it all. I could sit for a couple of hours just at the hummingbird area. You can easily access the coffee plantation, Poas volcano and La Paz Waterfall gardens from Orquideas Inn.

At least 3 nights in the Arenal area is good. That will only really give you two days.

Manuel Antonio is a little too commercial for me. If you are more interested in wildlife I would try to get into Bosque del Cabo. It might be filled up but worth a try.

Selva Verde is fairly easy to get to on the Caribbean slope from Arenal. You could walk around in their rainforest and/or go over to La Selva for a tour. I highly recommend visiting La Selva (reservations needed). They do some wonderful research projects there. You could visit the Botanical Gardens near there as well.

You could go to Aviarios del Caribe. It is a sloth rescue place that also has a little B&B. It is on the Caribbean coast but on a river and you can do a canoe tour as well as see the Buttercup sloth foundation.

Whatever you do don't be too worried about it being the perfect trip. There are so many great things to see in the country that it is hard to go wrong no matter where you go. The northern area imo is not my favorite. I just hate to see all the building going on. It is ruining everything that I fell in love with on my first visit down there.

Hi Lucky Lady,

I don't really have much to add to the excellent suggestions shillmac and VG have already offered.

All of locations you are considering are excellent choices. I think you'll be really happy with the timeframe you've chosen as well. You'll be there before the main tourist season gets into full swing.

I visited CR last year during the first week of December. Our itinerary included one night at the Peace Lodge, 3 nights Arenal and 3 nights MA. It was absolutely wonderful! Tons of wildlife, fun activities, and gorgeous scenery.

This year, I am headed back to CR again during the first week of December. This time around we'll spend a few days around the Central Valley (we plan to visit the colonial towns, shillmac mentioned; Sarchi, Grecia, Zarcero). We will also spend 4 nights down on the Osa Peninsula at the famed Bosque del Cabo.

Our trips will overlap. Maybe we'll bump into each other somewhere along the line!

Hi and thanks for the replies, I much appreciate them. I did book the airline in and out of SJO yesterday. I am so excited, but quite alarmed about my short planning time! I have spent a year planning other trips, ha. We arrive SJO Nov 30 at 2:40pm. We leave in the morning of Dec 9th, so have 9 nights in Costa Rica.

Reading posts here and on trip advisor has convinced me to visit Osa instead of Manuel Antonio. I'm thinking 3 or 4 nights in Osa. Our final night will have to be close to SJO as we leave at 8:15am. That leaves 4 or 5 nights for the Arenal and other areas.

I sent a request for Bosque del Cabo which is more than I have ever paid for a hotel but it sounded so good, and I want my Mom to be happy! Since there are 3 of us I'm hoping for Casa Blanca (first choice), then Casa Miramar, then the Deluxe Cabina with separate loft, then Case Teka. Does anyone know if the $225 rate for Case Teka is for the entire house?

I also sent inquiries for the Casa Linda property (Linda is my Mom's name) which is priced right. But I'd miss a pool and company at a dinner I didn't have to cook! I'm also kind of worried that we (my Mom especially) will be nervous of getting lost on paths in the jungle. Is that crazy? The BdC seems to have path information in the rooms and organized guides so we wouldn't be worried there. I want my Mom to be relaxed. Still I think Casa Linda might be a great option for us. I'm also going to try my hardest for separate rooms/bedrooms for my parents on this trip, and Casa Linda is great for that.

I also sent an availability request for the El Remanso "La Vanilla" 2-story unit.

I have my fingers crossed for BdC, but am going to try not to get my hopes up. I may also look at Iguana Lodge in Osa. Any other good Osa choices for the 3 of us? I'm going to start reading about the Arenal area now and hope I hear back soon from the Osa places. Thanks again...

Yes, BdC provides extensive trail information. Each room has a guide book that lists all the activities available, has a map with all the trails marked etc. The trails there are really well kept up, and they have markers on them. Really the only problem on the trails there is if you stay out after dark, which we got stuck doing a couple of times. My husband was fascinated by a huge group of toucans, and we weren't expecting to stay out so late, so we didn't have flashlights/headlamps with us - sun setting, me urging mr. volcano that we need to get back, his saying just one more minute - argh! You know when bats start swooping around that it's time to get off the trail. Hope you're able to get the place that you want most.

Casa Teka is a two bedroom house in the garden area so, yes, you would have the whole thing. You won't have the fun outdoor shower there but the garden has grown up so beautifuly. It will be a fairly dark walk back to the house after dinner so be sure to have good flashlights. There are some lights along the way but they don't light the path up completely.

If you are just hiking in the forest along the coast from Casa Linda, just listen for the sounds of the surf and it will lead you back to the coast where you should be able to find your way back to Casa Linda. You will probably run into other people as well. Phil, at Bosque, was putting in a new trail a few years ago and took us to the start but it wasn't well marked yet and we lost the "trail" but did fine because we did head for the sound of the surf.

Lapa Rios also gets very good reviews - I have only stayed at BdC, so can't comment on the specifics, but you could look into it if BdC is not available; I believe it's pretty pricey.

I believe I have BdC booked for 3 nights, waiting to get final confirmation back. I'm so happy we got in here after reading the great reviews! I'm booking a deluxe room for one night and Casa Blanca for 2 nights (all that was available). So it looks like this so far...

Nov 30 Arrive SJO 2:40pm, need to find hotel.
Dec 1-3 BdC
Dec 4-7 Arenal area
Dec 8 Hotel by SJO as flight leaves at 8:15am the next day.

We can get into the Arenal Observatory Lodge (Smithsonian room)www.arenalobservatorylodge.com or the Lost Iguana. The Observatory seems to have better views, but more rustic rooms. The Lost Iguana looks like the rooms are more plush and its not as remote of a location. Which would you prefer??? I think I'll put this question in a separate post to get more opinions. We should probably stay at the same hotel the whole 4 nights I imagine. Thanks

We stayed at the Lost Iguana and loved it. Our room had a beautiful view of the volcano and a jacuzzi on the balcony, as well as two great rocking chairs. It's a pretty property, nicely landscaped, and set a little outside of town near the lake. It's right next door to the Hanging Bridges.

If you need a hotel in San Jose, we liked Grano de Oro a lot. It was really clean with a great restaurant and excellent service - also a nice rooftop garden area with two hot tubs. It's built in an old mansion.

Orquideas Inn also gets a lot of good reviews, but we haven't stayed there yet personally.

Just a suggestion, but if available you might try 4 nights at BDC and 3 in Arenal instead of 3 at BDC and 4 in Arenal.

Arenal area is great, but BDC is the best of the best! 3 nights is enough time to see and do a lot in Arenal.

Also, I'm sure you already checked this out, but you could reverse BDC and Arenal if this would help you not have to change cabinas...

For your last night stay there's a place 5 min from SJO called Hotel Villa Bonita. It's a super B & B owned by a sweet Tico family. I stayed there this year and enjoyed it and Shillmac and other often stay there and recommend it highly.

Have you decided to rent a car or do you need suggestions for transportation?

Hi, reversing and doing BdD last only gave me Casa Teka for availability (the remote casa over the bridge). That might be too much for my Mom and no ocean view. Also if I try for another night at BdD on Dec 4th, all that's available is Case Teka so we'd have to move a third time. I also thought about Iguana Lodge on the beach for Dec 4th, but I'm thinking it may be too much moving around. I have to quickly decide since it appears the Arenal hotels also have deposits with cancellation fees. I guess it comes down to whether the activities sound better in the Osa beach area or Arenal. Or Casa Teka, sigh.

I don't see that the Arenal Observatory Lodge's website mentions air conditioning. Will AC be something we would really miss? I need more research time, ugh! I have this impression in my head that the Observatory will have a great impact due to its closeness. And also I read the lava/rocks have been going this direction of late, no guarantees I know for the future.

Pretty sure we will rent a car for Arenal. I will have to book airline tickets to Osa also. Thanks for the hotel suggestions in San Jose, I needed them!

We had pretty cool weather when we were in Arenal, but things were pretty damp; the rooms can smell musty/damp unless you run the ac to wick the moisture out of the air; we used the one at Lost Iguana for that purpose, just to get things to dry out, but we never felt any oppressive heat like we did in Manuel Antonio. We actually wore long sleeves and long pants in the evenings because it was cool.

The ac in CR is pretty cool - they are mounted high on the wall and controlled by a remote control.

BdC will book all your Sansa/NatureAir flights for you if you want them too - makes the coordination pretty easy.

Ugh, yeah, that sounds like too much moving around. Probably best to stick with what you have. It's tough getting everything coordinated, but once everything's set you can breath again! AOL probably does have A/C (I would think) but it should be nice weather (not too hot) so you may not even need it.

Second Grano de Oro for your first night. You'll get there in time to relax in the evening and enjoy the hotel's great reputation for good food and lovely ambiance! Also, if you are flying out of Pavas (NatureAir), it's closer to that airport.

If you are flying Sansa, you'll want to stay somewhere like Hampton Inn or Orquideas or Hotel Villa Bonita (all nearer to the Sansa terminal at SJO).

And I'd ask Bosque del Cabo to make those air arrangments for you right away. I know they favor NatureAir as the most reliable. Also, NatureAir has a 30 # allowance for your checked bag PLUS a 10# allowance for a carry on. I think that's a bit more than Sansa allows unless they've changed lately. Sometimes you have to fly one down there and the other back. Just depends.

If you don't pack too heavily, (you can get laundry done anywhere you stay), I would think an extra night on the Osa at Iguana Lodge would be a lot of fun--then 3 nights at Arenal. Yes, it's a bit more moving around and I don't know how that would set with either of you. WE'D enjoy it, but that's us!

Thanks for all the help again. This trip is really coming together! We have one night in San Jose after landing and will probably book Grano de Oro as we are flying NatureAir to Osa at 8:30 the next morning. Then the BdC for 3 nights, then I did decide to go to the beach in Osa for one night (Iguana Lodge), then 3 nights Arenal at the Arenal Observatory, with the final night near SJO before flying back home.