Help! I can't figure out where to spend my honeymoon. We are going to Costa Rica on Jun 28 and will be staying 6 nights with limited funding. We would love to see Arenal, but would also like to spend time at the beach as well. With only 6 days and a little money would you recommend trying to visit both, or just heading straight to one location. We are leaning toward the Montezuma or Santa Theresa areas. Also thought about Manuel Antonio or Quepos. Any advice on the best area to visit for a short trip? Any hotel recommendations as well?

Manuel Antonio would be good - it's easy to get around there, lots of hotel and restaurant choices, beautiful beach inside the national park, and lots of wildlife. It's not wild and untamed like other parts of CR, a lot of it seems Americanized, but most of the hotels have beautiful views of the water. Check out Costa Verde, Mango Moon, Villas Nicolas and places like that on a budget. If you want to splurge Tulemar Bungalows, Makanda by the Sea, Buena Vista Villas, and Si Como No are popular. You could check into Villa Mot Mot at Tulemar - you can get good rates on it. Do you have to spend first or last nights near the airport due to your flight times? If so, that's going to cut into your vacation time and make it hard to see more than one area. Manuel Antonio and Quepos are basically the same place - Quepos is the city and MA is where all the hotels and national park are.

Thanks volcanogirl! Fortunately our fight times allow us to not have to spend the night by the airport, so we get a little more time. I have been looking at the Nature Lodge Finca Los Caballos near Montezuma also. They have good rates, but I don't know how close they are to the beach. has anyone stayed here before? The hotels you mentioned are great and are a possible option, but we would like to pay even a little less than that if possible so we can spend more money on activities. That is why the Nicoya area attracted us. Thanks for your help. I appreciate any advice anyone can give!

If you decide to go to Arenal, Silencio del Campo gets really good reviews; I know hip loves it there.

Cheaper to fly into SJO than LIR www.spiritair.com cheapest

then go to www.arenal.net

second VG on www.hotelsilenciodelcampo.com

good budget Arenal Hotel with its own free hot springs

www.ylangylangresort.com the tents best for Montezuma

gets less rain than MA better beach closer to Arenal

Congrats have fun,

Thanks everyone for the advice! We are flying in to San Jose and then flying Nature air to Tambor. I don't know if we can make it to Arenal, but I would really like to! Is it a definite must see? Would you recommend skipping the beach and staying at Arenal only?

Check out Ylang Ylang in Montezuma. We got married there last February and it was one of the best places I've been to in Costa Rica, and I've been there numerous times!

Ylang Ylang would be perfect for a quick honeymoon. Organic gourmet food, beautiful grounds, feeling of harmony with nature, sleeping 50 feet from the ocean. Just a magical place.

I would save Arenal for another time. If you get rain in Arenal, you're really out of luck.

I haven't been to Ylang Ylang yet, but I always hear good things about it. Do you ever check out www.tripadvisor.com? You can search for the hotels and see pics and reviews - it always helps me decide.

Has anyone stayed at Disfrutalos Ranchos y Villas in Santa Theresa?