Hello, I have been to Costa Rica once before in 2005. I enjoyed it so much that I want to go back. On my previous trip I was not able to ge to the Caribeean side. I just ran out of time! I want to experience it this time. Any suggestions? We would prebably like to have our own car (driving is not a probelm, we have seen the roads) and our budget is pretty flexible. We are fairly adventurous..but can also be laid back. Thanks for any suggestions..MJ

We stayed for five nights in Puerto Viejo and we loved it so much that we're going back in December.

Cahuita National Park, Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, snorkeling all over, atv tours, zip lines, white-water rafting trips...there is so much to do there.

If you check out Bananaazul.com, they have great links to great places to eat and things to do! It's also a really really great place to stay (we loved it).

We loved Banana Azul and will be going back as well. Really great place with really great people. On the beach and walking distance to Puerto Viejo. Avrios del Caribe, the sloth rescue center, was fun in additiona to dpruitt's suggestions.

dpruitt, how was the snorkeling on the Caribbean side? We didn't have much luck on the Pacific side, but we love the water and snorkeling - did you see much? I was wondering if the water is clearer over there. I'd love to give the Caribbean side a try some day.

Volcanogirl,
Snorkeling is decent out from Manzanillo depending upon the recent weather/wave action. It's the only area I've snorkeled on the east coast of Cr. Aquamor rents good equipment cheap and is located on the right as you come into Manzanillo village.

MJ711,

We always spend out time in Punta Uva at Casa Viva home rentals 6 kms from PV town south towards Manzanillo.

Muy tranquillo!
www.puntauva.net

Spent 4 nts in Puerto Viejo last summer and wasn't impressed. Cahuita national park was great with great beaches, but the rest didn't do it for me and my family. The water was so murky, brackish, so the snorkeling stunk, and it hadn't rained in days, so it wasn't because of that, and alot of the beaches were unaccessible because of the coral reef. The town of PV was alot of fun, but we were a mile away, so in order to get there, you had to travel down the worst road in CR. I have traveled a thousand miles in CR, without complaint, but this one was horrible. My suggestion, stay near town if you go and go during the dry season. This is only my opinion. I absolutely love the rest of CR.

ewesthoff,
Did you ever get as far as Punta Uva beach? I agree the road to there is a pain to travel but so worth the pain.
Punta Uva can get nasty looking after stormy,rainy weather but clears out quickly and can be very clear. The beach has alot of shade also.

Many thanks, Earthtraveler. I'll have to put it on my to-do list. I always wondered how they compared.

Thanks for all your great suggestions. We will certainly take them into consideration. I was wondering if it would be wise to attempt going in the rainy season? We did the Pacific side at the end of a rainy season before the crowds came, and we loved it. No tourists. Well, not that many. As for the roads...well we have surely seen the worst. Nothing would surprise us.

Volcanogirl - we snorkeled in Manzanillo (right off the beach) and it was very clear. We saw quite a few fish, but since it was right off the beach, it was very different than snorkeling somewhere out further.

We did not find the water to be murky or horrible at all. We also stayed about 2km from town and usually walked into town during the day and took a cab back. Puerto Viejo definitely isn't for everyone but we love it and can't wait for December!

We went during dry season )February) and NOTHING was crowded.

Hi, MJ - you can go to costa-rica-guide.com and find a map that shows the rainfall for each area during specific months. You just roll your mouse over the area, and it will tell you which months are rainiest. The Caribbean side has different weather than the rest of the country.

dpruitt, thanks for the info. on Manzanillo. I keep hearing it mentioned on the boards so am glad to have more information.

ok, well a little time has passed, and finally we have purchased our tickets. We will be in CR in Nov '08, and we are staying 12 nights. We plan to get into San Jose at 1 pm. Get a rental car and drive to Paraiso and stay there one night. Then, is it feasible to drive onto the Caribbean coast with ease that next morning? We haven't decided where to stay over there. But I have Puerto Viejo area in mind. A couple of places look nice, one being La Costa de Papito. We just want to relax, in a bungalow would be nice. Since we have a car, we can come and go as we please. Probably stay in that area for 4 nights maybe. Then we want to go back over to Arenal with maybe a stop in Turu Bari. We have been to CR once before in Nov of '05. Anyone have any ideas to spruce up my ideas, please feel free. MJ

La Costa Papito looks great, I would definitely stay there. We stayed fairly close at a place called Azania Bungalows. It was very nice as well. The bungalows are lovely, thought the food was just ok, very nice grounds and pool, fairly aloof staff but nice once they warm up. We had dinner at Cariblue, also next door, the pool area is beautiful, the food was fantastic and there's a nice common area to hang out w/bar. Grounds and bungalows looked lovely but didn't see the inside. Still highly recommend Banana Azul as posted waaaay back. All of the above are within walking distance to town, and biking to other beaches and Manzanillo. Loco Natural is really good for some spicy dinner options and live music.

Our friends enjoyed La Costa, MJ. It is owned by a guy from NYC and he has done a great job with sustainable tourism there. Very eco-friendly.

Other places we have enjoyed: Azania Bungalows, Almonds & Corals Tent Camp (2km from Manzanillo), and Aguas Claras Beach Cottages (owned by Flore and Mario). Miss Holly's Restaurant on that property is nice. Also great beach access.

Bike riding that area is one of our favorite things to do. We haven't been there since summer of 2006 and looks like we will be passing it up again this summer. I miss it!

Weather: It is different in that there really IS no rainy/dry season. It can rain any time of day, any day of the year. That said, September and October (rainiest season on the Pacific side) does tend to be a little drier. We visited once in October. The other times (3 or 4) have all been in July. The rain has NEVER been a problem. Brief afternoon showers. I'm sure sometimes rain IS a problem (most likely in January), but it hasn't been our experience in several visits. Enjoy!

By the way, your itin sounds good, except Turu-Bari is definitely not on the way to Arenal from Puerto Viejo. A better option would be to head up to the La Selva area or visit La Paz, or hang out in the central valley for a day or two en route to Arenal.

If you're going to have a car, you might consider staying closer to Punta Uva. Looks absolutely stunning.

Okay, okay, I haven't been there yet, but we're going next March and staying at Pachamama (www.pachamamacaribe.com). The owners are SUPER nice on email and are notoriously accommodating.

There's also a newish place called Namuwoki Lodge (www.namuwoki.com), but there's not much info out there about it yet. Beautiful grounds and a pool and within walking distance to the beach at Punta Uva.

Just a thought from an uninitiated...

I spent 2 weeks in Puerto Viejo last year.

You can read about it on my blog www.katclare.com/costa_rica

Click on the 2007 trip

Gee Sean420, your pics and blog make me want to stay on the Caribbean coast our whole stay! At least it appears I can get a taco somewhere. I didn't find a taco on the Pacific side. None of the food, except superb salads and some decent breakfasts, really made a lasting impression.
I am still not decided on an itinerary, but it is going somewhat like this at the moment.
Nov 3. arrival in SJ at 2 pm, drive to Paraiso, near Cartago and stay at Sanchiri Lodge.
Nov. 4. Drive to Puerto Viejo and stay many days and get a lot of rest.
Somewhere after that we would like to drive back to Arenal, with a stop somewhere in between. We did enjoy seeing the volcanic activity last time, and plan to stay at the Arenal Observatory Lodge again. We had a room in the Casona house. Our window was like a big screen tv with the channel tuned into an active volcano..live! It was great, so we want to do that again. We have 12 days, so, again, any ideas will be appreciated. Thanks again Sean 420. I am going to hit up some of those places to eat!

MJ--interesting that you stayed at La Casona at AOL. We did, too, and your description of the big screen hit it right on the money. I've mentioned that a few times on Fodor's, but get the impression most people really balk at the idea of shared bathrooms. Well, to be honest, I usually do, too. But it was so clean there--the bathrooms were NO problem. Something about Costa Rica brings out the adventurer in me, and I am willing to do more "rustic" accomodations than here in the U.S. And like it!

And you mentioned Sanchiri. I was looking into that recently, also, as a possibility to fill in a couple of nights in that area in July. Am still swaying between another return to Savegre (love it there), another return to Puerto Viejo (love it there and MISSED it last year!), and a 2 night Pacuare River trip (which is costing an arm and a leg). The decision is driving me nuts. Need a few more days! And a few more dollars!

Please do a trip report when you get back--I'm sure a lot of people would be interested in hearing about Sanchiri. . .