Costa Rica - 6-8 days, staying in 2 places - where?
 

Possible January 2014 trip to Costa Rica - 23 year old adventuresome daughter and me - in 50s, more sedentary and less adventuresome. So thinking we want 2 "home bases" from which we can see things and do day trips - sometimes separately while she rides horses or goes ziplining and I go on a guided hike. She is into all things environmental. We both like to be comfortable - no wilderness camping without amenities for either of us - but does not have to be luxury accomodations. I am fascinated by plants, animals - and not at all upset by bugs or reptiles. Both into food and enjoy eating local food. She is fluent in Spanish, I am not.

Sarapiqui area would be good for you two--maybe Selva Verde ecolodge.

You could do Sarapiqui combined with the Caribbean side around Puerto Viejo. Or the most often done trip for first timers: Arenal and then head down to Manuel Antonio.

We liked Selva Verde lodge too. I got the recommendation on this board. We did several hikes there including an early morning birding hike, a day hike, and a night hike. We saw howlers, toucans, a coral snake, and even a kinkajou which was a first for us. The property is set on a beautiful river. I really enjoyed that part. I would try to request a room towards the back of the property, 40s I think, because the front of the lodge is set on a road, and you can hear road noise and the rooster that lives next door. They have a great little open air restaurant. I'd choose that over the buffet option. We also did a tour of La Selva from there and saw peccaries and some neat birds. The rooms are not fancy, but they're comfortable. Lots of poison dart frogs and red-eyed tree frogs to see.

I'd take a look at the Osa too. That area has the best hiking and most spectacular wildlife we've ever seen. Bosque del Cabo is popular, but pricey. We loved it - saw all 4 kinds of monkeys there, toucans, scarlet macaws, and even an anteater.

If you want less off the grid, you can see a lot of wildlife in Manuel Antonio. Most properties have monkeys, and the national park has tons of wildlife. Lots of good restaurants in the area, most of it walkable. Tons of things to do as well, most places have air conditioning. We really love Arenal too, like Michelle mentioned - lots of great hiking, probably not as much wildlife as other areas.

You don't really need to be able to speak Spanish at any of these locations. Most tourist areas are pretty fluent in English.

Costa Rica offers many adventure destinations; I will recommend Monteverde for horseback riding and especially for the zip lines. Monteverde is nestled in the highlands and offers spectacular views of the cloudforest, your daughter can have a super time doing the extreme canopy or practicing her Spanish during an exciting horseback riding, hikes to the cloud forest reserve are always available; the biodiversity of this place is amazing, plants, exotic birds. Both of you can have a good time there, stay 2 nights and from there you can go down to Manuel Antonio, inside the National Park there are natural trails with a 95% of wildlife seeing probability, the ocean is calm, while you are there, take a catamaran tour, to see a better view of the coast, the park, watch some dolphins, do snorkeling and take many, many pictures 