Costa Rica during Easter break
 

Hello,

My family is considering a trip to Costa Rica from April 18-26th and I am a bit concerned about the Easter rush (not to mention the high prices). My wife is a teacher and we are travelling with our kids (ages, 6 and 9), so our flexibility on dates is nil.

Based on our research we are gravitating towards Manuel Antonio and Arenal for our two destinations based on activities for the little ones.

Aside from the Easter issue, I was seeking out lodging that may be similar to Tulemar Bungalows, but without the seriously steep pricing. Essentially I need a place with pool and some amenities for the wife and kids, but want have that unique jungle vacation feel to the property.

Any help is welcome!

The monster travel week in Costa Rica is Holy Week itself. That's Apr. 13-20, and you would miss most that. My only concern would be that first weekend there. You'll arrive and need to get to your first destination. The traffic that weekend is horrendous. You'll have a whole new standard for what a traffic jam is.

Is that traffic everywhere? I would assume I would be getting to CR on that Saturday. Does travel time to Arenal from San Jose double?

Once there we will wanto do a lot of excursions. Is the traffic going to impact travel times to those excursions?

Thanks Jeff!

Villas Nicolas, Mango Moon, and Costa Verde are other popular spots - haven't checked their prices recently, so not sure if they're in your range.

Everyone is heading home on Saturday and Sunday. Granted, you would be heading in the opposite direction, but I personally wouldn't want to drive anywhere that weekend. There are always reports and footage on the news Easter night of massive traffic jams.

We are staying at Espadilla Ocean Club in Manuel Antonio the week after you will be there. I found this as a more affordable alternative to Tulemar and right on the beach!

Hello! Costa Rica in Easter week is full of people wanting to go everywhere for vacations, wherever you choose remember to booked with enough time, there are a bunch of hotel where to choose Ex: Hotel Mimos, Hotel Karahe, Hotel Divasamar those hotels are cheap in that region, all of them with pool, on Manuel Antonio you can find a lot Family-Activities available, like hiking, horseback, beaches and more.

If you have any question just let me know

Points, do you mind if I ask how much you're paying at Espadilla Ocean Club per night?

$550 per night. Yes, Easter pricing!

Yowza, but it does look beautiful. We did a trip in December one year, and I had some major sticker shock.

Sorry to piggyback on to this thread but I will be leaving Costa Rica early Sunday morning April 13, having flown back to San Jose from Puerto Jimenez on the afternoon of Saturday April 12. Should I expect bad traffic to the airport early Sunday morning? I think our flight is at 7 a.m. and we're staying near the airport. Thanks.

So what is traffic like on "Easter Monday" the 21st? Does Easter Monday even exist in CR? We will be in Manuel Antonio until Easter Sunday. We were thinking of leaving Manuel Antonio (driving) for San Jose on Sunday late afternoon....will that be a huge mess? We fly out of SJ on Tuesday the 22nd, so we were planning on having an outing from SJ to Poas Volcano and La Paz Waterfall Gardens on Easter Monday. If driving back from Manuel Antonio to San Jose on Sunday afternoon will be a nightmare, it wont be worth it. We are traveling with kids. We could extend our stay in Manuel Antonio to Sunday night and drive back Monday if that will be exponentially better. Please advise! Thanks :)

I am booked for Manuel Antonio for Easter week 2015! We'd be arriving on that Saturday (before Easter). Now I'm worried! Should we make extra effort to travel on Friday. We pondered summer and now I'm wondering if we should rethink.

Any other tips to start our vacation off right and avoid stress of travel?