Hello fellow travelers! After tons of debating my Fiancee and i have decided to Travel Costa Rica for our honey moon! We chose CR over Bali mainly cause we have already been there and it is way cheaper to fly CR from the states. I was wondering if anyone who has been to CR to give me some advice on a few things. We will be flying in and out of San Jose from july 9-17th 2012. We arrive 5 am on the 9th. Would love to save as much money as possible but not afraid to spend since we only have 8 days there and want the memories and photos to last a lifetime =)

We know we want 4 things from our vacation. We want to go to the hotsprings in Tabacon, want some forest activities (hiking, zip line, bridge walks) we want to be able to swim up to a bar and order drinks and we want to spend a few days on the beach.

I was wondering if we should stay at Tabacon spa and resorts or just to stay nearby for cheaper and get the day passes? And also since its during low season could we possibly get away with not booking rooms and just walking up to get better deals? Or is it better to book in advance?

After 2-3 days in Tabacon/Fortuna we want to book it to either coast (leaning towards west) possibly Manual Antonio. Although Tortuguero and turtle watching sounds awesome. Originally thought of staying in MA the whole week since it has the forest and beach all at one spot. How many days is too much around Quepos? Should we fly or bus to Quepos since it seems to be quite a long drive? So excited about this trip, any advice would help! Any must see's would be greatly appreciated!

Ciao--wayne

costarica.bookit.com get sales on tabacon.com here always stay there springs are free $70 pp if you come in from outside.desafiocostarica.com for activities skytrek.com best zip ruralcostarica.com Rio Celeste best hike. Consider
hotelvillacaletas.com around your flights awesome romantic. issimosuites.com manuelantoniopark.com if time. servicecarrental.com cheapest for me. usually clouds over by
noon and rain a lot of PMs in July so be prepared.If you catch arenal.net wrong it could rain all day.Did the last
July I was there still had a great time in the springs.

Congrats!

Have you looked at Nayara at all? We recently stayed there, and it has a very honeymoonish feel to it. We also love the Lost Iguana. Tabacon is very beautiful, but it was crowded when we were there. If I remember correctly, they do have a swim up bar. My personal preference would be to stay elsewhere but still visit their springs. For hiking, you can do the Hanging Bridges, hike the waterfall, or do a volcano hike - no lava currently flowing right now. Sky Trek is the most popular zipline, and it has amazing lake and volcano views if the weather cooperates. We also like the Cano Negro tour to see wildlife.

Tortuguero is amazing. We loved the Tortuga Lodge, but you can't really swim at the beach in that area due to sharks, crocs, and rough tides.

Manuel Antonio is nice for a honeymoon - Tulemar Bungalows is a really popular place to stay.

I'd probably do an even split between the Arenal and Manuel Antonio areas and maybe a couple of nights at the Peace Lodge, the ultimate overindulgent honeymoon spot. Check out pics on tripadvisor to see if it's your type of place. Lots of jacuzzis, waterfall showers, etc. Some people think it's a little Disneyesque, but they have gorgeous waterfalls there, and you can handfeed hummingbirds, and the rooms are really comfortable with great views. It's about an hour from the airport.

Our preference for hot springs in Arenal is Eo Termales. Much smaller, and more intimate, than Tabacon. Run by a wonderful family. Nice if you simply want to experience one night at the Springs.

I agreee that Peace Lodge is great for first timers. Easy hiking to beautiful waterfalls and great access to wildlife (although captive).

We are staying at Arenas del Mar in Manuel Antonio. Highly recommended if you want to splurge.

We really love Eco Termales too - they limit the number of people who can enter so it doesn't get crowded. I loved that they do their drinks on the honor system. Their chicken dinner was good too.

Thanks for all the GREAT recommendations! Volcanogirl I almost wish i hadn't looked at the Peace lodge cause it just looks soo amazing! And it is kinda spendy =( we are looking to keep our room rates under $200 a night. Nayara and lost Iguana look radical too, but fall over the $250 mark it seems. I think we are narrowing it down to Eco termales or Tabacon. Might do one night at peace lodge and then head here.

Which brings me to my next question, should we fly down to quepos from arenal/fortuna or bus/private driver? Don't want to "waste" a whole day on the road, but if the drive is as beautiful as i hear with lots of cool stops on the way then we would not mind it at all! 9 hour drive right?

We looking into La Posada bungalows in MA, would you guys recommend Arenas del mar or Tulemar bungalows over this hotel? Thanks again for the congrats and the insights. I am getting obsessed with looking up hotels and reviews and pictures. I can't wait for CR! Definitely need to buy a nicer lens for my SLR camera.

Wayne, we paid $199 recently at Nayara and have also gotten some great specials at Lost Iguana - check their website for specials. Sometimes we've gotten 25% off or a night free, so if it interests you, check with them. They also recently had a Groupon deal. I always ask about specials before I book. Peace Lodge is spendy - definitely. We've had the most basic room there, and also the deluxe room, and the basic room was very nice if you did want to do it for a night. Eco Termales is just a hot springs, no hotel there.

Arenal to Manuel Antonio took us about 5 hours, and we included a stop at the Tarcoles bridge to see the big crocs down below. I save flying for areas that are hard to get to like the Osa or Tortuguero. We book drivers through our hotels when we reserve them. I have not stayed at La Posada. I think the other two hotels would be considered more upscale. All get good reviews though.

Thanks again for the info! I will keep looking for deals. My fiancee does the groupon thing and she will be looking for us. Sounds like we will spend close to $200 on all hotels around Arenal. Will end up splurging here as we want a wonderful experience at these pristine lodges, and then maybe save some money and stay cheaper once we get to MA. If we stayed Peace lodge one night and went on to arenal area next day would that be a good gameplan? 2-3 hour drive from Peace lodge to La Fortuna? I keep hearing july is high and low season? are there more travelers and rain at this time? Rain doesn't bother me, i actually love it.(except when on the beach)

We've been in July several times, and we actually had much better weather than when we went in December which supposedly isn't rainy/green season. I love going in July, and it is the low season. It does rain, but the rain usually comes and goes. We've never had it be very crowded on tours any time of year, although I suspect if you went Christmas or Easter week things would be very busy then.

There was an earthquake a few years ago, and the roads between the Peace Lodge and the Arenal area were not in great shape. I think you might have to head back towards San Jose before going on to La Fortuna, but double check me. I know people use those roads, but from what I've heard they are rough. You could e-mail the Peace Lodge and ask them. I've found them to be pretty helpful and honest.

Arenal was actually one of my least favorite areas that we went to, though it was at the end of my summer there so I may have just been fatigued by then. We stayed at a very cute/nice little place in La Fortuna...wish I could remember the name of it. Really cheap but just fine rooms and really helpful staff. The spa at Tabacon is amazing! Cheap compared to US rates, with open air rooms looking out onto the lush green mountains. We didn't spend a ton of time in the springs (too crowded for me personally) but the spa was the perfect cap to my time there.

Manuel Antonio is really beautiful and the most honeymoony of the beachy areas with definitely enough things to do to keep you busy.

I would also try to go to Monteverde (I personally would definitely go here over Tabacon though MV is definitely more of a natural/activity/hiking local vs Tabacon which would definitely skew more romantic/honeymoon). The cloudforest is really beautiful, and you can do all the things you describe -- ziplining, hiking, bridges, etc.

We also went to the Atlantic side and did white water rafting over there, and stayed at a really lovely hotel in Puerto Viejo. The whitewater was probably my favourite activity (along with ziplining) that I did in Costa Rica. So much fun! That said, I think the Pacific side is certainly the prettiest and nicest side if you have limited time and I'd focus my energy there.

The buses take a long time and can be pretty scary, I will admit. That said, I took them long distances twice a week every week when I lived there and never had any problem. If I recall, going up to Monteverde in particular can be a little stomach churning but that's how everyone gets around there, and the buses were always reliable.

If you do take buses, if you can, try not to go out of the Coca Cola bus station if possible, though if you're going right after you arrive, it's fine.

I personally would probably do like 5 days in MA for the romantic/beachy feel (and probably can find a swim up bar) and 2 in Monteverde for adventure/nature.

I should add that they are scary because you're on the side of a winding mountain with no barrier between the edge of the road and a giant cliff, not anything to do with safety on the bus, etc. I travelled extensively on the bus and was always fine. Also, there are different qualities of the buses. I can't remember if this was described anywhere when booking or if it was luck of the draw -- many were very comfortable, more like a touring bus, and others were more like a school bus.

I loved La Posada but I would not recommend it for a honeymoon. Small rooms and bathroom privacy is a bit of an issue and feels too family oriented for romance! Save it for your next trip and go with something with a little more luxury and privacy this time around.

Enjoy your dinner in Boulder on the way out- sounds like a great way to start your honeymoon!

You guys keep giving me great insights much appreciated! Costa Rica seems to have sooo many must see gems! @ilford, you are the 3rd or 4th person to recommend that monte is a must see, i definitely plan on going there now. I wanted to originally but got overwhelmed with so many locations. Main reason for tabacon or eco is for romantic hot springs. But from what i hear from you guys and a friend that has been 5 times say they are fairly crowded and overpriced? Maybe just cut my stay at tabacon down to 1 day and then do the horse ride from there to monteverde. Has anyone done that or do you recommended that taxi-boat-taxi from fortuna to monteverde?

@ livetoroam thanks i will def enjoy boulder (used to live there 3 years) and i also think ill try something else besides La Posada. We do want to stay on the beach for a few days. but since we are doing monteverde now we might just stay in Jaco for a few days since its closer to SJ before heading back there. I realize Jaco might not be so romantic and honeymoony. But i think with arenal and monteverde we will be ready to party a little bit in surftown.

i will have to eliminate Manuel Antonio or Jaco......soo many decisions!

We're the opposite; Monteverde was probably our least favorite spot that we've been too. Very nice for birding, but it was very cold and rainy when we were there. We had to wear fleece jackets and sweatshirts at night, and our hotel had the fireplace going. The hotels are pretty rustic. The road to get there is in pretty rough shape too. To me, it's not very honeymoonish like some other spots, but if you really want to see the cloud forest, it is pretty. We used Desafio's Jeep Boat Jeep to get there, and they did a great job. Very pretty views along the way. If you go, definitely pack something warm to wear at night. We saw people in shorts freezing their butts off because they didn't know what to pack.

If you are interested in a cloud forest that is much more accessible than Monteverde, check out Bosque de Paz. I stayed here last Feb. for two nights and loved it. It's only about 20 minutes off the main road to Arenal, turning off at Zarcero. Food is delicious, nice hiking trails that go back to a waterfall, loads of bromeliads and ferns, hummingbirds galore and owners are orchid collectors. It is cold at night, so bring a fleece jacket.

http://www.bosquedepaz.com/

We stayed at Baldi Hot Springs, right down the road from Tabacon and about 1/2 the price (last I checked). http://baldicostarica.com/

It was beautiful, with the swim up bars, lots of walking trails and hot springs. The rooms were brand new (last year) and dinner wasn't bad either!

Have a wonderful honeymoon!!!

The Peace Lodge and Monteverde have very similar cool cloud forest environments. If I were limited on time, I'd probably pick one or the other.

Manuel Antonio is MUCH nicer than Jaco. Jaco should not even be on the list of possibilities IMHO.

I would do Arenal + Manuel Antonio if you want more romantic/honeymoony/posh or Monteverde + Manuel Antonio if you want more natural/rustic/foresty.

I'm also a little biased just because we met great people in Monteverde. It is more relaxed/rustic and not as touristy imho (it is definitely full of tourists but it doesn't have that "made for tourists" vibe). We made friends with several Costa Ricans (one of them added me on Google plus yesterday funny enough) and happened to go to two local Costa Rica parties when we were there which we definitely didn't do anywhere else. That may have just been luck of the draw (or my charming friend!) though. As mentioned above, there really isn't a *ton* to do there outside of the cloudforest and is not full of big resorts or anything like that -- it is very rustic but the cloudforest is just incredibly cool.

Regarding taxi and lake -- I actually had forgotten that we did this. I went to Monteverde twice and when writing yesterday I was trying to think why I went there two times...but I think it was just the stop on the way to Fortuna, as I now definitely remember doing a land rovery taxi and then the ferry. Had completely forgotten. Obviously not a lot of great insight there given my terrible memory but we definitely got there without incident. I would much rather travel by boat in CR than on the roads!

Having remembered that you maybe could do 2 in arenal, 1-2 nights in monteverde, and the rest in MA though that is a bit of an intense schedule. That said, MA is the nicest area out of the lot, so you may just want to spend more time there.

ilford, I think that's part of the reason we love Arenal - funny how the people you meet influence your appreciation of certain places. We've had the most wonderful guides. On our last trip, one of them told us not to call a taxi if we needed to get somewhere because he'd be glad to take us for free, and he told us, "You have more than a friend in Costa Rica." The people are awesome, aren't they?

For the cloudforest, there are better options than Monteverde. I certainly got the "made of tourists" vibe when I visited it - it may initially not have been when the Quakers first founded it, but now, with all the hotels/development in the area, then it's just a case of getting as many dollars out of the tourist's pocket as possible. Shame really.

It depends whether you'd like to be surrounded by other tourists or not.