meliss35

We are thinking of going to Costa Rica in July with two kids (11 and 15yrs old). I know it is rainy season. Does it mean that it rains all day? Is it not a good idea to go there in July? The trip will be about 10 to 14 days. We haven't decided how long yet? What is the best way to get around Costa Rica? Should we rent a car? We are in the beginning stages in planning the trip. Any suggestions on where to go and do would be great. Some of the places we want to go to is Monteverde and Arenal Volcano and to a beach area to relax for a couple of days. Which is better the Caribbean side or Pacific side for the beach? We would like to do one of the zip lines thru the trees. Which would you recommend and anything else that we shouldn't miss? Also any hotels you recommend would be great.

ewesthoff

Maybe we'll run into you, my wife and 2 and 4 year old that is. This will be our second trip, the last was also in July. It rained 1 afternoon and 1 night, but that was all. You have a better chance of staying dry in the northern sections, Guanacaste area, but the rest of the country is hit or miss, not much different than Florida in the same time of year. Rent a car and travel on your time and take tours with respected travel groups/operators. Sorry to have to keep this short, but have a great trip.

meliss35

Where did you go and what did you do when you went to Costa Rica last time?

shillmac

Perhaps we've just gotten lucky, but we have spent the entire month of July in Costa Rica for 3 years now, and a week or two at a time before that, and never has rain been a problem whatsoever. We've seen some heavy, but brief afternoon showers mostly in the central valley. . .we spend a lot of time in Guanacaste and it has been extraordinarily dry, sometimes for days at a time. Don't worry about it. . .I don't think it will be a problem for you at all. Even July in the rainier areas has never "dampened" our spirits or interfered in the least with our plans and enjoyment!

sandyc

I was there for two weeks this past July and had a wonderful time. No rain in Arenal or San Jose and surrounding areas. We went to Tortuguero and loved it. There was very heavy rain one morning but it cleared up in the afternoon, although I hear it can rain a lot there. The turtles are laying eggs in July, so your kids might really like it. It's a beautiful area and we saw tons of wildlife in addition to the turtles. I like Pachira Lodge. Mawamba Lodge is a little less fancy but has great food and a dart board, pool table, etc. for rainy times. We went to Guanacaste as well but it's not my favorite area. It was blazing hot and dry, and I'm not a fan of a lot of the hotels in that area, but I know other people love them.

Sandy

meliss35

Sandy
How did you get around? Did you rent a car or took tours to those places? How long did you stay in each place and what did you do at each place? How did you get to Torteguero?
Thanks
Melissa

michelina01

Hi meliss35;
My husband and I have essentially planned the same type of vacation. Although we are dry season, this is also "high" season, which means more tourists and higher lodging prices. I know many people who have gone in the rainy season and loved it, because everything is greener and more lush at this time. And they even enjoyed the rain at times (afterall, this is the rain forest!).
We wanted to experience the vast majority of ecosystems as wellm so we planned Arenal Volcano, where you can view the volcano-a greaqt hotel for viewing in the Arenal Observatory Lodge (www.arenalobservatorylodge.com), and there is also the Tabacon Hot Springs resort (www.tabacon.com). YOu can stay at the resort, but it is not necessary to enjoy a soak in the hot springs.
We also chose to spend a few days in Monteverde for the Cloud Forest. The forums and guide books highly recommend the zip lines here. There is the original canopy tour and the skytrk/skywalk, which people rave about http://www.skywalk.co.cr/eng/index.html
There is great hiking and horseback riding in Monteverde as well.
We wanted to get in some beach activity as well, so chose to spend 3 days in Manuel Antonio. 3 breathtaking beaches

michelina01

continued...
that back to the rainforest. There is plenty to do inside and outside the park. For a list of activities, check out this link:
http://www.manuelantoniopark.com/mapk/default.asp

Also see www.manuelantonio.com for more park info. It among the most popular of the national parks and quite touristy, but if you like the beach and the ranforest, it is a perfect spot. Great for wildlife viewing, esp the monkeys! Lots of hotels and restuarants.

You should be able to get a variety of activities in by exploring these different regions. We are also going to LaPaz Waterfall Gardens and Poas Volcano for a day, as well as 2 days at Rincon de la Vieja Park.
We chose to rent a vehicle (jeep), but that is just us - we like adventure and we feel that the driving on our own and seeing the country is half the fun and experience of the trip. The roads can be terrible, esp in the rainy season, and a 60 mile trip could take you 3 hours, so you would need a 4 wheel drive. Only 20% of the raods in Costa Rica are paved. Local transportation is plentiful, and buses go everywhere in the country if you opt for public transportation. If you can go for 14 days, you should be able to enjoy all 3 regions of Arenal, Monteverde, and Manuel Antonio thoroughly, without rush. You'll spend half a day just getting from place to place.
Have fun planning and hope you have a most enjoyable trip. You definately wont get bored!!

ewesthoff

Meliss35, in regards to your question, we flew into Liberia and rented a 4x4 and drove to Manuel Antonio, 5-5-1/2 hour trip, the last hour in the dark. I don't recommend this on the first day in Costa Rica. you need to familiarize yourself with the area and the fact that most people and animals walk on the roads at night and there weren't alot of signs to guide the way. I do however, highly recommend getting a rental car, you see so much more and have the freedom to explore on your own without having to pay extra for all the tours. Anyway, I am one of the few who didn't care for Manuel Antonio. The park is nice, but crowded. The hotels are on top of or on a side of a hill, with the park on the base of one side and the town of Quepos on the base of the other. There are only a couple of beaches to go to and most were not to far away to walk. After doing the park and a day of tours, we found that there wasn't much to do. This is my opinion, others will probably jump all over me. We then drove back towars Liberia and stayed in Playa Hermosa. This was awesome and what I expected of CR. We drove ourselves to Rincon de Vieja Volcano and spent the day trekking through the trails, kids on our backs. We had the best time, saw lots of wildlife, birds and beautiful surroundings. We ended up talking to alot of the locals, Ticos, and did our own side journeys to waterfalls, trails,etc. that they recommended and had the places to ourselves, it was incredible. once again, I have to get back to work and must end this here. This year we will be going to Arenal and a couple of towns on the Carribean coast. We saw so much the last time we were there, but do regret spending 3 days in MA, you can do it in two in my opinion. Also, travelling does take up alot of your time, so leave as early as possible and know where you are going beforehand. It is the most incredible country I have been too and the people are the nicest and will always give you a hand. Enjoy.

sandyc

Hi Melissa,

I hired a guide to take us around, and he made all of the arrangements for us ahead of time and he got us discounts at the hotels. We stayed in San Jose the first night, then went to Tortuguero. The hotels in Tortuguero send a bus to a certain restaurant and they take you as far as you can go by road, then you get on a boat to go to the hotel. It was a really cool place, and I've been all over Costa Rica. We saw tons of animals & the turtles laying their eggs. It was so green and beautiful, and cool to go everywhere by boat. I think we stayed 2 nights. Then the hotel took us back to the restaurant where we got our car and headed to Arenal. We went on a really fun horseback ride to the waterfall -- since it was just our small group they let us run w/ the horses. Then we went to San Lorenzo and stayed at Valle Escondido (it wasn't too far from Arenal). This was in a cloud forest and there were so many activities. I was w/ two teenage boys and we did the canopy tour, rappelling, horseback riding, etc. This was a really fun place and the kids loved it. Then we went to Guanacaste. The hotel was nice -- Casa Conde del Mar -- but I could have skipped that part, but that's me. We ended up back in San Jose for a few days to get dental work done, etc. It was a great trip. The guide is fabulous if you want to contact him. Gustavo Leon, 011-506-836-3679 or [email protected]

Sandy

Clark_G

Definitely rent a car. Everything is spread out and unless you like flying in single prop puddle jumpers (yikes ;0) driving is best.

A friend of my did their honeymoon during rainy season. Last words were, "it can't rain all the time..."

According to them, it did. Non stop, pouring SHEETS of rain. So bad they couldn't leave their hotel. Hate to scare you, but might as well be prepared.

If you are going to have bad weather, I suggest staying at the Tabacon. It is the nicest resort and has many attractions. Worth the extra money. The observatory is also very nice, but a bit less refined.

Buen Suerte,
Clark

meliss35

Thanks for all the information. How many days should I plan for each (Arenal, Monteverde, Tortoguro and Manual Antonio Nat. Park and Guancaste beaches). Is Guancaste the nicest area for beaches or does anyone recommend another beach. Can you make a day trip to Cano Negro and La Fortuna Waterfall from Arenal and how far is it to those places from Arenal?
Melissa

ShSue

Cano Negro is about 90 minutes from La Fortuna. You can get a tour that will pick you up at your hotel around 7:30 in the morning and you'll be back around 3:30 or 4:00. It's a great trip! Your kids might enjoy Los Lagos hotel in the Arenal area. It's a little run-down, but they have large waterslides and a hot pool. We even hung out at the pool in the rain with our kids.

sandyc

Melissa,

The waterfall is right there in Arenal. I'd spend at least 3 days in Arenal, and at least 2, 3 if you can, in Monteverde and Tortuguero. Since you are going to Manuel Antonio, which is definitely one of the prettiest beaches, you might consider going to Dominical instead of Guanacaste because you'll be on that coast already. My son likes the beach at Dominical better than Guanacaste, but the waters in Guanacaste are more calm--there were no waves at either of the beaches we went to. Dominical is a cool little surf town. There's a restaurant called Coco's right off the beach and 3 of us had a huge seafood lunch for less than $20. Best of all, from Dominical you can take a day trip to the Osa Peninsula and see Corcovado park w/o the expense of staying there. We used Southern Expeditions, and they picked us up at our hotel and drove us to a restaurant for breakfast. Then we had a nice long boat ride and saw lots of animals in the mangroves and cool pelicans on the rocks. Then we went on a 3 or 4 hour hike through Corcovado, had lunch, and went back home. It was a really great day trip.

Pura Vida!
Sandy

sandyc

p.s. From Dominial you can also do a day trip to Cano Island -- best snorkeling and diving in Costa Rica.

Sandy

meliss35

The only thing about Dominica is that it seems that the water is rough. I have a 11 year old that isnt the greatest swimmer. If we were to stay in the Guancaste area, which beach would people recommend to relax and enjoy the scenery? (Playa Hermosa or Playa Carrillo or Playa Tamarindo or any other beach. Or do you think I should skip the beaches there cause I will be at the beaches in Manuel Antonio?
Also, is it too dangerous for my 11 year old and 15yr old to do a zip line? If so, is there a place that the kids could be while my husband and I do the zip line. Also, is the white water rafting too dangereous for kids?

sandyc

Your kids will be safe on the zipline but I don't recommend doing it in the pouring rain -- too hard to break. It's ok with a little shower. In rainy season they close some of the rafting trips if the water levels get too high, so if they're open you should be fine. Pozo Azul had a guy kayaking next to us just in case someone fell out.

There are strong currents in most of the waters -- be careful at Manuel Antonio too. In Guanacaste we stayed on Playa Panama and it was like a giant bathtub. Warm, calm water. You wouldn't have to worry about your kids so much there.

Sandy

dfarmer

Another thing to consider - is that during the rainy season you may see less rain at the Northern Pacific beach areas than in the Southern.

As to how long for each destination - we typically try for a minimum of 3 nights. For Tortuguero 2 should be sufficient.

As for traveling - we our comfortable driving. However for the leg to or from Tortuguero I would certainly consider a flight. We opted to boat in/fly out, glad we did. The boat ride is pretty, but after the other canal trips and the fact that we were flying all the way to Montezuma, logistically - flying made more sense.

wherenext

We took our 3 kids to CR last July. The info of other posters had similar experiences to us.

We went to Arenal, stayed at Tabacon. We all enjoyed staying there. You can go to the hot springs whenever you want, so go when not crowded. July wasn't crowded anyway. Los lagos is a good suggestion. We couldn't get reservations there but my friend's family did stay there. They called it a motel 6 with water slides. Her kids loved it and they said that the rooms were clean.

The horseback ride to La Fortuna waterfalls was great. It was just the 5 of us and the kids loved the freedom of running the horses. The horses were well taken care of which made it even nicer for us.

Manuel Antonio was a great blend of rainforest and beach. The wildlife is awsome. We got so familiar with a troop of white face monkeys that the kids would name then as they swung by our bungalow in the am and pm. Lots of different animals and three types of monkeys.

The beaches are beautiful in the park. There is one of the three beaches that is safe for swinmming and body surfing but there is also a very dangerous one. Anyone will tell you there which is which.

My 8 year old and 9 year olds zip lined in Quepos. Called the Titi lines. There was a family with us with late teens who loved it as well. It drizzled but not so hard that we couldn't stop. Hard rain would be tough!

In Arenal it rained at night and drizzled on our horseback ride but otherwise it was clear. MA clear days (5) and one fabulous storm and blackout one night and a little rain other nights. The kids were so charged with that kind of rain and lightening. It was actually fun for us.

Lodging is plentiful and cheap during July. We recommend Tabacon, it has maybe 50 rooms? Very Pretty.

I have had friends with teens that liked Guanacaste Coast. Bigger hotels but not as much wildlife. 4 Seasons was beautiful but too far away from activities and not very Costa Rican feeling for them. Tabacon is a bit like that though.

We stayed at Tulemar Bungalows in MA with its own private beaches, two pools and more wildlife than you can beleive. We also liked Mariposa Hotel... great views and breakfast. Good with older kids. There was also the Makana by the Sea which was lovely but very quiet. Did not like Si Como No very cheesy and tight space for us!

Caribbean side has much more mosquitos. Pacific was better for us but I guess with DEET it doesn't matter.