Hi! My husband and I are traveling to Costa Rica for the first time in June. We will be there for 2 weeks. We have in mind a relaxing time with activities such as hiking, snorkling, sea kayaking, and taking in the countryside and native people. Our plans at this point are to arrive in San Jose at 9:00pm and stay at Pura Vida. Then on to Arenal for 2 or 3 nights. We are undecided on whether or not to go to Monteverde. We will have a rental car and everything we've read advises not to drive there. What do you think? Is one night there enough? Is it worth doing the land-river-land trip to get there and back? From here we planned to go to Montezuma. Again, we would appreciate any thoughts on this. Secluded beaches sound good and it seemed that this place had them. After 3 nights in Montezuma then it's off to Manual Antonio for 3 or 4 nights. From there back to Pura Vida for the night before we leave. How does this sound as an itinerary? We are looking for mid-range places to stay. Any suggestions for Monteverde, Montezuma or Manual Antonio? We are not real tough as far as sleeping in the heat and are thinking we need places that have AC. Is there anything that we should add or delete? Thanks much for your help!
Linda

We did an almost identical itinerary in June 2002, except we had 18 days so we were able to spend 3 nights in Monteverde. We also relied on public transportation and shuttles rather than driving ourselves. We did the jeep-boat-jeep transport from Arenal, which we enjoyed immensely (despite the pouring rain during our entire boat ride). I would not recommend Monteverde for just 1 night - it takes the better part of a day to get there and your drive/ferry/drive to Montezuma will probably take you at least 5-6 hours. You might want to shorten your stay at Montezuma or Manuel Antonio if you really have your heart set on Monteverde. I absolutely loved that area, but I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, especially given the amount of time it takes to get in and out.

We stayed at Fonda Vela and Arco Iris in the Monteverde area. Both highly recommended, but quite different. We had a beautiful suite at Fonda Vela with all the comforts of home (TV, hairdryer, etc.) The hotel is located fairly close to the reserve, although it's about a 15-20 minute drive the Santa Elena. Arco Iris is located right in Santa Elena. It was much less expensive than Fonda Vela, but it was also lovely. The breakfast there was cheap ($6.50) and outstanding!

El Sano Banano is the top pick in Montezuma. We didn't stay there, but viewed the bungalows, which are about a 15-minute walk down the beach from the town. The pool there is exquisite. We were on a lower budget, so decided to stay at Amor de Mar, which is a wonderful hotel about 10 minutes south of town. Amor de Mar did not have air, but the fans in our room were sufficient at night. (I'm not sure if ESB has air.) Montezuma is a beautiful area, but we actually preferred the beaches in Manuel Antonio. We also found Montezuma to be quite hot and humid compared to other parts of the country. We quickly learned to do our hiking and other activities early in the morning and then lazed around or swam in the afternoons when it hottest. You may want to consider a trip to Isla Tortuga while in Montezuma. It's a beautiful little island and you can snorkel off the boat (just don't expect snorkling like you would experience in the Carribean). I would also recommend a hike in Cabo Blanco.

In MA, we stayed at Villas Nicolas. Originally we planned to stay 3 nights, but we were so enamored with the area and the hotel, we ended up adding a night to our stay. MA would be the best location for kayaking. I don't know if you like to ride, but we did a horseback ride trip through Finca Valmy that was one of the highlights of our entire trip. It's about a 3-hour ride to and from a small waterfall, which is followed by a gourmet lunch served poolside at the ranch. Villas Nicolas made all the arrangements.

If you have time and really want a wonderful wildlife experience, I highly recommend the Cano Negro tour while in Arenal. It takes an entire day, but boy was it worth it!

You have a great trip planned! BTW, June is a great month to travel - far less people than in July or August.

One more thing - your e-mail address leads to believe that we live in the same area. If you would like more info, please feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]

Terri

Your itinerary sounds good for 2 weeks, lglass!

As far as where to stay, I can personally recommend these places:

Arenal Paraiso (great view, right on the highway, reasonable prices, very decent--not fancy--bungalows, good restaurant.

Montezuma--can't recommend a place here, but have you given thought to the nearby MalPais/Santa Teresa Beach area? These are gorgeous beaches, very quiet. We loved it here and took a couple of day trips into Montezuma (about 45 min) because we liked it there and wanted to do the short hike to the falls and the more strenuous hike at Cabo Blanca Reserve (closed Tues). We thoroughly enjoyed our beachfront cabina (very nice) at Tropico Latino. . .I believe their green season rates are excellent ($65 or close). Be sure to request the front beach bungalow. . .wonderful view--the only bungalow that provides this!

Manuel Antonio: We loved Si Como No and splurged (for us) a couple of nights there. The Hotel California gets pretty good reviews. And there are several other moderately priced places. This is a fantastic area! A little touristy, like Arenal and Monteverde, but very nice with lots to do!

The locations you have chosen will give you the best of Costa Rica, I think. There will be a lot of activity everywhere, and I really do think you would enjoy the laid back atmosphere at Santa Teresa! But it would be fun to stay in Montezuma as well. I didn't think the beach and water was as beautiful.

TAGriffin,
Tell me more about Cano Negro. We had originally planned to go there in July, but changed our plans to do other things. We now have an extra week mid-July, will be in the central valley area enjoying the coolness )), and might enjoy a day trip to Cano Negro. Could you share details? Thanks!

Hi shillmac! We decided to do Cano Negro while in Arenal because we just couldn't fit Tortuguero into our trip and I had heard from some of the locals that it was similar in terms of the number of species you are able to view. I'm a beginning birder, so it really appealed to me. My two girlfriends went along for the ride. We arranged our tour through Aventuras Arenal. They bussed us to Los Chiles, stopping at Muelle along the way so we could view the iguanas in the trees over the Rio San Carlos. This was pretty cool as the trees along the river were literally filled with iguanas, some as long as 4'!

During our ride to Los Chiles, our guide, George, gave us an extremely informative overview of the area and the sights along the way. Most of that area is agricultural, so it was quite interesting. Once we arrived in Los Chiles, we stopped at a small soda to use the facilities. I noticed that this soda was selling the Birds of Costa Rica for $19. I should have bought it, because I never saw it for that price again I ended up paying almost $30 through Amazon. Live & learn.

We boarded our boat and travelled up the Rio Frio for about 1-1/2 hour. There was wildlife everywhere. Dozens of birds (I wrote down 45 species, but we actually saw more than that), but also caiman all over the banks and logs of the river, as well as bats, monkeys, and turtles. I kept thinking about my childhood rides on the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland, except this was real! We stopped mid-way on the banks of the river for a delicious lunch of chicken, gallo pinto and the most delicious cole slaw I've ever eaten. We all agreed it was a wonderful experience and we were glad we took the time to do it.

I would gladly repeat the tour when I return in July, except this trip we've managed to include Tortuguero - finally!

Maybe we'll cross paths in July?? We're traveling down on the 6th and returning to San Francisco on the 24th.

Terri

Terri, thanks! This definitely sounds like something we would like to do. We stayed at Tilajari Resort near Muelle 2 years ago and thought about it then. Haven't gone yet! We will be in CR June 21-July 15. From the 8th until the 15th, we will not have any plans at all. I love time built in like this! We don't have that luxury very often! I'm thinking this tour might be a fun thing to do with one of our days. We might even make it to Tortuguero! If I hear someone somewhere say "San Francisco", I'll ask if her name is Terri! We're from Oklahoma. We haven't had a good rain in so long, it will be nice to find some in CR! Thanks again!

TAGriffin, do you know anything about the Cano Negro "drying up" certain months? I have heard that during the summer months {American, not Costa Rican}, the Cano Negro significantly reduces in size, limiting the opportunities for spotting wildlife, especially birds. This makes little sense to me, as I would think that the green season would produce MORE rain, and therefore INCREASE the water coverage!

Shillmac, we too are planning to take a tour of the Cano Negro. We are staying at the Arenal Observatory Lodge from 7/9-7/14, so perhaps we'll again cross paths, this time maybe waving from boats!

Hi Molly!
I think Cano Negro gets somewhat drier in the Costa Rican summer months Dec.-March, and supposedly, there are fewer birds flocking there on migration patterns. It should be quite a wetland area in July. . .this from my guide book. . . for whatever it is worth If this info is not correct, then I am stumped. As you said, it really doesn't make any sense for the area to be dry during the rainy season! By the way, I think the northern zone has gotten significant rainfall during the past week, as has Manuel Antonio, San Jose, Caribbean Lowlands. . .flooding, etc.

Thanks shillmac, for your prompt response. I'm glad that your guidebook has contradictory information to mine; perhaps it was a typo, though I'm pretty sure that I heard this "fact" from more than one source. Not going to worry about it though....

Wouldn't it be great if the recent rainfall forms a nice wetland, but largely spends itself in time for our visits? If not, let's take a page from Trish's book, and enjoy whatever comes our way!!!

Molly, shillmac, Iglass your plans sound wonderful. All of you have a great time in Costa Rica.
Iglass, personally I would recommend two nights in Monteverde.

Molly, I looked a little further online. Check out this website:

http://www.arenal.net/tours/Cano-Neg...ife-Refuge.htm

It makes it sounds as if July is the perfect time. Let's hope so! Perhaps we can discuss it at Savegre and do the same Cano Negro tour! That would be fun.

Thanks, Wildflower, for the good wishes!

shillmac, thanks for the good info!

From Frommer's: "Keep in mind that the main lake dries up in the dry season {mid-April through November}, which reduces the number of wading birds".

From the New Key to Costa Rica: "Birding is best between January and April".

From Lonely Planet: "During the wet season, the river breaks it's banks and forms an 88 hectare lake. During the dry months of January to April, the lake shrinks and is no longer accessible by boating down the river, by April it has almost completely disappeared - until the May rains begin". It goes on to state, however, that "January to March is the best time for seeing large flocks of birds, though smaller flocks can be seen year-round".

Whew! Yes, let's discuss the tour when we meet at Savegre!

Wildflower, thanks for your kind thoughts.

Molly: shillmac is correct. I think the confusion may come from the use of the word "summer." In any event, beginning in May the banks of the Rio Frio overflow to form a large lake. This lake starts to dry up in December and by April is virtually nonexistent.
Depending on the amount of rainfall and the size of the lake, the boats travel on the Rio Frio for some distance and then enter the lake. When we there in June, there had not been sufficient rainfall for us to enter the lake - it was just too low. It didn't matter to us as we saw a tremendous amount of wildlife just traveling along the Rio Frio! By July, I imagine you'll be able to actually enter the lake.

Hi Molly: Didn't see your post before I sent mine. I believe Frommer's meant to say November to April, not the reverse. All I can say is that the birding in June was excellent! Based on what you've read, I would love to visit that area during the dry season.

Terri

We saw an amazing amount of birds and wildlife in Cano Negro in Feb. Nov-March is prime migration time in CR.

Costa Rica is such a land of wonder. It is alive with change from day to day and month to month. One thing that never changes are the wonderful surprises around every corner. You can go to the same place twice in one year and it will be different both times due to weather conditions.

As far as Monteverde is concerned, it is much like Costa Rica itself. It is not for everyone. I personally love the small sense of community up there and the lush green plants. There are people who don't like it up there. The ride up to it has wonderful views and breathtaking rainbows at times. I have driven up there from two different directions and done the horseback trip. Loved every minute of it.

Hi everyone! Regarding Cano Negro, I looked a little further online and in the guide books (it actually doesn't get a tremendous amount of space in my particular books), and indeed, the descriptions are confusing as to winter, summer, etc. I had an e-mail from Ronald at Cano Negro Lodge the other day and he asked if we were coming in July. His words were, "this will be the low season, so you will need a reservation"! Still trying to figure that one out! Guess we'll all just have to go and find out! Cheers!

TAGriffin, I am reassured by your comments. It sounds as though, and KatHep confirms this, it is a worthwhile, albeit a different, experience different times of the year.

KatHep, I was very interested to learn that Nov. - March is the migration period. I did not know this!

shillmac, LOL!

Hello, My husband and I stayed at El Parador in Manuel Antonio for our honeymoon in Dec., despite many postings against staying here. Many people think it's not environmentally friendly - I thought it was heaven. Up on a huge cliff overlooking the ocean. We had a private room very, very high up on a cliff so if you have any problems climbing stairs - this isn't the room for you - but it is BREATHTAKING.

We LOVED the hotel. The pools were very romantic, the food was great and the rooms were clean. I love planning trips so I did a lot of research on what I found were the top hotels and so of course we had to check them all out. Although we didn't stay at all of them, this was my impression:

El Parador - beautiful! Staff was SO friendly, pool and restaurant have fantastic views of the ocean. We were surrounded by the jungle and walked along the hotel path to watch the monkeys everyday!

Si Como No - Very lively, live entertainment, very cute property, nice pool and movie theater on site. A bit more of a jungle feel (only because it's not as spread out as El Parador)

Makanda By the Sea - Good restaurant, nice views, Romantic - but very, very secluded - a little too secluded for our taste.

The one thing about Manuel Antonio is that the hotels are way up on an unkept rocky road, so you spend more time at your hotel than you'd probably like to. Although it's not a bad thing b/c the beach was not that great so I prefered the pool.

Bus and taxi are easy to take, it just takes a bit of time to get in town (15-20 min). We walked down the street to visit other hotels, but that was a bit of a hike b/c El Parador is the last hotel on the stretch. Hope this helps! Have fun!!