ParkerSunshine

I have done the research and am starting to piece together our vacation to Costa Rica this July (Rainy season...oh well, hopefully we will see some sunshine).

Anyhow I reached out to a travel agent and told her locations I would like to go to. This is what I suggested:

Arrive day 1 in San Jose at 12:55 PM - stay in San Jose that day/night

Day 2 & 3 - Arenal (spend 2 nights here)

Day 4, 5, 6 Manuel Antonio (spend 3 nights here)

Day 7, 8 Jaco (spend 2 nights)

Day 9 night in San Jose for departure the next day at 12:35 PM.

--she said that this is too much traveling and suggested we go to either Manual OR Jaco - not both. She knows I was targeting Jaco bc we love the beach and wanted to end the trip relaxing.

What do you all think? Also, perhaps there is some place else that is close to M.A. but a different experience that you would recommend for 1 or 2 nights.

And one more thing...When we stay in San Jose we are not picky about the hotel. Same thing for Arenal. Was thinking some place like Si como No for M.A. but this kind of leaves out us experiencing staying in a bungalow type place at one of these locations....a side note if anyone has feedback here!




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volcanogirl

Jaco has a bad reputation for drugs/prostitution, etc. I haven't been there, but most people go to Manuel Antonio. MA is pretty and has a lot of wildlife and a beautiful beach inside the park. There are also loads of restaurant choices. I would personally spend more than 2 nights in Arenal; there is a ton to do there. It's worth at least 3 nights if not 4. It has the active volcano, Hanging Bridges, the Cano Negro tour, the natural hot springs like Eco Termales, ziplines like Sky Trek, the waterfall, etc. With your timeframe, most people just do an Arenal/MA split. We stayed at Grano de Oro for a night in San Jose and liked it. It has great service, a nice rooftop garden with hot tubs, and a good restaurant on site. The room vary a lot in amenities; some have nice little garden patios, etc. It's a nice city hotel built in an old mansion.

motmot

Definitely agree with volcanogirl. Either 3/4 split Arenal and Manuel Antonio or 4/3. If you are a real beach person, then the latter might suit you better.

ParkerSunshine

Are there any areas that offer hotels closer to the beach that are close to Manuel Antonio but are not in the park?

volcanogirl

La Posada is supposed to be one of the closest to the beach. You might check out reviews on tripadvisor.com. We haven't stayed at that one. I believe Si Como No has a free shuttle to the beach. We stayed at Mango Moon, and it had its own trail to the beach, but it took quite a while to hike down it, and it wasn't as pretty as the one inside the park.

kchill68

Having just retruned on Saturday and experienced 1st hand the travel conditions inside CR (we did both flights and driving) I would definitly recommend cutting out some of the travel. We did 8 days, 7 nights: 3 in Arenal area, 3 in MA and the last one in San Jose. The locals we spoke to always referred to Jaco as a party town, so not sure it would be very relaxing. We loved all 3 hotels we stayed in: Montaña de Fuego had great views of the Arenal Volcano and individual bungalows, La Mariposa in MA had outstanding views (plus monkeys and toucans right on my balcony!) and a convenient shuttle to the beach several times a day, and Grano de Oro in San Jose was a perfect end. Pretty much just reaffirming what Volcanogirl said. Also, I highly recommend our driver Wilson. He picked us up from the airport when we arrived and took us to Arenal, stopping along the way for a great lunch and ziplining. Wish he could have driven us the whole time, but he was booked. His e-mail is: [email protected]

cmerrell

VG and motmot have given you terrific advice (they always do!). I'll just add another vote for a 3/4 split between Arenal and MA. Some people do enjoy Jaco, but the majority of posters here definitely prefer MA.

Although there are a few hotels right near the beach in MA, most are nestled up in the hillside. The upside of this is that you'll have absolutely gorgeous panoramic views of the forest and ocean below (be sure to book a room with an ocean view ;-) ). The downside is obviously that you can't just walk out of your room and onto the sand. None of the hotels are more than a quick taxi/bus ride to the beach, and you can walk to the beach from some of them...

Si Como No gets consistently good veviews. So does Tulemar Bungalows. Tulemar is up on the hillside but they do offer a private beach on their property (which you have to trek down to, but I don't think it's horribly far).

If you want to stay near the airport for your final night in the country, Orquideas Inn is a good choice. It's about 15 minutes from SJO and has reasonable prices, pretty grounds, helpful staff, and a tasty breakfast that's included in the room rate. It's a popular choice among posters here. I'll be staying there myself in June the night before I leave CR to come home!

Lots of people travel to Costa Rica in July (I think motmot goes pretty much every year during the June/July timeframe). Be prepared for some rain in the afternoons/evenings. Mornings are usually clear. With weather you never know, but it's not likely you'll be rained out for your whole trip.

volcanogirl

We're July travelers too; you can get some great deals in rainy season, and I like it because everything is lush and green.

MonicaRichards

Tulemar Bungalows (Buena Vista Villas) in Manuel Antonio have their own beach. Granted, you do have to walk down their road but they'll come get you to go back up if you want.

Costa_Rica

We just got back on Sunday and had an amazing time visiting La Fortuna (Arenal), Monteverde and Manuel Antonio in 8 nights. The answer to your question depends on what kind of traveler you are. Our trip was a father and son get-away so we moved fast and packed in as much adventure (White water rafting, zip lines, canyoneering, etc... as we could).

We picked our hotels from amongst "Fodor's Choices" and were happy with most of them. La Posada Jungle in MA was my favorite. The best part about it was Mike Auvil (owner) and his staff. It was a very welcoming and comfortable environment -- highly recommended.

shillmac

Also highly recommend Tulemar--we love Lower Mot Mot and think it is a great value. That little private beach is outstanding. Last year, we didn't even make it to the park we saw so much around the hotel.