hannahsog

We are traveling early August 2018with two kids (8 & 6). Flying into San Jose we were thinking of three nights in Arenal, two nights in Saraquipi, and three nights in Samara. Does this seem doable? Is there another beach town we should consider? We are interested in a quiet, swimmable beach. We are not renting a car. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

volcanogirl

The Arenal and Sarapiqui areas are great. Tons to do in the Arenal area. We like the Cano Negro tour to see wildlife, the Penas Blancas safari float, tubing at the Springs Resort, the Proyecto Asis animal rescue center, the natural hot springs like Tabacon, and hiking at the Hanging Bridges and waterfall. Tons of adventure activities as well. Desafio is a good company for tours if you need one; they will usually pick you up at your hotel and drop you back off - good if you don't have a car rental. We go to Manuel Antonio so have not stayed in Samara, but it seems to get good reviews. That might be a little too much moving around since it takes a while to get from place to place, but up to you and your personal preference.