Costa Rica itinerary with young children
 

Hello! In our pre-kid days, my husband and I visited Costa Rica and absolutely loved it. On that trip, some nine years ago, we visited Arenal and Guanacaste. Simply loved everything about it!

Now, we're ready to take our kids (ages 3 and almost 5) on their first international trip. We've been considering several different places, but reading through a lot of great trip reports (particularly the one by coryandcarissa) has convinced us to go back to Costa Rica!

We'll be traveling in late April for six or seven days. We can easily fly direct into Liberia or San Jose, and we would definitely rent a car. I know we want to spend a few days in Arenal - we just loved it so much, and we know our kids will love it, too.

After that, we'd like to go to one other destination: either driving down to Manuel Antonio or staying in the northern part of the country and going to La Carolina Lodge. We're torn on which way to go here and would love some input!

Manuel Antonio pros:
- The beach. We're not hard-core beach people and would not spend days just lounging on the beach, but a little bit of down-time in an otherwise active vacation would be nice. Plus, our kids would definitely enjoy some time in the sand and water.
- The park looks amazing. It seems like there are plenty of things to do there (although with really young kids, we wouldn't be doing anything super adventurous like zip lining or whitewater rafting).
- Never been here before. We always like to try something new!

Manuel Antonio cons:
- Driving distance from Arenal. It looks like this would be about five hours. This is not an insurmountable distance, but with limited vacation time and kids who don't want to be strapped in a car all day, it's not ideal.

La Carolina pros:
- Closer to Arenal
- Based on many positive comments here on Fodors and elsewhere, this place sounds magical!

La Carolina cons:
- This experience may be very similar to the activities we do in Arenal.
- May be too off-the-grid for us. Although we like rustic, I saw that there may be limited electricity. I'm just not sure how any of us (primarily me) would handle that!

So, with all of that in mind, any advice on which way to go? I know there are plenty of beaches that are closer to Arenal than MA, but if we go to a beach, I think I just have my heart set on MA. It just seems like one of those quintessential Costa Rican destinations.

Thanks!
Meredith

Manuel Antonio is a fantastic place for young families. Tons to do there and lots of hotel and restaurant choices too. People like it because it's easy and offers all the infrastructure that makes it easy like air conditioning, etc. Tulemar Bungalows is really wonderful with their own beach and lots of easy wildlife sightings on the property; we saw monkeys every day and also some sloths and cool birds like an aracari. The national park has tons of wildlife and a great beach. I'd pick this if you want beach and easy. Manuel Antonio Expeditions is a great company if you want a guide to point out all the little things you can miss on your own. We love Juan Brenes.

I'd pick La Carolina if you want more off the grid and the beach isn't that important to you. These are really two completely different options, so you just have to weigh what you think your family would enjoy.

Regarding the drive between Arenal and MA, you can stop for lunch, take a break, etc. or even spend a night somewhere in between if you wanted to. A lot of people like to hire private drivers so they can relax and enjoy the scenery, so that's another option. You might get your kids some of those laminated wildlife spotting cards, so they can help with animal spotting and know what they're looking for.

Thanks so much, volcanogirl! You've confirmed what I've been thinking. I appreciate your input!

Meredith

You're welcome, Meredith. I hope you guys have a great time!

Just wanted to second the choice of Tulemar! In 2011 we stayed 5 nights with our then 5 then and 7 year old boys and loved it. Great service, beautiful private beach, pools, tons of wildlife...really perfect for families. The bungalows have well equipped kitchen and living spaces and a supermarket and restaurants are very close by. We're actually returning this coming July for 3 nights since we enjoyed it so much.

Regarding the drive from Arenal, last time around we broke it up with one night near Carrara national park but this time we're going to drive straight through. It's not so bad.

Also, a few tips. If you decide to go Manuel Antonio national park, get there EARLY. It gets crowded. Honestly, this time we won't even be going since we saw the same wildlife and enjoyed a similar beach right on property a Tulemar!

I would also recommend a 45 minute drive south one day to Hacienda Baru. It's a beautiful, quiet reserve with great hiking trails and even zip lining. Since enjoyed it so much as a day trip last time we are staying there 2 nights this time around.

Hope this helps. Enjoy!

Hi Meredith,

I just had to say thank you for the compliment about our trip report! I am so happy to have inspired you to take a trip to Costa Rica with your children!

This past fall, our oldest daughter was asked in school to make a Thanksgiving card for her family about what she was thankful for. The card read, "My family goes everywhere together!" The card was filled with hand drawn pictures of our travels and adventures together (Costa Rica having been pictured as one of her favorites). And, both our girls constantly ask when we can return to Costa Rica.

I'm just now trying to research places akin to the magic we experienced in Costa Rica for a future trip, and it is proving quite difficult - Costa Rica is so very unique! Wishing you a very memorable time with your family in Costa Rica! Pura Vida!