costa rica -july
 

Anyone been to Monteverde in July? Too rainy? How is the Monteverde Lodge? Is it the best place to stay? Are three nights too long there?

How bad is crime in CR? State Department warnings seem really lengthy.

sam5, read this post "Costa Rica trip report--family travel" There you will find the answer to your last question

t

Monteverde Lodge is very very nice. It is owned by Costa Rica Expeditions and they run a quality show in all of their places. It is right around the corner from the tiny town of Santa Elena but very quiet and beautiful. There are other places that are very nice there also but the location to me is the best.
Regarding the weather, in the Reserve there is a pretty good chance of rain but there is year round there. I have seen in raining in the reserve many times but not raining in Santa Elena. Monteverdeinfo.com has a place where you can look to see average rainfall by month in Monteverde.
Crime, there is increasing crime but using common sense will help. In over ten years of traveling down there we have never had a problem. Don't wear good jewelry. If renting a car, never leave anything in it when you are sight seeing. Be cautious about walking around in the city (San Jose) alone at night. There are some pretty bad areas. The Costa Rican people for the most part are wonderful and their smiles are infectious. Government warnings are always horrible sounding. Have you ever read all the warnings on medicine you are taking?

driving in monteverde in the wet season can be pretty hectic....make certain you have 4X4. we liked the Arenal Observatory Lodge because of its rustic appeal and close proximity to the volcano. as far as crime goes, San Jose has 1M people or more so it's about what you would expect for crime in a city. I would stay away from Limon personally.
good luck and have a great trip.

Just a note on the Observatory that was mentioned for anyone who is not familiar with it. It is in the Arenal area not up in Monteverde. It is a great place and the hike to the old lava bed from there is a good one. The views of the volcano are great when the lava is coming down on that side which it isn't doing at this time.