6 of us heading to CR next week. Two questions please. Yes or no on drinking the water? been to Mexico lots and never a problem. will be staying @ Arenal, then to Tamarindo. Also do they take American cash or should we exchange when we get there. thanks for any help.

Bottled water is widely available and used in restaurants--Arenal and Tamarindo. We've also drunk tap water in homes with no problems. American dollars are widely accepted. You'll get colones as change and will end up with plenty of that. Don't take bills larger than $20 and be sure all bills are in good condition. If you use an ATM, you will usually have the choice of getting dollars or colones. We prefer using the local currency, but frequently start out with dollars.

We drank the tap water in Alajuela, Arenal, & Manuel Antonio with no problems, although we preferred the bottled because it tasted better. Not one place turned down American money. We used our ATM card to withdraw Costa Rican colones just in case. Some of the ATMs have a limit (many were $200 per day) on how much you can draw out per day, so we had to keep going back everyday, which was a little inconvenient if you are not near the ATM.

When we checked into our hotel in Monteverde, a German couple was ahead of us. They asked if the water was OK to drink. The desk clerk responded: Of course it is. This is not Mexico.

The issue with the water is not that it carries dysentary or anything but that it has diatoms that your digestive system might not be used to dealing with. If you want to avoid possible problems, drink bottled water but don't sweat stuff like ice in the drinks and brushing your teeth.