Costa Rica or Maui with 3 year old
 

Hi, We are planning a trip mid November for about 15 days - my husband, 3 year old son & myself & are confused about where to go.
We are looking for some sightseeing, love nature & wildlife but am unsure if we would be able to do much with a 3 year old. We are beach people & are also looking to relax. If in Costa Rica I may be dissapointed not to be able to do so may nature related things due to my sons age & in my experience from other vacations with my son, its been exhausitng when I have tried to pack in too much sight seeing. This draws me to Maui. We have been to several Caribbean islands,been to Honolulu 7 years ago but havent been to any other Hawaiian island. We like luxury & are aware that maui is more expensive & a longer flight from nyc with my son. Its just that I dont want to come back exhausted. I would like opinions of similar folks with young children as to whether they recommend maui & delaying costa rica for a few years or take the plunge to costa rica.Thanks so much in advance.

Costa Rica has a lot of "soft adventure"options that would allow you to moderate your pace while getting up close to nature and wildlife. For November, the Caribbean side might be a better option in terms of a beach location with plenty of sunshine. Also plenty of nice options in the Central Valley.

In central valley u mean arenal & MA? or somewhere else.
Let me add we have been to aruba, curacao,turks & caicos -twice,barbados, puerto rico, cancun & playa del carmen in terms of beaches. We are open to other places in the Caribbean.Were also considering south of europe but doesnt seem right weather wise. We are open to alot of options that give us this same feel but so far considering maui or costa rica.Thanks for your time.

No, Central Valley is the area in the middle of the country surrounding San Jose. That's where volcanoes like Irazu and Poas are, the Orosi area, the coffee plantations, etc.

Manuel Antonio is on the South Central Pacific Coast, and Arenal is in the northern plains.

November is the tail end of the rainy season in a lot of places. Arenal is pretty wet then, which could easily mean you'd spend 3-4 days there and not even see the volcano.

Manuel Antonio should have good weather by then, and that's a great place for people looking to experience nature without roughing it(guaranteed monkeys and sloths inside the park if you have a guide). It's very popular with honeymooners and families.

got it. MA seems nice for us for now. Any other opinions b/w Maui & CR?

We've always been interested in Maui, but could never justify the extra expense and travel time with Costa Rica so much closer (we live in Brooklyn). Plus, the wildlife is so much better.

Then again, I would imagine the food in Hawaii is better.

Could anyone suggest a 14 day itenary considering we have a 3 yr old.
Flying out of NYC to cr maybe San jose. Thanks so much

Take a look at Tulemar Bungalows or Si Como No in the Manuel Antonio area and at The Springs Resort or Nayara in the Arenal area. A couple of nights at the Peace Lodge would be really nice too - your 3-year old would love the butterfly house, aviary, etc. and there are beautiful waterfalls on the property. You can even hand feed hummingbirds there. Los Lagos is another popular spot to stay with young kids, but since you said luxe you'd probably enjoy the other properties I mentioned more.

http://www.tulemar.com/
http://www.arenalnayara.com/index.php?id=ipad
http://www.thespringscostarica.com/
http://www.waterfallgardens.com/about_peace_lodge.php#

For a first or last night near SJO, Xandari is a nice spot.

http://xandari.com/

Thanks volcano girl I will look at all those. Happy 4 th to all

Thanks everyone for the websites.Costa Rica does look more affordable & enticing. I was wondering in a 14 night trip with a 3 year old is it possible to do Arenal,Manuel Antonio & Papagayo - Guanacaste beach area.Open to other beach areas in Guanacaste. Doing this is it too much? We are not the wake up at 7 am kind of people & also have a 3 year old.Main goal is wildlife & beaches only.In what order should we do it, coming from nyc.Would you add any other place tothis itenary along the way? Also thinking of private drivers for the transfers but am not sure if we should rent or go with a driver.I am prone to want to pack more things in the trip & my husband is more prone to do less. Main aim is wildlife & relaxation.We are flying out of nyc. All the hotels above are fantastic, some are available but seem to be getting booked fast.Any suggestions?

Also is this route better than the caribbean side of costa rica? I have not researched the caribbean side properly.Thanks

Arenal, Manuel Antonio and Papagayo would have plenty of beach, but disappointing wildlife. Arenal is more of an adventure/activity destination, so if your criteria are wildlife and beaches I would skip it. Guanacaste beach areas will vary widely in terms of wildlife--some will have plenty, others will be lousy. Papagayo would be lousy.

Caribbean side includes Sarapiqui and Tortuguero areas which are great for wildlife but not beaches, Caribbean beach areas--not sure about how appropriate they would be for a 3 year old.

For a wildlife/beach combo, maybe Ylang Ylang beach resort in Montezuma. Nosara could be another option, especially if you're into sea turtles.

If I skipped arsenal then for beach time which places or places do u suggest along with Manuel Antonio. N in what order? Also would people suggest pvt drivers? Have emailed tucan limo found that owner is a destination expert on tripadvisor. Pls suggest places to add to MAnuel Antonio. Thanks all thanks RAC

I've used Tucan Limo before, very nice, comfortable vehicles.

If you want wildlife, it's hard to beat the Sarapiqui area. Just about every lodging choice is set in the rain forest, and provides nearly guaranteed sightings of monkeys, parrots, toucans, etc. We really liked Selva Verde. The area is rainy (as are a lot of areas in November in Costa Rica) but is convenient to San Jose.

Just up the coast from Manuel Antonio is the Tarcoles/Carara area, where you could do a boat safari to see 30-40 species of birds plus the most gigantic, humungous crocodiles in the western hemisphere. Carara national park is a great wildlife opportunity, but I'm not sure I'd want to carry a child around in there (hot muggy buggy).

A bit further south from Manuel Antonio is Hacienda Baru, which is supposed to be a wonderful place (but one we've not gotten to yet). I'm not sure how safe for swimming their beach is, but the beach just a bit further south in Uvita is supposed to be very nice.

I would have thought Maui/Hawaii would be a lot easier since there's better infrastructure, no worries about food or water safety, and it's English-speaking.

Suze,its not ruled out but maui is easy I need more info about costa rica before I decide.

We've never had food or water concerns in CR. We eat and drink whatever we want and have never gotten ill.

Thinking of Maui over CR at this point due to my 3 year old.CR sounds fabulous once he is slightly older 1-2 years maybe.Thanks so much to all the fodorites!!

Been to Maui a number of times and just got back from CR. If anyone thinks that MAUI is expensive, CR is so much more. I would definitely take a 3 year old to Maui. Please look on the web-site called VRBO. I've used the web-site a number of times and the owners are pretty trustworthy. You can pay them via PayPal.One of the nicest areas to stay (and affordable) is Kihei as it's right in the middle of the island.. There is a CostCo, Walmart and K-Mart on Maui and after you get to your condo, first thing you want to do, is get to the Costco or Walmart and buy the things you need for your stay.