Alright, so I just got back from Costa Rica and was there for 7 days. It was my first time visiting and it was such a neat country! Everyone was very friendly and helpful. A few highlights from my trip and some advice listed below...

-Hire a driver. This was arguably the best thing we did for ourselves. It's worth the extra money - afterall, you are there on vacation and getting lost and frusturated will just be aggrevating. For instance, our AA flight was due to arrive in SJO at 2PM. It was 3.5 hours late. Our driver, Danny, was waiting for us when we arrived and took us to Arenal that night. Without him, we would have had to make other plans as driving at night in Costa Rica is a "no no." (winding roads + heavy fog + no shoulder on the road = dangerous driving) I'm not one for bragging, but Danny was one of the highlights of our trip for many reasons. (pointing out many things as we drove, taking shortcuts, stopping for groceries, etc...) He was always early and dependable when picking us up - worth every penny in my own opinion. He also speaks very good english so no worries there. His picture is listed on his website. It will simplify your trip.
www.costaricatourdriver.com

*I went round and round debating on whether to rent or hire a private driver. It was well worth paying a little extra to hire a driver. Ask yourself, do you really want to ruin a day of your vacation if you get a flat tire or get lost? (By the way, GPS rarely works down there as it is usually out of signal or too foggy/cloudy to be effective.) There are very few road signs except for "caution" and "wildlife crossing" signs.

-Crime is not an issue unless you visit downtown San Jose. I'm sure petty theft happens in other places as well, but the stories on this forum have been blown out of proportion. There were times I felt I needed to keep a close eye on my backpack or luggage, but personally never felt threatened. Just use common sense.

-Canoa Adventuras (tour company in Arenal) was incredible. Better prices than most places and guides were excellent. Pedrito and Noella were amazing. I reccommend the combination tour - it is exhausting, but was my favorite day out of the entire trip. Cano Negro was really cool too - lots of wildlife, great value, and a fun way to spend a day relaxing, instead of hiking. La Fortuna waterfall is also a memorable trip, esp. the 500 steps up. People in their retirement years are doing this hike, so no worries, just take your time and enjoy yourself. It took me 15 minutes back to the top and I stopped at least a half dozen times.

-Tabacon Hot Springs over Baldi. 10x over. Tabacon is an "A class" resort, something like you might expect here in the States. Hot Springs are nicer and buffet was excellent. I reccommend doing the evening hot springs package with buffett dinner. Food was amazing and it was nice not having to worry about getting sick off of a meal/drinks. (As a side note, Baldi Hot Springs Resort that just opened is overpriced for what you get out of it. We paid $230 a night and it wasn't any better than Los Lagos which was $110.) We stayed at Los Lagos and Hotel Regina as well. Los Lagos was excellent though a minor ant problem. Lots of great side attractions at this hotel to keep you busy during the day (own hot springs, crocodile farm, butterfly farm, volcano lookout point and trail, etc...) Hotel Regina in La Fortuna was a great value for $60/night and excellent location. Rooms are nice as well although our hot water didn't work. Brrrrr.

-El Novillo (the one with the cow out front) - best steaks on our trip. El Novillo (yes, the same name) on the outskirts of La Fortuna had the best casada we had on our trip. Place was never busy either. (We ate casada at least once every day for 7 days, so we felt like experts by the end of our trip.)

Alright, on to Manuel Antonio...We spent 4 days here.

-Quepos has very little to see and do. Mostly run down places and many drug dealers throughout the town. (esp. by the park!) Dos Locos is slightly overrated. Basically, it's fun to check out on a cloudy day for some sightseeing and grabbing groceries, otherwise you're better off in Manuel Antonio - a short distance away.

-Book fishing in advance. It isn't "organized" like most fishing desinations. There is not a central marina- just boats scattered throughout the marina area. We ended up not going due to price. Some places want $600+ for a half day, which for two people is pretty high. (Cabo San Lucas you can go for a third of that easily!) If you are determined to go, I would book in downtown Quepos for the following day.

-Hotel Playa Espadilla was excellent. Excellent rooms, excellent restaurant, and free wildlife trail behind the hotel. We saw tons of animals on this trail/hike that we didn't see in the MA Reserve Park or other places in the country. Pacas, howler monkeys, white-tailed deer, chameleon, etc... The pool looked nice too but we chose to go the beach instead. Excellent location and within walking distance (.2 miles) to anything you would need.

-Souveniors can be bought along the MA beach. Watch your belongings on the beach as there are many peddlers. Pay the $3-$5 for a beach chair - well worth it. Also, watch your belongings or the tide might carry it away!

-Marlin Restaurant had decent food and decent drinks (not strong though). Priced reasonably and good atmosphere. Good place to watch sunsets. Wide variety of food on the menu.

-Manuel Antonio Reserve Park now apparently charges $10 per person cover charge. That's a truck load given than many people in the country only make $20-$30 a day. But...it's worth seeing. My advice is to get there early/in the morning to avoid the long lines. There is not a 300 or 600 limit on the number of people they admit. If you have $10, they will let you in. Promise. I also suggest taking a beach towel, drinks, and lunch and making a day out of it. Relax on beach #2 (the prettiest of all 3) and enjoy the day and views.

-Take the bus into Quepos, if you must go. The bus costs $0.22 per person, per trip, and runs frequently.

-El Mango Moon is a very nice bed and breakfast. Top notch rooms and very cool atmosphere. Brand new owner though (just switched hands at the beginning of Feb. 2008) The electricity goes out frequently here since they do not have a back-up generator. Bring a flashlight. Amazing views from the rooms - "movie like." The Biesanz Beach is worth hiking down to as well. Again, incredible views and fun exploring the beach or just relaxing in your private area/cove. I could see how the trail might be slick in rainy season but we were fine, mostly just leaves. Wear hiking boots though. Mango Moon is a little unorganized although still a get picked. Check your bill as we were charged for food and drinks that we never ordered, although were able to quickly and easily resolve.

-We had dinner one night at Si Como No. Food was slightly overpriced, although delicious. Service was poor. Great atmosphere and band playing. Probably a nice place for a family trip, but not my style. Too Americanized and no "local" feel. (might as well stay at a Westin hotel in the States)

All in, it was a beautiful country and some great memories/adventures! I hope to return in the future and perhaps visit the Caribbean side next time.

Have a fun trip! Pura Vida!

-ttrain

Thanks ttrain for the helpful report. We will be going in May, and will have a private driver. Your report makes me feel better about spending the extra $$ for that!
We are also staying at Playa Espadilla, good to hear a positive report on it.
Thanks for the tips and ideas!

Hi, t - I enjoyed reading your report. Can you tell me more about the combination tour in Arenal that you mentioned? What did that involve? We're making a return trip to Arenal later this year. Did you take an organized tour to the falls or just take a taxi there? We also love Cano Negro and El Novillo.

We've stayed at Mango Moon and really liked the location. Do they still have the no flushing of toilet paper rule? That took some getting used to for us - lol. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip!

Thanks for posting such an informative report. So glad you had a nice time, and thanks for putting the crime issue into perspective. I agree that it gets blown out of proportion. But, of course, if it happened to me, I'd probably be broadcasting it, too!

Also, thank you volcanogirl, shillmac, and tully for your great advice and timely responses. They were a huge help in planning my trip!

As for the combination tour, it was $150 per person through Canoa Adventuras. (One of the lowest rates I could find.) Noella was our guide and was very passionite about her job. (We hiked 2+ hours one afternoon throughout the jungle in the rain. TONS of fun!) $150 included all transportation, Hanging Bridges tour, La Fortuna waterfall tour, lunch, volcano/jungle hike in the afternoon, trip to the "lava side" of volcano to watch the flow, Tabacon Hot Springs, and a buffett dinner at Tabacon. Hard to beat and one of the best values of our entire trip. You could easily take a taxi though to the waterfall, if you decided not to the combo trip. It takes 10 minutes to hike down to the waterfall and 14 minutes to get back up to the parking lot. You might have to pay the cabbie a few extra bucks if you want him to wait around and if you want to swim at the base of the waterfall.

Mango Moon still has the "no paper" rule. Incredible views from the room...

Enjoy your trip!

-ttrain

Sounds like you had a great time! The combo tour in Arenal sounds like a pretty good deal. You know as of yet I haven't stayed in 'no flushing' hotel but I guess I will eventually!

Thanks, t - that sounds great! tully, that's funny; I guess you always have something to look forward to!