marysmommy

We are starting to plan for a Costa Rican vacation (also checking it out for potential retirement venue). I know I'd like to see San Jose for a couple of days at least and then go to the Pacific coast for some beach R&R, but need some guidance on where to go. We like relaxation, but also like to be near civilization too. We'll be going for 12-14 days, probably three or four in San Jose with the remainder at the beach (or beaches). We like hotels that are comfortable and have great service, but they don't necessarily have to be U.S. mega-chains or 5-star. Budget is not an issue. Any thoughts on favorite places to stay in San Jose or the Pacific coast? Thanks!

airwayvz

I love the Orquideas Inn just outside of San Jose in Alajuela - www.orquideasinn.com . It's a great location for touring the Central Valley, and has a GREAT staff. If you're looking to book tours, it's a great place to do that as well.

hipvirgochick

If you want to be in the city of San Jose, check out Don Carlos. It's in a good area and within walking distance of a few things. It's a nice place, cool architecture.

raderbarbarian

I recommend Hotel Fleur de Lys - http://www.hotelfleurdelys.com/- very near to the Centro and some of the city's best restaurants, including Tin-Jo.

Of course, if budget is not an issue, check out Hotel Grano de Oro, the classiest joint in town - http://www.hotelgranodeoro.com/

volcanogirl

We liked Grano de Oro in San Jose; if you'd like to stay about an hour outside SJO, the Peace Lodge is fun for a couple of days. If you like the beach, check out the Manuel Antonio area - it's pretty popular and has a lot to offer if you don't mind a little development. Personally, I wouldn't spend that much time at the beach in CR; it has so many great areas to explore.

marysmommy

Thanks so much--these are all fantastic ideas! For the Pacific Coast, do you prefer Tamarindo over the Manuel Antonio area? I assume we'd need to fly from San Jose to Liberia to get to Tamarindo or the No. Coast--how do you get to Manuel Antonio (drive?)? And should we plan to rent a car to get around when we go to the coast?

Also, we love restaurant ideas, so please keep them coming. We especially love places the natives go.

otxena

Manuel Antonio was one of the highlights of our trip (and we walked and bussed CR). We liked the beach and loved the national park. Depends what you like, but we found Tamarindo a little bit of a party central in areas. Your interest in the beach will depend on where you're from; we don't live near anything like that so really enjoyed the beach culture.

Although touristy, we did also enjoy the Cafe Britt coffee tour as a day trip outside SJ. If I could do CR over, I'd actually decrease the time spent in San Jose (and we only spent three days of 30). It's a busy city, and there are really nice opportunities for exploration and peace throughout the country as the other poster said.

We met a lot of nice norteamericanos at Playa Hermosa (the north one) which is a lovely area about 3-4 hours from SJ. Just a bug in your ear for a retirement spot. It's semi-close to the 4 seasons if that tells you how nice the area is.

marysmommy

Thank you--that was exactly what I needed to hear for direction!

volcanogirl

Manuel Antonio has a lot of good restaurants - we enjoyed Ronnie's Place/Mi Lugar the most - it has beautiful sunset views, good sangria, lobster, and other really good seafood. Barba Roja also has good views, drinks, appetizers. Salsipuedes was fun for tapas. And if you get a Starbucks craving, Cafe Milagro has awesome coffee drinks - we had some espresso shakes there that we loved. Cafe Agua Azul has some good American food.

If you're a seafood fan, I don't think you can get much fresher than what most of the restaurants there serve. My husband commented that his fish was so fresh, and the waiter said it was just caught that morning. Good stuff!

chinamom

We are just back from 9 days in CR.
We stayed just outside of San Jose in Alajuela at the Hotel Buena Vista. It was lovely. Great staff, beautiful views of the valley, excellent food.
On the road to the Poas volcano is the Peace Lodge, which is fabulous.
We also stayed in Playa Samara at the Villas Kalimba, a wonderful small family run hotel. Samara is NOT a lively place, but it does have a great beach.

marysmommy

Great info--here's another question: what is the best way to get around CR if you want to see San Jose and also the Pacific side? Flights, rental cars, private drivers? And did you fly in and out of the same airport?

volcanogirl

For our first trip, we flew into San Jose and then had private drivers (hired through our hotels before the trip) drive us to Arenal/La Fortuna and Manuel Antonio. Interbus is another very popular option or if you're brave and adventurous, you really can drive it yourself. The only time we've flown is when we went to the Osa Peninsula - you can take either Sansa or NatureAir there.

joeschmo

Just to add......
You'll probably need to spend time in San Jose on your arrival and departure days but other than that, I wouldn't waste any precious vacation time in the city. You can take a flight to many of the Pacific beach towns and rent a car from there. The driving in the northern Guanacaste area is very enjoyable. I personally do not care for the town of Tamarindo at all but it is only one of many along that coast worth visiting.

dfr4848

We spent a week this past August in the MA area and really liked it. Stayed at Si Como No and would highly recommend it. Nice combination of very nice rooms, atmosphere, food and service but very low key. Good access to beaches - with hourly free shuttle available. Staff was great at helping with setting up tours. It also has a very good spa.

We rented a car from SJO and found the drive to MA just fine - narrow roads with lots of traffic, but easy to navigate IF you have a good map or GPS. We liked the flexibility and the trip to MA was a beautiful drive. Trip from SJO to MA is usually about 3 hrs.

Ears

Just wanted to chime in on Grano de Oro and MA recommendations. GdO is, indeed, an excellent choice. We stayed there our first and last nights in CR. Its seldom that we look forward to our last night of any holiday, but GdO was so exceptional we were glad to be returning. Its not a budget property, but it also won't break your budget.

We spent nearly 2 weeks in MA - we enjoyed throttling *way* back and spending time on the beach - and couldn't agree more with volcanogirl's recommendation of Ronny's Place. It became an almost daily stop for us. We had our anniversary dinner there, and Ronny and his staff did everything they could to make it a very memorable evening for us. More than worth the stop!

tully

Ears - at Grano de Oro, are there nearby places to eat/walk around (safely)? My father is meeting up with me for the 2nd week of my trip and I have to overnight him somewhere. I'm leaning to the GdO but worried he may get a little bored (he'll get there around 3pm). Any ideas/comments?

Ears

tully, the area is certainly 'safe enough', especially during the day. My wife and I walked into the business district to pay our departure tax, shop at the Central Market, etc. Just take standard precautions. Not sure I would have done so at night - area is not particularly well-lit.

As far as attractions in the immediate area - I know the Gold Museum is fairly close and I believe there's a park or two. Can't speak to restaurants; we ate downtown or at the GdO restaurant (which was superb!).

Hope this helps -

-jeff

tully

Thanks Ears, pretty sure that is where I will put him & I like the fact it has an on-site restaurant.