ddavisart

This is my first post here, but Ive been doing alot of reading the past week on the site. I arrive in San Jose early morning on May 1st (5:19am I think) and return back home from San Jose on May 8th (6:24am). Im trying to get my plans all sorted out and its a bit overwhelming with all the different areas to go. I looked through a few books and from what Ive seen I would like to check out the Puerto Viejo area, OSA, and Arenal area. Also the Rio Celeste looks like alot of fun. But since the areas are all in different parts of Costa Rica a bit of time will be spent traveling, so Im just looking for suggestions on what you guyes think. Is that a bit much considering the time I have? This is for my late honeymoon, so any recommendations or suggestions would be great. Heres a few things we are looking for in this trip...

* Beaches - relaxing on semi secluded beaches, snorkeling

* Adventures - hiking, ziplining, waterfalls, rafting

* Wildlife - Not a big deal to us but would like to see some interesting animals while visiting, even if is just around the places we are staying.

* Towns - Gift shops, walking around town seeing the culture/sights

* Resorts - Since its our honeymoon we want to splurge a little. Pools,Jacuzzi's, hot springs...etc.

Please help direct me, I feel a little all over right now, ha

volcanogirl

With just a week, I'd pick two areas to visit. The Osa and Arenal are two of our favorites. Bosque del Cabo on the Osa is very popular and where we ended up staying. We like the Lost Iguana in Arenal. It's a great hotel but doesn't have springs on site. The Springs hotel is pretty posh with pools/jacuzzis, etc. if you have the budget for it and want to splurge.

qwovadis

www.tabacon.com at www.arenal.net

and

www.bosquedelcabo.com

2 nice bases to explore from

perhaps

www.issimosuites.com at

www.manuelantoniopark.com

in between...

might consider www.hotelvillacaletas.com

amazing hotel around flights...

Have fun and Congrats!

shillmac

I agree that Arenal and the Osa would be a great combination. Hot springs, ziplines, the volcano (hopefully a view), all the wildlife and great hiking trails at Bosque del Cabo. If you choose this itinerary, try to grab a 7:00ish a.m. flight to the Osa (Puerto Jimenez). You'll need to spend your last night near the airport, so I'm thinking 3 nights at each location and last night someplace relaxing like Xandari or even a fun place like Orquideas Inn (the Marilyn Monroe bar makes for an enjoyable evening, and the food is good).

Bosque del Cabo offers some great mostly private beaches, but they require a bit of a hike as it sits up on a bluff overlooking the Golfo Dulce. Beautiful, though, nice tide pools and even a waterfall you can hike to and stand under.

You could also do Arenal and Puerto Viejo. It has a totally different vibe. You'll see some wildlife there, but certainly not as much as on the Osa. There are a couple of places on the beach. Check out the Tree House and the Beach House. Also Azania Bungalows and Cariblue would be decent choices. Nothing over there is very "luxe", though.

A renowned honeymoon and beach spot is Punta Islita on the Pacific. It, too, would be a good combo with Arenal. If you like the way it looks (gets rave reviews), it would be a good idea to fly there to keep the road from eating your valuable time.

Congrats!

plumboy

Actually, I think there is now a pretty luxe option just south of Puerto Viejo: Le Cameleon http://www.lecameleonhotel.com/

The rooms look way too white and sterile for my taste, but it is apparently a pretty nice place -- and supposedly an appropriate size for the area, not some hulking resort. Gets some spotty service reviews over on TA.

ddavisart

thanks for the info everyone! If we stick to Arenal and Osa is there beaches close by and some sort of town to spend some time in or is it mostly grass/rainforests? We are wanting to spend some time on a nice beach also. I heard Punta Uva? is nice which is why we was looking at puerto viejo for a beachy area. How does the beaches comapare to that around Osa and closer to Arenal?

1bhcrashman

Rainy Season is upon us and Arenal has been socked in for a couple of weeks already. I'd suggest going over to Guancaste or maybe Manuel Antonio. I think Xandari would be a nice spot close in for a couple of nights. Only a week so I wouldn't chose more than 1 or 2 locations. Wildlife/birding & nature didn't seem to be the attraction big attraction for OP so the Osa might not be worth the effort.

volcanogirl

You could do a combo of Arenal and Manuel Antonio too; MA has beautiful beaches and easy access to wildlife. The beach inside the national park is gorgeous. Lots of restaurant and hotel choices in the area.

ddavisart

After talking with the wife i think we will turn this into 2 trips and just focus on Arenal and MA for the time being since its our first time out there and dont have alot of time to travel to all the different areas we would like right now. Is Tulemar buena vista still a nice place to stay at? I heard that the restaurant might of closed there so was wondering how easy it is to find food close by there. Also looking at the Springs for the arenal area.

ddavisart

Also one last question 8) . Curious about how Guancaste compares to MA. What there differences are and what each one offers, Thanks alot!

shillmac

Guanacaste is drier, less "rain foresty", more dry tropical forest. It is one of our favorite areas, but you typically won't see as much wildlife there as you will in and near the national park at Manuel Antonio. Development (some call it rape) of the northern Pacific area has pretty well taken care of that. Still, Playa Flamingo, Playa Conchal, Playa Grande, Playa Hermosa are all interesting areas in Guanacaste. Rincon de la Vieja National Park makes a nice daytrip as does Palo Verde. The Guanacaste beaches are nice in that you can be right on them as opposed to the hillside above as at Manuel Antonio. That said, though, we like MA also, and Tulemar/Buena Vista has long been one of our favorite hotels. Tulemar's restaurant is closed, but perhaps Buena Vista has one? We've only stayed at Tulemar, never Buena Vista--it gets rave reviews, though.

stayinspired

wow only 6 days for exploration (2 travel days). Recommendation- scrap Puerto Viejo, too much travel time. San Jose to Central Pacific, Manuel Antonio and make your way south for a few days ending in OSA. Arenal is a must see but do you want to drive this much. Costa Rica roads could cause a divorce. You just need more time mi amigo. Remember its your delayed honeymoon, relax enjoy each other!!!!!
Pura Vida

hipvirgochick

dd -- I think that's a good plan. In answer to your question, definitely Tulemar and Buena Vista Villas are great places to stay. I've stayed at BVV and check out Tulemar. True, the restaurant is closed.

ToucanOasis

The Rio Celeste trip is easily do-able from Arenal.
People make a day trip from my place regularly.
I'm on Lake Arenal, just outside Tilaran.

As to the Osa.Try Sabalo lodge. Kool people, great food.
The Osa isn't cheap due to generator power, satellite Internet, and everything comes in by boat.