Costa Rica trip planning help
 

Hello everyone, planning a trip to Costa Rica in August. I've read a ton on this forum and it's been super helpful but I would love help with our specific itinerary and planning!

Background: it's myself, my husband, and my 17 year old daughter. We will fly in and out of San Jose. We have 10 nights total, but the first and last will be near the airport given our flight times, so realistically 8 nights around the country. We are all reasonably fit and enjoy hiking and nature. We are not necessarily beach people- we are from northern New England and aren't used to extreme heat! We don't want to rent a car- would prefer to use shuttles/buses/taxis. We are thinking we'd divide our time between Arenal, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio area.

Here are my questions:
- I've heard many good things about Arenal Observatory Lodge (I think from volcanogirl ) and it looks like an amazing location. However I saw that it is quite far from everything else in the area, and taxi/shuttle drivers may charge extra to pick up/drop off there. I'm worried without a car, we'd feel stuck there. Thoughts?
- Are three locations too many- will we feel rushed? I worry that if we drop down to just 2 places it will feel like we've stayed too long in each.
- If we drop down to 2 locations, which to drop off? I've heard to skip Monteverde because it's a pain to get too, but I've had several friends talk about how beautiful it was. Plus I think we might need a break from the heat because we're not used to it!
- If we keep all 3 locations, which should we spend more of our time in (since it will need to be a 3/3/2 night split)? Because we don't love the heat, I'm thinking fewer nights in Manuel Antonio. We also don't love crowds, and it sounds like that is the more touristy of the 3.
- Does anyone have suggestions for a hotel relatively close to the airport that provides shuttle service to/from the airport?
- Also, for anyone who went the no-car-rental route, do you have any advice on coordinating transportation?

We've stayed at the Arenal Observatory Lodge twice, and I really liked it for the fact that it's an expansive property, and you'll see more wildlife there than probably anywhere else you can stay. When we've stayed there they've had a free guided hike each morning. We've seen loads of beautiful birds there including toucans. Also howler monkeys and lots of coatis. When we stayed they had a shuttle that ran to and from town, so we used that but you had to operate on their schedule. You'd have to check to see if they still offer it. Also for any tours we did, they picked us up at AOL and dropped us off afterward, but there will most likely be an extra charge. It's set off a long bumpy road out by the lake. We thought it was worth it. There's not much to the town of La Fortuna itself, so we were happy to spending time out in beautiful nature. The Lost Iguana is another nice property set away from town.

I'd do three nights in the Arenal area, three nights in Manuel Antonio, and two in Monteverde. Almost anything you want to do in Monteverde, you can do in the Arenal area. If you wanted to drop one area, then I'd pick Monteverde for that reason. The road to Monteverde was pretty rough when we did it. Not sure if they've improved it since then. Also Monteverde can get chilly. We had to wear fleece jackets and sweatshirts at night, and our hotel had their fireplace going. We went to Monteverde specifically because we wanted to see quetzals.

We usually don't rent cars; we arrange shuttle drivers through our hotels when we reserve them. We've stayed at the Costa Rica Marriott Hotel Hacienda Belen and really enjoyed it. Very nice pool area, good restaurants, and they had wild parrots in the trees when we stayed there. Ask for a high floor with a view. Also like Hotel Grano de Oro is you want a city hotel; they have a good restaurant on site. I can't remember if these spots provided shuttle service so you'd need to check on that.

Agree with Volcano Girl, on Arenal Lodge - lovely property. You don't need to be close to town - nothing going on in Fortuna. We had a great view of the volcano, and from there spent a half day at Tabacon hot springs, then another day river rafting (Sarapiqui river). I loved Monteverde because the cloud forest is magical; Swiss-style houses, and delicious farm-to-table organic pizza; we took a really cool night jungle tour. But Monteverde is a battle to drive to. You really need to want it.

I've been to Costa Rica a half dozen times now, and San Antonio is my least favorites place. VERY touristy. Have you considered taking a puddle jumper flight to Osa Penninsula? Know you don't like the heat but the wildlife is AMAZING -- Flocks of red macaws, wild pigs, jaguars, monkeys, crocodiles, etc. Three nights in the Osa Peninsula would be my recommendation.

Hotel Brilla Sol is the San Jose hotel we stay at when flying in and out. Very basic, but affordable and shuttle service is free. Beans and rice are pretty darn good too!

In Manuel Antonio check out Tulemar Bungalows. They have their own beach and lots of monkeys and sloths on site. Good open air restaurants nearby you can walk to; you just have to be careful along the road. The Villa Vanilla Spice Tour is fun and interesting.

Thank you for your quick replies! I took a closer look at Arenal Observatory Lodge's website and it looks like they still run a shuttle to La Fortuna.

I think we will keep Monteverde on the itinerary... we don't mind cold and like I said, for us Northerners we might like a breather from the heat. I understand that some of the "activities" will be the same, but the area would be quite different, right?

We also enjoyed our night hike at Hidden Valley when we were in Monteverde. A lot of times you only see insects and snakes, but we saw a fox and a porcupine which were both new to us. Just a heads up that August is part of the rainy season for a lot of CR.

Yes I have read that August is rainy season. It's the only time we can travel due to school/work schedules. It seemed like all of our destinations would be ok in the rainy season but I'd appreciate input on places to go in August!

https://costa-rica-guide.com/travel/...-map-rainfall/ is a nice map that shows general rainfall patterns by month. Just mouse over the areas that interest you.

Another good spot for a first or last night is Xandari. It's a beautiful property set in the hills overlooking the city, has cooler temps. Was a bit pricey when we stayed but we loved it.