Costa Rica w/ kids July 3-August 9
 

Hello!

I'm in over my head trying to plan where to go and what to do during our trip. We want to see as much as we can without driving a million miles every day, so within reason. Here are some details about our trip so far:

Trip details:

• we are a family with kids ranging from 4-18
• we are flying roundtrip from Liberia (tickets already purchased)
• we are renting an SUV
• we are both teachers and having been saving, however, our funds are not unlimited so we won't be able to do too many extra activities

Interests and wants:

• I'd like to snorkel some
• relax on the beach some
• Want to be able to swim with the kids in the ocean
• not really into surfing - would maybe try it
• visit National Parks
• light hiking (4 year old)
• would rather avoid scary-hanging-off-a-cliff-feeling driving
• want to visit the Caribbean side (is it worth the trek? especially this time of year?) My husband thought we should do this first because it's the furthest away and make our way back toward Liberia throughout the trip. Thoughts?
• want to visit Osa Peninsula (is it too rainy in July?)

Questions:

• What would be the most logical way to putz around the country?
• How long should we stay in certain recommended areas?
• We fly into Liberia around 2:30. Where would you recommend we try to get to that day?
• Should we avoid any areas or roads?
• Any other advise you might have?

I know there is a lot going on this post so any recommendations or advise you have, I'll take it.

I'm feeling very behind in planning so want to get on it pronto!

Thank you! Muchas Gracias!

Nicole

Hi there!
We just got back from a first time trip to Costa Rica with our kids (ages 10 and 13). We also flew into Liberia and rented a small SUV. I actually came back to the forum to write a trip report since folks were so helpful in sharing theirs! Here's what we ended up doing:
-Flew into Liberia in early afternoon, picked up rental and drove to La Fortuna, Arenal area (2.5 hr drive total)
-spent 2 nights in La Fortuna area checking out volcano, Mistico hanging bridges, hot springs, chocolate and coffee tours
-Drove from La Fortuna area to Playa Hermosa and spent the rest of the time in that area - did ziplining at Diamante, lots of ocean and pool time, and my daughter and husband did a 1/2 day fishing trip (picked up right from the beach :) )
-Playa Hermosa, Coco beach and Playa Flamingo and other areas nearby are known for smaller waves, not surfing - lots of wide sandy areas for the younger kids to play
-If we had more time, there were several national parks within a 1-2 hr drive from where we were staying that we would have loved to check out

Note about the driving - in general the roads were not like driving off a cliff but they did wind around quite a bit, along with changes in elevation. We gave our kids dramamine (and I took one myself lol) while my husband drove back from La Fortuna area.

Good luck with your planning, we already miss it there!

https://costa-rica-guide.com/travel/...-map-rainfall/ is a nice map that shows general weather patterns; just mouse over the areas you're interested in to get an idea of average rainfall. A lot of the Caribbean coast is extremely rainy in July; we went to Tortuguero in July and it poured rain. We've also been to the Osa in July and didn't get any rain; it is rainy season, but sometimes there's something they call the little summer in July that helps keep rain away; we felt really lucky.

Howdy! Can you tell me where you stayed? We are planning a four family vacation with kids ranging in ages 8 to 17. We are looking for a resort with some activities but we will also be looing at outside activities like zip lining, site seeing, tours, etc.. Thank you!

We are planning a similar trip with our adult children and several grandchildren of all ages. Can I ask where you stayed in the Playa Hermosa area?