I just booked the amazing 284RT fare NY to Liberia for the first week of April. Looking for a decent itinerary to start working on. We are a family of 4 with 2 kids ages 10 and 12 and have travelled everywhere with kids. But excited to see the volcano since we have never seen an active one. We just did ziplining and other tours in Hawaii so not sure if we will do that again. Thoughts are to spend at least 3 nights at a nice beach resort and then to see the volcano. Should I try to see Manuel Antonio and Monteverde as well. Just need a bit of help setting up and then I can start researching.

Thanks much.

The Arenal area is great - full of lots of adventure activities. We love the Cano Negro tour to see wildlife, hiking the waterfall, hiking the Hanging Bridges, and enjoying the natural hot springs like Eco Termales or Tabacon. Eco T serves a good chicken dinner as well. The volcano hasn't done much for several months, but who knows when the lava will start going again? We've been lucky enough to see it on all of our trips, and it is really amazing to see those rocks bouncing down the volcano when it's doing its thing. Check out Rios Tropicales for rafting and Sunset Tours and Desafio for other tours. Those are all good companies. If you're going to a beach in Guanacaste, then I probably would skip Manuel Antonio unless you just want tons of beach time.

thanks for your response. Since we are in CR, I do want to see as much as possible. So we could even do just 2 beach days to get more out of it. Also, we are vegetarian and hoping there are plenty of options.

So once we get in to Liberia-should we go straight to Arenal are for 3 nights?

Out of LIR usually rent a cheap car www.mapache.com

to save a tonne my fav hotels with kids

hotelcapitansuizo.com

tabacon.com best FREE hot springs if you stay there

Easy to drive Tamarindo.com to Arenal.net

papagyaovargastours.com desafiocostarice.com lots of

tour options... Rio Celeste ruralcostarica.com my

personal fav...

monteverdeinfo.com fun if time hotelbelmar.net nice there

www.travelforkids.com Costa Rica good tips for you too...

Personally usually head right to Arenal from LIR

nice paved roads via Canas Tilaran 3 hours or so

"Vegetariano" options abound Gallo Pinto is the stable there.

Happy Travels!

www.mapcr.com good link for you

spend time at the volcano then spend my

last few days chilling on the beach...

I rarely book things off season get best deals

boots on the ground usually.

Have fun!

any places to stay that you all recommend? The more I am reading, the more I like the idea of sightseeing, but coming back and relaxing in a hot spring

Los Lagos and Silencio del Campo are two more popular spots. Check them out to see what you think. Since you said you're vegetarians, you'll probably find rice and beans on just about every menu you see, plus salads, plantains, etc. We've seen pasta at some restaurants. Here's a place we like:

http://www.donrufino.com/en/

Thanks for all your replies. How does this work-3 nights in Arenal area and 3 night in Samara?

Should I do 2/2/2 and go to another place as well.

Thanks.

I'd do at least three nights since it takes a long time to travel from place to place. You don't want to spend all your time traveling.

I would definitely recommend not doing 2/2/2. Much too much travel time and not enough full days in each place. I've taken my daughter around the same age to both Silencio del Campo and Los Lagos and she loved them both. I preferred the former but would stay at either again. Since it gets dark so early it's nice to have all the great pools and slides to enjoy. Highly recommend the cultural tour with Desafio if you'd like a little more than the regular adrenaline/adventure tours offered there.

Regarding vegetarian food the restaurant at Silencio del Campo is much more personal and I'm sure would provide whatever you want while dining at the hotel. It's a smaller, family owned place and they really go out of their way to make you feel welcome.

thanks. any places in samara are or other beach resort. To get the most out of Arenal area, should I do 4 and just 2 nights at the beach. We definitely want to see as much of CR as we can but also relax as well.

I always take a look at everything I want to do there and see how many days it will take to accomplish that and go from there. We usually stay 4 nights in Arenal, but we like to do a lot of adventure activities.

If you have booked airfare first week of April, you will be there during Semana Santa - Holy Week - Easter is April 8th. Be advised that many, many Costa Ricans celebrate Easter holidays at the beach. Beaches are crowded, some businesses will shut down beginning Holy Thursday and traffic is nuttier than usual.

I would advise you to head for your beach nights first, then to Arenal for the latter part of your stay if those are your two choices.

Ok, yes we are there the first week of April.
THANKS! Any particular beach area that advise we should go to?

We are also going the first week in April with a six year old child. We are only there five nights leaving Thursday. Would you also suggest that we do our beach nights first. We were planning on staying at a lodge near Rincon De la Vieja. Since we only have five nights I want to travel too far.
Thanks

ttraveler - I would suggest doing your beach nights as soon as you arrive. Many Costa Ricans take a week of vacation so beaches start filling up the weekend before Holy Week. The Manuel Antonio/Quepos/Jaco areas will be very crowded since those are the closest beaches to San Jose, but many others will be very busy too.

Also (unless the law has changed) Holy Thursday and Good Friday are dry days for purchasing alcohol.

Colibri,
Thanks for your input. How crowded do you think the Playa Hermosa area will be. I would love to stay there the night before we leave since it is close to the airport. We only have five nights arriving on Saturday and leaving Holy Thursday. I am starting to get the feeling that I should book my rooms now. We can always go there first though. I would love my last days to be relaxing.

tt - It's going to be busy with people coming from Liberia, but since you leave on Thursday you'll escape from the busiest days. Playa Hermosa area won't be as crazy as the beaches closer to San Jose, but still busy. Yes, I would book now to ensure you get your first choice hotel.

tt - if you are staying at a lodge near Rincon de la Vieja, check out the water tube that runs through the forest at Buena Vista Lodge - great fun!