My boyfriend and I leave for CR on May 7th for 7 days and we still need to lock down our itinerary. Can someone suggest a place to stay in San Jose for our first and last night, nothing fancy clean, cute and reasonably priced?

Thus far here is what we?ve come up with:
Tabacon Resort? Perhaps for 1-2 days hot springs, canopy tour, adventure etc. The problem is we would like to end up in Montezuma. What is the best way to travel to that part of the country? Via air or car. If we rent a car how long is the drive? And the roads?

If we travel to Montezuma first we would book a flight however how do we include the canopy tour, and adventure stuff? Unless someone can suggest an area near by that offers those amenities. Otherwise we would skip around the coast!

Please help us?

SF

Try Vida Tropical. It is right by the airport and Jose and Umberto are great. They can help you with a lot of questions regarding how to get places etc. They can even call the hotels to check availability. They will pick you up right at the airport.
You can easily get to Arenal from Alajuela and then from Arenal you can take one of the private buses to Puntarenas and then the ferry over to the Nicoya. There is a 7:30am bus (Interbus)from Arenal to Puntarenas which arrives in P at 10:30am. There is an 11:30 ferry to Paquera. From there you can get up to Montezuma.
If you are not set on Montezuma you can easily get to Samara or Tamarindo from Arenal on Fantasy Bus.
What adventure stuff are you talking about exactly. There is a very good canopy tour near Arenal as well as quite a few "adventure things to do". I guess it would mostly depend on if you want to see the ocean or not.

There are several ways you could do this and much depends on your arrival time. Many people use interbus (small and safe tourist van)for travel. We prefer to rent.

Because it is time consuming to drive to Montezuma, you should probably head up to Arenal area first (provided you arrive by early afternoon). Two nights there. You can do the hot springs, canopy tour, and adventure stuff in this area.

The drive to Montezuma will probably take most of a day. Figure 4 hours to arrive at the ferry in Puntarenas (usually you want to arrive about 30 min before departure). Another 1 1/2 hr on the ferry, another 1 1/2 hour to Montezuma. Leave early in the morning and you should be there by 2:00 or 3:00 p.m. You'll probably have 3 nights there (depending). The ferry is an interesting adventure.

The drive (and ferry)back to San Jose will take about 5 hours.

Many people choose to get out of San Jose and stay somewhere near the airport on the first and last nights simply because they don't want to be in the city. Vida Tropical B & B would be good for that ($35 per night)in Alajuela. If you want to be in San Jose (and personally I think it's worth a LITTLE time) I'd recommend the Hotel Don Carlos ($75) simply because it's a well run establishment with great service and very nicely located in a safe area and within a short walk of a couple of musuems, the national theatre, the Plaza de la Cultura, etc.

Very near the Hotel Don Carlos is the Hotel Dunn (a little less money with a good reputation). Be sure to take a taxi to El Pueblo if you stay a night in San Jose. Shops, restaurants, bars. It's a good way to spend an evening!

If you stay your first night in or near San Jose, you could do Montezuma first.

You could also fly to Tambor (close to Montezuma) first, round trip back to San Jose, then transfer by Interbus up to Arenal. This would save a good deal of time.

If you are arriving early in the morning, you may want to consider driving the same day to the hotel you have chosen near Arenal. I am sure you have read the mixed reviews for staying at Tabacon. I didn't stay there but I did enjoy the hot springs.
If you decide to stay in San Jose the first and last night, I have been recommending Orquideas Inn in Alejuela.It is only 20 minutes from the airport. That way, you get a nice hotel including breakfast for $69 a night. Erich, the manager, is very helpful and if you contact him on line, he would make suggestions for transportation for your trip to Montezuma and elsewhere. The hotel would have a driver pick you up at the airport. They have a car rental service at the hotel and they also have drivers that could get you to Arenal and beyond.
Just food for thought.

Regarding actually doing the tours (adventures) you can wait until you get there to make the arrangements. It is not a busy time down there so you won't have any problems with availablity.
It is actually a good time to get some good deals on hotel rooms. Don't be afraid to try to get a better deal than they are advertising.

Greetings Marion2

Thanks for all the great suggestion!
Yes I read the review on Tabacon Resort. Can you recommend someplace different?

Thanks~

SF

My vote goes to the Arenal Paraiso. Fantastic view of the volcano and lava flow if you get lucky enough for a view! Very conveniently located as well on the main road and near the Tabacon resort so you can still do the hot springs (although they cost $29 pp if you aren't staying there).

Sure, Arenal Paraiso (has the best views of the volcano, very reasonably priced, beautiful grounds and always gets good reviews).
Feel free to write me directly for anything else, and I can also get you a discount there.
Pura vida,
Neta Talmor

Shillmac, I knew you would beat me to the punch! We are all online together!
Pura vida,
Neta Talmor

Orquideas is nice. The guys at the tour desk are great and would be the ones to pick you up at the airport. Luis is a great kid. There is a charge versus the free ride from Vida Tropical. It is also a bit more expensive. Vida Tropical does fit the clean, cute, reasonably priced criteria. I found the Orquideas rooms to be a bit dark and worn. The bar is fun though and the food is good. I would consider going back someday on the rare occassion I stay in the city.
From your origional posting I assumed you were familiar with the ever constant suggestion to go to Arenal if you get in early.

Regarding the Paraiso. I really enjoyed my stay there and there is a volcano heated pool with a swim up bar and to die for views of the volcano when the weather permits. It is my understanding that it is $19 after 7pm to get into Tabacon. That is the prettiest time to go. All the paths are lit up and it is really pretty.

Neta,
Yes, I need to wean myself away from Fodor's. It is a way to stay in touch with all things Costaricense! I have been to my conversational Spanish lesson that I have once a week with the mama of one of my students. Always a lot of fun. How are you? Well, I hope. Say hello to Arbel!

My vote goes to Arenal Lodge but then again it is the only hotel I stayed at in the area. Check my thread entitled Arenal Lodge dated 4/23 for my details.