srroadwarrior

Hi,

Here's a brief itinerary for our trip next month and wonder if anyone has any tips/suggestions: (we are driving) Thanks !

Day
1- Arrive San Jose
2,3-Arenal/La Fortuna
4- Monteverde
5,6,7- Quepos/ Manuel Antonio
8- back to San Jose

Alethea

If your flight comes in before, say 2 p.m., then I'd say drive straight to Arenal & if it leaves late enough, then drive from MA to San Jose, thus skipping any overnight time in San Jose. Also, we LOVED Monteverde, but the drive there & back is quite horrific - it's easily the worst road in the country - I would totally recommend going, but make it worth your while & try to stay for atleast 2 days rather than just the one. Good luck!

lmavolio

I went to CR a couple of years ago and loved it! I did EXTENSIVE research before I went and here's what I decided. First, DON'T stay in San Jose if you can avoid it. Try to get a flight that will get you in early and head to your first destination spot. There's nothing in San Jose. Manuel Antonio is beautiful. We stayed at Si Como No hotel with a beautiful balcony room facing the ocean. Really nice place. While there we did a jungle tour (saw sloths, snakes, exotic birds and a beautiful beach) + white water rafting. Also, I considered Monteverde, but opted for Corcovado instead. I am a nature lover, so it depends what you're into, but it was probably one of the favorite parts of my trip. We were in a really remote place - literally in the middle of the jungle and would wake up to howler monkeys as our alarm clock. Our guides were amazing - they took us through the jungle on an all day hike, picniced on the beach, had wonderful dinners every night and snorkeled at a nearby island (Cano) with sharks and other exotic fish. Dolphins and whales abound! It was really beautiful. I ended my trip with Arenal so we could relax in the hot springs - Tabacon resort is nice, but you don't have to stay there to access the hot springs. Hopefully you will be lucky enough to see the volcano - we had a perfect view and could see the lava at night. If you're into the outdoors and nature stuff, I would recommend Corcovado over Monteverde. It is difficult to get to, but you can get a pretty cheap puddle jumper flight there. Anyway, if you stick with Monteverde, your itinerary looks good. Just try to not stay in San Jose. Also, as the other person mentioned, the roads are really awful in Costa Rica in the back sections (narrow rickety bridges, no signs, etc.)- on the way to Monteverde as well. Costa Rica Connections can arrange for an inexpensive private shuttle service to take you around from place to place - I really recommend this. It will allow you to kick back, relax and just enjoy the scenery. Enjoy! Feel free to e-mail me if you have any other questions. [email protected]

shillmac

srroadwarrior,
You itinerary doesn't allow enough time at Monteverde. Too difficult to get in and out of for just one night. A good option would be 2 nights Arenal, 3 nights Manuel Antonio, and end up with a couple of nights near San Jose in the central valley. There is a lot to do and see in the area right around San Jose. Many overlook it as they head out to other places and return just the night before to catch a flight. There are several small towns that are very interesting (Sarchi, Grecia, Zarcero), Poas Volcano, Braulio Carillo Parque Nacional, and much more. The weather is among the best in the world. There are some excellent hotels in this area as well. Xandria, Vista del Valle, Hotel Bouganvillea, Finca la Rosa, to name just a few. Many think San Jose is not worth visiting, but it depends. There are a couple of great museums, parks, the Teatro Nacional, Plaza de la Cultura, Central Market (Mercado Central), etc. It is rather interesting to check out at least once!

shillmac

BTW, I am not referring to STAYING in San Jose. The hotels I mentioned are all out of town in smaller towns or in the country--you definitely don't have to go into San Jose at all unless you opt to do so. Are you going to have a car?