CR on a budget
 

My boyfriend and I are going to CR for the first time this March and we're on a tight budget! I have a few questions...<BR>*Any suggestions on B&amp;Bs or Inns on the Pacific Coast (Manuel Antonio area)?<BR>*How can we get from the San Jose airport to Manuel Antonio?<BR>*Is there a website that has information about the local bus system?<BR><BR>Thanks!

Pick up a CR guide book (Lonely Planet would be a good one for you)for lots of suggestions for your trip. They list lodgings from cheapest to most expensive and all in between. Buses go all over CR, a guide will have info on this. MA is a well-known tourist destination, you will have no trouble getting a bus there. Good luck, you'll have fun

There's a website, monteveredinfo.com, where they post all kinds of useful information about travel within Costa Rica - both services they offer themselves, AND other services. Specifically, they link to a very useful list of a number of public bus schedules. You can find it here:<BR>http://www.monteverdeinfo.com/costa-rica/bus-schedule.htm<BR><BR>Also, Lonely Planet does indeed list a lot of low-cost lodging options. Generally, it is much cheaper to stay in Quepos than in Manuel Antonio - most of the hotels closer to the park a quite a bit more expensive than what you'll find in town. EXCEPT that there are a few lodging options RIGHT near the park entrance which are very basic and very inexpensive. Basic meaning maybe only cold water, etc.<BR><BR>Buy an LP guidebook, and you'll more than make up the outlay in what you save on lodging. (Fodor's is great too, of course, but LP really focuses more on budget travel.)

Ah, and one more thing: make your reservations ASAP. Some places were already booked for March when I was calling around last October. There will definitely still be options available, but the sooner you move, the more choices you'll have.

I agree on the reservation part. I was having a hard time finding a hotel room in the Arena area. However, I was looking 3 weeks in advance.<BR><BR>Futhermore, some hotels in Manuel Antonio only had the more expensive &quot;deluxe&quot; or &quot;superior&quot; rates available. Standard rates (their cheapest rates) were gone.<BR><BR>Most public buses cost under US$5 per person to anywhere in Costa Rica, but they don't stop at the airport (at least this is what I've found out so far).<BR><BR>Even some of the private shuttle buses don't stop at the airport. You have to take a taxi to a nearby location to get on these private shuttle buses. These cost between $20 to $30 to Manuel Antonio.<BR><BR>Good luck. To save money on transportation, you will need time and patience and do more research!

Actually, buses from Quepos do stop at the airport. I traveled by bus from Quepos to SJO last June. If memory serves, the trip took about 3 hours and cost about $2.