Hello,

We will be in CR in Nov for 7-8 days.
We plan to fly in and out of SJO.

Is it better to rent a 4x4 and drive the SJO-Quepos/MA ... or fly??? Are there towns/markets/animals to see along the way if we drive that would make it worth it?

Also, if we DO drive the whole time (vs fly), we want to then make our way up to Arenal from the Quepos area.
Any suggestions on where to stop for 1-2 nights between the 2?

Thanks!

With only one week, you may want to fly for one leg of your trip. Driving is fun and mostly safe but will take a bit more time, possibly. Of course if you add up all the time spent getting to and from airports and waiting, it might be about the same! There is lots to see along the way no matter which route you take. Good luck and have fun!

If you are just doing San Jose/Manuel Antonio, then flying is the better option in my opinion. But if you would like to see Arenal then rent a car and drive. Stay at Arenal for a couple of nights then drive to MA (probably 5-6 hours) and stay for 4 nights and then drive back to SJ. You will probably need a night at each end in San Jose because of the flight schedules.

Thanks!

We were thinking of going...
SJO - MA - [somewhere else?] - Arenal

We could fly the SJO-MA, then rent the car.... are there any good points on the way to Arenal to stay?

Also, are there any small towns along the way that are interesting and worth a stop?

The drive to MA is beautiful and you would enjoy having a car, IMO! You'll want to stop along the Rio Tarcoles to check out the many crocs! Someone should stay with the car as this popular hangout for tourists is also a popular hangout for thieves!

SJO-Arenal-MA is a perfect itinerary for 7-8 days. You won't be disappointed! There are interesting towns everywhere! The drive to MA from SJO takes about 3 hours through breathtaking scenery. From MA to Arenal, you can expect about 6 hours (more breathtaking scenery!). From Arenal back to SJO about 2.5-3 hours.

North of Alajuela there are a number of towns that you would enjoy visiting if your travel time permits. Sarchi (for souvenirs, oxcarts, artisan shops, etc), Grecia, very clean and beautiful, and Zarcero. All have lovely and different churches, but the church in Zarcero has a great topiary in front. These little excursions are what make visiting Costa Rica totally worth it! Aside from the main attractions such as Arenal and MA, you can enjoy some beautiful little off-the-road sites. As your time draws closer, and you have in mind exactly what you want to do, there are plenty of folks here to assist you in planning a route that will allow you to take in some of these special places!

One last bit of advice: Buy yourself a Berndston and Berndston map (very nice laminated and ACCURATE map) at any Barnes & Noble (or order online) and look over the routes. When you get suggestions, you will have a way to check it out ahead of time and get a plan in mind with regard to where one place is in relation to another.

Thanks SO much!!

I think we (at this point) have decided to go:

SJO (1 night)
Manuel (3 nights)
Arenal (1 night)
Peace Lodge (2 nights)

Since we WILL need the car from Arenal to PL..... and to visit Sarchi/Grecia etc.... we might as well rent it the whole 7 days. At least then we can leave for the next place as early as we want, and stop for breaks....

I will order that map right away!

Thanks for all the great advice!

I just got back from CR yesterday and I agree that driving is a good choice. However, I think only one night in Arenal is too far of a drive for such a short stay and you are severely limiting your chances of seeing the volcano in action. We spent three nights at Arenal and saw lava on the first and last, but absolutely nothing on the 2nd night. I personally would do two nights at each location you mentioned, instead of three at MA. Peace Lodge is amazing, be sure to get a Deluxe room. It's way worth the extra money.

LA is right on! You need 2 nights at Arenal. We stayed at MA 2 nights last summer and didn't feel cheated by the short stay. Last month, we headed down there on a Sat. a.m. and returned to SJO area on Sunday. It helps for it to be a fairly short drive. If you went to MA first, then to Peace Lodge, then to Arenal and back to SJO, you wouldn't have any really long drives. However, I guess it would be best to end up at Peace Lodge if you plan to drive to SJO the day of your flight. At any rate, you'll have a great time--these are all great locations!

Shillmac, just thought I would mention that I like your advice about making time to visit the small towns in CR. We are leaving on Aug 10 (can't wait!) and have allowed for 1 - 2 days at the end of our trip to leisurely drive around & visit the towns you mention. We will be staying at Las Orquideas the last 2 nights so when we are out driving around we won't have luggage in our car to worry about. Do you think it is worth it to visit a coffee plantation? Which one would you recommend?

I bought the Berndston & Berndston map at Barnes & Noble. It looks fairly easy to follow...I hope!

kwoo - i wished i could have visited a coffee plantation. i heard that doka is a full complete tour showing you every step of how the coffee is made & britt is just the basics - or something like that - meaning doka would be a better choice. take some time to shop in the grocery for gifts for friends - we got chocolate covered coffee beans for $2 or less in the store & they were $6 at the airport! bought our whole coffee beans at cafe trebol outside the centro mercado downtown in a little burlap bag with costa rica written on it. someone told me to buy whole beans b/c the ground may be too fine for us filters & sometimes has sugar already in it. we made gift bags for friends with that coffee, the chocolate beans & a bottle of linzano! what a cheap but fun gift! oh - and i bought coffee liqueor in the grocery for $4-5!!! a really nice bottle. Have fun - I'm envious!

Another off the beaten path plantation is Tarrazu plantation. A lot of coffee retailers get there coffee from there.

Also, if you find yourself in the Turrialba area, there are some great Organic Coffee Farms that produce some of the best coffee I've had.

We thought the Doka tour was excellent. They produce Tres Generaciones cafe which is quite good. But it can't be bought in the super mercados. Only at their plantation and other specialized places. It is a little more expensive than Britt. Haven't tried Tarrazu. The gift bags you mentioned, Schlubb, what a great idea!

Tres Generaciones can be purchased online on the Doka site. Also Cafe Britt. We have ordered online before when desperate! Couldn't drink a cup on Folger's now if my life depended on it!

We visited the Doka plantation but didn't want to spend the time and $$ to do the tour. We drank some coffee, explored a little, and took some pictures. We also bought a bunch of coffee ($5/bag) and some other neat items in their gift shop.

Can you do the Doka tour/visit from the Peace Lodge??? .... or do you have to be in SJO?

Thanks!

Will you have a car? The Peace Lodge is further away from the Doka Tour. From the Las Orquideas (which is right beside a Y in the highway in Alajuela--edge of town--that leads to Poas or Sarchi) it was about 20 minutes drive. We just showed up by 9:30 (without reservations) and toured with a group. It seemed to be casual as they hadn't started when we arrived (just a little late) and they waited just a bit to see if more people arrived. From Peace Lodge, I'd say the drive would be more like an hour and a half.

Yes, we will have a car at that point in our trip...

Is there only one tour per day? How long is the tour?

Thanks!

I don't want to disagree with shillmac since I havent been to the Doka plantation personally, but I don't think it would be that long of a drive to get there from Peace Lodge. I know that they offer a tour from PL to Poas & Doka. From Peace Lodge to Poas it is about a 20 minute drive. Not sure where Doka is in relation to Poas. PL is about an hour to the airport. Hope that helps with times.

I think Doka may have been the one that offers fewer tour times in the off season - but I can't remember exactly.

Sclubb, you may be right. We drove from Heredia north in a loop around La Paz, down through Poas and on to Alajuela where we were staying. I just know that Doka is closer to the south end of the loop than the north end (where La Paz was) and we were driving for about 3 hours. Just guessing, though. I always estimate a little long--portions of the drive were slow.

We had thought about the Cafe Britt tour, but the owner of Las Orquideas told us he thought the Doka tour gave a more down-to-earth tour with a little less type and theatrics (my words, not his). In July when we were there, there were 2 tours daily at Doka--9:30 and 1:30. It will probably be the same in September.

One thing I remember about the Doka tour that I thought was commendable--they had a lot of signs on the roads leading there giving lots of affirmation that, yes, we were headed in the right direction! We found the signs very helpful!