Family itinerary help
 

Hi... in initial stages of planning a Feb 09 trip for roughly 11 days and could use some input. While wife and I spent a week in Montezuma/Mal Pais in 05, we figure the kids (10, 15 and 16) would appreciate more wildlife, Arenal... etc. Tentative plan would be:

Day 1:San Jose
Days 2 and 3: Arenal (Observatory Lodge perhaps)
Days 4 thru 6: MA (La Posada Jungle Lodge)
Days 7 thru 10: Osa (Casa Bambu)
Day 11: San Jose

I understand Arenal Observatory Lodge offers the best chance at viewing lava flow? Are AOL and La Posada good choices for the kids? How are the beaches near MA? Montezuma was decent but killer riptide. Beach near Casa Linda? Also, what would everyone recommend for transport... renting a driver or a car and what would cost be for a driver? SHILLMAC or any other CR expert, I hope u read this and can offer up some advice. Thank you all in advance.

Sorry guys. Day 1 is San Jose. No idea where the sour face came from.

You will be very close to the beach at La Posada in MA, that one is fairly decent but the nicest one is inside the Nat'l Park, the one at the end. Very warm and calm when I was there. You can bring in your own food (guard it carefully as the poor animals there have been fed too many times and now steal bags) or you can leave the park (keep your stub) and go have lunch nearby.

In Matapalo, you'll have 3 beaches, Pan Dulce, Backwash Bay and a 3rd one I've forgotten the name of. Pan Dulce is the nicest. When you are on the beach, looking to the water, go to the left as far as you can - the water is a little calmer down there and there are less of the little rocks that pelt your ankles with every wave coming in.

I would say either rent a car, get a driver or fly from SJO - Arenal, Arenal - MA, but for the Osa portion definitely fly. Some times of the year you can fly directly from Quepos to PJ, but most of the time you will have to back track to SJO.

AOL has great views, but keep in mind your trip is almost a year away and that flow can change at any time!

Sounds like a fantastic trip! I am off myself to the Mal Pais area and the Osa in little over a month!

Thx Tully.... I am considering the option of Osa for the full 7 days rather than splitting up time with MA but wife loves the beach so I'm trying to compromise. I want the kids to see the true Costa Rica... the wildlife... the people, and it sounds like that's what you get at Osa. Kinda don't like the idea of going back to SJO from MA to fly back to Osa. Is it impossible to drive from MA to Osa? Also, what are the drivers charging nowadays and who would you recommend?

You could drive from MA to your rental in Matapalo, but it'd be a long day - about 2 hours from MA to Dominical to MA, unknown between Dominical & Uvita (guessing 1-2 hours), and about 4 hours from Uvita to Puerto Jimenez, then about 45 minutes to Matapolo. Then driving back of course, unless you can manage a one way rental. Even with the backtrack to SJO, the flight would be so much faster, 25 minutes to SJO and 1 hour to PJ. Couldn't hurt though to look into places to stay on your way and cut 1 night from MA, if you stay around Uvita that would put you about halfway there. I guess itdepends on whether you will need to have the car there with you since you are sort of isolated.