Family of 10 to Costa Rica
 

I have just been reading questions and answers about CR. I'm trying to get ideas for our annual family of 10 Christmas trip. I know it is the busy and expensive time, but my grandchildren can't miss a lot of school. We are ages 10-64. Should I look into an airline package trip? The 9 day tours seem to involve a lot of road time.Does it make sense to base in San Jose and take day trips? I plan our trips, and on this one, I don't know where to start. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

For that variety of ages Arenal and Manuel Antonio are probably the best. There are many travel agents/tour companies in CR that can help you with reservations and transportation. You can set up a personal itinerary with them and not have to take a "package" although you could use a package to compare prices. Pat Hewitt of LoveCostaRica.com is a great guy. Very honest and will help you design a custom trip that will cover what you want to do.

Suzie2 Would it be possible to have as our base a beach location, and then take 1 or 2 day trips from there. Is there a place to snorkel? Thanks

Regarding snorkeling, CR is not really a snorkeling destination. there are some things to see but it is not the clear blue water with reefs that you would find in the Caribbean.
Regarding San Jose, you can just take day trips but I think you would miss out on much of the real spontaneous experiences like sitting by the pool and having an iguana or coati come by for a drink. Or, having a monkey follow you along a path or drop in on you while sunbathing. Your chances of seeing a pod of dolphins or a whale for that matter are much greater if you have more opportunity to be able to look out over the ocean.
A perfect place for a family like yours would be Manuel Antonio because they have so many options for things to do. Any hotel there can help you make the arrangements for the tours. Problem is, there are limited places on the beach. Tulemar Bungelows is one of the nicer places and have their own private beach. They may already be booking for next Christmas if you want to stay there. If you don't mind being up on the hills overlooking the beach there are tons of great options. Si Como No is a good option as is Villas Nicolas. For a more modest price, Karahe has been getting some decent reviews and is closer to the beach. It is a highly visited area but the hotels have a little breathing room so you don't feel like you are just one hotel after another.
A really good guide book would give you a complete listing of possiblities including prices which can be quite variable. There are so many that it would be a good place to start and then to come back here and ask specific questions for the price range and type of place you are looking for.

Suzie2 , thank you for taking the time to reply. I will take your advice and head to the book store. I have one more question that I know a book won't answer. Now remember a grandmother is asking this. After reading a lot of old posts, I'm worried about the danger of driving on the narrow, mountain roads with regard to accidents. Medical care is always a concern for me when I travel with my grandchildren. Thank you

I'm a (young) grandma too. If you just drive defensively and let the Costa Ricans do their thing you will be fine. If you are sticking to Arenal and Manuel Antonio the roads won't be bad. Do keep yours eyes open for pot holes tho. The quality of medical care in CR is not too bad either. In the smaller out of the way towns it might be a little dicey but there are several big hospitals in San Jose and in other larger cities. CR is a pretty civilized country compared to most central american countries. The people are friendly as a rule (which is not to say they aren't in other places). It is much more developed and the level of literacy is way higher than you would expect. It is very tourist friendly.