First time to Costa Rica - is a week in Manuel Antonio too long?
 

We are planning our first trip to Costa Rica with our grown children and their spouses and our teenage daughter. Priorities are adventure, hiking, wildlife, kayaking etc and hopefully good food. We will rent a house and are considering a week in Manuel Antonio as my husband really does not want to spend a lot of time traveling between locations (and it is his bday trip). However the more I read the options in the rest of the country the more I feel we will be missing out if we don't include one more (maybe Arenal?) Can anyone weigh in on whether there will be enough diversity of activities to keep us busy for a week around Manuel Antonio and if we will feel like we really got the "Costa Rica experience" if we just plant ourselves for the week in one location?

Been a bunch to manuelantoniopark.com nice to visit for me

tulemar.com

costaverde.com

arenasdelmar.com

nice places to stay

www.tripadvisor.com/members/natureguide best MA guide

but after about 4 days I get a little bored usually head

up the coast to hotelvillacaletas.com super nice and

on up to arenal.net tabacon.com best FREE hot springs for

guests can save a lot on entry costs with a family.

Happy Travels!

We stayed three or four days and that was enough for us. I'd definitely try to see another area since Costa Rica is so diverse and beautiful. We love the Arenal area with the volcano, waterfall, and natural hot springs, plus all the adventure activities.

If you are wanting to just relax and spend time together in a beautiful place, one week isn't too long in Manuel Antonio. But when you mentioned that you might be missing out on the rest of Costa Rica, yes, you would! Arenal a good choice.

To make things a bit simpler, you could also enjoy some time close to the airport area at the close of your time in Manuel Antonio. . .a couple of days would be okay. There are some very nice hotels that would provide access to some beautiful areas of the country without going as far afield as Arenal. There are amazing things to see within 1.5 hour of the airport. You could also spring for one of the more expensive hotels nearer to the airport, such as Finca Rosa Blanca, and just enjoy the beauty of that immediate area. Every hotel will offer short tours with excellent guides so you can go and do as much as you prefer--or not.

Ideally, I'd do about 4 night in Manuel Antonio, 5 tops.

My wife and I are going to Costa Rica for the first time next month. After some guidance from a family member who spent a few weeks down there and working with a local travel service in Costa Rica, we are spending four nights in MA and then two nights in Arenal. We are using a shuttle transfer that is costing about $40/person and takes about a half day. The hotel prices are similar in both areas, and from what I've read and been told, the two areas provide two different Costa Rica experiences.

You might assemble two lists of activities, tours, sights, etc., available a both Arenal and Manuel Antonio and then ask your group to study them and provide some input into the decision. If the group is in on the design of the trip, you won't get the whole blame for any dissatisfaction. There may be a wider range of rental houses/villas available in Manuel Antonio, as well as eating options. A week isn't very long to see and do lots unless you intend to be on the move all the time. If you just stay at one place, there will be flack that you missed a lot (which will be true). If you go to two places, there will be flack that you were on the run doing stuff so much that you never got any down time to soak up the pura vida (which will be true). I would try to lengthen the stay and go to both Arenal and Manuel Antonio.

Thanks everyone that is very helpful feedback. Question about transportation .... I understand that driving is challenging and thus many hire a service for this. However, we will need a car at our destinations for the 7 of us to get around from our rental houses. How challenging is the drive from San Jose airport to Arenal, then Manuel Antonio, then back to the airport?

Kinkazote sounds like you have done this before! Good idea to employ some diplomacy. I should have stated we are hoping to actually have 9 nights total with the last being spent in San Jose to catch early flight. So in theory we could have 4 nights in each place (I say "in theory" because still waiting to hear if the kids can all travel on our desired dates).

While the drive is long, i'ts really not that bad. Just did it this past summer with our two small kids. Alajuela to Arenal to MA and back. Get a GPS with your rental car. We didn't, but if I had to do it again I would.

Also, we stayed two weeks and spent 5 nights in MA, which was perfect. Definitely check out the Arenal area...we stayed at Nayara and the Observatory Lodge - loved both.

Oh, and have you considered renting a place at Tulemar in MA? I highly recommend it (as do others here. Beautiful private beach and the service we received was wonderful.

If you rent a house, make sure there's some sort of security. Friends of ours had their rental house broken into there and all their things stolen. Did not make for a fun trip for them. Don't want to be a downer, but just giving you a heads up.

For reasons Volcanogirl gave, a property like Tulemar (guarded, gated entry) works well for a home rental.

For transportation for 7 of your family, it would could cost $120 per day, including driver/tour guide, fuel.

Thanks for the heads up on security. I did not know about that. Tulemar looks beautiful, but we need 4 bedrooms. I will definitely look for a gated community. I just checked out Nayara, wow, it looks great.

Google maps says 1.5 hours from San Jose airport to Arenal - if our flight arrives by 2 do you think that gives us enough time to get bags and car and arrive before dark in March?