Hello all~
I'm working on the beginning stages of budgeting/itinerary for a CR trip with my husband and 2 girls, ages 8 and 10. Planning to go for 10 days at the end of next April and looking for a good mix of relaxing and exploring. We are all first-timers to CR. Based on forum research and the guide books, we're going to stick to a pretty "generic" first-timers trip, spending our time half and half in Arenal and Manuel Antonio. Fodor's forums have been extremely helpful in helping me plan wonderful trips to Paris, Italy, Yellowstone and Chicago in the past, and I'd be very appreciative of any feedback I can get regarding this trip...

Day 1 NYC to SJO, afternoon arrival, check into Pura Vida in Alajuelo
Day 2 Poas Volcano, La Paz Waterfall Gardens, add'l night at Pura Vida
Day 3 check out and head to La Fortuna, check into Leaves & Lizards
Day 4 Arenal, hanging bridges tour
Day 5 Cano Negro National Wildlife Refuge
Day 6 local activites (horseback riding, possible tour of local school)
Day 7 check out Leaves and LIzards, head to Manuel Antonio and hit the beach
Day 8 explore Manuel Antonio National Park
Day 9 finish up any sightseeing, check out and drive to SJO for last night
Day 10 SJO to NYC

We're not doing anything too crazy, just want to get a good feel for CR and (hopefully) make a return trip in the future to explore other areas of the country. Some of my questions...

1. Is it worth staying for 2 nights in Alajuelo since we want to visit Poas and La Paz Waterfalls? I wasn't sure if I needed that second night, or if we could check out after 1 night, head to Poas/La Paz and then make the drive to La Fortuna in one day (would prefer not driving in the dark).

2. It seems there are 2 trains of thought on getting from place to place...since our route is a fairly routine one for many first-timers, I'd appreciate any thoughts on whether to use public transportation vs. renting a vehicle (domestic flights are out of our budget).

3. Bugs...being active outdoors with hiking and camping, we're not normally afraid of bugs. That being said, after reading up on the poisonous caterpillars, dengue-carrying mosquitoes and oversized cockroaches, I'm curious to know how others have prepared/reacted on their trips. I'd hate to get there and find we're all terrified and can't sleep for fear of something unusual crawling into our beds

Sorry for the longish post...I like to do my research ahead of time and that usually generates more questions! Thank you all for your continued help in helping me plan my family vacations!

1. You don't have to stay in Alajuela for two nights - you will have time to visit the volcanoes and get to La Fortuna before dark. It will just make your trip more relaxed to stay the second night. There are also lots of things to do around Alajuela - walk around the center of town and visit the Central Park, do a coffee tour or visit The Butterfly Farm. Having that extra day will also give you the freedom to truly enjoy both your volcano visits rather than worry about, "Should we leave now....?" Really, it's your choice.

2. Renting a car gives you so much flexibility and freedom to come and go to your schedule and not someone else's. Plus it allows you to really explore the areas where you will be staying.

3. The hotel where you are staying - and most hotels - will be no problem as far as bugs go. The rooms are cleaned every day, of course, and they are pretty "tight" as far as the intrusion of bugs. All the things you mentioned live in Costa Rica - and more! - but you will probably not encounter them. As long as you don't touch or eat the caterpillars you will be fine! No problem, really. As for dengue, you should use a good insect repellent faithfully. You can bring something from home or buy it here - it doesn't have to be DEET - just something that works for you. The key is to use it faithfully.

Sounds to me like you have done your homework well and planned a great trip. I hope you will have a wonderful time.

I think it looks good. A few things to check out in Arenal that might interest you - the local hot springs, the waterfall hike with swimming at the bottom, ziplines. Make sure your Manuel Antonio time doesn't fall on a Monday; the park is closed on that day.

Regarding driving, hire a private driver if you don't want to drive. If you do want to drive, a lot of people do it without any problems, and it increases your freedom. We use private drivers and then taxis when we're in town. Interbus is another option, but with that many people, it won't save you much money. I think the road between La Paz and La Fortuna is closed since the earthquake, but double check me.

You're going to some pretty tame areas. I wouldn't expect it to be terribly buggy - probably some moths, ants, things like that. You'll see some spiders if you go hiking. Probably not anything too freaky!

One thing to remember is that if you rent a car you never want to leave it with your luggage unattended. One of you needs to stay with the car or it may get broken into - has happened many times. So with that in mind, you might want to consider staying the two nights in Alajuela. I wouldn't want to be up at Poas volcano overlook worrying about my car and not enjoying the crater - or the fog/clouds as often happens!

as far as in-country flights go, check out Nature Air's Loco fares. for example, i was able to fly from tortuguero to san jose for $44 per person. a private driver/taxi plan can be just as costly or even more so. for travel to arenal i rented a small 4x4 for $23/day from hertz and had no problems. you can use a rain poncho as a cover for any luggage stored in the car.

we stayed in a variety of places and saw a few wayward ants in our rooms, nothing more. (in bloomington, indiana i had a room with bedbugs! - CR was cleaner!) just don't open the windows or patio doors at night if there aren't screens.

i personally agree with adding another night in the Arenal area. besides the aforementioned activities, you can also go rafting, canyoneering or zip-lining from there with Desafio or another local outfitter. but if you and your kids would more enjoy a coffee tour, town tour kind of day, the extra day in alajuela would work.

Hmmm, cheryl_b has some good information to share, but I don't think I would consider a poncho covering luggage stored in the car to be a good theft deterrent. But I tend to err on the side of caution...

I would vote for the extra night in Alajuela to keep things more relaxed as hsmithcr mentioned. Poas is a really cool sight to see and La Paz is simply gorgeous. I'd hate to have to rush through them in order to be on the road in time to make it to Arenal before dark.

It's a nice first-time itinerary and will give you some good variety.

That sounds like a great trip. I agree that 2 nights in Alajuela will make it more relaxing. Everything in Costa Rica takes longer than you think it will. When you go to Waterfall Gardens and buy your tickets, they will ask you if you want lunch. We always say no, because that's for the big buffet that all the tour groups take. There is a nice restaurant near the pool called the Trout Bar that is a good place to sit and enjoy and has casual food. I would stay somewhere different outside of Alajuela on your way back.

Thanks all, great info! You helped me with all of my decisions...will take the bus for the first 2 days and then rent a car for the rest. No flights were cheap enough for the 4 of us, but I added a day onto the MA portion of the trip so we can thoroughly enjoy the area. And my "bug anxiety" is gone...no worries and looking forward to an excellent trip