Gracias Ally, Your suggestions were helpful and made my decision a little easier. The people at Taype must be asleep at the wheel because it is difficult to communicate with them. Oh well , since we are going in the dry season the pool at the harborreef should be fine. I am really looking forward to getting back in the water after a 10 year hiatus. Hasta la proxima y se lo agradezco mucho.

Airport arrival 2 hours before flight is standard and should allow you plenty of time to pay your tax and secure your boarding pass. Again, just be sure you build in a couple of extra hours for "whatever"--you never know! If you build in even more time (depending on your flight time) you can turn left at the Hampton Inn and head up the road to Heredia (about 15 minutes or less) to kill your extra time (should there be some!). They have secure parking garages, interesting parques, and a really cool partially underground market where you can buy virtually any type of food (and other stuff). It takes up an entire square block and has entrances on each side of the square. Heredia is a neat little town with a couple of nice restaurants across from the parques for you to while away a little time or do some last minute shopping.

Wherever you choose to stay near Arenal, be sure to leave a wake-up request at the front desk of your hotel in case the top of the volcano clears at night. It is a sight not to be missed! (It is frequently clouded over, so the opportunity to see it is rare) We were there for one night and went to bed with rain. I happened to wake up around 11 pm and looked out to see clear skies and an awesome lava show!! Most hotels in the area have volcano views. The front desk will be happy to wake you up for viewing.