Hello - we are 5 adults meeting in Costa Rica for 2 weeks. Our tentative itinerary 1. Stay 2 nights in Alajuela to meet up with everyone. We are renting a vehicle for 2 weeks.
2. Rent a house in Tilaran for 5 nights taking in both Monteverde and Arenal w/ hot springs. Will we be too far away from both places? What is Tilaran like?

3. Spend 2 days driving to Domical. Should we take coast or Pan American and will 2 day be enough?

4. Spend 5 nights at the Hacienda Baru
Does anyone have information on it? We plan to do a couple of tours and hang out on beach and in town with some side trips north or south along the coast. Any input of areas to visit would be appreciated.

5. We will drive from Dominical to Alajuela in one day on Pan American - is this possible?

6. My wife and I have one week left after everyone leaves. We plan on return of car and taking bus to Cahuita to relax, swim, bike, and snorkel. Any suggestions of places to stay and preference of Cahuita over Puerto Viejo?

One last question - Is it necessary to rent 4 wheel drive (too expensive) or can we get by w/ car driving in Monteverde / Arenal area.

My inlaws rented 4 wheel drive - for the drive to Arenal, and they said it was rough driving even with that - they even got a rod through the tire...so i would definitely rent it - even if there is added cost.
Hope that helps

I've heard that the road into Monteverde is horrible and requires a 4x4.

For Monteverde a yes on the 4x4. It will still be a 1 1/2-2hr ride to Monteverde from Tilaran. About the same to get to La Fortuna.Tilaran is pretty much just a little cross road town. Not much there.

I'm going myself next month for 4 weeks and have been researching and speaking with friends who've spent lots of time in Costa Rica. The little bit I can add are: the Coastal Road to Dominical is supposed to be nice. Dominical itself (according to my surfer friend) is not much more than a surfer village. We are going further south and staying closer to the marine park about 15 km south - in http://www.lacusingalodge.com/. It's come highly recommended and they have been extremely helpful so far (we're travelling with 2 kids under 3 yrs). I think you can drive in one day.

I've also heard lots on Cahuita - it doesn't sound nice, although the park is supposed to be fantastic and very quiet. The area between Puerto Vieja and Manzanillo is supposed to be lovely. My Dutch friends spent time in Cahuita and didn't rate it too highly, but they loved La Costa di Papito which is just south of PV .(http://www.greencoast.com) is a good website that I've found.

Good luck and please send any tips back!

I would split the time b/t Monteverde and Arenal instead of staying in between. Like Suzie2 said, Tilaran is just a small town, interesting to see since it's not touristy at all, but I highly suggest against staying in Tilaran.

Cahuita, at one time, was the "place to go" on the Caribbean side, and Puerto Viejo just a little speck in the road south of there. That has reversed now. Cahuita, while still just fine--I liked it--got a bad rap a few years ago when a couple of girls were murdered there. The persons who commited the crime were not from the Caribbean coast--just hanging out, and the young ladies in question made some choices they should not have made. Nevertheless, the publicity did quite a bit of damage to Cahuita. They have since beefed up their police force a bit. The Cahuita Parque Nacional is just beautiful. The beaches are black sand (some mixed). Puerto Viejo is a fun place--it's all very "funky" over there. If you like different. . .by all means, go! We drove inland to BriBri and visited an indigenous family of the BriBri tribe in the "home in the woods"--they were very gracious and it was great fun for us. Hard to find, but great fun! Also, we drove down to the Sixaola River (while inland) and had a boatman take us across to Panama to a little place called Chase, Panama--just a few little storefronts along the river for shopping. Nothing much, but interesting. We can say we've been to Panama, I guess! On south toward Manzanillo is also lovely. I've heard a lot of good things about the little island off the coast of Panama, also. I think that you and your wife would enjoy this area if you like an adventure! It is easy to go there on the bus, but if you want to explore, a car would be easier! On our return from the Caribbean, we turned off the main road at Siquierres and headed south through some beautiful country (Orosi Valley, Irazu Volcano, Lankaster Gardens, etc). If you have an entire week, you might want to think about checking some of this area out on the way back to San Jose. Have fun!

Thanks to all for the information. We have decided to definitely rent a 4 wheel drive. I am currently checking out the recommended sites that everyone has suggested.

We chose Cahuita because of the snorkeling in the National Park. If we go further south is there any place to snorkel. Lonely Planet mentioned Manzanillo as having an offshore reef. Another consideration is we will not be renting a car that week so will be biking and taking a taxi as needed. We want a fairly low key experience - any lodging suggestions for Puerto Viejo or further south in Manzanillo? Thanks to all for the wonderful information

Look at greencoast.com for ideas in the area of PV or Cahuita. I've had friends stay in La Costa di Papito and it gets high marks. The self-catering cabinas at Aguas Claras are also supposed to be grand. www.aguasclaras-cr.com