volcanogirl

I agree, Cat; CR really has something for all budgets.

Tulemar really made me love Manuel Antonio - their beach is fantastic with free boogie boarding and kayaking, and lots of wildlife on the property; we saw monkeys every day, sloths - even a baby sloth, and aracaris. And I loved being able to walk to the different restaurants close by and not needing a car there. Guanacaste will be drier and more arid than the beaches further south which are more jungly. If you do a beach comparison trip, I'd love to hear what you think. If you do tours they'll usually pick you up and drop you back off at your hotel or lodge.

tskittles

Costa Rica is pretty Americanized, especially the top tourist attractions like beaches, surf schools, ziplining, rain forest trips. We were there for 5 days and met a US expat every day. You can definitely limit/avoid that if you have a car and will to explore but it should alleviate some worry (you can always drive to a local town and use their internet/atm/get directions, etc).

Wouldn't worry too much about rental car - the airport had 4 rental car companies who basically hounded us to rent from them (week before Christmas).

Two things about driving: its pays to have a better car (more powerful). Most of Costa Rica is one-lane roads and you always have to pass cars and sometimes a horse-drawn carriage...ahead of tight curves...and up and down hills. Also, once it gets dark (which happens fast), it's pitch black. There are no lights even on highways so its an adventure.

A car is definitely worth it IMO - more options (there is public transportation but I wouldn't recommend it for long travel).

Car is also a lot cheaper if you're doing a lot. A trip from your hotel to Vulkan Arenal just as example is around $60/person. If you just drive there yourself (10 min drive), it's $10 for a car entry fee. Same with zip lining - getting there yourself can save you more than half the price of the hotel tour. Even stores...an Americanized store on the main street in town is twice as expensive as a local store off the main road.

So Costa Rica can be cheap or expensive depending on how much you're willing to go off the beaten path. Its an absolutely beautiful country so you'll have a great time.

volcanogirl

If you're paying $60 per person though you would be getting a guided tour and hike, learning the history of the area and having the guide point out wildlife, not just transportation. I think a good guide can add a lot to the experience. They've pointed out wildlife we would have walked right by. You can save money doing things yourself, but you can also miss out on some interesting things.

tskittles

Wanted to add - the locals we met were all super friendly. Maybe we were just lucky but almost everyone was amazing. We drove the wrong way on a one-way street and had a driver going the other way stop, get out, show us directions and block the road for us to turn around. Our atv tour guide invited us dancing, a waiter remembered us at the gas station a day later. An American expat/restaurant owner chatted with us until the food got there with trip suggestions.

p.s. don't check your luggage if you can help it if you have a transfer. the airline lost ours (eventually found it) and it apparently happens frequently.

dodi66

You are all so very helpful with information and guidance. I do appreciate it immensely!! Not sure why Costa Rica is so confusing to me....I can plan 5 week trips to Europe and Australia without this much confusion in my mind!! Volcanogirl...by Tulemar, do you mean the Tulemar Bungalows in MA? I love the sound of them and the reviews are wonderful. There is so much to digest and research here and so many great ideas! The day trips from Uvita to Corcovado sound like that might work...although being based for a few days in a remote area also appeals (a FEW days!). When I started research for CR, I simply didn't realize that it was so diverse...knew about rain and cloud forests, wildlife, beaches, but not so many different types of areas and so many choices. Keep the suggestions coming...it is all interesting and helpful. Volcanogirl, I do agree with guide idea for some of the things and that sounds to be the best for
"adding to the experience", as you say. We are usually not "tour" type people, but sometimes you gain far more with a guide...(although both of us hate the idea of large tours, so would need to arrange a small group or even private tour. My husband LOVES the idea of renting a car so that's being sorted now. This trip would be instead of Hawaii, where we have been MANY times (Kauai is our very favorite)and we wanted something different. Sounds like CR will be a wonderful, interesting destination for us!!!

volcanogirl

dodi, yes, Tulemar Bungalows - they are fantastic! I got the recommendation on this board, and like Cat said they always get rave reviews. They also have a free shuttle that runs around the property and will even stock your frig for you if you want them too. We've stayed in several different buildings there - Mot Mot is particular favorite, and we also liked lower Casa Panorama. If you decide to stay there, I'd recommend getting one that has a balcony; we spent so much time out there. I also loved having our own kitchen to keep drinks cold and to have a place to stash leftovers. We used Manuel Antonio Expeditions for our tours; we're just like you and don't want big groups so booked a private tour with them for our guided tour of the park. Juan Brenes is a great guide; he pointed out tons of things we would have walked right by including a pit viper in a tree! The Damas mangrove tour is fun too; they found a tiny silky anteater for us. And if you like cooking or gardening the Villa Vanilla Spice tour is pretty fun; they cook up little goodies at the end made with fresh cinnamon, vanilla, and other things from their property. Other than that, we spent all our time at the beach and eating at fun little restaurants. We've done a few trips to Hawaii, and CR reminds me a lot of Hawaii with how lush and green it is.

dodi66

It all sounds quite good!! Thanks for being specific...that kind of information helps. Did you have a car, volcanogirl? Did you have a driver to get to Monteverde? Are the fun little restaurants on the property (Tulemar) or in a town and within walking distance? We are also looking at La Posada, which is much cheaper (and probably not nearly as nice).

volcanogirl

We did not have a car in Manuel Antonio, but we rented one for the day because we wanted to do a croc tour on the Rio Tarcoles, and we had to drive there. The roads were in great shape; the only thing that's kind of a pain is that the speed limit changes a lot and you have to be really careful or the cops will give you a ticket. Lots of school zones, etc. We had a GPS, and if you decide to drive I'd recommend getting one since things aren't well marked. We went to Monteverde from the Arenal area and used Desafio's Jeep Boat Jeep service. I think we paid about $30 each, totally worth it not to drive on that bumpy road. They take you across the lake in a boat, and there are some beautiful views along the way.

There's not really a restaurant on the Tulemar property; they do serve breakfast and lunch down by the beach, but it's more like a little outdoor spot without walls or anything. All the restaurants are scattered along the main road that runs between Quepos and Manuel Antonio. We could walk to Barba Roja, Salsipuedes, Cafe Milagro, Kapi Kapi, and Cafe Agua Azul from there. One night we just wanted to stay in and relax so we had a pizza delivered and ate it out on our balcony and enjoyed the view. El Avion is another popular place; they serve you inside a plane - have not eaten there, but it's worth getting a picture of. I've heard good things about La Posada, supposed to be very close to the beach/park and gets good reviews.

dodi66

This has all been immensely helpful, and we are getting down to actual sorting out destinations now! We seem to be leaning toward flying into Puerto Jimenez for about a week, then driving to Dominical for another possible week. We may be able to take another week, or at least another few days, at maybe, Arenal or Guanacaste. We want time to just chill, as well as explore and absorb the area. All the suggestions have been so informative!! Anything else? Volcanogirl, by your "posting" name, and the mention that you have spent some time in Hawaii...I am assuming that you have been to the Big Island and explored the volcanos there? How does Arenal compare to that?

volcanogirl

dodi, yes, we've been to Hawaii a few times. The rolling hills and lush greenery of CR remind me of Hawaii. I love the Arenal area. I can't count how many times we've been there, but it's been several. Arenal is not currently active. When we first started going to CR it was. It's a big huge conical volcano that dominates the landscape. It's really beautiful and makes for great photos. Now the appeal is all the fun activities and good hiking in the area vs. the actual lava flow. Since you're not into resorts, you might check out the Lost Iguana; it has a very jungly feeling to it. It's set outside of town out by the lake and right next to the Hanging Bridges. I mentioned a few things we've done up above - the natural hot springs - Tabacon if you want big and fancy or Eco Termales if you want smaller, charming, and locally owned. The Cano Negro tour with either Desafio or Sunset Tours, the Proyecto Asis animal rescue center, the Penas Blancas river float, and hiking at the volcano, Hanging Bridges, and the waterfall. A guide a the Hanging Bridges will up your chances of seeing wildlife, and there are some gorgeous volcano views. If you just want a nice hike you can go on your own. The waterfall hike is really pretty as well, and you can easily do that on your own. You can swim there if you want to. If you want adventure activities, there's the Sky Trek zipline and rafting with Rios Tropicales. Take a look at a few of those and see if you think it's something that would interest you. The history of the area is interesting; we learned about it on our volcano hike - an entire town destroyed, but now it's so beautiful. I have a few trip reports with more details if you want to read them. The wildlife is harder to spot here than in Manuel Antonio or the Osa Peninsula, but we hired a guide one day and saw howlers, toucans, sloths, and even an anteater. You'll have better luck seeing it if you stay somewhere like the Lost Iguana or Arenal Observatory Lodge away from town.