Help!Best Arenal lodging w/o a car
 

Please help! Husband & I will be in Arenal 3 nights, Bosque de Cabo for 5. We aren't driving. Observatory Lodge sounds great, but will we have a problem getting there & to tours if we're depending upon cabs/shuttles? Any other suggestions? We're very active 50 yo, & like B&Bs, lodge like smaller places. Bosque de Paz sounds lovely, but want to do canopy tours,hanging bridges,maybe Cano & their tours are expensive because it's far from Arenal. Also, is it possible to get back to SJ airport from Arenal, early in the morning to make 10:30 or 12 flight to Puerto Jimenez? All suggestions welcome!!! First timer! Thanks

A lot of the tour companies will come pick you up at your hotel, and you can get the hotels to call a cab. There are a lot of hotels that are more on the main road and a little easier to access, but my favorite place is also out of the way -- Arenal Lodge -- and I'd rather be there. I would not plan to leave Arenal on the same morning you have a 10:30 am flight. It can be done if you get up very early, but if it's a weekday you have to consider heavy traffic in San Jose. It's not worth losing your flight to PJ. Since you like small places, go to Corteza Amarilla that night. You'll love it!

Sandy

I like your idea, we'll have only 2 "days" in Arenal. How late can one leave from Arenal to get to Corteza Amarilla, or can you return via darkness if San Jose is your destination? Corteza looks lovely! Is is possible to leave Arenal as late as 3:00, or later, & would you suggest a private driver for this plan? Thanks for your reply.

Researcher,
We had a private car and a driver/guide (Marc). Two years ago we paid $75/day plus gas. The advantage was that we only had to pay him for the days we used his services. When we were in Tortuguerro for 3 days where we did not need his sevices, we didn't pay. He just dropped us off at the boat landing and picked us up three days later. I suppose he had other clients during his off-days with us.
Marc drove us from San Jose to Arenal and then to various other places in Costa Rica. Let me know if you need Marc's contact info. I will have to dig through my archived e-mails, but I am sure I have it saved somewhere.

Thanks, Waxwing. Would appreciate Marc's phone number. How did you find him? Where did you stay in Arenal & what tours/activities do you recommend?

I like the idea of a private driver too. Then you don't have to worry about the dark. If you drive yourself, do not drive from Arenal to SJ in the dark -- it will be 3.5 hours w/ no stops. Also, by the time you rent a car and buy gas, you will pay as much if not more than you'd pay for a private driver. I've used many drivers from Swiss Travel, and they're wonderful. [email protected]

Sandy

Researcher,
Marc Delvaux's e-mail address is [email protected]. I do not have a phone number for him.

I found him through the classified pages of Tico Times. This is an English daily from San Jose and it is available online as well. Good source for local information.
We stayed at the Volcano lodge in Arenal. We took a day trip to Cano Negro (excellent tour)apart from Tabacon hotsprings and other local attractions. In addition, we also went with Marc to a canopy walk near Arenal. That was very nice indeed with great views of the volcano and plenty of local fauna and flora. The advantage was that we did not need to hire a guide to any of these places since Marc was a driver as well as guide. Hope this is helpful.