My wife and I are thinking of spending 7 or 8 nites in Costa Rico beginning 12/11. I've been doing a lot of reading on this site for ideas. Sounds like we should head to Arenal for the volcano and rain forest activities for a couple of days and then to a beach area. Is Arenal too far to go on the day we arrive (probably mid afternoon) and, if so, where should we spend the first nite. For beaches, I've been thinking about the Guanacaste area and wonder if it is accessible by private driver from Arenal and, if so, how long of a drive and how much will it cost. And then how much time and money to allow for the drive back to San Jose. (I'm pretty sure we won't be up for a flight on one of the small planes.) Or are we better off heading to Manuel Antonio from Arenal although it looks like it might be a bit drier in Guancaste at that time of year.

Also, any thoughts about using a travel agency to get the best rates on the rooms or is it better to contact the hotels directly?

Thank you very much!

Dave

Dave,
Think I'll work backward on this! First, you can contact the hotels yourself, no problem. Dec. 11 should be a good time for your travel. . .before the Christmas/New Year holidays when CR becomes very busy everywhere! Still the high season, however. I doubt a travel agent can do any better than you can do yourselves with hotel rates. At least, I assume that because most people who post on this board rarely mention using an agent.

Whether you go to Guanacaste or Manuel Antonio won't matter at all. Yes, Guanacaste is drier, making it very popular during the rainy season. But in the dry season, you won't experience much rain anywhere. Since the dry season is more pronounced in Gte, it does become very dusty and brown toward the end of the season (March/April), but early in December there should still be lots of green! It's a good location, and so is Manuel Antonio.

The distances are:

San Jose-Arenal --3 hours
Arenal-Guanacaste--4 hours
Arenal-Manuel Antonio--6 hours
Guanacaste-SJO--5 hours
Manuel Antonio-SJO--3 hours

Others can give you info about the cost of a private driver. As for staying the first night near the airport, it would be a good idea if you were doing the driving (not recommended after dark which always occurs about 5:45). With a driver, this won't be an issue. He'll be able to get you there safely by 7:00 or so. You can expect about an hour in immigration and baggage.

Arenal/beach is an ideal combination for your first trip!

Have you considered flying into San Jose and departing out of Liberia? Would cut down on your final day driving and allow a bit more beach time.
Lisa S

Neta at Finca Que Ama was very helpful in planning our trip for Christmas this year. Her website www.costaricafinca.com now has a complete trip outlined that looks very nice. She will tailor the trip to meet your needs. You can email her from the site with any questions.

Thanks for the suggestions! Lisa, your comment about using the Liberia airport was intriguing. I'm thinking about spending the first 3 days in the Arenal area and the last 4 in Tamarindo. We'd probably hire drivers thruout the trip. With such an itinerary, would it be best to fly in and out of Liberia or would it make more sense to fly into San Jose and out of Liberia, assuming we don't get hammered pricewise for the split. Thanks.

Dave

I've never flown the San Jose airport so I can't comment on that, but the Liberia airport is small and easy to manuver through. When we use Liberia we are always in and out in no time. And I think the drive time from Liberia to Guanacaste (we were at Paradisus) is about 45 minutes.
Lisa S

It takes a little longer than 45 minutes to get to Tamarindo from Liberia, but not much. . .about 30 more minutes. Usually these roads are quite decent.