ally01

Hello out there,

We're flying into San Jose and staying with a friend. First day out, we'll do the Tabacon day trip and then I believe we're off to MA. How long of a drive is that? From there, we were planning on returning to San Jose and then taking a puddle jumper over to Tamarindo but now I'm wondering if we should take a flight from MA versus driving all the way back to San Jose.

Any ideas of where to stay in MA? We're not looking for anything luxurious, as we don't intend to stay in the room for long! I'm assuming the hotels have access to the tours but if someone could impart some "must do's" that'd be great.

Also, it seems like Tamarindo has a bad rep. Can someone offer an idea of a different beach plus a place to stay? Without a rental car, is it easy to get around, pick up tours, etc.

Thanks for the quick response!!

Cheers

katolb90

From Arenal to MA about 5 hours. From MA to San Jose about 3 hours. I wasn't driving myself I hired drivers that knew the routes.

Lovincostarica

Hello, First of all the drive time from San Jose to M.A. is anywhere from 2.5 hours to 4 hours depending on the time of day,, and traffic. But if you are driving, go slowly as there are some one lane bridges through the mountains and you won't know until you come upon them.
Things are pretty booked up here now, so I suggest you start your search for a room here in Manuel antonio now. Try Casitas Eclipse, si como no, costa verde, but they may be booked already for next week. You may have to take what you can get.
I highly recommend the damas island mangrove tour, of course the national park (but please hire a guide, you'll see so much more), deep sea fishing is hot right now, we personally loved the atv tour, and for a bit of romance take the sunset sail. theres a ton of other things to do here, but those are my favorites, but its all depending on your interest. Available ehre is also horseback riding, zip lines, white water rafting, kayaking, in shore fishing, ultra light rides, para sailing, butterfly farm, night jungle walk, it goes on and on........of course if you fall in love with it, you could tour our model condo and secure your vacation spot for years to come, also very profitable rental pool for when you are not using it should you wish to rent it out. www.valle-escondido.com

KatieS

If you can fly to Tamarindo from MA, definitely do that. There's no need to pass through San Jose if you don't have to. The other areas are so much more interesting.

The drive from SJ to MA takes about 3 1/2 hours. From Arenal to MA is 5 hours.

I agree that if you are going next week, you might have a hard time finding a hotel, but here are the places I stayed with a group of my girlfriends: El Mango Moon (in MA) www.mangomoon.net and Hotel Pasatiempo (in Tamarindo) www.hotelpasatiempo.com. Pasatiempo is pretty popular, so it might be full. If I were to do it all over again, I'd look for a hotel in Playa Grande, a beach adjacent to Tamarindo.

Good luck!

shillmac

Personally, I like Tamarindo. And the Pasatiempo, while nothing fancy, has good prices and is popular, as Katie mentioned. Also, you might consider the Playa Flamingo area--Flamgino Beach Resort is a neat place and has a lovely beach with sunsets to die for! It is near the northern end of a strip of beaches and Tamarindo is at the south end. In between is Playa Conchal and the Paradisus All Inclusive, a very nice place. You could stay at either end and have fun exploring between these areas (about 30 minutes apart).