Hi everyone,
I am planning a trip tO Costa Rica in two weeks. I am in need of some guidance and it seems like there are a lot of great people writing on this site.
Anyway, I fly into San Jose on Sat. nov. 5th at 1:30pm. My original plan was to take a bus from San Jose to Arenal and spend 2-3 nights there. From there, the plan was to head to manuel antonio for the rest of the trip until we head back to san jose for our flight back on the 12th. So, what i need from you is the following: Hotel suggestions in those areas and transportation ideas as well as advice on worthwhile activities. In terms of transporation, we were thinking of just taking regular buses from each place does anyone have experience with the buses? If buses are not a great idea, does anyone have a reasonably priced alternative?
We chose these area because we are really looking to do a lot of outdoors adventure kinds of things. In arenal, we wanted to hike around the volcanos, check out the hot springs, horseback to la fortuna waterfall and kayak. In Manuel Antonio, we wanted to definitely do some good hiking, bird watching, general wildlife viewing, zipline, and snorkeling. So, what I'm wondering if anyone can give me some good feedback in terms of if we have chosen the right locations to do all these and if anyone has done those activities, can you tell me which are worthwhile and which we can skip?
In terms of hotels, we were thinking that since it is the wet season, we should probably stay at a nice place so that if we just want to chill at the hotel because its raining, that will be a viable option. Jacuzzis are a plus! So, any reccommendations on that end would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much for all your help! You guys are an amazing resource and I will certainly write in after my trip!

dj

Too much time in Manuel Antonio. You will get bored. You can spend probably 3-4 days there...maybe 5. In the rainy season, snorkeling isn't great as the water is too rough. You may have a similar issue with ocean kayaking. If you're going to Arenal, you might as well go to Monteverde. Look into going from Arenal to Mont by horse - supposedly the fastest way and we met an older couple who did it and they enjoyed it. In Arenal, do the waterfall rapelling with Pure Trek Canyoning. It's great.

We didn't take buses but if you get car sick at all, I recomend not taking them. Even the locals get bus sick, i hear. Coming out of San Jose you deal with mountains and of course, the potholes and bumpy ruts. Don't eat too much before getting on the road!

The hot springs near Arenal are fun but really only for a couple of hours. Try Baldi - cheaper than Tabacon and pretty nice. Swim up bar is a good thing.

Arenal Obs lodge was nice to stay in, although I'm sure there are other good options in the area. And without a car, you might be better off staying in La Fortuna instead and take tours to the volcano from there. Otherwise if you stay at Arenal, you can take cabs everywhere.

If you decide to go to Monteverdge, the Monteverde Lodge is a nice rainy afternoon kinda place with indoor hottub and a wicked bar area with a fireplace. Food is top notch.

Consider Arenal 2-3 days, Monteverdge 3 days and then if you really want to, go to Manuel Antonio. But I'm warning you: the park is beautiful but the surrounding area ain't due to hotel build-up and lots of construction.

splitting time between Arenal and Monteverde is fine , but perhaps the O.P. is looking for some "beach " time ? If this is the case , Manuel Antonio is a good option with the amount of time on hand . Lots of tours are available from M.A.

My family spent three nights in MA this past June. Our teens were very disappointed that we had to leave. It is built up,but is nevertheless quite beautiful. We did not find it crowded at all and would walk in to many empty restaurants. I guess it depends on the time of the year.

maybe I'm reading the post wrong but I think the poster is going to be in CR for only 7 days, 2 of which are travel days. That doesn't leave much time for an added trip to Monteverde. You may want to divide your time evenly between Arenal and MA. In Arenal we stayed at Lost Iguana which was nice and near the hanging bridges and they also sell the tickets to the bridges at a discount. They also have a nice pool area with swim up bar. However they may not be the best bet w/o a car. We stayed in Arenal for 2 nights and did not have enough time to do all that we wanted. Your choice of activities sounds like fun. I'm sure others with more experience which give more advice. Good luck and have fun.