My husband and I are planning a 7 day trip to Costa Rica for sometime this Dec or Jan. We are going to be celebrating 10 years of being together and his 30th birthday. We have done the Mexico all~inclusive and have been left slightly unimpressed. We would love to spend some "us" time on a beach (2 days) and the rest of the time exploring.

The problem that I am having is all the sites that I have found to investigate and plan this trip are run by agents that have "specials" with the resorts, tours or even resturants. I cant seem to get an honest answer of what really is nice and worth our time and money. We will be flying into SJO and want to spend no more than 1000$ per person. Any ideas of what region, what resort~hotel, beach, day trips ect would be VERY helpful!

For a 7-day trip, we usually recommend visiting two locations. The two most popular are the Arenal Volcano area www.arenal.net and Manuel Antonio www.manuelantoniopark.com

Even though Arenal is popular, it is worth a visit. Things are rather spread out so it doesn't always feel like wall-to-wall tourists. In the Arenal area, you can relax or have some adventures: rafting, canyoning, zip-lines, hot springs, hiking, boating and - of course, Arenal Volcano which at times, is active and you can see the lava flow at night. Right now, it is not active but by December -- who knows! Interesting day trips to the Tenorio National Park and the Rio Celeste, an indigenous village or Cano Negro Wildlife Preserve are also possible.

For alternate beach areas -- the Caribbean coast is more laid back and has that Caribbean vibe --- www.puertoviejosatellite.com

Check here for some on the Pacific side -- www.nicoyapeninsula.com The Playa Samara and Playa Carrillo area are two of my favorites.

For the Osa Peninsula (less luxury, more wildlife) www.corcovadoguide.com

Here is some general information:
www.govisitcostarica.com
www.costarica-nationalparks.com

I would suggest to spend the first night in san Jose, I suggest two nice hotels: La Gioconda and Posada Canal Grande. Then, since you have little time, go to the closest beaches in Central Pacifico. Around Jaco is the best area, even if it's better to take an hotel outside of the town of jaco that is caothic: I would suggest Esterillos Oeste, La Dolce Vita Hotel or Playa Hermosa Terrazza sul Pacifico. You could spend a couple of nights there visitng, if you lik, Manuel Antonio Park and the Carara biological area, enjoy Canopy or other adventure tours. Then go to visit the Arenal Volcan and hot springs around, spending two nights there (Monteverde Lodge is a nice hotel), visiting the Monteverde area and then back to San Jose. Enjoy

I guess it really depends on what you are seeking. Some folks love to just lay on the beach. Some are "go for it" adrenaline junkies, others are happy to wander the woods for hours and add to their bird watching life list. It really depends on you and your interests. So without knowing more about you, it is hard to just make a blanket recommendation.

I personally am not a big resort person. Costa Rica has some. But the problem with resorts is that they become the destination themselves, and you really don't get to explore the country. After a couple of days, you realize that you could have gone anywhere. Costa Rica is a pretty safe place, and you don't have a lot of food safety issues. So it is a good place to get out and experience the community. I always tell my customers that you never see any of the Travel Channel guys giving rave reviews of a chain hotel's buffet. We travel to see something new and exciting.

Another small issue I see is just simple logistics. Getting around Costa Rica takes time. Seven days is pretty limiting. It would be better if you could sneak a couple extra days into the trip. But I realize that sometimes that is not possible.

Since you are traveling for such a short time, Manuel Antonio does make sense for the beach portion. It is pretty easily accessible, only a short two and a half hour drive from San Jose, or a twenty minute flight. You could knock our two or three nights there, and have a couple of days to check out something else. The area has good beaches and lots of restaurant choices. The National Park is very pretty, and there are lots of good nature tours available here.

From there, you have lots of choices. We love Monteverde (bought a house there!), and this is a great spot to do the ziplines and hike in the beautiful woods. The Arenal area has some good tours, a live volcano, and fun hot springs. So you get some romance and some nature.

Tortuguero is a little more challenging to fit in. But this is an extremely intense ecosystem with everything from crocodiles to parrots. Again, you could look at taking some internal flights to buy some time. If you plan properly, you can fit this into the budget. A combination of Manuel Antonio and Tortuguero is very appealing.

Hope this helps! Let me know if I can offer any more advice.

Warm Regards,
Pat Hewitt
Travel Professional

Hello, congrats for your anniversary. the first important think that you should know, is that December and January are the "Peak Season", so everythingh will be more expensive and depending on the resort, you'll have to stay a minimum of nights. Seven days are enough time for visiting the Costa Rica Highlights (Monteverde, Arenal and Tortuguero, in that order will be easier for you)and Manuel Antonio beach or any other beach in Guanacaste (Nosara, Hermosa, Conchal, Tamarindo)
You can look for hostels and small hotels that usually keep low prices.
Contac me if you need more info
Pura Vida

Is the first two weeks of December considered "peak" season? I know once the holidays are included then the prices will go up significantly.

What's the weather like in December generally speaking?

Weather in December is fabulous. It's still green from the rainy season, and not too hot like in March and April. "Peak Season" starts around Thanksgiving and ends after New Years.

We are on our way down, driving from California, to Costa Rica in a few weeks and we've been doing a LOT of research on where to stay and what to do. It seems the place to be for adventures is the Southern Pacific Coast. The area surrounding Uvita has banks and supermarkets and the most amazing sites and things to do: whale/dolphin watching, Mario Antonio Preserve for jungle tours, snokeling/scuba diving, surfing, horseback riding, and a really cool land feature jutting out from the coast called the Whale's Tail. We are choosing to stay at Mar Y Selva, a new eco-lodge just 26 km outside of Uvita one mile off the brand new highway. I know they offer transportation from the airport and have an almost olympic size pool, are located in the jungle with ocean views and just minutes from the ocean, offer bungalows with sleep for 2-4 or more with an open door between 2 bungalows. In high season, 3 meals a day are offered. We are planning to stay there as it is only about $100/night for very nice accommodations. There are soaking tubs/showers in the rooms and most have TV and fans/AC.

Good luck!

Arenal and Manuel Antonio are a great combo for a first trip - easy to get to, lots of hotel and restaurants choices, and lots of adventure activities. The beach inside the park at Manuel Antonio is beautiful.

As mentioned by Hallzone Uvita area and only 45min from Manuel Antonio, lots of accomodation from Hostels, B&B's, Lodges and Luxury Hotels. TA under Uvita is a good resource for locating accomodation in your budget. Lots of tours and activities. Most accomodations seem to be small and eco minded.