kirbycrew

Hi to all - we are a family of 4 - two teenage boys 17 and 16 - who are planning on going to CR next Xmas. I have started my research and have used this forum numerous times before for our other travels. If we had around 9 days, what kind of itinerary would you suggest? Budget is not a huge issue at this point. We like adventure - ziplining, sailing, surfing, hiking etc. We would be open to trying 2 different locations, but really don't want to be packing up bags and moving around every couple of days. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Happy New Year!!!

volcanogirl

Hi, kirby - I would say the most common first trip combo (and the one that we did) is Arenal and Manuel Antonio. It gives you the volcano area and wildlife of Cano Negro, natural hot springs, ziplines, and hanging bridges combined with beach time, as well as the wildlife in the National Park. Our first trip was 9 days as well. If you want to go to an undeveloped area, I would trade Manuel Antonio for Bosque del Cabo on the Osa Peninsula.

SiteC_er

We're a family of 4 going for 11 days in June. While I would have loved to go to Osa area, our kids are younger than yours and not sure how well they'd do. So, we picked Arenal (Lost Iguana Resort) & Manuel Antonio (Buena Vista Villas) areas. We picked these areas based on all the activities near by (zip lining, rafting, volcano, hanging bridges, waterfalls, etc). Pat Hewitt off this system help us with arrangements. He is very knowledgeable and a great resource. Enjoy!

cmerrell

Hi kirbycrew,

I recently returned from my 2nd visit to CR. Your family is in for a real treat!

The Arenal-Manuel Antonio itinerary is really popular with first time visitors, and for very good reason. We did that circuit on our first trip and loved it.

Certain locations in Guanacaste or the Nicoya peninsula could also be contenders for you if surfing is a high priority, and could easily be combined with time in Arenal.

As VG mentioned, if you are interested in something more remote with pristine undeveloped rain forest, the Osa peninsula is spectacular, but your boys would have to be okay spending a few days away from conveniences like television. If you are interested in hiking and wildlife observation away from the larger tourist crowds that will be in CR that time of year, the Osa is an excellent choice.

I also second the recommendation of Pat Hewitt if you want someone to help you make your arrangements. He does a great job!

kirbycrew

Thanks for your replies. I have been looking at the Osa penisula and while it would definitely appeal to my husband and I, I think our kids might find it a bit quiet. Would you let me know how I contact Pat Hewitt - is he on this forum or does he have his own website? What arrangements should we look at making for getting to the hotels in Arenal and Manuel Antonio? Also, do we arrange the activities prior to leaving, or when we get there. Thanks for the help.

hipvirgochick

If you and your hubby would like Osa why not run it by your teens and see how they feel about it? Maybe you already have, but I had the same worries as you and we had a great time at BDC. I took my 10 yo and there were no other kids there, but it's a very social place (if you're so inclined) we met lots of new friends, my daughter enjoyed every minute and there was never a mention of having no tv or radio. In fact she didn't even take out her DS lite in the 17 days we were in CR! She was more worried of my daily ritual of looking for a Puma on the Titi trail. Ha!

If not though, agree that a MA and Arenal combo would be terrific for the whole family. Lot's of choices for things to see and do.

You probably already know, but Christmas is peak time and prime spots often book up 6 months to a year in advance, so you're smart to be planning now.

surfersmom

Best trip that we ever did with our then 17 yr old daughter was take her surfing in Costa Rica. She was well travelled including a cruise at 15 and Mexico at 16. She is quite sporty and had the time of her life surfing. At the time we went to a surf camp at Hermosa (the one near Jaco on the way to Manual Antonio). That place is no longer, so last year she tried another in Hermosa www.jimhogansurfcamp.com and thought it was the best. She has since gone to another in Bali and we are returning to CR next week ... first travelling the Nicoya Penisula for a week and then she will do 1.5 wks with Jim Hogan again. He is a great instructor and role model. My husband and I had a great time too just relaxing, touring around, heading to the beach to watch her, going to Manual Antonio park. Jim set up quite a few things like ziplining etc. Really healthy trip for boys that age. Good luck ... we got hooked.

cmerrell

You can reach Pat Hewitt through his website:

http://www.lovecostarica.com

He can help arrange transportation and transfers, as well as hotels, etc. Since you will be traveling during the busiest time of the year, you may want to look into booking some of your activities a little bit ahead of time. Once you have your hotels squared away, they can help you set things up. Pat could probably help with that too.

As HVC said, you are smart to start your planning phase so early. The only issue will be exercising patience waiting for the trip to actually arrive once you've made all the arrangements and built up that anticipation!

campjulie

We did two weeks this past November with our kids ages 9 and 7. Stayed at the Lost Iguana (Arenal), Buena Vista Villas (MA) and Bosque del Cabo in the Osa. We are an active family and found each place to be great. I think the Arenal, MA combo is wonderful, but if you can fit the Osa in, I don't think it is to be missed!

kirbycrew

Thanks for all of the suggestions for our trip. We have travelled a bit already with our kids and are used to planning trips out by a year - but you are right, the waiting is very hard to do!! I will likely be asking many other questions as I get closer to booking hotels etc.