Hi,

I have one week and am planning the following:

(1) Arrive SJO 7am, pick up car, head for Cerro de la Muerte area with an overnight stay at Trogon Lodge

(2) Continue on to Domincal area - stay at La Cusinga, Hacienda Baru or Villla Rio Mar for 2 - 3 nights

(3) Then on to Manuel Antonio for 3-4 nights at Villa Nicolas or similar.

Is one night at Trogon enough? I want to get to the beach.

Would anyone recommend spending 3 days each in Dominical area and Manuel Antonio or is more time in Manuel better due to more restaurants, etc?

ANY thoughts appreciated.

Since you are arriving early in the day, you should be at Trogon Lodge during the latter part of the morning. You'll have an afternoon to explore and the next morning to go out with a guide (definitely do this). You can be on your way to Dominical in the afternoon.

In ordinary circumstances, one night and 2 half days would allow you time to get a good feel for the area--afternoon hiking, exploring, morning birdwatching with a guide. HOWEVER, you are going to be very tired after an overnight flight--from where? And how long?

Unless you sleep like a baby on el avion, you are not going to be at your best that first day! You'll probably be wanting to crash when you get to Trogon Lodge for a good part of the afternoon (especially after the added stress of driving through San Jose en route to Trogon!) and get rested up so you can enjoy the remainder of your trip!
For this reason, and this reason only, you might wish you had booked 2 nights at Trogon.

As for the other locations, depends on what you are looking for--Dominical laid back surfer town with some cool waterfalls nearby that you can access with a horseback ride (or otherwise, perhaps). Manuel Antonio famous for its lovely coastal parque nacional and any number of other activities from kayaking to rafting!

What day and time are you flying out? Be aware that unless you have a mid afternoon flight, you should head back to the airport area the night before!

All of your driving will be simple with the exception of getting to Cerre de la Muerte. It could take you awhile to navigate through and get out of San Jose. Meaning you might have to stop for directions more than once. This is the rule rather than the exception for driving in San Jose the first time (and sometimes the 10th time!). Once you get on the right road and onto the highway, you'll be fine. Trogon Lodge will direct you as to how to get down into the valley where their property is located. It's quite simple--rough road, but simple.
Buen viaje!

My concern with this trip is the passability of the road between Dominical and MA at this time of year. They have been working on the bridges but don't know how far they have gotten.

Go Bulldogs!!!!

Anyone know how the roads are?? We will going November 25th or so.

Shillmac - is it terribly difficult to go straight from the airport to Cerro area? I was hoping we could somewhat avoid San Jose proper.

Sorry, not Shillmac but yes you do have to go through SJ.
We arrived in CR at 1:30 and were in San Gerardo de Dota by 5:30 and we stopped for a beer along the way. That also includes time for us to get through immigration. Even with having to go through SJ it still won't be a long trip.

Thanks, Jessie. Any thoughts on whether 2 nights in Dominical/Uvita area and 4 nights in Manuel Antonio seems right?

As I mentioned earlier, yalie, just be prepared to stop a few times for clarification! The law of averages says you'll probably have to! Your goal is to get to Cartago (the old capital) southeast of San Jose. From there the highway will take you right on down toward San Gerardo and Trogon Lodge. You'll do fine--it's all part of the adventure. Everyone I know (including me) would like to avoid driving in San Jose, but once through, it's a "YES!" sort of feeling

I think you would benefit greatly by purchasing a Berndston & Berndston map from Barnes & Noble. It is an excellent resource for traveling Costa Rica. First time we were to drive around in San Jose, I literally memorized the layout of the city and the organization of the streets into 4 quadrants. It was a tremendous help when helping navigate while my husband drove that first time. No sweat!