help with trip to Costa rica
 

I've been reading these blogs and every travel book but still can't decide where to go in CR at the end of Aug. We were there 6 years ago and did Arenal, Monteverde and Tamarindo in our rental SUV. Loved it all. We (family with two sons-20 and 22) arrive at SJO at night so will stay close to airport. Next morning we are gong to Tortugero for 2 nights. After that we'd like to go to Corcovado but the lodges are a little pricy for us. I thought about staying in Puerto Jimenez the first night after our drive from San Jose and moving to Carate the next night or two. On the way back to break up the drive to SJ we could stay at Hotel Cristal Ballena for a night or 2. We have a total of 9 nights all together. Or just skipping Osa and staying at Trogon Lodge at San Gerardo de Dota and then Playa Ballena and Manuel Antonio. We don't mind driving and moving from place to place. We aren't sit on the beach people but we do enjoy a beautiful beach. We want to hike and see the countryside and wildlife. Is it too far to drive from SJ to Carate in one day if you get an early start? Thanks for any suggestions and help. We need to make some decisions. My sons say "let's just wing it" and see where we end up.

Agree with your son places I like down there

www.jinetesdeosa.com

www.lookout-inn.com

www.cunadelangel.com

www.rocaverde.net

www.haciendabaru.com

rent a car www.servicecarrental.com and "wing it"

tonnes of fun what I do...

always find I can negotiate "hospitality" discounts

day of with these and other hotels and save a tonne...

www.hotelvillacaletas.com might make a nice place

for a stop on your way down...

www.villasnicolas.com or www.costaverde.com at MA also

Have fun,

Thanks for the ideas. Maybe we can wing it! Places should have vacancies at that time of the year??
You have to take a boat to Drake Bay in August? Or can you drive?

If you've never been to Costa Rica - it would be easy to assume the short distances between destinations would make it possible to get from one place to another quickly. Rough or curvy roads make this very unlikely. Be assured - you don't want to visit Tortuguero National Park one day and then drive to Corcovado National Park the next. These places are on opposite sides of the country and it would take more than 12 hours driving on some fairly treacherous roads to get from point A to point B. Let us help you build a travel strategy based on attraction groupings or your personal interests. For example: If you plan to visit Arenal Volcano - it might be a good idea to stop at Sarchi Village, home to many artisans, and maybe Poas Volcano on the way. An alternate route will take you through Zarcero, Costa Rica's dairy capital where you can sample home made cheeses and delicious sour cream (Natilla in Spanish). No matter what you do, be sure to stop off at one of our many beautiful Costa Rica hotels for a break from time to time. I believe it's better to rent a car and have a map handy. Enjoy your trip! You'll find more help here http://travel.mongabay.com/costa_rica I believe. Thanks.

If you stay in Puerto Jimenez I don't think you'd be unhappy! It's wonderful there. You don't need to stay in a pricey lodge to enjoy the wonders of the osa. It's been a while since I was there(actualy it was 2000..a long time ago) but I didn't go to a pricey lodge either. We stayed at a little place called Rancho Kapu. I don't know if it's there anymore but there must be more accommodations now than there was then, but I hear it's still magical. Even after all this time it is one place that is still very 'remote' (aka not a lot of crowds) and very interesting.
I hope you find a way to make this work in your plans but if not, you have a great backup plan and as your son says, you can wing it!

Okay now, people please don't get too mad at me as I'm going to be a very bad girl and just say "To Dave, I don't think you read the post from kmsandiego, so you may not see this one either, but if you do, the poster clearly states they have been here before, including Arenal, and are certainly know about the roads and drive times. Pay attention."

It is definitely worth it to go to corcovado. If you're looking for a more affordable hotel/lodge near corcovado, I used this map tool:
http://www.costaricabeauty.com/ViewM...1957397&bid=17

If you choose to search for everything with 15 miles it shows the location of a bunch of nice, inexpensive hotels nearby, not just the expensive resorts. It's a great tool if you're looking for ways to wing it. It's a purely informational site maintained by ticos. The main site URL is www.costaricabeauty.com . I have also been to trogon lodge and it is amazing and definitely recommended. I saw a few quetzals there. Its unlike most areas of costa rica. It is a little chilly (as in, bring a jacket, chilly) and it rains... alot! But it's beautiful with a lot of hikes and an outstanding view of the mountains along the way.

My group was thinking of visiting Costa Rica during the American Thanksgiving. Someone said that is not a good time to visit. Can someone tell me why? Too crowded?

I would have no problem visiting Costa Rica during Thanksgiving. Some people might be on holiday, but so what. The beginning of dry season, just after green season, everything will be beautiful.

I would definitely go in November too.