Shellymont

Hello everyone. My fiance and I have been 'frying our brains' trying to figure out where we are going to go on our February honeymoon. Our dream vacation spot, Bora Bora, is way out of our price range and Hawaii may not have the beach weather we're searching for in February - not to mention the hefty price tag. We are looking into Southern Caribbean locations and, possibly, Costa Rica. I am leaning toward Costa Rica because of all the wonderful reviews I've read from fellow Fodor's posters. I don't know where we should fly into, where we should go and how we should travel from place-to-place in the 7 days that we'll have to enjoy our honeymoon in Costa Rica. What would you do/suggest if you were going on your honeymoon in Costa Rica in February and had 7 days to spend? (Is 7 days enough?) I definitely want to spend some time on a beautiful beach and would love to enjoy a waterfall. What are your thoughts?

qwovadis

visitcostarica.com wonderful in Feb for me

www.ruralcostarica.com Rio Celeste prettiest waterfall around

fourseasons.com tamarindodiria.com hotelcapitansuizo.com

all HM worthy there based on budget

rincondelavieja.net for other adventures

Fly into Liberia mapache.com for car rental cheaper

better more flexible and fun...

Might also go to Arenal.net 3 hours nice paved road around

the lake tabacon.com free best hot springs if u stay there

or lostiguanaresrt.com best there for me...

Congrats!

qwovadis

Sometimes it is cheaper for me to fly into SJO

www.spirit.com servicecarrental.com wild-rider there

couple of hours north to Arenal.net that way then

up to Nicoya for your beach... in high season

I can save hundreds on airfare that way...

I even can upgrade to first class on Spririt.com

usually $25-50 pack light though onebag.com they charge

for everything even overheads but VERY cheap base cost.

$39/tax for me one way a couple of years ago.

qwovadis

Just a heads up on CR beaches they are usually a bit

browner due to waterfall/river runoff and volcanism

so for super white beaches belizefirst.com would be your best

bet victoria-house.com robertsgrove.com cavesbranch.com

for adventures also Mayan Ruins there no volcanoes though.

So whichever suits your fancy I love adventure so I love CR.

qwovadis

www.mapcr.com good map for CR directions distance and info

MFNYC

Groupon has a great deal for the Lost Iguana Resort (see this thread http://www.fodors.com/community/mexi...-right-now.cfm). I never used Groupon before for anything, never mind a hotel reservation but after doing much research I went with it (and saved $100/night). Before I purchased the Groupon, I emailed the hotel to confirm I could use it for the dates I wanted. They responded quickly. You can also post a question on the Groupon sight, and they will respond there as well. This resort gets great reviews (do a search on it here and you'll find lots of references).

Wherever you book, definitely mention it is your honeymoon. I bet they'd make it extra special, they seem so accommodating (just from my emailings back and forth about accommodations).

From all my research (see my thread http://www.fodors.com/community/mexi...-questions.cfm), Arenal (rain forest and volcano) and Manual Antonio (beach) seem to be the places to visit for a 1st timer. We are splitting our time between the 2 and plan on spending the last night closer to the airport (at the B&B, Casa Bella Rita).

Kinkazote

If you want crystal clear, azure water, fine white sand, and abundant services on the beach, Costa Rica isn't in the running. There are waterfalls all over the place, though. There are certainly beaches that are beautiful, sandy, and often exotically jungly right down to the sand, but if you want the features of a Caribbean island, it's best to go to one. That said, Costa Rica makes a wonderful honeymoon location, and thousand have used it thus. Just know what it isn't, and read up on it, here or in a guide book or web site to get an overall picture to see if there are things that interest you.

Shellymont

Thank you for all of your informative replies. I did notice in the pictures that the beaches in Costa Rica looked a little brown. My fiancé actually commented on it. I thought it might've just been that one beach or photograph. We would love a beach with fine sand and beautiful calm water. We'd also love to lounge by a nice pool and see some beautiful natural scenery. We could do that in Puerto Rico, but we've been there many times before. We were drawn to Costa Rica because I thought we could enjoy a beautiful beach and do adventurous things like ziplining, hiking through a rainforest to a waterfall seeing beautiful sites. Thank you for all of your valuable insight.

volcanogirl

I'd lean towards going to Belize. We've gone to CR several times and love it, but for white sand and great snorkeling, we loved Victoria House on Ambergris. You can pair it with a jungle location and do all the cool caving activities. Belize has sea grass in the water, so most of the snorkeling is done by tour to places like Hol Chan - we saw huge rays, turtles, etc. there.

Manuel Antonio in CR has a very pretty beach inside the park. Tulemar Bungalows ia a popular place to stay. The Arenal area mentioned above has a gorgeous waterfall, and you can swim at the base.

The La Paz Waterfall Gardens where the Peace Lodge is located are really pretty too; the lodge itself is really over the top with waterfall showers, jacuzzis, etc. Not all that authentically Costa Rican, but very fun for a night or two. It's about an hour from SJO.

RAC

Try looking at the Nicoya Peninsula. Ylang Ylang Beach Resort is where we would go for a second honeymoon, we liked it that much.

sylvia3

Qwo,
As the seeming expert on CR (I've followed those helpful links many times, just wishing; I'd love to go to Rio Celeste), is there a beach near LIR you would recommend for a couple of days (after hiking, waterfalls, volcanoes, etc.)? Maybe budget accommodations?
Also, do you have any word of wisdom about Corcovado?
Thanks in advance.

tully

Shelly I'd still keep looking at CR, it has many of the things you want, just not the white sands/calm waters (for the most part). There are still some beautiful beaches around though. As vg mentioned, inside MA park, there is also Santa Teresa/Mal Pais area, Montezuma, to name a few. Punta Islita seems to be popular with couples. Many places also have great deals on luxurylink.com, can't hurt to check them out.

Zene_Morales

I would recommend checking out a small town called Playa San Miguel on the Nicoya Peninsula, if you are looking for a beach destination. And if you are in Costa Rica for a week you could easily go to the Arenal area first for a night or two so you could see a different region as well. The town of PSM is tiny, not much to it at all but the beach is amazing. Empty and endless. A few backpacker hotels are in town but up on the hill, and you would miss it if you didn't hear about it, is a great little boutique hotel called Cristal Azul. Great place for a honeymoon if privacy on a remote tropical beach is what you want....without breaking your bank! Great food too! Owners wife is from the states, fun couple, very helpful!

amagkid

I agree with above comments, the NP is beautiful. Punta Islita is very nice but there is not much to do. San Miguel/Coyote is very close to Islita and a rare treat if you stay in one of the nicer places in the area, if not Santa Teresa and Mal Pais are remote with developed tourism. Ylang Ylang and Flor Blanca are stunning but costly. Def. mention it is your honeymoon for special rates or offers! Congratulations!

Shellymont

A million thanks for all of your awesome information! My fiance and I are looking into staying at either The Lost Iguana (there's a great Groupon special going on), Tabacon (a couple of hundred dollars more than The Lost Iguana), or Peace Lodge. I like the fact that the Tabacon includes entrance into their hot springs, otherwise we would have to pay an additional $70/$95 for a pass. What do you guys think? Which one would you do?

Shellymont

The Groupon special just ended (sigh). I guess we can still stay there, but we'd have to pay full price.

Deb15July

New Luxury Link deal for Peace Lodge just popped up today!

tully

Yes, Peace Lodge has a great deal, I happen to know one fodorite already got her hands on a booking. Under $200 a night!

volcanogirl

We always stay at the Lost Iguana - very quiet, beautiful property. We had fun at Tabacon but wouldn't want to stay there since everyone gets bussed in to use their springs. It was loud when we were there and didn't give us the peaceful vibe that we were looking for, but if you don't mind that, it's a nice place. Good if you think you'll use the hot springs a lot. Lost Iguana has a heated pool but not hot springs.

Ooh, great deal for the Peace Lodge. We've used Luxury Link to go to Belize - they offer some great prices.

MichelleY

shelly: For your honeymoon: fly into San Jose. Spend nights 1&2 at Peace Lodge. Then travel to Arenal, stay at Lost Iguana, or Arenal Observatory Lodge in a Smithsonian room. Or somewhere else if budget is of concern. Plenty of choices in all price ranges. Spend 2 or 3 nights. For a nice hot spring experience, go to Ecotermales. Not as pricey as Tabacon, and very nice and not crowded.

If you can add a few more days to your trip, then head to Manuel Antonio for 3 nights before heading home.

Look at trip reports here to get ideas of what you would like to do.