I'm planning our honeymoon for mid-june, I know, i know, im getting down to the wire here. Anyway, I am planning for us to fly into San Jose and renting an suv, then drive to Peace Lodge and stay there for 2 nights, then drive to La Fortuna/Arenal and stay at Arenal Paraiso for 2 nights. This is where I'm having trouble... We would like to get to Monteverde for at least a day, so is it possible to do a jeep-boat-jeep transfer to Monteverde (leaving the rental suv at Arenal Paraiso, stay a night in Monteverde, then do jeep-boat-jeep back to Arenal to retreive the rental suv? After the Arenal/Monteverde part of the trip, we continue on to Tamarindo for 3 or 4 days at Hotel Capitan Suizo. Then go to Liberia for our return flight to USA.

thanks for any help

I think you'd be better off driving to Monteverde - then you wouldn't have to backtrack to Arenal just to get your car. Why would you want to leave your car at Arenal?

So I would say go to Monteverde - its a hike so you might want 2 nights there. If you don't drive yourself you can take jeep-boat-jeep and have hire someone to drive you car to your hotel in Monteverde. Your hotel can probably set you up.

I would also look into just hiring drivers to take you to the hotels - then you won't have to worry about suv rental at all. And can just do jeep boat jeep to MV then get another driver to Tam. The places you are going don't really require a car.

I'm just trying to figure all of this out, so bear with me.. I've never been to Costa Rica before...
How much do the transfers from hotel to hotel usually cost? I guess if it is that easy to just hire drivers, we will just do that. What companies do you recommend?

thanks.

Oh ok. I thought you might have had some reason for leaving the car.

I don't remember which company we used for transfers. I know people use "Interbus" and seem to like it. I think its cheaper too. They might have a shuttle to take you w/ some other people on it. There were 4 of us and we had the hotels hook us up w/ a driver. From Monteverde to Tamarindo we just had our hotel book a driver when we got there.

It's up to you if you want to rent a car or not. I did my 2nd time to costa rica but we drove to different areas that we wanted to explore. But if you decide to I would just drive yourself to Monteverde.

Also in the Tamarindo area check out Playa Grande and Langosta. They will be a little quieter then Tamarindo. Tamarindo tends to be "gringo-y" and touristy and there's tons of construction going on there. I think for a honeymoon you might like Grande or Langosta better. And you are still close to Tamarindo if you wanted to go there to a bar at night.

thanks for your help... we are looking to close the trip out in tamarindo with some beach/surf time. I'll make a note of your suggestions of Grande and Langosta.

You might like the freedom of having your own vehicle and driving yourself. We sure do. If not, then do the transfers. Interbus is a good company.

To us, given the fact that we consider the driving a bit of an adventure and part of the fun, it doesn't make sense to pay $60-70 for the 2 of us to get to Arenal or wherever, when our car rental for the day is only $40--and then we have transportation once we arrive.

The jeep-boat-jeep overnight deal (returning to Arenal the next day) would make more sense if you DIDN'T have a car.

A recent post said it would take you about 3-4 hours to drive yourself there. I would not do it for less than 2 nights.

In fact, if I were you, I'd drive straight from Arenal to Guanacaste (Tamarindo). Use the extra day there to day trip up to Rincon de la Vieja area. Or book a MegaCombo tour in Rincon de la Vieja through your hotel--lots of fun things to do on that tour, horseback, ziplines, waterslide down the mountain, mud baths, etc. Enjoy--and congratulations!

Hello jimmyhank-
My vacation planning sounds almost like your- just in reverse. We are flying into Liberia July 2 and leaving out of San Jose on the 9th.
From what I read-Tamarindo doesn't sound like the best location for a honeymoon. Someone recommended Playa Langosta and Playa Grande and then driving into Tamarindo if you like.I would be interested to share notes with you.

I'm still up in the air about tamarindo. a friend that has been to costa rica mentioned checking out manuel antonio / Quepos for the beach portion of our trip. What do you guys think? I guess the itinerary would go something like this:
Arrive San Jose, drive to Peace Lodge for 2 night stay, drive to Arenal for 2 or 3 nights, drive to Monteverde for 2 nights, drive to Manuel Antonio / Quepos for 2 or 3 nights, drive back to San Jose for departing flight?

Hi Jimmy,

I think that you are getting a little closer with the last itinerary. I much prefer Quepos over Tamarindo. I am more shocked every time I visit Tamarindo, the growth has been amazing. Lots of retirees are buying and building there, and the downtown area is like one big strip mall. No longer the sleepy little surfers hamlet I stumbled into twenty years ago! Although I do still like Capitan Suizo, and this area offers the best surfing in Costa Rica.

Quepos / Manuel Antonio has been going through a lot of growth lately too. The difference is that a lot of the growth is "hidden". Tamarindo has focused all of it's growth near the beach, while the Quepos area has spread it out more. So you don't feel the crowds as much. Of course, June is off season, so the place will feel deserted.

There are also a couple of hotels that offer private beaches, so you can find some real privacy. There is surfing here too, but not as good as at Tamarindo. I guess you will have to choose between romance or surfing!

I know others will disagree with me, but Arenal Paraiso would not be my first choice for a honeymoon. Of course, it is all about your budget. But for a honeymoon, I would look at Arenal Lodge for the bargain, Lost Iguana in the middle, and Hotel Arenal Kioro on the high end.

Monteverde is a wonderful place. We go there on a regular basis. Laid back and friendly. Lots of romantic little hotels to choose from. I like El Sapo Dorado, or Finca Valverde if you are on a budget.

The boat / jeep transfer saves you an hour, to an hour and a half on the transfer. But it really is not that big of a scenic thing. You are only on the boat for about 20 minutes. I much prefer having my own wheels in Arenal and Monteverde. Things are spread out (especially in Arenal), and it sometimes takes a long time for a taxi to arrive. Plus, Interbus and the jeep / boat will sometimes pack a lot of people in the van.

I would plan this before you purchase your airfare. You may decide to come and go through San Jose.

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

Warm Regards,

Pat Hewitt
Costa Rica Travel Exchange
Costa Rica Concierge

thanks all of you for your help. It looks like I have an itinerary set now. The reason I picked Arenal Paraiso is because my fiance's sister stayed there this winter and said it was nice and had a great view of the volcano. We aren't too concerned with staying in some super high end resort-ish type place. I think we are taking care of the relaxation the first two days at peace lodge, then from there its on the the active part of our trip... thanks again everyone

Any suggestions on where to stay in Manuel Antonio?

I think you'll enjoy the Paraiso, I know I did last year. Great views! I will be staying at Peace Lodge in May, looking forward to it.

What kind of budget for MA?

budget for MA i would say mid-to high end... I would like to stay at a fairly nice place... a friend has recommended

www.costaverde.com

or

www.lamariposa.com

Mariposa gets so-so reviews, the service more so than the rooms. I've stayed at CV twice and liked it very much. Fantastic views - make sure you get the Studio Plus rooms, those have the best views. You could stay in an a/c & tv one or the adults only CV II, sans the a/c & tv. Others that get good reviews are Si Como No and Tulemar (both too pricey IMO but nice), Mango Moon and Villas Nicolas.

jimmyhank, have a great honeymoon! I LOVE Monteverde...the cloud forest feels primordial to me...however I don't advise going there for less than 2 nights minimum. Personally I wouldn't go there for fewer than 3 nights. The reason being...it isn't that easy to get there. Once you arrive, the major appeal, in my opinion, involves the wonderful hikes, which are best done in the morning, especially in the rainy season, when it often will rain a bit in the afternoon...therefore if you only have 1 day in Monteverde, you might not even really get to see it...

I also advise 3 nights for Arenal, in order to give you 2 full days there...there are so many activities in Arenal, you will still have a very active trip.

We saw both Arenal and Monteverde in one trip because my husband is a biologist with specialized interests. But I'm not a biologist, and from the standpoint of a non-biologist tourist, I would suggest you do either Arenal or Monteverde, but not both, with your limited time.

Whether you can see the volcano from your lodging depends entirely on nature...the direction of the lava flow can change any time...Also clody weather can obscure the volcano view... Arenal is still a great place, whether you see the volcano or not...

I hope you and your bride enjoy a romantic and beautiful honeymoon!

I have one extra night to spend in CR, where should I do it, Monteverde or Arenal?

thanks

Go to San Jose the night before your last day and do the Pacuare white water rafting trip ON your last day. They will drop you off and pick you up in SJO.

OR do 3 nights Arenal. Try to do Cano Negro one day--well worth your time.