Hotel and Itinerary Help
 

Were going to CR for our first trip in June (6th). Right now we are going for 7 days to the Manual Antonio area. We have a 12 year old coming to (loves animals)
1. Hotel - Si como No or Hotel Parador? I'm tending on Si como No but must admit going down a trail to the beach at Parador seems nice...
2.Is 7 days too much time? Should we try to head up to Arenal Volcano area for 2 days?
3. Whats the easiest way to get from MA to Arenal?
4. Any 'must do things in either place?
5. Sportfishing in MA...any hints on how to cost effectively get a boat or good boats to hire for a 1/2 day?

Thanks

Si Como No is very popular with families. They have a kids' pool, 2 restaurants on site, and a movie theater. If I'm not mistaken, they have a shuttle to the beach. I'd research any place that says they have a "trail" to the beach. Our hotel's trail took us about 20 minutes to get down and was steep and muddy.

Personally, we loved Arenal, and you could easily do a split. 7 days in MA would be too long for me, but if you're really just wanting beach time, you might be okay with it.

To get from MA to Arenal, we hired a private driver through our hotel; you could also drive yourselves or check into Interbus. The people that we know that have gone sport fishing said it was quite expensive - sometimes helps if you can share the costs with another group of family.

For Arenal, check out Cano Negro, the waterfall, natural hot springs like Tabacon or Eco Termales, zipline with SkyTrek, and watch the volcano. If you'd like a nice hike, the Hanging Bridges are nice.

For MA, definitely go to the park to see wildlife; the beach inside the park is very pretty so bring your suit. You can also do a mangrove tour or horseback ride. We went snorkeling, and I wouldn't really recommend it; there tends to be a lot of sediment in the water. You might also check out Tulemar Bungalows or Buena Vista Villas - very popular places to stay.

We just returned from CR. I would definitely recommend seeing another part of the country besides MA. MA is very attractive, but a week might get a little long. Sun is very, very strong, for one thing. We stayed at Si Como No and really liked it -- gorgeous property, good service, plenty of other restaurants nearby. It's a bit pricey, though. They do have a shuttle that runs every hour to the main beach by the national park. It's a 5-minute drive. Taxis also available.
Arenal is great if the weather is good. We were lucky enough to see the volcano three days in a row, but you'll be there in a different season. If you go to Arenal, I recommend either Silencio del Campo or the Arenal Observatory Lodge -- the latter if you are really interested in seeing the volcano lava etc.
We rented a car and drove everywhere. It's a grueling 4:45 hour drive from MA to Arenal, not bad roads, just very hilly and not so easy to find a couple of turns. There are plenty of local drivers who will take you for roughly $200. Or you could take an internal flight. It was nice to have a car even in MA -- we drove to a nearby beach that was less crowded, drove to slightly more distant restaurants, etc. But not sure you really need it.

If you love animals and are going to Si Como No, ask for building 14. We have enjoyed long sessions with the three kinds of monkeys, toucans, aricaris, tanagers, squirrel cuckoos, a sloth, a huge iguana, and, one night, a kinkajou. All from the comfort of our balcony. (The trail from Parador to the beach isn't all that convenient.) You can take day tours from MA, although the rains may limit what you can do. We spend 10 days there each year and love it, but we are old and no longer require constant activity. I think 7 days in MA might be too long for a family.

I agree that 7 days in MA is a bit long. When in Quepos, be sure to have at least 1 lunch at El Gran Escape downtown....hamburgers are great! The dogs are loving and will take a scrap or two if you offer!
We have done 4 parks in CR and by far and away the best is a private park that no one ever talks about....ParqueTropical - Turubari. It is a VERY interesting short 20-30 minute drive east of Orotino and costs about $8 a head...check out their web site www.turubari.com .... They have the greatest Zip lines (if the 12 year old wants to fly like Superman at about 40 MPH over the river valley, THIS is the place) that we experienced. The giudes are ALL college grads or students studying Eco and really know their stuff. Animals galore. That's about a half way point (VERY leisurely) if you wanted to do MA for 3 days....an overnight at a wonderful place up in the highlands called AmaTierra (see their site too and don't be put off about the yoga classes....Jill is a wonderful hostess and Bob is a trip!) after the Turubari Park...and a great drive on to LaFortuna (about 3+ hours I think on some breathtaking scenic roads, albeit it a very rough ride in areas, which make up MOST of the roads in CR. About half way between San Ramon and LaFortuna is a great soda to stop for lunch.

Don't be afraid to rent and drive...just start early and stop by about 3pm. It starts getting dark early and they have virtually no signs to guide and typical Latin drivers who are fearless and wonderful all at the same time! Getting lost is half the fun!

Just enjoy the ride.....CR is our favorite destination and we are headed there in a month or two ourselves to start looking for property....retirement might be closer than we think!

Edit my prior......the cost to Turubari is about $60 a head when you include the zip line....I said $8! I wish. Still, it is more than worth it and your car is TOTALLY safe in the parking lot with ANYTHING in it!!!!

Thanks for all your info.... Seems like folks are leaning to Si Como No as the better place. Thanks for the info.

I'll try to get up to the volcano area, with a driver. I think. Is getting around once up near the volcano easy? What would the top things to do be?

Oh, and would Peace Lodge be a good last stop? What activities are there and how long should one busget in terms of time?

Hi cbacius,

I agree with the other folks here who recommend splitting your time between MA and Arenal. MA is a lot of fun, but it would be a shame to go all the way to Costa Rica and not experience some of the wonderful ecosystem diversity the country has to offer!

Getting around in MA without a car would be quite easy as the area is compact and buses and taxis are readily available. Things are more spread out in Arenal and taxi fares will be more costly depending on where you choose to stay. Most of the tour groups will come pick you up at your hotel for a marginal extra fee, and a few hotels may offer shuttle service into town (I believe Lost Iguana is one of them).

We had a car when we did the Arenal-MA itinerary and liked the flexibility it provided, but plenty of people choose not to rent and manage to get around just fine.

Some of the most recommended things to do in the Arenal area are:

-Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge Tour (excellent!)
-Hiking in Arenal Volcano National Park
-La Fortuna Waterfall
-Hanging Bridges
-Waterfall Repelling
-Hot Springs
-Zip Lines

There are other activities as well. Arenal is really an area where you could easily spend 3 to 4 days and still not run out of things to do.

The Peace Lodge is wonderful! The rooms are quite luxurious and the grounds are gorgeous. Things to do there include:

-Hiking the beautiful Trail of Falls to see the 5 waterfalls on the property
-Butterfly House
-Hummingbird Gardens,
-Aviary
-Frog House
-Snake House

I would definitely try to plan on at least half a day to enjoy the grounds. It's hard to see everything in less time than that.

If you plan to book a room at the Peace Lodge for June, you'd best be setting those wheels in motion as soon as you can. It's not a very large hotel and it is very popular.

Good luck with your plans. CR is such a wonderful destination! :-)

Also at Peace Lodge, the nocturnal frog tour is really fun; you even get to hold the little guys and take pictures.