I am travelling down with my girlfriend in mid-March and will be staying at Aparthotel Girasol in Jaco for a few days. We are planning on heading to Manuel Antonio afterwards for 3 nights. I am having trouble finding a hotel/villa that is actually CLOSE to the beach in MA. Are there any out there? Ideally around $100/nt..

Also, if we are going to fly in to San Jose go to Jaco and then to MA should we leave the rental car in MA and fly to San Jose or should we just drive back to San Jose? I have heard there can be some hefty costs involved in leaving the car at a different location than where it was rented. If anyone can suggest a good rental car company let me know. The one I tried to contact so far has not emailed me back.

Thanks!!

I may be wrong, but I don't believe that there are any hotels on the beach in MA. The main beach area is either inside the park or just outside the park, public beach. As for rental cars, try the big companies, Avis, Hertz, etc. most should be able to help you and answer your questions.

It is really no big deal NOT to be on the beach in M.A. , in fact I prefer it to be on the hill with a view , and it seems to be the general consensus . A lot of the nicer places are in the hills on the road to the beach . There are a couple of cute places close to the beach, but it is still a good walk , and none are really directly on the beach .

That is what I am seeing. Is there a good hotel that puts us somewhere in the middle? I would like to be able to walk to the beach in the evenings if at all possible. My girlfriend and I are young and healthy, so a short walk with a big hill is not a big deal, but the closer the better!!

For car rentals, try www.ticotravel.com Good reputation and I don't believe there is a drop charge. Several friends rent from TTravel, the vehicle is delivered to them in SanJose and they drop it in Quepos then fly back. In Manuel Antonio, try Hotel Karahe but specify beachfront condo (not one across the street). March is a busy month here so don't wait to book your hotel. I agree w/ faith, the views from the hillside hotels is spectacular! The Manuel Antonio road is very winding, steep in parts, a few switchbacks, not well lit and not much of a shoulder to it. I really don't recommend walking/hiking it at night. I avoid at all costs driving it at night b/c people on the side of the road are very difficult to see. Maybe you can walk down to the beach in the daylight hours, enjoy your beachtime and sunset then take a cab back up to your villa on the hill. Cabs are plentiful and inexpensive.

Lisa in Manuel Antonio

Based on what i saw... Jaco is a big yawn compared with Quepos and Arenal. We stayed at the Costa Verde in Quepos/MA and loved it. Should be close to $100 a night and it is beautiful and pretty close to the beach.

Evening walks to the beach I would not recomend . As Lisa stated roads are dark , steep , and winding with no real shoulder . Also it is DARK by 6.00 .... Why dont u try staying at Costa Verde ( u can still walk - during daytime ) Villas de la Selva , Karahe , Verde Mar , Del Mar ..... Buses , and taxis are easy and inexpensive to catch .

I am also planning to go to Jaco and South from there. I have read so many good reviews about Jaco. However, I just found one that said it is unsafe to swim because of currents and pollution. Currents don't worry me too much but pollution does. Has anyone been there? What is it like?

There are a couple of hotels that are considered beachfront with direct access to the beach. I just came back from MA and we ended up staying at THREE different properties....Verde Mar, Karahe and Del Mar. By far the Verde Mar was the best. (I've written a review of the hotels somewhere on this forum.) For the price ($80US+tax), you get a spacious clean room with nice tropical decor, a small kitchenette (perfect for breakfasts and lunch!), nice large clean bathroom. The beach is at the front of the property and you can walk right down to the Park on the beach, 10minutes to the park entrance. It's a BARGAIN, especially when we stayed in the other places and got a chance to see what else is out there. Yes, some people want to stay up high for the view butI prefer to be closer to the beach...after all that's where you end up spending the entire day anyhow!
We drove through Jaco and it's a complete dump, especially once you've seen MA.

We rented a car with Tricolor...best rates I could find. We needed a 4WD for Monteverde...that was around $40 a day all insurance charges incl so I think a 2WD car would be much cheaper, maybe $25 a day??
They actually have a toll-free number from Canada/US and you can call them directly.

good luck!

For rental cars you can also try www.centralamerica.com and use Mapache car rental agency. We used them last year and got a great deal on a small SUV (Toyota RAV 4) and they dropped the car off for us in Tamarindo and picked it up from us in Liberia. We are going back to Costa Rica in May and they are bringing us the car to the airport in Liberia and picking it up from us at our hotel in San Jose at the end of the trip with no additional drop off fees. CentralAmerica.com has wonderful customer service, as did Mapache.

Verano- you have read positive reviews about Jaco on this forum??

Jaco is a dump unless you are looking for a hooker. The beach is polluted and the rip is fierce.

We stayed at Costa Verde and loved it. There is an adult only building with the best view of the sunset from the rooms and pool. I believe there is a bar at the pool (not sure about that - we had our kids with us). There is a troop of squirrel monkeys that comes to the restaurant every evening just before sunset. It was fun to watch them and have a beer waiting for the sun to set. However, you have to take a short walk(real short) across the parking lot to get a good view of the sunset itself. But the colors after are great from the restaurant. Enjoy!

If you heard good reviews about Jaco, their probably talking about los suenos or villa caletas, both of which are just outside of Jaco. The best thing about Jaco is it has a good grocery store and lots of souveneir shops, other than that, its a crime ridden, dirty town with a mediocre beach.

Check out Pacific Edge in Dominical instead of either Jaco or MA.

Thanks for the info on Jaco. I am looking into MA, Quepos, Dominical etc.. Seems to be a little pricey- I am a budget traveler. The best I have found is some sort of cabana/hotel for $35/ night. Know of anything more reasonabl?

I agree with vancouvergirl. We stayed at the Verde Mar last week, and it is right on the beach (a short 1 minute walk via a raised pathway). Amazing. The staff is wonderful and it was a great deal.

Greenfieldhunter,
"Jaco is a dump unless you are looking for a hooker. The beach is polluted and the rip is fierce."

What about the surfing beach close-by, Playa Hermosa? Same opinions?