MonaManuel

Me: planning that three-week honeymoon in Costa Rica. First time there; trying to cover as much as possible, by staying at the fewest hotels possible. Looking for adventure, romance... a sublime experience.

I had orinally included a beach in Tambor and then in Uvita. I was so anti-Manuel Antonio.

But my hubby is such a beach-phile and I want to make sure he gets to a great beach, so I'm considering throwing MA back in to the itinerary.

What is the difference between the beaches there and on the Nicoya peninsula?

Should I throw out Tambor and head to MA for a week? Should I try to get to both?Should I totally avoid Uvita on the chance that we will get washed out down there?

HELP!!! What do we do?

LA_FadeAway

Haha, you sound like me. I've been busily planning an 18 night trip for this summer. I haven't been to CR yet, so I can't really say for sure, but I'm thinking a whole week in MA may be too long. We are spending three nights in Montezuma (El Sano Banano) and three nights in MA (Villas Nicolas) for a little variety in our Pacific beach time.

Stop and take a few deep breaths. Planning a wedding is stresfull enough without worrying so much about the perfect honeymoon. I'm sure it'll turn out wonderful no matter what decisions you make.

shillmac

With 3 weeks, you could probably do both fairly easily. I agree with LA that an entire week might be a little long for MA. And Tambor is one of my favorite places in Costa Rica. Still relatively unspoiled by the crowds of tourists (unlike Manuel Antonio). The beaches are not as pretty, but we absolutely loved it here. There are a couple of very well known (and romantic) hotels. It would give you a little "quiet and secluded" beach time in contrast to the more active Manuel Antonio experience. AND the best part is that you can get from one to the other fairly easily. Once you take the ferry back across, it isn't that far down to Manuel Antonio. An hour and a half, perhaps 2 hours.

MonaManuel

Yes, I hear both of you. But would it change either of your minds if I said I had negotiated down the room rate on a Tango Mar tiki suite on the promise that I'd stay five nights (as originally planned, before MA was a consideration) and I'm pretty sure SOMEBODY in MA would be willing to do the same (I was hoping for Makanda but so far no response).

If I break up the beach time between the two, I think I'll end up paying more in both locations.

Is Makanda really worth it? And what about the southern Pacific?

LA_Fadeaway: I don't know what kind of budget you're on, but I've learned that it never hurts to ask in advance for a discount on the published room rate. So far, pretty much everyone has agreed to one except Sano Banano (although I don't think the understood the question) and Peace Lodge.

Somebody (Costaricaguide, who is a regular poster on the Thorn Tree at Lonely Planet and an occasional poster here) suggested that since the Peace Lodge was the Atlantic side of the range, there's a risk of it being rainier there and suggested I give it a pass, stay on the other side of the range and visit Poas from there. (I remeber a while, back you and I exchanged messages about the Peace Lodge over at the Thorn Tree.)

Anyway, maybe we should exchange tips some time.

And for the record, sadly, we depart for our honeymoon on our six-month anniversary. We set our wedding date, and THEN I decided to start law school this year. Bad move: first year law is horrendous enough; getting married three weeks before five 100% finals is murder.

All that to say, if I don't get somewhere soon, I am going to blow.

shillmac

Yes, I see what you mean! We do that too whenever we have the opportunity (work on the rate of the room)! The thing about Tango Mar and Tambor is that it is in such a relatively untouristy part of the country. Because of the ferry, MOST people just don't go to that area. Of course, there are tourists there, but I am comparing it to MA here. So, what do you want, really? This southern Nicoya tip is a pretty cool place to explore, and it is definitely laid back. The MA area is more active, it has prettier beaches, and definitely more people doing more things! What I really want to say is "don't worry about it" because you will want to return again anyway! We spent 5 nights at Tambor 2 years ago, 3 nights at MA last summer, then this Spring Break decided to go back to the Tambor area and see some new parts down there (Montezuma, Mal Pais, Sta. Teresa, etc). You won't make a big mistake unless you find yourselves bored at Tambor. . .since you are honeymooning, I doubt that will happen!

LA_FadeAway

MonaManuel,
I can totally relate to your stresses. I'm currently finishing my last semester at Long Beach State and then start my MBA in the fall. I'm taking this trip to get some serious R&R between the two! CostaRicaGuide(Ray) has given me a lot of good information too. But, nobody mentioned the rain at Peace Lodge. Now, I'm starting to wonder if spending three nights there will be too much?! I really didn't even think to try and negotiate any of our room prices, probably because I'm used to staying in countries where that is not really an option. Here is what we have settled on for 7/17 - 8/4 (at least I think, god forbid I start changing it again):

1 night Vida Tropical in Alajuela
3 nights El Sana Banano - Montezuma
3 nights Villas Nicolas - Manuel Antonio
3 nights Arenal Paraiso - Arenal
1 night Puerto Viejo B&B - P.V. de Talamanca
2 nights Punta Caracol - Bocas del Toro, Panama
1 night Hotel Bocas del Toro - Bocas
3 nights Peace Lodge - La Paz (I hope we can make this drive in one day!)
1 night Vida Tropical - Alajuela

Suzie2

What are you doing planning the honeymoon girl????? You are setting a bad precedence. The guy is supposed to do that. You have your hands full with the wedding.
Regarding "nobody mentioned the rain at Peace Lodge".....probably because nobody giving trip reports on here has had it rain while there. We did get some pretty heavy fog there one afternoon but the morning had been beautiful and around 4pm it cleared again. We just hung out in the room. You could also go on tours from there that would get you out of the clouds and rain as just down the road a bit is the central valley with Sarchi, Grecia, and all kinds of lovely places to explore. It is only an hour to the airport.
Both beaches are lovely, the big decision is if you want a lot of other things to do. You would have more options in Manuel Antonio. If you are just looking for quiet time go to Tambor. You are going to a win win country. It is going to be beautiful either place. Costa Rica is like no other country so you will be surprised at every turn. Costa Rica is not really known for its beautiful beaches but Manuel Antonio does have some pretty ones.
Uvita is much further away and not all that easy to get to. Sounds like you are already going to be a basket case by the time this honeymoon takes place.