I am at a loss trying to plan a week long trip, June 2009, in Costa Rica. There are so many options! So I am throwing myself on your mercy...Four of us in the family, ages 54-18, good health, do NOT want to drive ourselves(husband gets stressed), most interested in wildlife/outdoors and maybe one day at a beach? We are not rich, so a moderate budget is necessary. OK, go to it! The perfect itinerary for Costa Rica newbies!

Most first-time newbies do a combo of Arenal and Manuel Antonio for their first trip. That's what we did; you may have to spend a night in San Jose depending on your flight times. Arenal/La Fortuna has the active volcano which is amazing, natural hot springs like Tabacon and Eco Termales, and my favorite tour to see wildlife Cano Negro. Also Hanging Bridges, ziplines like SkyTrek and a waterfall. MA offers the national park with a beautiful beach inside, very tame wildlife like monkeys, mangrove tours, sailing, horseback riding, and loads of restaurants. It would be a good overview for you. Not sure if this would be too pricey, but we love the Lost Iguana in Arenal. Buena Vista Villas gets raves in Manuel Antonio. More budget choices that get good reviews are in Arenal Silencio del Campo, and Costa Verde in MA. Good luck! We've always hired private drivers through our hotels, but you might also check out Interbus.

You always give the best advice! What do you think about Pacuare Lodge rafting packages?

In Arenal we've stayed at a couple of different places, Silencio del Campo is one of them and we loved it. They have raised their rates a bit, because of the opening of their hot springs on site most likely, but that's a big plus! Plenty of things to do in the area as vgirl says. We also enjoyed a cultural tour one day through Desafio that took us to a women's co-op, organic farm for lunch and animal rescue center.

Costa Verde seems to be a popular choice in MA for mid-level budgets. La Posada also gets great reviews. We splurged on the cheapest room at BVV, but for the 4 of you if you wanted to splurge you might check out the Villa Mot-Mot at Tulemar instead.

We've always used Interbus or flights to get around, but once you have 4 adults the price of Interbus gets close to having a private driver, so that's your choice.

vgirl and I like a lot of the same stuff, so I'll just second her suggestions on things to do!

Happy planning!

www.desafiocostarica.com

Good rafting Arenal area

Other rafting too far away

Agree with VG

www.hotelsilenciodelcampo.com

for www.arenal.net

for www.manuelantioniopark.com

www.costaverde.com

www.interbusonline.com

best cost-effective

hotel to hotel xport

have a blast,

knicola, you're sweet! We have not done the Pacuare Lodge yet, but I definitely want to do it. I just read a great trip report about it and thought it sounded like a great time.

Yes, hip, cm, and I all like to do the same things! I always read their responses and think, "That's what I was going to say!"