I will be in CR for three weeks in mid-May to June on my honeymoon. I was thinking of devoting at least one week to the beach, spread out over two or three different beach areas.

I think we will stay at Florblanca for one portion and someone recommended La Cusinga, which is somewhere south of Dominical and very budget-friendly, for another portion of beachtime.

If I don't stay in Manuel Antonio, will I be hearing from people for the rest of my life "You went all the way to Costa Rica and missed Manuel Antonio?!? For shame!"

Check out my trip report, as well as my response to "Si Como No -- OVERRATED". Then check out other reports that are positive; it depends on the type of traveler you are. Hope it helps.

Dear MonaManuel,
I personally think MA is a must, but there are plenty other places in CR that are a must, and you can't have it all (at least not on your first trip). I wouldn't worry about it too much, though, since I know you will be back in CR in no time!
Regarding La Cusinga, I have never been their myself, but I know the owner Geinier, and I would love to go myself one day. I am sure Geinier wouldn't mind me giving out his email, and I am sure he will help you in any way he can. His email is [email protected], and their URL is http://www.lacusingalodge.com. If you write him, tell him Neta from La Finca Que Ama gave you his email, maybe that will help...
Have a great honeymoon.
Feel free to write me directly for any more information or with any more questions.
Pura Vida,
Neta Talmor
Geinier

We just got back. After having been, I can't imagine not going to Manuel Antonio, but at the same time I'm not certain I would go again.

Here's what I liked:

1- two kinds of monkeys; 2- lots of sloths; 3- bats; 4- huge butterflies; 5- many colorful birds; 6-lush plant growth; 7-some of the world's most stunning beaches; 8-dolphins; 9- great snorkeling; 10-friendly people; 11-for the most part people aren't trying to sell you stuff; 12- food was awesome; 13-water on Manuel Antonio beach/playa #3 was calm, clear, and warm; 14-we felt relatively safe in the Manuel Antonio area; 15-weather was warm; 15-I even took a surfing lesson on the less calm beach--which was fun---although too strenous for my mildly disabled upper body; 16- we were surrounded by nature at our cabin---as it appears you would be at most places; 17- we paid $100 a night for a place with AC, stove, jacuzzi, frig, and sometimes running water; 18-the bus driver that looks a little like Rick James is like the nicest friendliest person

What I didn't like: 1-it was awfully hot during the day; 2-the sun was so intense that my rarely burning self got a little sunburn despite 3 sunscreen applications; 4- got infested by chiggers; 5-there wasn't an easy to reach place that had nail polish or chigger meds to kill the chiggers; 6-got awaken by a scorpion bite in the middle of the night; 7- it was awfully crowded at times---but the flip side of that is that it is crowded b/c it's worth seeing; 8-if you don't have a car, getting around up the hills in the heat is a pain---you either have to wait for the hot, sweaty, crowded bus or spend a long time hiking through the misery of the heat to get where you are going; 9-the plane getting there was a miserable experience---got a bit airsick & was terrified; 10- got bitten by no see-ums; 11- the restaurants were expensive; 12-Quepos is a bit run down looking; 13-some of the travel guide books said Quepos isn't all that safe; 14-water went off at our place twice; 15-our place didn't have a phone

We've been to Manual Antonio twice. Yea, it's pretty developed. But, that also means that there are some really really good restaurants and some fine small hotels.

The park itself isn't all that large and has some nice trails to hike. Of course, you do meet other people, but we've met some really interesting people at some of the lookout areas.

If you want privacy and seclusion, it probably isn't the spot for you.

I also just returned from Manuel Antonio and i am a birdwatcher and nature freak and i have to say i was very disappointed. The hotel we stayed at was well rated and we did not enjoy it at all. The restaurants are the most expensive that we have been to out of the 5 places we have now visited in the country and to tell you the truth i have seen more nature and definitely more birds in other parts of the country as this was our last stop it kind of cast a palor over the trip and we felt like we just did not understand what the hype was all about. We would not return.

We were there last July. I don't feel a need go back everytime we return to Costa Rica, but would definitely like to spend a few days there again. However, for us, Costa Rica is quite a wonderland. . .everywhere we go. Being in Manuel Antonio was just one more experience among many positive ones. We aren't really critical of anyplace anywhere in the country. We are simply enjoying getting to know Costa Rica here there and everywhere. We thought Manuel Antonio was a lovely place. And out of many hiking experiences, guided and unguided, our hike with guide at MA was one of the highlights of several vacations in Costa Rica!

Dear Shillmac,
I see you are back from your trip. Will we get a trip report? I would love to know how all the drives up and down the Peninsula went.
Pura vida, say hi to J,
Neta Talmor

Hello,
Message to JeanH:
Where did you stay in MA & what did it cost? We prefer small hotels that are clean, fairly attractive and in good locations. We don't need a lot of amenities & typically pay around $100./night.
Message to Catmomma: I like your desciption of La Colina but am a little nervous after you said you were bitten by a spider there. Would you stay there again? What are chiggers?
Shillmac, where did you stay in MA?
Thanks!
P.S. We are going in August.

Message to Catmomma,
Just re-read your earlier post and realized you did not stay at La Colina. You stayed at MA Estates, right? Thanks for your thorough post. I definitely won't stay there.

Our first time to Manual Antonio we stayed at Si Como No. Obviously, there are folks on this board who aren't impressed with the place, but we enjoyed it. The next year we splurged and stayed at Makanda. Beautiful, but expensive. I'm sure we'll go back and will probably go cheaper. I'd look seriously into Villas Nicolas and also Costa Verde, although I like the former's location better. Lots of restaurants within easy walking distance. We didn't use a car at all either time, either took the bus or a cab.

Dear Kwoo,
We stayed at Si Como No. It has gotten very mixed reviews, and I can see both points of view. That having been said, we enjoyed our 2 nights there. It didn't seem like Disneyland to us! Beautiful views from our balcony and good restaurants. Probably better for families. The next time we are in Manuel Antonio we plan to try Hotel California based on what we have heard. We aren't too much into the luxury accomodations. . . we prefer moderate so we can return more often!

Dear Kwoo, Not to rain on your parade but we just returned from Hotel California and have to say we were very disappointed. Not that clean - both nights we were woken up by loud spring breakers. The second night they were jumping in the pool off the waterfall area and this was after they had knocked on everyones door at 2:30 in the morning looking for friends. There is no one in the office and the security guard was useless. I would not recomend this hotel at all.

Kwoo---yes, you are right. I stayed at the Jungle Cabin at Manuel Antonio Estates and not La Colina. I'm glad we stayed there.

But we wouldn't stay there if we went back. We probably won't be back for at least five years. Hopefully, we will have much more $ at the time. After my experience, I want to be able to shell out for one of the nicest places. I think it would get rid of most of the unpleasantness we experienced.

Chiggers---we have them in Texas too. They are tiny little bugs that burrow under your skin and itch. I just had like about eight of them. They look kind of like mosquito bites. You'll realize they aren't when they don't respond to benadryl or you see a speck of crystaline like yellow crust. You can put chigger-ex on them, but I actually prefer clear nail polish. The nail polish suffocates them, and they come out. If I go back, I'm definitely taking some with me. I think they'll also eventually die on their own---but who wants to wait for that.

I think Lonely Planet says something about putting sulfur powder in your socks to repel them.

I think I got them by walking in some kind of tall grass. You can try to avoid them by not stepping in grass or sitting in grass.

Manuel Antonio is truely a beautiful place, but in my 8 trips to CR I've only stayed twice. Once for just one night, which is why I went back again on another trip to explore a bit more. There is so much to do in the area and is worth a visit, but it does seem to be quite crowded at times. I would probably go back if I were taking someone new to the country, but otherwise will go where it is more quiet.
As for bugs, get real people. They are everywhere. We say a scorpion at Villas Nicolas pool area. There were none in the room, but I was woken up in the middle of the night by the biggest 'beatle from hell' I have ever seen. It dive bombed into myhand and it was so big it woke me up. Creepy. But that and all other bugs I've seen will not stop me from taking my 9th trip in May. Just use precaution and check bed sheets, shoes etc.

I was in Manuel Antonio in January and really enjoyed it. Didn't experience any bugs and the overcrowding wasn't overwhelming. I think the reason was that we stayed at a small B&B, so we were in a small community most of the time.

I highly recommend this hotel - its called El Mango Moon (www.mangomoon.net) and its new, so you won't find it in guide books. Its located by La Mariposa in a good location and four of us stayed in a spacious, clean, bug-free, lovely suite for about $65 per person over New Year's. The hotel is run by a friendly American couple who are extremely helpful with setting up tours and recommending things to do and places to eat, etc. The food was very good and the view of the water is nice. They have access to a private beach, although the walk down there through the jungle is not for the faint of heart. The one downside is the lack of a pool, but they are starting construction on one within a month or two.

Just thought I would make a hotel recommendation after reading some of the posts about overrated expensive hotels!