Renee09

We (boyfriend and I) are planning to travel to Costa Rica & Argentina mid Dec - Jan for approx. 3 weeks. We are departing from NYC. Can anyone recommend a suggested trip? I know we have to book fast! We are open to going to a few countries also.

raquel_z

Renee,

Your post really can not be answered properly because you have given no indication of the kind of things you like to do, the kind of travellers you are, what you are looking for in your travels, your budget etc.

You say "can anyone recommend a suggested trip?' Are you looking for a package tour - everything planned? or do you just want recommendations on where to go?

You make a statement "we are open to going to a few countries also.." With 3 weeks, CR and Argentina would have more than enough to keep you busy. trying to visit even more countries to me does not seem practical. As it is - much of your time could end up being spend travelling between different places.

Do you realize that CR and Argentina are far from eachother. No airline flys no stop between the two. You are looking at 9 hours minimum flying time betweem SJO and EZE - so there goes one full day..

These 2 countries happen to be the two that I travel to the most. I could spend 3 weeks in Buenos Aires alone and find things to keep me busy and entertained. And Costa Rica, though a relatively small country in size, has alot of variety and things to offer.

I would suggest about a week in CR and the rest in Argentina. For CR -pick two places. A popular 1st timer trip is Arenal and Manuel Antonio. From around December 20th to the first week in January are the Peak season for CR. Most places are already booked...

For Argentina - its a huge diverse country. Perhaps look at about 5 days in Bs As and then some of the wine country areas - Mendoza or Salta. You could also consider a trip to Iguazu Falls. Or maybe Patagonia would interest you...

You need to get hold of some guidebooks, study them and zero in on what interests you. You have to spend some time and energy figuring out what you want to see and do. Also read this and other forums. There are lots of great trip reports.

chao and Pura Vida

raquel

Renee09

thanks so much! We love nature, adventure & of course we're on a budget! We like to plan ourselves and hop around from place to place without a tour guide. We don't need to stay in any fancy places since we're on a budget. Do you recommend booking all the hotels before we get there?

From reading around it looks like Rio, Buenos Aires & Iguaza falls is a good combination. Anything else you can recommend would be great!!! THANKS!

juicy03

We did almost that same trip a few years ago and it was great. We started in BA and stayed at the Hyatt which was a really good hotel, reasonably priced, good location. We were there for about 3 days over Christmas and that was enough for us. From there we went to Iguazu for about 2 days--it is very expensive to fly there and definately out of the way, but we were glad we did it. The hotels there are all pretty old and overpriced but we just chose to stay at the one right in Iguazu Falls (the pink hotel, I think its called Cataracas or something like that). From there, we fly to Brazil and went straight to Buzios which is a great little beach town. We really loved it there and wished we had stayed there a few more days. Its about a couple hours drive from Rio--we hired a driver to take us there and the hotel got us one for the way back. Once there, you can basically walk everywhere and its really easy and friendly. Finally, we were in Rio over New Years which was fun. We spent most of our time just relaxing on the beach, having leisurely lunches, and doing some sightseeing. We stayed at the marina all suites (I reviewed it on Trip Advisor) which was ok-if I went back, I would stay at the Caeser Park Ipanema-these are both kind of pricey hotels in the high season,not sure what your budget is, but the hotel was very nice and the staff at the Caeaser Park was really helpful to us, even though we weren't guests. Hope that helps!

raquel_z

Renee,

Not sure if its a consideration for you - but if you add Rio (or anywhere in Brazil) to your itinerary, - assuming you are a US citizen - you will need a visa which will cost you $100 plus the cost for a photo etc...

Reading Juicy's post and comparing it to mine shows just how subjective and personal things are. He says 3 days in Bs As was enough. I wrote that I could easily spend 3 weeks.. (actually I spent a month and am ready to go back.) Its hard to know where in the spectum you will fit...

In Costa Rica, you can do all sorts of "adventure" type activities - zip lining, whitewater rafting, horsebackriding etc. Also - lots of nature - monkeys, sloths, birds etc..

In places like Mendoza in Argentina, as well as wine tours, there are some adventure type activites too. Iguazu is nature at its fullest...

Buenos Aires is a big city. Great food, lots of character and atmosphere. To me it is special. However there are some who can take it or leave it.

As for booking ahead - at least for CR, as I mentioned before, you are ending up there at peak season. You should have something booked. If you don't it will add alot of stress to your time. Of course, that cuts out your flexibility...

I am sure the same would apply in Argentina especially in places like Iguazu.

Good luck in your planning.

raquel

Renee09

Thank you very much for the great advice! If we go to Rio, Buenos Aires & Iguaza from NYC where should we go first? It seems most expensive to fly to BA from NY - what would be the best plan? Also, since we have about 3 weeks, where do you think most of our time should be spent? Of course we would like to make the most of our time in each place.

Also, since it is peak season, do you recommend booking all hotels from now or can we wing it when we get there?

volcanogirl

I definitely would not wing it for hotels in Costa Rica during December; lots of people are booking months and months ahead - that's peak time. Areas that might interest you are Arenal (volcano), Manuel Antonio (beach), Monteverde (cloud forest), and the Osa for amazing unspoiled nature and wildlife - just have to pick the areas that appeal to you most.

Renee09

We want to go to Rio, Buenos Aires & Iguaza from NYC, any recommendations? (previous post - not Costa Rica). We are looking for airfare at the moment.

Stimson

Even two weeks in Costa Rica isn't enough, in my opinion. In 2003, we rented a RAV in San Jose and drove to the Nicoya Peninsula via the ferry from Punteranas. We stayed at a Montezuma horse ranch we really enjoyed called Finca los Caballos (on the edge of the jungle and near the ocean) http://www.crtravelsite.co.cr/hotels...oscaballos.htm
We hiked nearby in Cabo Blanco and visited the Montezuma beaches.

Later, we drove to the Arenal area where we stayed in a comfortable little cottage at the Arenal Paraiso Resort & Spa. Our cottage overlooked the active lava-and-all volcano (even the bathroom had a picture window to see the volcano). Ask for one of the cottages at the top of the hill. They are newer and the views are better. Fortuna waterfall and Tabacon Springs are a short drive from here.

Both of these options were affordable and each was in the vicinity of unique ecological areas.

If you want a rainforest experience, try the Monteverde area or maybe stay at the Chalet Tirol in Heredia, half an hour from San Jose. We were there for one night. It is the home to a fascinating little insect museum. I liked this place better than my companions did.

The center and the Pacific side of Costa Rica are preferable.

We want to go back but instead we're going to Chile and Argentina for six weeks beginning in February.

volcanogirl

Stimson, she has decided not to go to Costa Rica; I missed it too, but it's in one of her postings.

Renee, guess you'll have to save CR for another trip, but it is fabulous, so I hope you get to go someday to enjoy it.

Renee09

Thanks - you guys are very helpful!!! Costa Rica sounds amazing, but right now we are trying to head to BA first. Any ideas where to get a decent airfare? - so far we're having no luck. Once we book it will be very exciting to plan the rest of the trip!