My husband and I are planning a trip to costa rica-a first time for both of us. i was hoping i could have some suggestions of must sees/places to go while we're there. we have 8 nites. any info anyone could provide would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

Don't miss Fortuna/Arenal

i forgot to mention that we are deciding on going either in march or in june. is one of these months better than the other in terms of weather/etc? thanks.

I have only one trip to CR, as far as experience. Was wonderful. Scheduled in June, then found out that that is "rainy season". Started to worry, but found out that it really didn't matter. There might be a rain shower at 3pm or so, but didn't ruin our days. There was one day where we had rain most of the day, and we were on a horseback ride, but what the heck.

We spent a few nights in MA (Si Como No), then Monteverde, then Arenal (my favorite), and last 2 nights at Peace Lodge. There is SO much more to see that we are planning on returning.

I have an email that I have sent to friends who want to try a similar trip. Has websites for the hotels, etc. Would be glad to forward it to you if you'd like.
EK
PS we always rent our own car, and did so on this trip. We enjoy the freedom. Seems to me, on this board, that many folks hire a driver. I can't give you an opinion on that choice, altho I will say that doing our own driving wasn't terrible, as you might think from reading some postings here.
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March has better weatherbut it cost more.

My family spent two weeks in Costa Rica in June. We had fabulous weather, no crowds, and lower prices.

We enjoyed it so much that we are going again this summer.

Costa Rica was beautiful and green in June 2005 for our first family trip! I would defininitely go again in June. yes it rained almost every day in the afternoon, but it didn't rain all day. It wasn't a problem. We just planned all our activities for the morning which is the best time for wildlife anyway. By the afternoon we were tired anyway!

With 8 nights I recommend you fly into SJO, spend first night near the airport, then choose 2 destinations, including 3 or 4 nights in Arenal or 3 or 4 nights in Monteverde as one of the choices.

Costa Rica doesn't have must-see places. It's more like "willing to experience a whole new beautiful world". And when you go home you'll miss it, and discover it's sunk down into your inner spirit and calling you back!

I suggest you read a lot of trip reports on this web-site and see what appeals to you, as well as reading a guidebook.

Pura Vida...

ekellyga
Thinking about the same itinerary but the opposite direction from SJ. Stay night in SJ, then on to Arenal for 3 nights and then on to Manual Antonio for 3 nights , back to SJ for night and then on to Peace Lodge for the last night. Fly home at 3:30. Questions: Where did you stay in Arenal area? Also did you rent a jeep or a 4X4 of some kind and was it expensive? Also do you think it would be pushing it t try to adjust to fit in Monteverde? I had read something about a jeep/boat/jeep tour there from Arenal. Do you know anything about that? I wondered if it was a day trip.

Darn, I had a nice long posting all typed up and somehow it got "dumped" and didn't make it to the board. Don't have time to type it again. If you want to email me I can send you a short itinerary with notes and websites, and will have time later this week to give you a bit more info.
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