Itinerary In CR : please help
 

Hello,
Here is my plan ( april 29-may 11) :
-Arrival in SJO at 6.30am, flight for MA
-4 nights in MA, Makanda by the sea, studio 9
back to SJO by plane, rent a 4*4
-1 night Arenal : hotel ?
-2 nights Monteverde, Sapo dorado ?

-2 nights Montezuma, hotel ?
-last night at the Peace lodge, our flight leave at 9.30am.
I think it is a little busy, should I skip Arenal or Monteverde ?
I will be 5 mo pregnant so I am a little concerned by the drive Arena-MV. SJO-MV is much better right ?
Thnak you

Your itinerary sounds good but I would caution that the trip from Monteverde to Montezuma is a long one for only 2 nights. It took us about 7-8 hours (took us longer b/c we just missed the car ferry but still would have been around 6 hours, best case). Having said that, we loved Montezuma and the El Sano Banano Hotel.

actually I miscalculate it would be 3 nights in Montezuma. Do you think we should skip Arenal, make 2 MV and 4 montezuma ?
thank you

Definitely! That's too much moving around. OR, you could do Arenal for 2 nights then head down to Montezuma, skipping Monteverde. Arenal to Montezuma is about 6 (if not 7)hours and Montezuma back to San Jose as long. Don't wear yourself out. All the driving will tire you in your delicate condition! :)

Oh you think that Arenal is nicer than Monteverde ?
We have seen volcanos ( La Reunion, Lanzarote ) but not active ones. I thought Monteverde was nicer because in Arenal, you are not so sure to see the volcano if there is clouds ?
Is Montezuma a good idea ?

Arenal is a very pretty area and there is much to do there even if you can't see the volcano. You probably wouldn't be able to do the hot springs, though. I didn't mean that one was preferable over the other--the two areas are vastly different and really can't be compared--just thought I'd mention some options for your time split.

Sure, Montezuma is a good idea if you want to spend a lot of time at the beach. You will have already been to Manuel Antonio. Montezuma is a very funky little town. Because of your pregnancy, however, you might not feel comfortable climbing to the falls or hiking the Cabo Blanco Reserve. Without those activities, I could see how 4 days there might be a little long.

You could do 2 nights Arenal, 2 nights Monteverde, and then 2 nights in the central valley--there is much to see and do in that area. Poas Volcano and crater (very beautiful with a nice gentle hike), for example; you could stay more nights at Peace Lodge and enjoy the entire area from there--Sarapiqui area; the little towns of Sarchi, Grecia, Zarcero. South of San Jose to Cartago, Irazu Volcano, Orosi Valley, Lankaster Gardens. This entire area is GORGEOUS.

thank you for your advices. You are right, we could do 2 n Arenal, 2 MV and 3 peace logde, and that would avoid us the drive to Montezuma.
I am not too concerned about the hike because I am very trained ( half dome in november ;))so I sould be OK but more about the driving...
The other alternative is 2 nights MV, 4 montezuma ( or malpais ), 1 peace lodge

Montezuma could be fun for you if you would like to just chill for a few days and do as much or as little as you feel like. The hike to the falls is not strenuous, but over rocks in the river, etc., and could be considered a little perilous due to accidental slipping/falling.

Cabo Blanco Reserve--the full hike over the ridge to the beach is 2 hours each way and, in the heat of the day, extremely strenuous with a lot of uphill. There is a shorter loop that would allow good wildlife viewing, but doesn't take you all the way to the beach and back. Allow 2 hours for the short loop. 5-6 hour for the long hike with 4 hours of hiking (2 hours very strenuous) and 1-2 hours at the beach resting.

You could also check out MalPais/Sta. Teresa beaches as you have mentioned. They are both pretty. While at Montezuma, you could also do the Isle de Tortuga day trip--relaxing! So, yes, I'm sure you could find as much as you wanted with plenty of time to just read a book or swing in a hammock!

Hi -
I am planning our first trip to Costa Rica too - so I can't help you out with your itinerary , but I traveled to Tahiti when I was 5 months pregnant. I would consider skipping bumpy roads if at all possible. I took a motor scooter (there were no cars) around Bora Bora and we had to stop frequently (alot, alot) because it became so uncomfortable. Everybody is different of course, but I would skip Arena/MV for now and come back later with kid(s).

thank you for your inputs. I know it would be safer to skip Monteverde but I am really sad do do so...
It must be really nice...I don't know what to do :)

My suggestion would be to skip the 4x4 and hire a private transfer. Driving yourself in CR can be a little stressful if you haven't done before. Private transfer will have a informative, bi-lingual driver and they will stop as much as you need on the way. You also choose your departure times. You might be amazed that the cost is pretty comparable to what you will spend on renting a 4x4 + all the insurance that is required. Many companies handle private transfers. Very reputable company is GaiaLink Tours. Contact Ralph at gaialinktours.com and he'll give you a quote. Good choice in MA and Peace Lodge. I would do Arenal and stay at Tabacon or if not available, then Lost Iguana. If you opt not for Arenal, add another night or two on at Peace Lodge.

I second the suggestion about contacting Ralph at Gaialink tours. Check out the website. Just email Ralph and tell him the places you want to visit, the amount of money you want to spend and he will make up an itinerary for you to review. He made all our arrangements, the hotels, the tours and our transportation. I had no worries about emailing hotels, worrying about whether or not my reservations were received, etc. Everything was done for us and our trip couldn't have gone better. I also thought the price was very reasonable. Give them a try.

Sara

thank you, I will check.
I think I am going to follow a pregnant women advice and skip monteverde. A miscarriage would definitely ruin the vacation !
-4 n Manuel Antonio ( fly to go there )
-3 n Montezuma ( fly to go there )
-2 n Arenal drive but no so bad right ?
-2 n peace lodge

What do you think ?

The drive to Arenal is just fine. A little bumpier if you go around the lake, but not enough to cause problems for you, certainly.

My husband and I are also going to CR end of April and I will also be 5 mos pregnant. I am glad to hear someone else is worried about the bumpy roads - my husband thinks I am being ridiculous! We are renting 4x4 and hopeful the roads from SJ to MP will not be too bad. We are staying most of time in mal pais/santa teresa area with first and last nights on the way somewhere in-between. Enjoy your trip!

I think we will fly to Montezuma because the trip is pretty long ( 6 hours ? )
What hotel are you staying in ?

thank you shillmac about your answer. What do you think about this new program ?

I just got back from CR. I would not skip Monteverde as it is WONDERFUL!!

I would have skipped MA and instead went northwest near the Nicaragua border. MA is sooooo damn touristy.

Sorry euripide, you lost me. What new program? ;)

This itinerary looks much better. Your first choice was good, but a bit too ambitious in my opinion and you seemed to be jumping around too much. Your new itinerary seems to have a better flow.

I always hate to see Monteverde cut from a trip, but in your situation, the road is rather bumpy and painfully slow.

Am I correct that you actually have 12 nights? Am assuming you are staying overnight near SJ, for first night?

In Montezuma we much enjoyed the El Sano Banana Beach Bungalows.

no we have 11 nights, but we land in SJO at 6.30am so we have time to catch the Sensa flight to go to Manuel antonio.
-4n Manuel
-3n Montezuma
-2n Arenal
-2n Peace lodge, we will drive directly from Peace lodge to the Airport ( I have heard 1 hour driving )

Such a genius I am--figured it out myself with a hint from Donna! DUH!

New program--new itinerary. . . . .must be the European phrasing that threw me? Agree your itinerary (program!) sounds excellent--the time is almost here, so just enjoy!

Whaou, how did you find out I was european ? ;) not my accent ?
you are right, I live in California but am french.
About my program ( ;) ) I am still a little bit sad to skip Monteverde because everybody seems so enthusiastic about it...What a dilemna...

Wow you arrive at 6:30 AM. Awesome, you don't lose the day! But what time do you leave!

we leave san francisco at 9.30 PM, and LA around 11.30. We will sleep on the plane ;)
Is Monteverde your favorite ?

euripide,
Here's the thing. Monteverde is surely wonderful. I say surely because, although we have been to Costa Rica 9 times during the past 4 years, we've never yet been to Monteverde! Crazy, huh? We'll get there (hopefully this summer), and when we do, we'll think it's amazing. How do I know this? Because everywhere we've been (and we've covered a lot of ground) has been fabulous! So relax about having to drop part of your "program"--it won't lessen your enjoyment one little bit--and you'll have something to look forward to the next time you visit. Very few people are satisfied with one trip to Costa Rica! It has a way of grabbing the heart :) Just go have fun and don't fret!

Monteverde provides many favorite mememories. But I also have many favorite memories from all the areas you are visiting.

So don't fret over dropping an area. Save Monteverde for a future trip and look forward to it. I am pretty sure you will have quite a few more places to add to that trip.

As Shillmac said, CR tends to grab hold of some people. Right now I have enough on my must do list to make up trips 5, 6 and 7!

Have you nailed down your hotel choices?

You have a good trip planned - go and enjoy!

Thank you so much.
As far as the hotels, I already booked " Makanda by the sea " at MA, and the " Peace lodge ".
For Arenal, I am thinking about the lost Iguana.
For Montezuma, the Sano Banano, but I still hesitate with Malpais ?

Monteverde was my favorite part of the trip. The cloud forests are beautiful. I strongly suggest doing all 3 night walks. The canopy was great there also. The only downside is that the roads are terrible.

Have fun in Costa Rica.

PS: I am also in the SF Bay Area. :)

darow, I was planning to skip Monteverde. I will be 5 mo pregnant and as the roads are really bad, I think this is safer.
You think Arenal is not as nice ?
What places did you see ?

I loved Arenal also. Depending where you are coming from, you might also have road problems.

Besides Monteverde, I also went to Manuel Antonio which I did not like as much. Monteverde and Arenal were spectacular.

Have a great trip.

euripide,
It is true that if you take the road west around Lake Arenal toward Liberia, you'll encounter some bumpiness--as opposed to the very decent road from Arenal to San Jose. I haven't been to Monteverde, but from several posts, it seems the Monteverde-Arenal road is one of the rougher rides in the entire country. Your proposed itinerary, at this time, does not include any roads that will cause you too much discomfort.

Thank you very much
Shillmac, I have been very comforted by the fact that you did not go to Monteverde yet and still love Costa Rica.
I am going to book the lost Iguana through centralamerica.com.
My last doubt is Montezuma ( I have read the bad review yesterday ) or Malpais, and what hotel in this part of Costa Rica. Do you have advices ?

We just did a trip to CR in January and hit some of the spots on your itinerary. We opted to skip Monteverde because we had heard that the drive up is horrendous and we didn't have a lot of time. Instead we spent an extra day in Arenal. I can't personally comment about Monteverde, but everyone we talked to that had done it said that the drive wasn't worth it. If you want to buy yourself some time, you could shift one of your days from MA. But don't skip it...MA park is definitely worth it (lots of monkeys and nice beaches); we also stayed at Makanda and enjoyed that. The Peace Lodge is wonderful...definitely keep this on your itinerary...and leave enough time to check out the hummingbirds and waterfalls (a few hours should do it)! You may want to consider staying there on your way up to Arenal(especially if you do end up going to Monteverde) so that you don't have to backtrack. Another great place that we stayed at was the "Hotel Grano de Oro" in San Jose. It was reasonably priced, within walking distance to the city center, and the restaurant served the best food we had the entire trip! This might be a good place to spend your last night.

euripide,
The entire country is too full of fascinating locales to be upset about missing one of them. We hope to go this summer just so we can see what so many rave about. As I've stated before, we haven't been disappointed anyplace in CR yet! I'm convinced that, if you have to drop anything from your itinerary, you are most certainly going to gain wonderful days somewhere else! It's a no-pressure, win-win situation! :)

Thank you so much for your comments ;) I booked all hotels now execpt in Montezuma. I think we 'll go for el Sano Banano because florBlanca in Malpais looks great but is really expensive. My husband will complain I told him Costa Rica was cheap :) Shillmac, where did you stay in Malpais ?

The bad review you are referring to - is I assume that someone made reference to Montezuma being a big hippie town and about the food.....?

Well yes Montezuma is a very laid back kind of town, and yes it does tend to throw you back to the 60's, which you do not remember!

The town is really just 2 main streets, with people milling around, lined with shops and restaurants, outdoor vendors and such. The ESB in town restaurant is a good place to sit outside and sip a fruit smoothie for you and something stronger for hubby and just people watch. Sounds odd, but they also have dinner and a movie at night, which for a change was interesting, we are not big party people, so the late night bars hold no appeal, but there are a couple.

I am certain you have read many reviews on this board about El Sano Banano, I can only remember one maybe two that were not pleased. However, It is important to know what to expect, the domes could get uncomfortable, due to their size being so small, which can limit air circulation, especially during the daytime. But the hammocks along the beach and the pool area, are delightful for relaxing, catching a breeze, reading and napping, just being lazy for the day. Remember that they also have some beachfront suites, you could consider.

With the new beachside restaurant, I would certainly not hesitate to go back. The walk into town 3 times a day got a little old to us, so we tended to eat late breakfast and early dinner. When you arrive in Montezuma, after checking in, go to the grocery next door and stock up on snacks and drinks to keep in your room, this way you can haul your things down in the back of the truck. There is a mini fridge and don't forget to keep your snacks in ziplock bags or containers with lid.

The grounds at ESB are lovely, the pool so inviting. The sound of the surf is wonderful. The water is a bit rough. But the walks along the beach are wonderful, you could go for miles if you wanted.

For ST/Malpais - my stepdaughter just returned from a stay at Tropico Latino, she was very happy. You can find her report by searching for audraf. She did comment that she really liked the town of Montezuma and would love to go back there.

We had read a few negative reports about Tropico and got a little nervous as to what she would encounter. So read the negative reports but weigh in the positive and know what you can expect.

As for the expense, well do as all us women planners do - make a few concessions and work the budget to fit it all in - if the husband is not helping in the planning, he normally just wants to know bottom line cost.

One more thing - This may be important to you - if you do decide on the dome bungalows at El Sano - make certain you make it very clear that you want a beach front bungalow. They do have 2 that are up the hill a bit and surrounded by lush foliage. Which of course is certainly not bad, but when on the beach, I want to see the water.

thank you so uch, that was a great help. I am going to the beachfront suite on the website.

euripide, we stayed at Tropico Latino--in the one beachfront bungalow with an unobstructed view.