Itinerary suggestions
 

Hi all! My family of four is headed to Costa Rica in mid August for a 7 days. We've booked three days in Arenal and now are searching for a good beach destination to balance out our trip. Any suggestions? We'd considered the Cahuita area, but are worried about drive times from Arenal. We would love to snorkel, see wildlife and maybe kayak. Would we be able to snorkel in Manual Antonio this time of year?
Thanks for the help!

The Arenal/Manuel Antonio combo is a good one, probably the most popular itinerary for first timers. That's what we did for our first trip, and it was great. We haven't found good snorkeling in CR though. We did it in Manuel Antonio, but there was sediment in the water so the visibility wasn't great. Tons of wildlife though, and the beach inside the national park is gorgeous.

Cahuita in August is no good for snorkeling as far as I know. It’s the rainy season. We were there in July and the ocean was rough from off shore storms and muddy, though warm. The beautiful clear water pictures you see from that area are from a different season.

Thanks for the insight. Good to know about Cahuita. What about Playa Flamingo or Playa Conchal. Do you think there's any chance of snorkeling there in August?