Marilyn Brady

Our family of four (husband, myself and children ages 9-1/2 and 7) just returned from 12 days in Costa Rica. We had the time of our lives. I would be happy to share any information on the places we visited: San Jose, Quepos (Manuel Antonio), Monteverde, La Fortuna (Arenal volcano). In our opinion, CR is a "must-do" vacation for adventurous family travellers. We will definitely return.

Karen

Happy to hear you had such a great trip! We are going to Costa Rica in Jan. for a week with our kids (5 & 6). We are staying at an all inclusive Allegro resort near Puntarenas with 1 or 2 nights at another Allegro resort near the Carrara Biological Reserve. Did you visit this area? Do you have any suggestions for short day trips in these areas? We booked this trip because we weren't sure the kids were old enough to travel all around the country, but we wanted to see more than a beach, expecially animals. How was the travel portion of your trip? Did you drive or fly? Any feedback would be helpful. If this trip goes well we hope to do a longer, more extensive trip in the future. Thanks!

Clea

Hello - <BR>My friend and I are going to Costa Rica in February, and we will be staying at the Arenal Observatory Lodge. We only have 2 days to spend there (arrive mid-morning, spend 2 nights, then leave very early in the morning). Is it possible to go to Monteverde and do both the butterfly farm and the canopy tour in one day? Thanks!

Marilyn Brady

Karen: <BR> <BR>We did not visit the areas you are visiting, but, like you, I was concerned my kids wouldn't be prepared for the rigors of travel. They both really rose to the occasion. They had their own money to spend which helped alot. They also were required to learn how to say please, thank you, hello, where is the bathroom and water please in Spanish. We tried to learn as much as we could about CR before we left and as a general rule, we do not cater to picky eater syndrome in my family -- which helps alot when you travel. The Costa Rican people are so wonderful and accomodating -- there is so much for kids, you will have a wonderful time. If you'd like our specific trip report (which covers a different part of the country than you are visiting, but perhaps helpful), please e-mail me and I will send it to you. Have fun!! <BR> <BR>Clea -Monteverde is exceptional and to try and do it in one day would be heroic. What exactly do you mean by one day? The Butterfly Farm there is fantastic. The Canopy Tour is fun, but gimmicky. The Monteverde Hummingbird Gallery is amazing as is the Reserve and the Ecological Farm. If you are trying to drive to Monteverde and see those things in one day. . .I guess you could do it, but you would be exhausted. When you are in Arenal, go to Los Lagos and hike up the River of Lava. Even if the volcano is covered in clouds (which it is a lot) you will be impressed!! Have a wonderful trip! We spent 2 days in La Fortuna, if you would like more info. please e-mail me and I will send you a trip report. Pura Vida!! Marilyn

lisa

Marilyn: Glad you had such a great time -- we loved CR too! <BR> <BR>Clea: If I am understanding your question, it sounds like you are basically saying that you will have one & one-half days at Arenal Observatory Lodge and are wondering if you could take your one whole day there and do a day trip to Monteverde? If so, the answer is no. It takes 3-4 hours each way to get to and from Monteverde from the Arenal/Fortuna area, by car or on horseback. Keep in mind that it gets dark by around 5 and you don't want to be on the roads after dark. This would mean that if you left Arenal Observatory Lodge at dawn (5:30ish) for Monteverde, you might be there by 9:30 am, and to be back at Arenal Observatory Lodge by dark you would need to leave Monteverde by around 1 pm, so you would only have 3.5 hours to spend in Monteverde. Not worth it. Plus, there are plenty of interesting things to do around Arenal and you don't have much time there as it is. It is very pretty in that area and I think you'll like it a lot. <BR> <BR>Karen: If you're staying near Carara Biological Reserve you should definitely think about doing a guided tour in the reserve. I'm sure you can arrange this through your hotel. Keep in mind that you will see a lot more wildlife if you go very early in the morning or very late in the afternoon before dusk, when the birds and other animals are more active. Also, near Carara, you can stop at the bridge that goes over the Tarcoles river and get out and look at the crocodiles in the river -- they are enormous and I'm sure your kids would get a thrill out of seeing them. That only takes a few minutes. Have a great time.

liz

I'm starting to plan our honeymoon in Costa Rica. I wanted to ask if you planned your own artinerary or did you go through tour or travle package?

Dennis

<BR>I have a website at: http://community.webtv.net/N0336/CostaRicaTravel, which has a couple of links on it under the General Information Section on "Traveling With Children in Costa Rica" Might be of some help to you. If I can give you more information just E Mail me.Hasta Luego. Dennis

Jeryl

I feel so lucky to have found your posting! How nice of you to volunteer to answer questions. We are contemplating taking our children 12 & 9 to CR in March. Did you fly around CR or did you drive? I hear the roads are very difficult. We are a bit nervous travelling with children in a car. We also hear horror stories about car rentals. Anyway, I would love to know where you stayed, how long, etc., basically your whole itinerary or as much as you have time for. Thanks a lot