Just booked flights to CR - Where do I start?
Jan 9th, 2005, 08:33 AM
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Just booked flights to CR - Where do I start?
My husband and I (30 yrs old) just booked a 13 day trip to CR in March and we are so excited. I know I have a lot of research ahead of me, but any great ideas on how to start with coming up with an itinerary? I know there is a ton of stuff that we want to do but i want to make sure we balance it with relaxation and not feeling like we are always on the go. Any ideas on how to strike that balance? I know this is vague, but I feel overwhelmed with all of the options right now!
Jan 9th, 2005, 09:40 AM
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Congratulations! My husband and I just returned from a trip to CR with a group of friends. As far as where you want to go..depends on what you're interested in here's where we went and why: Almonds & Corals Luxury tents (a wonderful jungle experience we woke up every a.m. to howler monkeys, saw toucans, many types of birds, unfortunately we couldn't snorkel because the ocean wouldn't cooperate, THE STAFF HERE IS WONDERFUL and the head chef DeKard is a genius!!)
Cabinas Chacon near Chirripo: a lovely mountain resort with trout fishing. Our main goal is to see the Quetzals and Baird Trogon which we did do!!! Many hummingbirds also!! (cold here so pack accordingly)
Arenal (we saw the volcano spit steaming rocks but no lava this time, we rented a car here and drove round the lake, saw toucans, coatis (they wander out on the road to be fed be careful!) stayed at Montana Fuego
Corcovado - this is the most biologically intense place at CR..you have to fly there, but well worth it! Saw Scarlett macaws, howler, white face, squirrel and spider monkies here, tapirs, various birds and iguanas..went deep sea fishing. my son & I wanted to catch a sail fish...which we were able to do!!
finally we went to Quepos...maybe we were tired, but didn't care for this all that much! If you go to Quepos be sure and go to the Costa Verde hotel between 5-6 at the Anaconda restaurant, the monkeys make an outstanding appearance at that time!
Getting around...as I said we flew to Corcovado..Nature Air is the company you can book with...driving yourself ..alot of people do it ...but the roads are not well marked in some places and one cluster of potholes!!
We found a wonderful driver named Carlos AArroyo...that will drive you pretty much anywhere you need to go..he is prompt, inexpensive, and reliable and very sweet...I will share his email and cell phone if you want!!
Cabinas Chacon near Chirripo: a lovely mountain resort with trout fishing. Our main goal is to see the Quetzals and Baird Trogon which we did do!!! Many hummingbirds also!! (cold here so pack accordingly)
Arenal (we saw the volcano spit steaming rocks but no lava this time, we rented a car here and drove round the lake, saw toucans, coatis (they wander out on the road to be fed be careful!) stayed at Montana Fuego
Corcovado - this is the most biologically intense place at CR..you have to fly there, but well worth it! Saw Scarlett macaws, howler, white face, squirrel and spider monkies here, tapirs, various birds and iguanas..went deep sea fishing. my son & I wanted to catch a sail fish...which we were able to do!!
finally we went to Quepos...maybe we were tired, but didn't care for this all that much! If you go to Quepos be sure and go to the Costa Verde hotel between 5-6 at the Anaconda restaurant, the monkeys make an outstanding appearance at that time!
Getting around...as I said we flew to Corcovado..Nature Air is the company you can book with...driving yourself ..alot of people do it ...but the roads are not well marked in some places and one cluster of potholes!!
We found a wonderful driver named Carlos AArroyo...that will drive you pretty much anywhere you need to go..he is prompt, inexpensive, and reliable and very sweet...I will share his email and cell phone if you want!!
Jan 9th, 2005, 10:19 AM
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crazyb1,
You and I would have much in common! The 4 areas you visited were among my favorites and guaranteed to make just about any and everyone ooh and ahh nonstop!
Jenniemojo--you have already received some great ideas! Other popular areas are the northern Pacific beaches and Manuel Antonio, Monteverde, and Tortuguero.
To better assist you, the many posters on this board need to know what your interests are. For example, is lots of beach time important to you or would you rather be in locations where you can experience rain forest, cloud forest, lots of hiking, waterfalls, etc. What do you prefer MOST of? I'm guessing you want a mixture, but even then, as you already know, the choices are huge.
You can't go wrong with any place you choose. Each area has quite a distinct flavor and offers nice accomodations and beautiful sights.
The northern beaches receive the majority of tourists, all the way from Samara to the Papagayo Peninsula. There are wonderful little intimate hotels, suited to every budget under the sun; larger, more American style places, and a sprinkling of all-inclusives, ranging from moderate to quite expensive. Tours are available from these beaches into some of the inland forest areas (such as the Rincon de la Vieja) where you can horseback ride, bird watch, hike, do canopy tours, mud baths, etc. Nearly all hotels will offer tours to any and everything in the Guanacaste (northern Pacific) area.
Manuel Antonio National Park (central Pacific) will give you a mix of beach (very nice ones) and rainforest (or moist forest). Many first time visitors make it a point to go to MA. There is a huge number of activities to do in the area. The hotels are not on the beach, but built up into the hills with shuttle service to the beach. The compact national park and surrounding area is teeming with wildlife.
In between those two places, there are the beaches of the southern Nicoya Peninsula, such as Tambor, Montezuma, MalPais, and Santa Teresa. They aren't as easily acessible, but are wonderful and beautiful places. Plenty of wildlife here as well. The area is more isolated, more laid-back, less activity, great for pure relaxation!
The other 2 beach locations I would mention are the southern Caribbean (where Almonds & Corals Tent Camp is located near Manzanillo)--this area has a distinct Caribbean feel to it--totally different culture existing here!-- and the Osa Peninsula, which is very similar to Manuel Antonio, only bigger and better! And, of course, further away as mentioned. . . Many beautiful eco-lodges on the Osa in 2 primary areas--the Golfo Dulce side and the Drake Bay side.
Aside from the beaches, there are all of the places in between such as Arenal Volcano and Tabacon Hot Springs; Monteverde Cloud Forest; the San Gerardo de Dota and Cerro de la Muerte area south of San Jose (great birding and cloud forest here as well); the canals of Tortuguero in the northern Caribbean region.
In addition to all of the things already mentioned, there are any number of special places tucked away from the most traveled areas and designed to provide a quiet and romantic getaway.
Your biggest challenge will be to make your choices fairly quickly because you really do need to start booking hotels. If your 13 days are around the Easter holidays (last few days of March), many places will already be booked and the country will be quite crowded. Happy planning and good luck!
You and I would have much in common! The 4 areas you visited were among my favorites and guaranteed to make just about any and everyone ooh and ahh nonstop!
Jenniemojo--you have already received some great ideas! Other popular areas are the northern Pacific beaches and Manuel Antonio, Monteverde, and Tortuguero.
To better assist you, the many posters on this board need to know what your interests are. For example, is lots of beach time important to you or would you rather be in locations where you can experience rain forest, cloud forest, lots of hiking, waterfalls, etc. What do you prefer MOST of? I'm guessing you want a mixture, but even then, as you already know, the choices are huge.
You can't go wrong with any place you choose. Each area has quite a distinct flavor and offers nice accomodations and beautiful sights.
The northern beaches receive the majority of tourists, all the way from Samara to the Papagayo Peninsula. There are wonderful little intimate hotels, suited to every budget under the sun; larger, more American style places, and a sprinkling of all-inclusives, ranging from moderate to quite expensive. Tours are available from these beaches into some of the inland forest areas (such as the Rincon de la Vieja) where you can horseback ride, bird watch, hike, do canopy tours, mud baths, etc. Nearly all hotels will offer tours to any and everything in the Guanacaste (northern Pacific) area.
Manuel Antonio National Park (central Pacific) will give you a mix of beach (very nice ones) and rainforest (or moist forest). Many first time visitors make it a point to go to MA. There is a huge number of activities to do in the area. The hotels are not on the beach, but built up into the hills with shuttle service to the beach. The compact national park and surrounding area is teeming with wildlife.
In between those two places, there are the beaches of the southern Nicoya Peninsula, such as Tambor, Montezuma, MalPais, and Santa Teresa. They aren't as easily acessible, but are wonderful and beautiful places. Plenty of wildlife here as well. The area is more isolated, more laid-back, less activity, great for pure relaxation!
The other 2 beach locations I would mention are the southern Caribbean (where Almonds & Corals Tent Camp is located near Manzanillo)--this area has a distinct Caribbean feel to it--totally different culture existing here!-- and the Osa Peninsula, which is very similar to Manuel Antonio, only bigger and better! And, of course, further away as mentioned. . . Many beautiful eco-lodges on the Osa in 2 primary areas--the Golfo Dulce side and the Drake Bay side.
Aside from the beaches, there are all of the places in between such as Arenal Volcano and Tabacon Hot Springs; Monteverde Cloud Forest; the San Gerardo de Dota and Cerro de la Muerte area south of San Jose (great birding and cloud forest here as well); the canals of Tortuguero in the northern Caribbean region.
In addition to all of the things already mentioned, there are any number of special places tucked away from the most traveled areas and designed to provide a quiet and romantic getaway.
Your biggest challenge will be to make your choices fairly quickly because you really do need to start booking hotels. If your 13 days are around the Easter holidays (last few days of March), many places will already be booked and the country will be quite crowded. Happy planning and good luck!
Jan 9th, 2005, 03:42 PM
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Thanks so much for your advice. There are so many knowledgeable posters on this topic!
After doing a lot of research today (!), we really like the sounds of the Osa Penisula particulary a resort with diving access to Cano Island. My husband is a very enthusiastic diver so I think he'd really enjoy it. We also want to stay put somewhere for a few days (prefer beach atmosphere for this part of trip)so we can really wind down and relax.
Here goes - is this realistic?
Day 1 - get in 10pm to San Jose, stay at a nearby inn.
Day 2,3,4 - get up and drive to Arenal Volanco and Monteverde.
Day 5,6,7 - Visit Santa Rosa Park, relax on beaches (?)
Day 8 - Back to San Jose to catch a flight to Osa Peninsula.
Day 8,9,10,11 - Osa Peninsula.
Day 12 - Back to San Jose for departing flight.
Does this make sense?
After doing a lot of research today (!), we really like the sounds of the Osa Penisula particulary a resort with diving access to Cano Island. My husband is a very enthusiastic diver so I think he'd really enjoy it. We also want to stay put somewhere for a few days (prefer beach atmosphere for this part of trip)so we can really wind down and relax.
Here goes - is this realistic?
Day 1 - get in 10pm to San Jose, stay at a nearby inn.
Day 2,3,4 - get up and drive to Arenal Volanco and Monteverde.
Day 5,6,7 - Visit Santa Rosa Park, relax on beaches (?)
Day 8 - Back to San Jose to catch a flight to Osa Peninsula.
Day 8,9,10,11 - Osa Peninsula.
Day 12 - Back to San Jose for departing flight.
Does this make sense?
Jan 9th, 2005, 04:57 PM
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It's a great itinerary. Only change I would suggest is Days 2-7, choose two locations, not 3. The transfers are quite time consuming and you don't want to rush from one place to another without ample time to enjoy each. I would choose between Arenal and Monteverde, then over to the Santa Rosa area. There isn't really anyplace to stay in the Santa Rosa immediate area. I'd stay at Playa Hermosa (El Velero) or Playa Ocotal and do day trips to Santa Rosa or Rincon de la Vieja. You could also stay a few days at one of the all-inclusives on the Papagayo Peninsula such as Fiesta Premier or Allegro Papagayo--OR the very deluxe Four Seasons (wouldn't be my pick, but that's just me!).
Jan 9th, 2005, 05:13 PM
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Thank you. I'm not an all-inclusive fan, so are there other smaller more intimate hotels in that area or is it really geared towards families/kids? We like quiet, seclusion over crowds. Thank you!
Jan 10th, 2005, 04:21 AM
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Sueno del Mar in Tamarindo would be a great place for the two of you. Check it out online. Sounds very romantic!
Tamarindo is a little further south, but you could still enjoy the Rincon de la Vieja and Santa Rosa from there.
Hotel Sugar Beach at Playa Pan de Azucar would be a good place for you to stay as well. About 30 min north of Tamarindo.
Playa Ocotal has some nice accomodations, I understand, but we haven't been there. If were were staying in Hermosa, I'd choose El Velero. In Coco Beach, La Flor de Itabo. Both of these are very near the area you are interested in.
Do you have a map? Purchase the Berndston & Berndston map from Barnes & Noble. It is invaluable!
Tamarindo is a little further south, but you could still enjoy the Rincon de la Vieja and Santa Rosa from there.
Hotel Sugar Beach at Playa Pan de Azucar would be a good place for you to stay as well. About 30 min north of Tamarindo.
Playa Ocotal has some nice accomodations, I understand, but we haven't been there. If were were staying in Hermosa, I'd choose El Velero. In Coco Beach, La Flor de Itabo. Both of these are very near the area you are interested in.
Do you have a map? Purchase the Berndston & Berndston map from Barnes & Noble. It is invaluable!
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