Just TWO destinations--which two
 

If we choose just TWO places to go, would Arenal and Tortuguero be good choices for people who just want to do some hiking with 7 year olds, see animals and enjoy nature? or should we try to do Monteverde instead? This would be Easter week, a very busy week and due to our cancellation of our trip to visit relatives in Japan....VERY little time to plan

There's not going to be a lot of hiking in Tortuguero; it's primarily canal based, so you'd spend a lot of time touring in a boat, kayaking, and things like that. You can't swim at the beach, and there aren't really roads there. There is a lot of wildlife though. I'd go with Arenal and the Osa myself. You can hike the Hanging Bridges, do a volcano hike, and hike the waterfall and swim at the bottom. Your kids would love the natural hot springs too. The Osa has more wildlife than any place we've ever seen - saw monkeys, sloths, toucans, scarlet macaws, and even an anteater - it's great for hiking and wildlife, and there's an animal sanctuary you can visit. We got to hold a sloth and a baby monkey there, and we saw dolphins on the trip over. Have you seen this video? Check it out to see if it's something you might like.

http://www.bosquedelcabo.com/home/index.html

You don't say whether you have a full week or not, emmagus. This could make a big difference. I fully agree with volcanogirl that the Osa is Numero Uno for hiking and wildlife. With limited time, you could spend the entire time in this area and not feel shortchanged. Alternatively, you could spend a day or two at either end of your trip in the Orosi Valley or another close area to San Jose, and the rest of the time in Arenal.

I never heard of Osa, I will check it out. Thanks for that good advice. We have vouchers so depending on what flights we can book we have up to 10 days. we can't afford 10 days so i think one week is probably what we have.

easter week will be chock a block on all beaches

and spring break for tourists so do reserve.

www.hotelvillacaletas.com my fav around airport/for beach

Private wonderful will not be crowded

www.arenal.net www.monteverdeinfo.com

if time.

Tortuguero har to get to more canals not much hiking.

ok if time.

Have fun,

Is Osa going to be packed also (beach with both locals and tourists)? Is it possible to get to from Osa to Arenal by driving easily? It looks like a really long drive?

I would not drive we got a driver to arenal and back to san jose then a hopper plane to Osa. Manuel antonio is another nice area more touristy.

For distances and driving times, look here: www.yourtravelmap.com

I think that Arenal and Tortuguero would be fine. There IS hiking in Tortuguero, although it is mostly water-based and only accessible by boat. There are trails through the Tortuguero National Park (the land part) and there is a hike to the "hill" - a turtle shaped area near Tortuguero. You will see lots of wildlife here also - monkeys, lots of birds, turtles, caimans, etc.

The Arenal area has lots to do and a wide variety of places to stay. www.arenal.net It is easy to get transportation from Arenal to the boat landing at Pavona for your boat trip to Tortuguero through Pura Vida Tours in La Fortuna. You could then arrange transportation back to San Jose or to the airport.

For independent travel to Tortuguero, www.tortuguerovillage.com

For package deals to Tortuguero, www.tortugueroinfo.com

While the beach at Tortuguero is not suitable for swimming - way too rough - it is a gorgeous beach for walking and many of the hotels have pools.

I agree with the advice above - hire a private driver or drive yourselves between SJO and Arenal and then head back to SJO and fly to the Osa. The video that I posted is for that area. Sansa Air and Nature Air are the intra-country airlines if you want to check their websites. If you want something easier, do Arenal and Manuel Antonio, although I suspect MA will be crowded. Costa Ricans head to the beach for holidays. MA has a beautiful beach inside the park and easy access to wildlife, although it's pretty tame and used to tourists. The Osa would give you a wilder experience.

O.K. last question....maybe just Osa is enough for 5 nights? It looks gorgeous and like there is a lot to do with a lot of nature. But I am not into those all inclusive posh resorts (I am sure they are great, but it just isn't our thing). And I am not into really rough camps with kids. Is there something in between and with a pool that anyone has stayed at and can recommend?

Everything also looks BOOKED so far.

I would check availability at Bosque del Cabo, if nothing there check at El Remanso. Both are all-inclusive in the fact that food is included - but only because driving to get food somewhere else would involve an extremely bumpy hour drive. Definitely not like the AI's up on the north, beautiful cabinas but not what I would say is posh. Very much there to do to keep you occupied for 5 days or more. Very wildlife intensive, lots of hiking to do but with small luxuries like a small pool and bar, excellent food etc. Easter may be fully booked though, I would inquire asap.

In the Osa, try Cabinas Jimenez in Puerto Jimenez. The price is great, and you can get a family room (the one we were in had bunkbeds for the kids). It's really low-key, there's a small (quite small) pool, swimming in the gulf with local families, and lots of possibilities for day trips to beaches and hiking. Don't expect luxury, but it's not a "rough camp." Right on the edge of town, several good, small restaurants. We loved it.

No doubt, most places that are desirable will be already booked for Easter week. One of the reasons I suggested Tortuguero and Arenal. Not quite as crowded. Kids will love the boat ride through the jungle to Tortuguero.

The week leading up to Easter, Semana Santa, is a huge vacation week for Costa Ricans. The government basically shuts down. It is traditionally a time when families re-unite and head for the beach. Add to that, the people coming from other countries and you have a pretty good crowd.

Another option--much cheaper and closer--would be the Sarapiqui region, which has fantastic ecoutours and wildlife sighting. Chocolate plantation tours, amazing birds, etc. It's about 2 hours from San Jose and about 90 minutes from Arenal.

Yes - agree with RAC. Sarapiqui is an excellent option and probably not as crowded as the beaches.

Osa seems so great but I am not sure we can get this together this quickly. The places are either booked or incredibly expensive (man, I need a new career that makes more money apparently). I am still trying since we have the refund now from our Japan trip so i can even switch airlines and am no longer bound to American. Or we could try to go in the summer (how would Osa be to travel in the summer?)

me again....cabinas Jimenez has an opening but I did read someone on tripfinder complaining that it is really loud (opposite a nightclub??). Is this true or just someone trying to smear this place?

Bosque del Cabo is booked, I imagine. It's pricey, but not an all-inclusive resort in the traditional sense of the word. I love it, and I'm not into resorts either. Really, the only things that are inclusive are the meals (though there are alternatives), and the expansive trail system. You can hike (or get rides) to and from the beach, and there's a great little pool for the kids. The last time my husband and I were there, a couple of families were having a wonderful time there. Very kid-friendly.

Early summer is a fine time to be on the Osa, maybe a bit of rain, but pleasant.






















Th

We've traveled to the Osa during summer and loved it. I wouldn't got in September or October when it gets really rainy.

Emmagus, we stayed at Cabinas Jimenez 4 nights. On one of the nights (Friday or Saturday) there was indeed loud music coming across the bay from the music club well into the night. We noticed it, but it didn't really bother us. The room had an air conditioner, so we closed the door and windows and turned on the air con, and slept just fine. The other nights were very quiet.

Sorry about the typo above - should be "go" :).

O.K. thanks for everyones input and help. After careful thought....we think that going to Osa is going to be very expensive and that we should probably go to Monteverde and Arenal and save the extra money towards going back to Japan as soon as we can to visit our relatives.

There's a good transportation service called Jeep Boat Jeep through Desafio that runs between Arenal and Monteverde if you want to look into it. It cuts across the lake and saves you a little time on the bumpy road. The views are really beautiful. It was between $25-30 a person the last time we used it.

No one above suggested Samara as your beach destination. It's a tiny town with some great beach bars, a surf school and several good restaurants. It's a simple tiny place with a crescent beach. You can even get a fisherman to take you out to an islet just offshore for snorkeling.

You could split your week between Arenal/Monteverde/Samara.

Also - It was a great place for our kids.

Oh boy....more confusion. O.K. Continental Drifter, I am going to look at Samara....because I gotta admit....I was a little concerned by Lonely Planet's description of Monteverde as being a paradise on a good day and Disneyland on a bad one! Yikes
I think this may all depend on whether we are too late for a car.

emmagus--

Don't be disuaded from your plan by every suggestion that comes along. There are dozens and dozens of places that would provide enjoyment for you. If you allow yourself to be confused as they are dealt out one by one, it will be Easter of 2012 before you come up with a plan.

Your original plan, Arenal and Tortuguero, sounded great to me. No, for your situation, it sounds PERFECT! What kind of hiking were you planning? All day treks into the jungle? Probably not. We had a wonderful 40 minuite walk at Turtle Beach Lodge in Tortugeuro. Seemed great to me for 7 years olds.

Stick with your plan and book it ASAP.

I don't think of Monteverde as Disneyish - if you go to the reserves, it's just beautiful hiking, wildlife, birds, cloud forest, etc. and the night hikes are cool.

I know, I know, I know.....I am so friggin confused. We were just saying how hard it is to change gears. we were planning on visiting relatives in Japan and suddenly we are using travel vouchers for a totally different kind of experience!

That I agree with, emmagus. We are sticking with Japan in May/June, which we had fully planned and reserved (all 5 weeks of it!), with the only change being cancellation of the Tohoku portion of our trip (we're now flying between KIX and Hokkaido instead of taking the train and stopping off along the way). I just couldn't get my mind around changing all those plans and finding someplace new, so we're going with it.

I think by May/June you will be fine...especially going to Hokkaido. Our kids are in school and we just couldn't pull them out then....for us, summer would be tough since my mother in law has no AC and there may be limited AC in Tokyo this year (it really gets brutally hot there). It has been really tough changing plans....and hence all my indecision and confusion.

We did not find Monteverde Disney-ish at all! We'd squeeze it in also...

Also - try Costa Rica Surf for a car rental. I have another post on here for www.crsurf.com. Go to their rental car site and post an inquiry. They'll find you a car if there's one to be had!

Thanks everyone. We got a car we got our tickets (I was waiting for the prices to go down as promised on Tuesday night which they did). We are now just nailing down destinations. Small hotel or a house in Monteverde....and a hotel in Arenal.....and I think that may be it. Not sure we should squeeze the beach in or just enjoy two destinations over the 7 days (one night at the airport). It is hard to judge distances and I know the end of the week the beaches will be packed with locals on vacation

So we got the car, we got a cabin in Monteverde, we got a place in Arenal. Next question if you can bear with me. We are leaving NYC at 6:00 a.m. which means we are getting to the airport about 4:00 a.m. We get to San Jose at about 11:00 a.m. and pick up the car. I am sure we will be STARVING but all the guide books say DO NOT LEAVE anything in your car. We will be driving right to Monteverde. Help. How can we last without eating? Anyone have a place we could grab take out for the car they can recommend?

Ah... I'm actually quoted in the Costa Rica book on this one. Don't leave the car. Switch off. One of you go get the food and one stay with the car.

There's a little B&B a few miles before you get to Santa Elena called Satya B&B. I've got some prior postings on here about it. It's an organic coffee plantation with two rooms for a very inexpensive nightly rate. We loved the owners and they enjoyed having us and the kids there.

Good luck and let us know how your trip went! If anything comes up, we'll check your postings and help if we can.

There are a lot of places to eat in the airport; you could grab something there. They have a lot of US chains in the airport for some reason, so it would be pretty easy.

There are many places to stop where you don't have to "switch off." Thieves will be looking at all the spots where gringoes in rented cars stop. If you stop at a small, Tico-style place, no problem.

In fact, when you rent your car, there is a place nearby where you can eat - RostiPollo - which is very good.

So -- eat something at the airport before you leave (look for the food court before you go to passport control/Migracion), head for someplace close to the airport like RostiPollo or look for a suitable place along the highway.

In San Ramon (about 45 minutes to an hour from the airport), there is a shopping center on the corner of the highway and the road that goes into San Ramon. There are several restaurants here to choose from and a convenient stopping point. Bring something (or get something) to cover up your luggage. I don't think you would have any problem there.

imho I would hold to the rule of "never leave exposed luggage in your car unattended." no matter where. Sorry to say, we're the voice of experience speaking. We thought a small parking lot with other cars on a busy street mid day in Cartago (next to a Starbucks like cafe) would be a safe bet. not. All that is necessary is to take a screwdriver to the back lock of one of those rental suvs. . . Didn't spoil our love of Costa Rica. We just got a little careless, as leaving anything of value in sight in a car is not something we ever even do here in our own city. Theft from auto being the biggest crime in our otherwise safe neighborhood.

It happened to some people we met too; they lost all their clothes, camera, etc.

On the drive to Monteverde from the airport, before we turned up into the hills, we passed lots of open-air cafes. They were right along the road. You could park your car in full view of where you are sitting and keep an eye on it at all times.

There were two times on our trip that we had to park somewhere with luggage in our car. Cafe & Macadamia, a nice spot along the lake between Monteverde and Arenal, fortunately had a young man watching the parking lot. The other place, the national park along the coast at Uvita, was a prime spot for theft but we took the chance anyway and came out OK. We made sure we took the GPS with us everytime we left the car.

emmagus -- just curious-- how or why did you decide to visit Arenal and Monteverde for your two locations?