Will be in CR for 13 days. Our itinerary is Monteverde 3 days, Manuel Antonio 5 days and Dominical 4 days. We're wondering if we should change plans and try to hit the Nicoya peninsula instead of Dominical. In Dominical the hotel options seem to be either the Villa Rio Mar or Hotel Roca Verde. Has anyone stayed at either of these places? Is white water rafting an activity near Dominical?
Is it reasonable to drive from Monteverde to the Nicoya peninsula? (Tamarindo? Montezuma? Where else?) How long should we estimate for driving time?

It depends how much you would like to see. I would include Arenal Volcano and Tabacon Springs in the itinerary prior to Monteverde if driving from SJ. 2 days is plenty in Monteverde - spend two in Arenal. You can either head to Nicoya peninsula from both and spend time in Tamarindo beach area, or head to MA. We have a place there and enjoy the restaurants and beach life. Or you could drive to Manuel Antonio for a few days and then onto Dominical(a little over an hour from MA)and roads are bumpy,or go to the Osa Peninsula for 2 or 3 from MA and on way back stay in Dominical. We stayed at Villa Rio Del Mar and loved it and stayed at Parrot Bay Club in Porta Jiminez on the beachin the Osa. Had a great time and met wonderful people at both. Had a great guide from the PBay club to hike with - saw so much! We did that and then drove to Jaco for a day and then to Tamarinda for 4 days. I don't know about the white water rafting in that area. Whatever you do I would include the volcano area if going up to Monteverde area. We plan on being there again at the end of june to end of July and hope to get up to the volcano area again. I'd be glad to answer any other questions. Have a great trip.
Marilynn

I went white water rafting in turrialba (SP?)
I did it in West Virginia on a world class river years ago....the rafting in costa rica was mind-blowing...oh yeah, it was dry season. Considering how hard core it was then, I don't think my girlfiend would go again during the rainy season when it gets real nasty

Hola!
We just returned from 12 days in Costa Rica and I am happy to give you feedback. I highly recommend a stop at the Tabacon Hotsprings Resort at Arenal--make a reservation though! The hotel was out of our travel budget, but well worth the $120 per night. We took a taxi/boat/taxi to Monteverde, very bumpy roads.I Dont recommend the Arco Iris cabins--not very friendly or cozy environment, but we loved Santa Elena's rustic charm and the atmosphere of the cloud forest. We took the Original Canopy Tour. The guides were wonderful and friendly, but Sky Trek has suspension bridges and runs specials. Also, the park of course, was wonderful and full of birds! From there we went to Manuel Antonio. Gorgeous! We stayed at El Mono Azul hotel. The owners are fabulous and the restaurant serves great pina coladas and food and has a great atmosphere with sloths and birds all around. The rooms are clean, but plain, and its a ride on the bus to the beach. Go to the second beach in the park, it's the safest and best! We spent one night in Jaco--good beachy atmosphere and shopping. We did not go down to the Osa or Dominical--but I heard its the best down south! I would head south over Nicoya. There is whitewater rafting in MA as well as mangrove tours and hang gliding. I hope you have as wonderful a time as we did!
Leanne

From a question I had asked prior, I believe the drive from Monteverde to Tamarindo (or that area) is 4-5 hours.

Marilynn, I was trying to find the person who drove from MA to Puerto Jimenez, which we are considering doing. How was the drive? We have contacted the hotel via email but all they have said is that the road is not bad. I don't know what they consider "not bad". It is worse than the Arenal-Monteverde trip? Please help if you are here.

My husband and I went a couple of years ago and loved it! We stayed in San Jose one night and went to a karoke bar. It was so funny. The people were wonderful and were even singing American songs, when they didn't speak a word of English. They served us dinner and 2 for $1.00 Heinekens. Our dinner and beers later came to $10.00! Very cheap! Then we rented a car and drove to the pacific coast. It was a beautiful drive, but I wouldn't recommend driving in SJ. It is horrible. Rent a car from the airport and drive from there. Driving up the coast was beautiful and the people were so friendly. We stopped at a road-side bar to take a break and the people were so nice. They didn't speak a word of English, but were happy we were trying to speak Spanish (which is very broken between the two of us). We went to Jaco and stayed in a wonderful resort right on the beach there. It was only about $50.00 a night and was wonderful. It had a back porch that lead right on to the beach. I can't remember what the name of the resort, but it was on the main stip in Jaco. Definately stop in the rain forest and take a hike. It is beautiful! The culture and the people in CR are wonderful. We have recommended numerous friends to go there and they have had a great time. Don't forget your departure tax at the airport when you leave. Go to the information desk and ask them where to pay it and they will direct you. We didn't know there was a departure tax and waited in line forever. We had to get out of line to pay the tax then wait again to go through security. Also, they don't take $ for the tax, so make sure you've saved enough colon (about $26 USD) to pay it. I've read on message boards that they will accept $'s, but they wouldn't let pay with $'s when we were there. Also, make sure you get to the airport at least 2 hrs. before your flight. They lines are very long for security. Have a great time!

Hi Barbara,
We went to M.A. and Dominical. Enjoyed M.A. more, though i have to admit we only stayed one night in Dominical and didn't really take advantage of activities there, which I understood to be whitewater river rafting, guided hikes and i think horseback riding. We did stay at Villas Rio Mar - it's like a small resort in the middle of a tiny town. Immaculate grounds, cabanas (2 rooms per cabana) and friendly staff. The rooms aren't big, but are fine (take your mosquito repellant!). It's not on the beach (Hotel Roca Verde is), but i walked by Roca Verde and thought Rio Mar was nicer. Be warned that the road from M.A. to Dominical is pretty bad (dirt road with potholes and rickety bridges). In M.A., we stayed at Villas Nicolas, which I also recommend.

Have fun!
Barb