We are planning a family trip to Costa Rica during February school vacation 2008. We are considering the popular Arenal-Manuel Antonio itinerary but we're flexible.

Our priorities:
* Arenal for 3-4 nights
* Beach location 4-5 nights
* Beach location should be within 5 hour drive of SJO
* We want to be around monkeys (don't laugh!)

Any ideas?

Monkeys were a priority for us too! The first ones we saw were on the day trip to Cano Negro out of Arenal; we saw howlers and capuchins and were so excited. In Manuel Antonio, we had them on the property where we stayed (Mango Moon) and then saw loads of them at Manuel Antonio National Park. The ones in the park are so used to people - they actually seemed like they were posing for pictures. A combo Arenal/Manuel Antonio trip would give you everything you're looking for. Have a great trip!

Monkeys...you can see them in Arenal volcano area...a nice walk with a guide in Los Lagos Hotel propertie you will see a lot of them Howlers...if you have a chance and remember rent the movie Congo...that movie was filmed totally in La Fortuna...you will see the volcano and some of the Arenal area...the movie was filmed at Hotel Los Lagos ...any way...if you look for them...you will find them...a good idea can be maybe look for a beach in the Guanacaste area...most of the beaches there are full of monkeys...sometimes they are not easy to see...but with the locals advice you will find them...in the dry months they go inside of the woods...is more water for them!! and a lot more food!

And with the 5 hours driving range..NO PROBLEMA...you will see them!!

Of course Manuel Antonio is full of monkeys!! Is a monkeys bussiness kind of town!!

Have a great day.

R.A Luis
Just buckle up and enjoy the ride in paradise!!

Hi CathyF,

The Arenal/Manuel Antonio route is terrific for first time visitors to CR.

I set out to see all 4 monkey species on my first trip. I also wanted to see some sloths. I got to see spider monkeys and howlers on the Cano Negro tour out of Arenal (we were awakened by howlers at our hotel the first morning up there!). In MA, we saw more howlers, lots of capuchins and the adorable little (and sadly endangered) squirrel monkeys. It was so much fun! I also got to see both 2 toed and 3 toed sloths, along with lots of other animals and beautiful birds.

I loved Costa Rica and am currently planning my second trip down there. Good luck with your continued research and planning. This forum is a great resource for information!

Thank you so much for your responses. I am getting so excited about this trip!

Roadadvisor - thanks for telling me about the movie Congo. I'll have to rent it!

Cmerrell and Volcanogirl - we would love to do the Cano Negro tour as well. Did you take a tour from your Arenal hotel? Where did you stay in Arenal?

Thanks again!

Hi, Cathy - we stayed at the Lost Iguana, and they arranged everything for us. We used Sunset Tours and highly recommend them. We loved the Lost Iguana too - we had a deluxe room that had a view of the volcano, and we were lucky enough to see the lava flowing every night from our balcony. Our room also had a nice hot tub. The grounds at LI are really lush and pretty. It is set away from town - we loved that part, but it makes it a longer drive or ride to get to things. I'd highly recommend staying there.

Hi, Cathy - me again! I also wanted to mention that the Lost Iguana website is great for trip planning. It has a list of tips from the owner regarding food, driving times, weather, tipping, other areas of the country to visit, etc. And it also lists numerous activities to do in the Arenal/La Fortuna area. We found it really helpful and thought you might too. Enjoy your trip!

Hi Cathy,

Sorry for the slow response. I've been out of town for a few days and away from my computer.

In Arenal, we stayed at the Arenal Lodge which is out by the Lost Iguana (and therefore a bit of a longer drive to get into town, as volcanogirl mentions). We liked the Arenal Lodge. It's nothing particularly fancy, but it was clean, comfortable, and peaceful, with beautiful volcano views. The grounds are lovely and we had some good wildlife sightings there (coatis, tayras and lots of birds).

We also did Cano Negro with Sunset Tours and booked it through our hotel. Most hotels have a tour desk which is a convenient way to set things up. Sunset Tours did a terrific job and I don't think you can go wrong to use them. They have an office on the main drag in town if you don't want to book through your hotel.

There are lots of good hotel choices; some of the more popular being Arenal Paraiso, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Lost Iguana, Los Lagos, Tabacon etc... It all sort of depends on your budget and other criteria. Once you have an idea for the types of amenities you want and how much you want to spend, you can get some good feedback on this forum.

It sounds like you are well on your way to organizing a wonderful trip! You're getting a good headstart on planning and that should stand you in good stead!

Thank you so much for all your help roadadvisor, volcanogirl and cmerrell!

cmerrell - I thought I was getting a head start in planning but surprisingly many places are already booked for our dates - particularly in the MA area!

I had back surgery one month ago and would really enjoy doing the Cano Negro Tour.
I will be staying at Tabacon Hot Springs. Is the road from this hotel to the tour long, bumpy and rough?

Wow Cathy,

Hotels already booked up for next Feb!? I guess that time does fall in the peak travel season, but still a bit unexpected this far in advance. Let us know where you end up staying.

OMG you will hear the monkeys too! I did not know about howler monkeys when I went to CR and on the first night I swear to god I thought King Kong was coming to get me. They are so incredibly loud it's very scary! Bring earplugs! I laugh about it now but since I was unprepared for the noise I was terrified and literally and immediately thought I have never heard anybody but KK scream like this!