A tour operator (who is trying to get me to stay in Punta Leon and Jaco) told me that the drive from Monteverde to Montezuma is over 8 hours...is this true?

3 hours from MV to Puntarenas
3 hours at the ferry (said that waiting at the ferry would be dangerous for my kids)
1.5 ferry ride
1.5 Paquera to Montezuma

That's on the conservative side (especially arriving 3 hours early for the ferry. Unless it's a weekend or holiday an hour in advance should be fine) but not totally unrealistic.

Waiting for the ferry isn't the nicest area, but unless you let the youguns run wild in the streets you and they will be fine.

In general the ferry terminal area at Puntarenas has a much lower density of crack whores and drug dealers than the streets of Jaco. The concentration of pickpockets is about the same.

Hello,

I see three issues here. The most important is that these are all such dissimilar destinations. One has to wonder what you are seeking.

Punta Leona is a gated development with a small resort hotel and a bunch of houses and condos owned by wealthy Costa Ricans. Jaco is a surfer / adult party town, and not a place I would take kids. Montezuma caters to young backpacker types, and the beaches are not very swimmable. Monteverde is a cloudforest with lots of nature.

The four destinations really don't compliment each other at all. I think that the first step is to do some more homework. Figure out what you want to see in Costa Rica, and plan from there.

Also, the drive times you are giving are way off. Figure about 90 minutes from Monteverde to Puntarenas. I have also never had to wait THREE HOURS for a ferry. The ferry to Paquera leaves every two hours on the odd hour. If you are going in off season, you should be just fine if you are there an hour or so early. The crossing takes another 90 minutes. It is only about 30 miles to Montezuma from Paquera. The roads are bad, and you may have to ford a river or two. The last time we did this, it took about an hour. But I was more familiar with driving in Costa Rica. So I guess you should allow 90 minutes.

I am guessing that this particular operator has a relationship with certain hotels in the Jaco / Punta Leona area. Neither area offers all that much nature, although the Carara Biological Reserve is nearby. But while I think that the previous poster is being a tad rough on Jaco, I have to agree that it really is an adult spot.

The tour operator is selling to his inventory and not listening to your particular needs. He either makes an inflated commission, or doesn't know Costa Rica as a destination. These spots are in his "comfort zone". He is giving you these outrageous drive times to bring you back to the fold, or he just doesn't know any better. Either way, a red flag should be waving here. I always try to stay positive in this forum, but you really should do some more homework before you book this. The more research you do, the better your experience will be.

Hope this helps! Let me know if I can offer more advice.

Warm Regards,
Pat Hewitt
(Travel professional)

From Monteverde down to Pan Am Hwy...about 1 hour...from there to Puntarenas 45 minutes or less...then try to make the connection with the ferry ...on a way that you do not have to wait...let me tell you ther are hundreds of Greyhound bus stations all over America that are 20 times more dangerous than this area!!

Ferry ride about 1 hour 20 minutes...from dock to Paquera about 20 minutes...Paquera to Montezuma...about 1 hour...or less!!

Total about 4 hours and a half...I really do not see the 8 hours anywhere!!

I have two little ones...3 and 5 years old...we catch that ferry many times to go to La Peninsula...never ever had a problem!!

jaco is full of everything...but not to many good places for kids...you see I do not like to expose my kids to the wave of vagabonds in Jaco!!

And Punta Leona.. a bunch of costaricans with huge bummboxes...and drinking at the beach...some of them wealthy but most of them wanabees!!

Remember that travel agents live out of commissions...they are trying to have you there ...maybe they make a lot of money out of you in that part of the country!!

Go to Montezuma...nice place...a bunch of hippies there...but if you do not bother them...they will not bother you!!

R.A Luis

Just buckle up and enjoy the ride in paradise!!

Thank you all for reconfirming my research. I gave the tour op the heave ho this afternoon - told him I felt like he was trying to "corral " me. He acted like he was the only person who had ever planned trips to CR.

Pat - thanks for the email - I will be in touch on Monday.

RA Luis - love your summarization of Jaco and PL - LOL!

I'm thinking Ylang Ylang - any thoughts?

I'm not too sure aboiut the abover posters estimates of under 2 hours to Puntarenas from monteverde. I made the trip a few years ago and it took about 2.5 hours with a short stop for gas on the way. Like the others said - get to the Ferry at least 45 minutes early. Here is a link to a ferry schedule http://www.nicoyapeninsula.com/general/boat.html

The area immediately around where the ferry launches is decent but the rest of Puntarenas is mostly a dump. As long as you don't wander around too much and use common sense you will be fine.

It's about an 45 minutes over paved road from Paquera to Cobano and then about 15 minutes down the hill into Montezuma.

Montezuma is totally worth it. It's one of my favorite places in Costa Rica

Sean -

Thanks for the response and the ferry schedule. Where did you stay in Montezuma - we are thinking Ylang Ylang - but it is expensive and includes breakfast and dinner - maybe we want to venture out more? Amor de Mar? Really want to be right on the ocean for this portion of the trip since we will be at the volcano, cloud forest and MA (thinking a villa on the hillside). Thoughts, anyone?

I agree with sean420 that some of posted the estimates may be as inaccurate on the fast side as the original estimates were on the slow side.

You might make it from Monteverde to Puntarenas in 90 minutes but you'd probably be spitting out teeth because they would rattle out of your head bashing down that road that fast.

Ylang Ylang is nice and definitely fills the bill for right on the Ocean.

We stayed at El Sano Banano which is Ylang-Ylang's sister hotel located in town. We had access to the pool at Ylang-Ylang and it was beautiful! Kepe in mind that it's about a 15 minute walk there along the beach as there is no road.

Amor del Mar also looked like a great place - right on the water on the south side of town. I saw someone getting married there on my last trip to Montezuma.

You also might want ot consider Mal Pais - many of the hotels there are on the beach

forgot to mention that Tropico Latino in Mal Pais whould be my choice of places to stay in the area.