To all of you experienced CR travelers, thank you! For our 2 wks with our 14yr old, we plan on the Arenal area, then Guanacaste for the beach and then Manuel Antonio. I am now unsure of where to go for the Guanacaste area..Playa Hermosa (where I was reading about lodging at Villa del Sueno), or the Playa Tamarindo area (where you have talked about Hotel Pasatiempo). We are trying to get apt. or bungalow type rooms there to spread out a little. Any favorite places you stay at? How long will it take to drive from there to MA? Do we need an overnight on the way?? Thanks, Joyce

Playa Hermosa and Playa Tamarindo are about an hour apart. Hermosa is further north. It is near the Rincon de la Vieja area where there are some nice options for day tours. Nice area. There are some nice hotels , such as the one you have mentioned (and others comparable) in the area. Tamarindo, on the other hand, is quite a busy little town, lots of tourism, shops. .I find it interesting. This is an area that is handy to just explore on your own. .there are several beaches that can be explored from this base. The Pasatiempo is a nice hotel. . not upscale, but just fine. Nice little pool, restaurant, friendly owner, small, etc. Other hotels in the area are Cabinas Zully Mar (also moderate), the Diria (right on the beach and in the middle of town), Jardin de Eden (hillside and very nice), Cala Luna and Capitan Suizo, both more upscale.
From Hermosa in Guanacaste, your drive to MA will take about 4 hours. From Tamarindo, more like 3. Easily done in a day. . no overnight necessary unless you want to spend time somewhere in between intentionally.

Just south of Playa Hermosa, in Playa Ocotal, there is a beautiful guest house with three apartments, A/C and a pool. It is run by two ex-pat Americans. I've stayed there and it's a great place. You can contact them at: [email protected]
or go to Let's Go Costa Rica for a review:
http://www.letsgo.com/CORI/08-NicoyaPensinsula-80

Thanks for the info..I looked up Jardin de Eden and also the guest house; both look good...now I can be confused!

yeah, but it's a good confusion, no?