I'm planning a last minute trip to CR for 5 nights...any suggestions?

We're landing in San Jose Aug. 10th.
Have booked a B&B called La Gioconda. What do you think about this B&B?

Can you give us any idea of what type of activities you are interested in and then people can offer suggestions - are you wanting a beach trip, volcano, cloud forest, zip lines, etc.?

With only five nights total, I would stick to one destination. Keep in mind you don't want to be driving after dark (appr. 6pm) so you may have to spend your first night near the airport and depending on your departure time, your last night might need to be there also.

Or are you spending all five nights at La Gioconda which I'm not familiar with?

More info would be helpful and I'm sure suggestions would be forthcoming.

Thanx Colibri....Sorry for the lack of detail;

Here is what I think would work:

Land in SJ and stay at the La Gioconda for 2 nights:
- Arrive 10 am and take a tour of city. Any museums worth visiting in the area?
- Next day thinking of doing zip lining or volcano (Arenal?)(a day trip that will pick us up at the B&B)

Aug. 12th thinking of going to Tamarindo and horse back riding on the beach if possible? Spending 1-2 nights there.

Aug. 13th thinking of heading back towards San Jose with a stopover in Puntarenas and plan to spend 1-2 nights...

Aug. 14th back in San Jose.

So...activity wise...if we can fit rain forest, zip lining, volcano and beach...it would be great. Let me know what you recommend and thank you in advance. BTW...any recommendations on which tour company I should contact for all these activities planned?

Hi sflordeliza,

Your current plan has you running all over the place, with basically no time to enjoy any single destination.

Colibri is right, you're best to pick a single location and enjoy all it has to offer.

Your first day in San Jose is not a bad idea (although most folks head straight out into the beautiful countryside if they can and give the capital city a miss). You could also head straight to your primary destination that day, since your flight arrives at 10:00 a.m. It's basically personal preference...

For a first time visit, I would recommend <b>either</b> Arenal <b>or</b> Manuel Antonio for the balance of your stay.

Arenal would give you an active volcano, waterfall hike, thermal hotsprings, Cano Negro wildlife refuge, etc -- to name a few.

Manuel Antonio would give you rain forest, beach, lots of wildlife sightings, etc -- to name a few.

Both areas offer things like ziplines, horseback riding and hiking. Both have good places to stay and good places to eat.

Most hotels will have tour desks to help you book specific activities. If you decide on Arenal/La Fortuna, Sunset Tours does an excellent job and is highly recommended here on the forum.

Ditto everything that cmerrell has just said! I think you are best off with either MA or Arenal. I wouldn't spend two nights in San Jose, one is plenty.

The Gold museum and Jade museum are recommended along with the National Theater in downtown SJ. San Jose definitely does not offer the best of Costa Rica and most people spend very little time there other than first or last night with those generally being closer to the airport.

You must remember that driving distances take much longer than it looks on a map. With your plan, you will be on the road too much for such a short stay.

I would not want to do a day trip to Arenal from downtown SJ. With traffic jams to get out of the city, you could be talking 3 hours each way - 6 hours round trip - no time to enjoy Arenal.

Since this is the rainy season, you'll also want to plan most of your activities for morning as afternoons are often rainy.

Hope this helps.

I agree with everyone else - you don't want to move around that much because you'll spend too much time on the road. For me personally, I'd spend my time in Arenal with maybe your first or last night at the Peace Lodge if they have any availability.

Agree with others, you'd be best served to maybe do SJO your first and last nights and do Arenal for your middle 3 nights. You really don't have time to hit the beach. I mean you do but it would involve a lot of traveling about.

Also meant to add - not familiar with the B&amp;B you mentioned but if you're going to Arenal, no huge reason to go back into SJO (it's away from the airport) unless you mean to spend a good amount of time there. I'd stay somewhere more in the way to Arenal, a place in Alajuela like Orquideas Inn.