Delicatexan

Hello,

We, 2 parents and 17 year old daughter, are planning our first trip to Costa Rica over Spring Break (Holy Week) and have booked the hotels and a direct flight to and from Liberia. We are first staying in Tamarindo for 2 1/2 days at the Hotel Capitan Suizo. Daughter loves beach sunning and swimming. We all like adventure and need activity suggestions in Tamarindo area, including best places to eat. Next, we are going by bus to Arco Iris Lodge in Monteverde, where we stay for 2 nights. What is the most exciting Canopy Tour there? What other things can we do there in 1 1/2 days? Where should we eat? Next, we go to the Arenal Observatory lodge for 2 nights. Should we do the taxi/boat/taxi or the horseback/boat/4 x 4 to Arenal? Is the horseback trip worth the extra $ and is it safe to let our driver take our luggage separately? At Arenal Observatory, what are the best bangs for the buck and time (afternoon arrival/full day/and next morning)? Upon arrival, we could do the night hike at 4 p.m. and maybe end the evening at Tabacon hot springs? Is the Sarapiqui White Water Raft trip worth using a full day? Restaurant recommendations? On Good Friday afternoon, we need a cab from Arenal Observatory to Liberia Best Western el Sitio. Will it be hard to find a cab on the holiday to go that far? Our flight leaves Liberia at 7:52 A.M. next morning. Is it REALLY necessary to get to that little airport 2 hours early (dragging a surly teenager out of bed)? Will it be hard to find a cab from the Best Western to the Liberia airport before 6 a.m.? Two last questions: Can we pay everybody in dollars? Does anybody take Discover Card? Thanks for any advice you can give.

TripleSecDelay

Yes, you can pay in dollars.

Unsure of Discover, but we paid with AmEx and VISA.

From Tamarindo, you can get to Rincon de Vieja.

Please search here for a thread which discusses horseback riding.

In your next posting, it will help everyone's tired eyes if you break up your paragraph into individual sentences. Some of us stare at computers for a living, you know...Makes it easier to read

shillmac

I'm a little overwhelmed by your itinerary! Whew--it's a lot! Hopefully you'll enjoy some beach time in Tamarindo at least one day. You could easily spend 2 days just relaxing, enjoying the beach, checking out the town, maybe horseback riding one morning. You have so much activity planned, I'm not sure I would do the full day Rincon de la Vieja tour unless you just really want to be incredibly active! The Rincon area is good for canopy and hiking/horseback, but you'll probably want to do the canopy tour at Monteverde. . . .For food, try Stella's--service is rather slow (or was) but food is good! Also the Lazy Wave and Zully Mar.

Monteverde, from what I understand is your best bet for canopy adventure.
You'll probably want to do a little cloud forest tour/hiking half a day and canopy half a day.

Since you enjoy adventure, you'd probably like the horseback/boat/4X4 to Arenal. I'd keep the REALLY valuable things (such as cash, credit cards, passport) on my person, however, and not let it be sent along in my luggage. You can't be too careful in Costa Rica with luggage that is out of eyesight!

At Arenal, your plan to night hike at 4:00 will be challenging because it won't be fully dark until 6:00. Do visit the springs at night--they are beautiful in the daytime when you can enjoy the landscaping, but fun at night as well. There are many tourist here, but still it is a great place to see and enjoy.

If I were going to whitewater in CR and liked adventure, I wouldn't use up a day on the Sarapiqui. I'd wait and do the Pacuare, perhaps on another trip. I just keep thinking you folks are going to have to unwind and rest somewhere! Perhaps now would be a good time toward the end of your trip to just slow down and take it easy at Arenal. There are some waterfalls nearby, the Hanging Bridges, more hiking. There is the town of La Fortuna to visit. Just my opinion. . . .

Why don't you write the hotel and ask about a taxi for Good Friday. They would be in the best position to inform you of this. When you get to Liberia, tell the hotel and they will arrange for a cab to be there for you the next morning. It has been a long while since I have flown out of Liberia, but I know that it is much busier now than it was then. And during Holy Week, spring break time, etc., yes, I'd get there a full 2 hours early. Just in case. Best to get near the front of the line and then be able to sit the rest of the time than to have to wait in line for a full hour or hour and a half--with a surly teenager!

I'd use Visa if I were you. You'd be taking your chances with Discover--dollars widely accepted. Be sure they are in good condition and don't take larger bills than $20. You'll want plenty of $5's and $1's for tipping and small stuff.

shillmac

http://www.monteverdetours.com/horse...se_fortuna.htm

This link has an article entitled "To Ride or Not to Ride" that I think you will find very helpful.

RufusTFirefly

In January, we did the taxi/boat/taxi from Monteverde to the Arenal area. It was interesting and worked well. Note the your taxi will probably be a large passenger van. We meet some interesting folks from all over the world on the journey.

RufusTFirefly

Almost forgot--you do realize that you cannot see the lava flow from the Arenal Observatory Lodge, don't you? If there is a late night eruption, you won't be able to see the flow from your hotel room.