Ok, so i dont have all the specifics (ie flight times) but i know we are leaving 3/26-4/2/06. So far i know that we would like to start off at a beach (ma?please suggest) that is not too far from SJ airport. We wouldnt mind taking an in-country flight. We would like to stay in one place there for 3-4 nights and stay in a reasonable 190 or less price range. Next we want to fly or take a bus(how long??) to the peace lodge where we will stay the other 3-4 nights. Then we are only an hour away from the airport. Please correct me if im wrong on these and please help me fill in the blanks. Thanks so much...this will be my first time out of the country!

ktc, congratulations! Your plan to go to do beach combined with Peace Lodge area is a good one--just right for the number of days you have. I would definitely recommend Manuel Antonio. Check out Si Como No--we loved it there.

You could fly there easily and won't need a car while you are there necessarily--plenty to do in a very small area. However, I do think you could benefit from having a car at Peace Lodge--you would have a blast exploring all around there--the area surrounding Peace Lodge has so many interesting places to see within a fairly close distance. The drives from SJO to MA and then to Peace Lodge are fairly simple and the roads decent. Have you definitely ruled out driving?

Good luck with your planning! There are lots of nice hotels to choose from in Manuel Antonio and I think you will love Peace Lodge! You'll be amazed at the beauty of Costa Rica!

As Shillmac suggested , check out SiComoNo , Mango Moon , Issimo Suites , Villas Nicolas , La Posada Jungle , Hotel Babaloo Inn .....

I always encourage honeymooners to look at the Punta Islita jungle beach package with BDP- it is not so expensive when you consider the included food , flights , and transfers. PI has the level of privacy and luxury one hopes for on a honeymoon. It roughly fits your time frame.

As far as MA and suggested hotels Shillmac and Faithie are right on- we enjoyed Si Como No/ MA on our honeymoon and had no need a car- the inter-country flights are numerous and inexpensive to MA.

The area is quite nice with lots of options for activities

Try and get your arrival flight into SJ as early as you can arrange, and your departure as late as you can arrange. If you plan well you could be swimming in a waterfall in the morning before flying home.

The Lost Iguana in Arenal would be nice for a honeymoon too. We stayed there in June 2005 and hubby and I thought the luxury suite for $160 was not only very romantic, it was also a good price. INcludes nice breakfast buffet. We loved our room on the first floor with a private patio with jacuzzi for 2, and with lava rock shower with dual shower heads, plants growing in the shower, and a screen overhead, so you could turn out the lights and shower by moonlight.

I suggest a car if you're staying at the Lost Iguana. by car it's convenient to everything, in my opinion, and we had a car. However if you didn't have a car, you would have to arrange transportation when you wanted to go somewhere. (Although you can walk to the Hanging Bridges, a very good trail where we saw our first howeler monkeys. You have to go slow, stop often, look around and listen, to see any wildlife, they are not going to jump out at you, they like to hide.)

My niece is just coming back from her Costa Rica honeymoon so I'll tell you what she says about it!

My first ever post on this board was one year ago when I asked the same thing. And your itinerary looks almost exactly like the one we did! Click my name for some the discussion that I kicked off if you think it might be of some help.

We took a Sansa to MA for 3 nights at Mango Moon, and it was absolutely phenomenal. Love the owners and we had a great great romantic meal at ... can´t remember, but it´s just down the road. Our biggest mistake was trying to cram in MA plus Peace Lodge in one week and then spend the last night near SJ before flying out. If you only have 5 or 6 real days, I´d say spend them all in MA. It has everything you´d want out of Costa Rica.

The peace lodge is pretty neat, though, but it takes some time to get there and we just felt rushed having to get there, spend two nights, then get back to SJ and fly out. However, you may find it totally doable. For a normal trip, I´d say do both, but given the fact it´s a honeymoon, I´d personally stay in MA.

Write me or keep posting for more info. The boards were very helpful when I was planning.

Hey, Mothradave,
Congrats on the Big 12 Championship--just got through watching it. From Norman, Oklahoma. . . .I guess if we couldn't be in it today, you guys might as well be!

Thanks, Shillmac! Actually as odd as it may seem, I root more vociferously against UT than against any other school, regardless of who they´re playing, and I always revel in their almost-but-not-quite seasons and their losses to OU. This year, I guess they just had too much talent. Maybe this year I´ll actually root for them because they´re playing my Notre Dame team´s big rival USC.

Another admission: I pulled up my return from Europe by about a week so I could make it back for the Jan. 2 bowl games. I had earlier learned the hard way that traveling from Spain to Paris just to watch a football game isn´t a great idea because even when they guarantee they´ll have the game, they won´t!

Maybe in CR football is more appreciated....

Wow--now that's not what I expected! LOL Down with those horns!

OU was lucky to get a bowl game this year. Yes, definitely futbol is much appreciated in Costa Rica!