Newbie looking for help...
 

Hi all... I am in the somewhat *challenging* position of having to plan a surprise trip to Costa Rica for my family (5 adults) in late June. Given that it's a surprise, I'm hoping I can bounce a couple ideas off the great people on this forum.

I've read about everything posted here and I've decided that I'm going to split the trip between Arenal and the Northwest beaches.

Here's the scoop on my tentative itinarary:

- Fly into Liberia (Stay 2 nights in Playa Hermosa--multiple flight schedules made this an easy place to all meet up)

--Day 3: Drive to Arenal (we'll have a car) Stay 3 nights at Arenal Lodge

--Day 6: Head back to beaches for the next 5 nights.

A couple questions for the group:
- Anyone have an opinion between Hotel Playa Hermosa v. Hotel El Velero?
- Are we crazy not to try to work in a night or two in a different place or does a home base for 5 nights give us some added flexibility?
- Can anyone recommend a *happy medium* as a central (beach) location to stay for the last few days? My brothers and I will probably lay low and take surf lessons.... my parents will likely go exploring. But we'll want to meet up in the evenings for happy hour :)

Oh! One more question.... does anyone know if there are weight limitations on ziplines? My brother is a big guy at 6'3" 230lbs.

THANK you in advance for any/all advice!

Some ziplines want you to be 220 or under, but obviously they don't weigh you so you should be fine.

We did 3 locations in 12 days and it felt pretty aggressive. In retrospect, we would have been just as happy with two locations.

We also did 3 nights in Arenal but had only 2 full days and wished we had one more day. If you're an active family with an interest in the "adventure" activities in the Arenal area, you might consider 3 fulls days there. If you're going primarily just to see the volcano, 3 nights is sufficient.

My husband is 6'-2" and about 250 pounds and had no problems on the ziplines. We did SkyTram/SkyTrek in Arenal and I believe they said the max was 300lb.

We liked the looks of El Velero. The price is good and it is RIGHT on the beach. Playa Hermosa is a dark sand, horseshoe beach, good for swimming, not for surfing. I'm guessing the rooms might be a bit run down, but we don't mind that as long as they are clean. Sometimes it is fun to be just steps from the water!

I like your plan. It sounds great. You can drive south of Liberia another hour and hit some good surfing beaches: Playas Grande, Negra, Avellana, Tamarindo (although there have been some sanitation problemws in Tamarindo, not sure if they are now resolved?).

Thanks Linda, sumi and shillmac for the advice. I'm content with the plan now and think we're clear on the zipline limits :)

I did read that Playa Hermosa had just renovated.... I'll keep looking into that.

Shillmac-- do you think Tamarindo would be a good cenral spot for a family of adults that enjoy people watching, poking around town, and beach-front happy hour? (We're low maintenance folks, not into the fancy stuff.) Thanks again!

Oh you bet! Tamarindo is excellent for people watching, especially if you like watching some of them passed out on the sidewalk!

Since it has become SO built up (and continuing to expand) it is incredibly busy there. But we always enjoy going in for the day, having a meal, using the internet, going to the ATM, have ice cream, browsing through the shops, etc.

As for staying there, a lot of people would tell you not to. It wouldn't bother me to stay there, though (we always stay 30 min. away at Playa Flamingo because I love the beach scene there) in front of Flamingo Beach Resort (great value, poolside $109).

Tamarindo Diria is right on the beach. I'm guessing it might be a pretty good place to stay although it puts you right in the middle of town. Most people prefer to get away from the hubub at Cala Luna or Capitan Suizo. There's a B&B that gets excellent reviews as well (it would be a very good choice)--is it Villas del Mar? I'll have to google as I always get it confused with Villas del Sueno at Playa Hermosa.

Hope this helps a bit! Good luck and have a great trip. :)

We like being in Tamarindo and we always stay at Dira, but we make sure we are NOT on the busy road side of the resort. We go in November when the town isn't all that busy yet. We keep hearing how fun and crazy the Monkey Bar at Best Western is but we walk there 3-4 times per trip and it is typically us, the bartender and Tishka the live-in cat. It is still fun but pretty tame in the early hours. Capitan Suizo might be a good fit for you. It is fairly small and laid back yet you can still walk into town for a meal, shopping or to book day trips.

It is difficult for me to consider Tamarindo centrally located. There aren't a ton of other towns close by, but it all depends on what your plans are. There are definitely plenty of watering holes, fun places to eat and surf lessons right out front. We make it our last stop so we can fish and relax in the sun for a few days before we fly back through Liberia.

Try to do the Cano Negra trip when you're in Arenal. Long bus ride but a great trip.

Agree with Linda that "centrally located" doesn't fit well with Tamarindo.

That is why we typically stay in Playa Flamingo. We are 30-40 min. either way from Tamarindo and Playa Grande to the south (with Conchal and Brasilito very close) and via the Monkey Trail 40 min. from Playas del Coco, Ocotal, Hermosa, Panama to the north (with Playas Penca, Potrero, Sugar Beach nearby). It's a perfect location, our opinion. And provides TONS of dining options if one doesn't mind driving those little stretches at night.

Our favorite time of day is sunset when people gather on the beach for the show (never have counted more than 50-60, however) on that nice long, wide white sand beach! And they have a very nice hair salon with a wonderful massage therapist ($50). Newly refurbished, outside and inside.

Thank you both for the added info! I will look into the places you mentioned (including the Arenal adventure.... hadn't planned that, but now I might!)

Cheers!