opinion of Costa Rica itinerary
 

My husband and I are planning to celebrate our first anniversary of marriage in Costa Rica.
Here's our tentative itinerary...what do you think?

Arrive in San Jose at 12:30pm on 6/3.
Drive to Arenal & spend Sat and Sunday nite in Tabecon.
Monday am drive to Monteverde and spend 1 nite at Fonda Vela.
Tuesday morning drive to Manuel Antonio and spend Tuesday-Saturday there.
Saturday morning drive to Peace Lodge for 1 nite.
Leave for US Sunday afternoon.

Here are our questions:
1. Is it better to spend 2 nites at Arenal or Monte Verde?
2. Is it better to spend 2 nites at Peace Lodge (by giving up 1 nite in MA?)
3. Suggestions on where to stay at these destinations?
4. Opinions on hiring driver vs. renting car?

Thanks.

You would do best, I think , to eliminate Monteverde. You current itinerary gives you one afternoon there. Not enough time to do anything- and a lot of driving getting there and away. Save it for your next trip.

Not having any idea what interests you I suggest adding a night at Arenal. That would give you Thursday and Friday at MA.

Even with this itinerary you will have a lot of driving.

What about making Peace Lodge your first stop? That way you will have only a scenic 75 minute drive from SJO, rather than the several hours to Arenal.

Do you have any particular interests or 'must do' activities?

Jerry

I agree w/ Jerry...I would skip Monteverde (too much driving for one night) this trip. I would stay at Peace Lodge the first night and then make the drive to Arenal the next day. In Arenal, I really enjoyed the Lost Iguana, but we stayed at Arenal Paraiso, which was OK. I would stay 4 nights in MA and spend the last night somewhere relatively close to the airport. We did not make it to MA, but I was considering Tulemar Bungalows which always seems to get great reviews. We have stayed at Vista del Valle and Xandari and loved them both. Vista del Valle was my favorite. You will not want to go home. Xandari was a bit more expensive, but very nice and the taxi to the airport is included in your room rate. We rented a car for our trip and enjoyed the freedom of our own vehicle. Driving was no problem for us. Lori

Agree with everyone.

My only comment is that Arenal and Monteverde both need 2-3 nights to fully appreciate your stay. If I wanted to visit both, I would lose a night in MA. The drive to and from Monteverde is simply too hard for just an afternoon.

nehmehta,
I agree with the other posters. Save Monteverde for another time. It is very hard to beat an Arenal-Manuel Antonio combination your first time to CR. And Peace Lodge adds a nice extra dimension.

Although a stay at Peace Lodge would be a nice beginning or ending to your time in Costa Rica, my choice would be to save it for last. The drive to Arenal is 2.5-3 hours. I'd do 3 nights Arenal, 3 nights Manuel Antonio, and return to Peace Lodge on Friday for 2 nights. The central valley offers a lot to see and do. Try to visit Poas Volcano (close to Peace Lodge and La Paz) early in the morning. It just seems that Peace Lodge would be such a nice relaxed (and luxurious) way to close out your anniversary trip.

If you want to keep your 4 nights at MA, you could still enjoy La Paz Saturday p.m. and Sunday morning.

Have a great time and congratulations! :)

My friend and I are 2 women in their early 30s who are planning an 8-day tour of CR and wanted some input on the following itin. This is our 1st time to CR and want to have a lot of activity w/ some R&R at the end:

Day 1 Mar10 - SJO travel by bus to Fortuna (stay at Palo Verde, 3 nights)
Day 2 - canyoning in the AM (puretrek.com) + spa OR mtn biking in the PM (bikearenal.com)
Day 3 - whitewater rafting (full day)(desafiocostarica.com)

Day 4 Mar 13 - travel jeep-boat-jeep to Monteverde, arrive 12noon (stay at La Colina, 1 night)
combined skytrek/walk tour in the afternoon, night tour of cloud forest

Day 4 Mar 14 - travel by bus to Tambor, taxi to Sta. Teresa (stay at Casa Zen or Tropico Latino)
Day 5 & 6 - surf, relax, etc.

Day 7 Mar 17 - travel by Sansa from Tambor to SJO to EWR

Is this feasible or overly ambitious? Is Monteverde worth the 1 day or should we spend it in Arenal?
Thanks for your help!!

3 nights in either Arenal or Monteverde is best.

We liked Lost Iguana resort in Arenal. We also went to the Ecotermales hotsprings instead of the Tabacon hot springs. (Ecotermales is smaller, more intimate feel, family-run. Family-style dinner available, we enjoyed it.)

Manuel Antonio was our least favorite place because their rainforest is much more affected by man. I think 2 nights in Manuel Antonio is plenty, with a morning trip to the Manuel Antonio national park...wear your bathing suit and swim in the beaches within the park. Afternoon, have a visit booked for the butterfly gardens across the street from Hotel Si Como No. very nice. This is plenty of time in Manuel Antonio.

Have fun!

I agree with the folks who say skip Monteverde (too much time and work for too little reward unless you fly in). We've been to CR twice and on our last trip we cut our stay in Manual Antonio short to go back to Tamarindo which we loved... I think 2 days in Manual Antonio is plenty.
We drove down to Domincal once and enjoyed a few days of chilling out there one - it's less "touristy."