I am getting so overwhelmed with where to go in CR for my HM...flying from philly, possibly going 7-9 days...i wanted to start the trip with the beach (relaxation) should i go to the Nicoya Peninsula- if so, what part...second, for an active end of the trip- should i go to la fortuna, manuel or monteverde??? and should i fly in to san jose or liberia??? sorry for the length, i am so confused...

What time of year are you planniing this trip for?
What are you looking to do at the beach? Just lay around or lots of activity and nightlife? Surf?

I am goign in January- as far as the beach, somewhat relaxing, but snorkeling maybe, some hiking...

We recently stayed at Casa Chameleon and I think it's the perfect place to stay on a honeymoon. It's located in Mal Pais. It's very private and romantic. Their web site is www.hotelcasachameleon.com. The private chef is incredible and the owner, Anthony is a celebrity hair stylist and gave me the best haircut I've ever had!
Happy Honeymoon!

Yes, Costa Rica can be overwhelming. There is just so much to choose from. Amazing that this is just a little tiny country!

Where to fly into - Personally I think this depends on a couple of things. First international airfare tends to generally be a bit less expensive flying into SJO. However, if you were to decide on a vacation in the Northern Pacific region, Liberia would put you closer and thus lessen the cost of in country travel.

The previous poster mentioned Casa Chameleon. This place is getting some fantastic reviews here at Fodors. Definately on my want list.

Last year we visited Montezuma, down on the Southern tip of the Nicoya. Nice little funky town, several good restaurants, a few excursions available, such as horseback riding, snorkeling at Tortuga, hiking, etc, and then of course just hanging out in a hammock under the trees with ocean breezes rocking you. We stayed at the El Sano Banano Beach Bungalows, new name I believe Ylang Ylang.
My step daughter went to the Santa Teresa/Mal Pais area, a little more spread out than Montezuma, but a great location, some good restaurants, excursions similiar to Montezuma, except that here you also have surfing. She did say that she wished she had split here 6 nights, half in Santa Teresa and half in Montezuma.
Either of these areas I would think would fit the bill.

As for active - La Fortuna obviously has Arenal Volcano, lots of hiking, ziplines, hanging bridges, hiking to the waterfall in my opinion is a must, float and raft trips, relaxing in natural hot springs, lots to do here, the ideas are endless.

Monteverde - to me this was all about the Cloud Forest. Just totally amazing to hike through, I really can't paint the picture adequately. But here you can also find some active things such as ziplines and hanging bridges.

Manual Antonio - Personally I would not choose to go to a beach on the Nicoya and then to a beach in the Central Pacific. I would choose one or the other.

As for active things to do - what is it that really tugs at you? What is the one thing you have read that you really want to do? Once you decide this, someone or everyone can tell you where to find it!!!!

How about rafting on the Pacuare River? This is great fun! And you can even do an overnight.

Well now you are probably doubly overwhelmed. Not to fret - you are almost there!

ok, would you do the Nicoya Peninsula and Arenal or Manuel and Arenal???

Ok this is a broad question - but I will try an address it.

Narrow down your choice for the Nicoya, as you know this is a long stretch of land, with many beaches and towns to choose from.

However, I would vote for the Nicoya and Arenal.

Although, I much enjoyed our trip to MA, my major dislike was the inability to walk out of my room onto a beach. The view from high up on the cliffs was absolutely stunning, but I missed the easy access to the beach. There are a couple of hotels that offer this, but in MA the view looking out over the jungle and ocean is awesome. So if stepping out onto the beach is not of great importance to you - MA offers a ton of activites and tour operators to choose from. Plus a rainforest to explore, beach vendors for a bit of browsing, Quepos was a nice little town to explore. We enjoyed stopping outside the park and along the public beach for drinks and a bite to eat. But disliked having to take a cab or bus to get to most anywhere.

Personally, I really like having a small funky beach town to explore on foot and a little bungalow on the beach. I prefer no crowds. And the laid back atmosphere of smaller beach towns. Typically we spend about 4-5 days on the beach and this time can be satisfied with sometimes nothing more than walking on the beach and hanging out in the town. In other words pure relaxation.

It boils down to what type of beach town you are looking for. But be aware that if you are looking for a bungalow on the beach, many of the Nicoya lodgings will also be up on the hills or across the road, so specify that if it is important to you.