I am planning a vacation in July to Costa Rica. With me will be my dtrs. aged 9 (or 10 dep. on date in July, and 18) 18 year old may bring a friend... Do not know anything about Costa Rica. Would def. love input. Want to do zip line (all of us), Please give me great advice on what to do/where to stay, etc! I am a hotel-a-phob : ) so need good accommodations!

My best suggestion would be to get a guide book and see what areas appeal to you. There is a little something for everyone - volcanos, beaches, rainforests, cloudforests, etc. So it's hard to just say 'go here' without really knowing what you're looking for. There are many ziplines in many areas, so I would just look into where you want to go and they will most likely have a zipline nearby.

I'd go to Arenal and stay at the Lost Iguana; it's one of our favorite spots. SkyTrek is a really popular zipline in the area.

The kids would probably like Manuel Antonio; check out Buena Vista Villas or Si Como No.

Arenal and Manuel Antonio are good for families because there's so much to choose from you can keep everyone happy. Highly recommend Los Lagos in Arenal for a great place both adults and kids can chill in the evening after dark (5:30). In Manuel Antonio there are also quite a range of hotels to choose from. La Posada gets great reviews and is closest to park/beach, but many people like staying on the hill. Costa Verde, Si Como No. I've stayed at Buena Vista Villas, which is nice, but very expensive. I think you have a better option with lower or upper unit of Villa Mot-Mot at Tulemar (share the same grounds withe BVV) and those properties have pools plus a private beach that's nice.

www.arenal.net

www.royalcorin.com

Arenal great location for kids tons to do...

www.costaverde.com at www.manuelantoniopark.com

excellent areas tours for kids...

We loved the Selvetura park canopy tour (ziplines) but it's in Monteverde (min 3 hours from Arenal/La Fortuna), so it wouldn't be worth the trip unless you want to do other activities in Monteverde.
http://www.selvatura.com/canopy.html


What else do you want to see/do in CR? You can pack a lot in 10 days but you may not want to be travelling around too much with kids in the car (haha!). 2-3 destinations is probably enough for you. (We did 4 in 10 days but we don't have kids)