dlongan

2 50 somethings, love hiking, ziplining, kayaking, want to try rappelling, non touristy (but realize the must sees) like luxury when available, but not necessary. We can be away 2 weeks if necessary.
Arenal , Monteverde, Osa are on my list.
I have a good feeling we will love it there and go back for more of a cross country adventure, but for this trip, I'd like easy as possible transfers. Also, we do not need to do the beach thing this time, but I was wondering about Papagyo.
Have read Bosque del Cabo is fab, but does anyone prefer El Remanso and why?
Hidden Falls Tree Houses at Monteverde look fun
What about Arenal?
How many days each and how to get from Monteverde to Arenal? Should I get a car (Yuck)
Fly to Osa?

thanks

dlongan

Osa or Drake Bay??

volcanogirl

Oh yes, Bosque del Cabo is indeed fab. Best wildlife we ever saw - all 4 species of monkeys, toucans, scarlet macaws, an anteater and more. Great trails and hiking. Food was very good. We had an outdoor bathtub which was pretty fun. Monkeys swung over me while I was in the bath. It's definitely easiest to fly to the Osa. It's about an hour from SJO. You land in Puerto Jimenez, and the lodge will pick you up for the drive to the property. Very warm and humid here.

Not too many luxury spots in Monteverde as it tends to be rustic. We stayed at Fonda Vela and liked it. Room had a small frig and bathtub. We saw toucans on the property in the gardens. Much cooler here - a cloud forest environment. Our hotel even had the fireplace going.

The Arenal area is one of our favorites. If you want luxury, we loved The Springs Resort and Spa. Nayara is also nice. Tons to do here. Nice hiking, beautiful natural hot springs, a waterfall, hanging bridges, lots of adventure activities.

You don't have to drive between Arenal and Monteverde if you don't want to. Desafio has a Jeep Boat Jeep service that cuts across the lake for about thirty dollars per person. The road to Monteverde is long and bumpy. I was glad we didn't drive it ourselves.

Don't drive between cities at night if you do decide to rent a car. We usually hire private drivers through our hotels.

Arenal area is worth 3 or 4 nights, Monteverde 2 or 3, and Osa at least 3 - some people want more in Osa, but that was enough for us. You may need to spend first or last nights near the airport due to your flight times.

dlongan

Thank you for great info. Looking at Drake Bay. Osa or Drake Bay??

volcanogirl

Which hotel are you looking at in Drake Bay?

november_moon

We are planning a trip to CR this year too - my 2nd, my husband's 1st. We are also going to Arenal, which will be my first trip to that area. We settled on Arenal Observatory Lodge for the location. It looks nice - not lux, but nice. And it gets good reviews. The only thing that doesn't get the best reviews is the food, but we figure that the location will make up for that We are planning to spend 4 nights there so we can have 3 full days in the area.

volcanogirl

We've stayed at the Arenal Observatory Lodge too and liked it. The wildlife there is amazing. The Smithsonian rooms are nice; we regularly saw monkeys, coatis, and toucans. The food was fine, and breakfast was included. It's off a long, bumpy road, but we were okay with that.