Hi, I am looking at planning a 7-8 day trip to Costa Rica. I have no desire to see the volcano, or the cloud forrest..on this trip. We will be in Hawaii in April, so we are skipping it

I will be traveling with my 12 yr old daughter & we are not looking for a go, go, go trip but one where we can see monkeys (high on her list) hipline, beach time (again nice to see it but we will be in Kona two weeks later) , dolphins, maybe hanging bridges and all without a car! I don't feel comfortable driving around without my husband, so where is an area that we can fly into & get to our hotel/resort that is central to what we want to do & is VERY clean,nice etc. nightly rates around $200-350 USD.

Many have said Manuel Antonio or Guancaste, but not sure where I should go...Please help!!

Manuel Antonio has a nice beach inside the park and easy access to monkeys. Tulemar Bungalows is one of the most popular spots; also check Mango Moon, Si Como No, and Buenva Vista Villas. Tripadvisor has a nice list if you want to check over there too. Things are close together in that area; we were able to walk everywhere or take taxis for cheap. Tours will usually pick you up and drop you back off. Lots of good restaurants around too.

Volcanogirl is right about the monkeys in Manuel Antonio. You will see monkeys there. It is 3.5 hours by car from San José, but from there you can do day trips for a variety of activities on the coast, including dolphin viewing. I don´t know of any hanging bridges in the area though. There might be at Hacienda Barú.

There are no hanging bridges at Hacienda Baru.

Another nice resort in Manuel Antonio is Arenas del Mar, although it may not be within your budget, but sometimes they have specials.

Here in The Tamarindo area we have a monkey park, horseback riding on the beach,a turtle and marine estuary you can do by panga (open boat), a water park with rides and tons of great restaurants. I recommend the Westin Reserva Conchal or the Flamingo beach resort. Fly into Liberia (LIR) and arrange with either hotel to pick you up, they'll be waiting with an A/C'd shuttle bus and english speaking driver that can give you a little tour on the way down. Their concierge can arrange anything you and your daugther may want to do. There are lots of monkeys in the trees at Reserva Conchal.

I'm trying to figure the edict about "no cloud forest, no volcano." Monteverde has cloud forests, zip lines, hanging walkways, monkeys galore, and rarest of all, respendent questzals. Right around the corner is Tabacon with volcanoes and hot spring. Rethink your itinerary. Who wants to go to Hawaii when you have CR at your feet?

I think Manuel Antonio would be a good bet for you. A lot of people love La Posada Bungalows for its friendly atmosphere and it's right next to the park. Tulemar is great and has its own nice beach, but also offers more privacy. Si Como No is also a good.

The Rainmaker tour offers suspension bridge and observation platforms. Finca Valmy horseback is also a nice tour there.

Arenal Volcano is not the same type as Kilauea on Hawaii. Kilauea is not the classic, conical volcano as is Arenal. Kilauea is more of a big, whole in the ground,caldera type.

Agree Manuel Antonio would probably fit your criteria.