Rental cars seem sold out for pick-up in MA, so any suggestions on whom and how much for this idea.

Try www.arenal.net. We arranged the same and I think the person we spoke to was named Jules.

We're just back from 10 days in CR. Did all our transfers through Costa Rica Sun Tours (including, e.g., the one from Arenal to MA). They were fantastic-- perfect-- every single time.

I was in Costa Rica a month ago and we had the same problem - Didn't want to drive between MA and Arenal. Instead of losing a day to travel (the road connecting the two goes out of your way, takes hours), we opted for the van/horseback/boat/taxi transfer instead. At $65/person this was a great way to turn a travel day into an adventure!

We were picked up by a van at our hotel (El Sapo Dorato) 8 a.m. and then driven for about 1 ½ hours to our horses. The journey included myself, my boyfriend and two German-speaking girls from Switzerland. We left our bags with the driver and then rode horses for about 2 ½ hours! The Spanish-speaking guide and his 10-year-old son took up the front and rear. We stopped for a break along the banks of Lake Arenal to eat pineapple and watermelon. Our guide supplied bottled water. We were then met by another guide who had a boat waiting & our bags were on the boat. We took a short 20-minute trip across the lake, which included a brief stop at an island where we saw huge orange and black iguanas perched atop trees! We were met by a taxi on the other side who drove us to our hotel in Arenal. Arrival was about 1:30 p.m.

We booked this trip through a tour company. The horses are with Desafio, which has a good reputation for healthy animals. I have grown up riding horses and found them to be very healthy. The trail was flat and wide and not dificult for the horses.

For more info:
http://www.monteverdetours.com and E-mail is [email protected].

Good luck!

Oooops, you meant Manuel Antonio and Arenal NOT Monteverde and Arenal, I think? Well, then disregard my message! I'd still look at that Web site. They have links to some good travel options that my help you.