Reservations needed??
 

If we go to CR either the last two weeks of April or in May, do we need reservations at various places (such as Arenal, MA, Villas Lapas, Monteverde). I'd like to be able to just go to various places and stay a few days if we like it, or move on to another area if we want. Is this adviseable? Thanks so much!

My wife and I, along with another couple, toured CR for 2 weeks in February 2001. We did not have reservations at any hotels. I had printed off hotel information for each sector of CR we intended to visit with the idea that we would phone ahead to make reservations. Completely unnecessary. You will find a variety of accommodations along your way. We would simply view the accommodations a move on to the next place if we didn't like what was offered. We stayed in Cabinoes (cabin), resorts (El Toscano near La Fortuna, quite upscale)and different types of hotels (Casa Tucan, Blue Heron). The uncertainty of where we were going to stay that night added to the trip. CR is great and we would not hesitate to go back.

I've never been to Costa Rica and am wondering from these 2 posts - Did you have a rental car? Or can you do this by bus/public transportation?

Just curious...

We've been to Costa Rica twice. First time we had a rental car. Definitely an adventure. Second time we used a travel agent and did a combination of flights and hired drivers. Much more relaxing the second way. But, I think it depends on what part of the country that you want to visit. I think we would have missed having a car in the La Fortuna/Arenal area, since things seem spread out, and there aren't local buses.

Since we were 4 adults touring for two weeks we decided to rent a Pathfinder (from Dollar rent a car) rather than a car. Good decision as we had lots of baggage and would of had difficulty getting it all into the trunk of a car. The only problems with the roads was going around Arenal volcano as the road was a little washed out. We didn't go to Monteverde but I here the trip there by car can be a little daunting.

I'd definitely recommend reservations. April and May are busy travel times here. You can risk it, but you probably won't get space at popular places like Tabacon.

By the end of April the Spring Breakers are quieting down. You might not always get your first choice in hotels but you should find places that would be perfectly fine if you aren't super particular about where you stay. Having a car is nice but we get along just fine without one every year. We have done it both ways. In places like Monteverde etc you will have to rely on taxis but for us anyway, it still ended up cheaper than renting a car. We stayed near town so we could walk to quite a few places.
Buses go everywhere and very cheaply if you want to use them to get to the different towns. Getting out of San Jose can be a little tricky because there are several different bus stops but once you are on the road you won't have any trouble. The bus times might not be perfect but if you are flexible you will do just fine.