Rethinking MA
 

We are going to CR in over February school vacation with 3 other families. There will be 20 of us. The itinerary:

Peace Lodge - 2 nights
Arenal Paraiso - 3 nights
2 Private homes in Manuel Antonio - 5 nights

Why I chose Manueal Antonio:
* the amazing wildlife in the area and the national park - I thought the kids would appreciate the monkeys

* It seemed to be a good area because the kids will range in age from 5-15 and I thought there would be something for everyone.

* MA is not overly complicated to get to (a 5 hour drive from Arenal and we will all have rental cars.)

Now I am concerned that the area is too touristy and the kids may not get a flavor of the "real" Costa Rica. Is MA overly touristy? I want everyone to have a great time.

This will be the 4th year in a row the 4 families have traveled together - last year we had a wonderful time in St. John USVI.

Thanks!

It's such a hard thing to say one way or another. Yes MA is touristy but not like Cancun or something, it's just much more built up than many other places. I think it would still give you a good opportunity to meet local tico's and such. With that many people it is very convenient to get to and find places to stay - I mean I'd say go to the Osa in a heartbeat but with that many people the logistics may just be too much. I think you would still have a lovely time, the park is very nice - get there early!

There is a lot to do in the area, and I think everyone should go there once. Its close (3 hour by car) proximity to the airport makes it an easy location and the wildlife viewing and activity choices are excellent. I don't think you'll be disappointed in the least. Any of you. . .have a great time! :)

I'll add another thumbs up for MA (tully and shillmac won't lead you astray!). I think its a terrific choice for such a large group. You'll see lots of monkeys and other wildlife in and around the park. You'll also have access to some beautiful beaches and hiking trails. You'll have a variety of restaurants and activities to choose from. It IS popular, but definitely has some nice features to recommend it.

I think Manuel Antonio is a nice town, but it is really Americanized. After being in Arenal where everyone spoke Spanish, it was kind of a shock for us to walk into a restaurant and be greeted with "Hey guys" by the American owners! It's not touristy in a junky sense - just lots of hotels and lots of restaurant options. We enjoyed the park and thought the beach there was very pretty also, but personally I'd get bored spending 5 nights there. Our favorite restaurant was Ronnie's Place/Mi Lugar because it had a really authentic feel to it and was a great place to watch the sunset. The people in Manuel Antonio didn't seem as warm and friendly to me as in other areas, just seemed like a town settled largely by Americans. I liked it, but it just didn't capture my heart like Arenal and the Osa. Definitely a spot you should see once, just don't know if I'd go back or not whereas I'd go back to Arenal and the Osa in a heartbeat.

P.S. I just got back from a quick trip to St. Thomas and St. John, Cathy. It was wonderful! St. John surely is gorgeous!

cm, glad you got to go and that you didn't get derailed by the hurricane. We loved St. John too. Excellent snorkeling and so pretty.

Hi VG,

We were anxiously watching every update posted by the national hurricane center right up the time we left for the airport! We might have been a little crazy to go through with the trip under the circumstances, but we really lucked out. Tropical storm warnings were in effect the whole weekend, but it only actually rained for about 1 1/2 hours. The rest of the time we had really nice weather. I liked St. Thomas and loved St. John; would definitely go back!

My heart definitely goes out to the islands (and Mexico) that were hit hard by Dean. I've been through a few hurricanes here in Florida. Not particularly fun!

We've had our share in Texas too, so I hear you. Our power at work got knocked out by Erin, so we all got sent home, and when I got home, the sun was shining. It hadn't even rained at our house; they are completely unpredictable. Glad you got a mini trip to hold you over until you make it back to CR.

oy cmerrell I completely forgot about your trip - glad you got to go and were safe and had a great time. Where are you in FL?

to the OP - I think you've got a nice mix of stuff to do for everyone. You could always go for something more isolated but then with that you may not have much interactions with others and the logistics may be a headache.

Cathy - my view is going to be a little limited because we just got back from MA and haven't yet been to other parts of CR. We had a rent car and spent a week. I would confirm and agree with the reasons you chose MA in the first place.

We (family of 4 with 2 teenagers) loved it and still didn't do everything we wanted to do in a week. Really think there is a little of everything for everyone. Great restaurant choices (El Avion was a favorite). Lots of optional tours and excursions to fit most any activity from sailing, canopy tours, mangrove swamp tours, etc. Very friendly people. Beautiful area with lots of wildlife.

I don't have personal knowledge as to whether other areas of CR may offer more, but MA to us was really enjoyable, a wonderful experience, and worth every minute.

Cam--so glad you enjoyed the USVI. I'd like to spend a little time on St. John. Stayed overnight on a sailboat at Hawk's Nest Bay (think that was the name) last summer, and that is that sum total of my knowledge of St. John--our daughter spent Christmas there and thought it was wonderful. Did you spend much time in the nature reserve area?

dfr -- Where did you stay in MA?

CM -- So glad you got to make your trip after all...(girls trip, right)? I was watching Dean minute by minute as well. He was a strong one.

hip - we stayed at Si Como No. We thoroughly enjoyed it and had no complaints at all - except we had to leave! Let me know if I can provide further details, comments.

Hi everyone,

VG:

I know you were a bit concerned about how much rain Erin was going to dump in your vicinity due to the already moisture-saturated conditions in the area. Sounds like all was well at your house which is always such a relief when a storm like that moves through!

Tully:

I'm basically right across the state from you in Melbourne.

We DID have a wonderful time in the USVI! We were able to get some ridiculously cheap airfare on Spirit Airlines (63$ RT out of Ft. Lauderdale, which is about a 2 hour drive for me). Have you ever looked into Spirit? I know they fly out of Tampa as well. Ft. Lauderdale is a hub so some of the best deals originate there, but I managed to get airfare to Costa Rica from Orlando for this year's trip for ~340$ (not as good as the ticket you just scored, but quite respectable). They fly to several destinations in Central America and the Caribbean (as well as domestic U.S. destinations). Every once in a while they have outrageous fare sales, and we lucked into one for St. Thomas! :-)

Shillmac:

Yes Hawk's Nest is the name. We stopped there to check it out. Gorgeous beach! I believe you visited Tortola last year and enjoyed it, so I bet you would like St. John as well. It reminded me a little bit of Costa Rica with it's narrow, winding, hilly roads, the occasional livestock strolling in the street, and the beauty of the green, wooded hillsides. I'd have to give it an edge over CR for breathtaking beaches (although I thought the MA beaches were really pretty). CR still reigns supreme with me for a number of other reasons, but I would definitely like to get back to St. John and spend more time there! We drove all over the island; in and out of the national park. Everywhere we went, we were rewarded with sweeping views of the coastline with that impossibly intense turquoise water! Ahhhh...

HVG:

Yes, this was the girl's weekend trip. We were definitely fortunate where Dean was concerned. We did seriously question our sanity while driving down to Ft. Lauderdale, but every report we heard projected the storm to stay to the south of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. When it came right down to it, my desire to escape from the daily routine for a few days outweighed even the threat of an impending hurricane! Not sure how intelligent the decision was, but it sure did pay off this time around! ;-)

Dfr, I'm glad you had such a nice time in MA! I really liked it there as well last year. I may be spoiled after visiting the Osa this December, but I think I'll always view the Arenal/MA combo as the perfect first visitor's itinerary.

Sorry for the thread hijack, CathyF! I hope you'll forgive me since you also really enjoyed St. John! I hope everyone here has given you some good reassurance regarding MA. I don't think you'd regret keeping it in your itinerary.

Sheesh! This is a freakin' mini novel! Shutting up now...

dfr -- Si Como No sounds fabulous! I will definitely get back to you with questions if it fits into our budget. Right now, looking to spend less in MA to help offset BDC!

CM -- Thanks for remembering your peeps in your post! :-D

Cam--what descriptions! Ahhhhh. . . .wish I were there now!

Those beaches do more than just "edge" Costa Rica's! :) Costa Rica's just got the "pura vida"! :)

We were en route to Tortola the night we spent at Hawk's Nest. We'd spent the previous night at St. Thomas in the bay, having sailed over from Puerto Rico. Hawk's Nest was practically deserted when we were there. . only one other boat in the bay. I remember my daughter and I taking showers on the back of the boat (almost dark) with the built hose and nozzle for just that purpose. I thought I was being quite brave (and bohemian). They were darned quick showers, though! :)

Meant to say "built IN hose". . .time to wrap it up for the day! Too much information! :)

Tully, Shillmac, CMerrell, Volcanogirl & dfr - thanks so much for your comments. I am relieved to hear that the developement in MA is not akin to Cancun! After reading your posts I really think MA will be a good destination for us. If I fall in love with Costa Rica, as so many of you have, I can always plan a second trip to Osa or some other less developed areas.

We love St. John! Hawksnest, Cinnamon Bay, Trunk, Honeymoon, Salt Pond, snorkeling, unbelievabley blue water, Skinny Legs, Columbo Ice Cream truck... all good memories! Some of the people in our group of 20 are having a hard time with the fact that we aren't returning this year - but it is nice to experience new places. I am just dying to explore Costa Rica with my kids - I think it will be a wonderful adventure for them. I don't know what I would do without these forums!

dfr - I have been looking at Si Como No for our family and it seems to get such mixed reviews. We have two kids, ages will be approaching 7 and 9 when we go. It seems like a perfect place for familes, so I'm interested in what you think. It sounds like you'd highly recommend it! Is there enough to keep them busy? I have a cousin who stayed there who gives it great reviews as well!

Thanks!