We are flying into San Jose and will be staying somewhere on the outskirts of town. Could someone give me an idea how long it would take us to drive to Arenal...or should we do a tour? How long do they take?
Thanks,
Misty

If you're staying in Alajuela (and I highly recommend the Hotel Villa Bonita if you are - the owners are charming & helpful & the place is spotless) plan on 2 1/2 hours if you go through San Ramon, longer if you go through Ciudad Quesada (San Carlos). We did San Ramon route & it was a lovely drive. 2 1/2 hours even in the rain.

Misty,

We rented a Rav4 and drove ourselves to Arenal. The road is good til you get close to the volcano then unpaved for...30mins?? I think the drive took 4 hours. There's great lodge to stay at that's at the base of the volcano. I believe it was called thre observatory. You need not take a tour unless that is your preference. Mark

Hi m2schwab, we are slower drivers than "turnager", took us maybe 3 hours San Jose to Arenal. There are some mountain curves with no guardrails, don't attempt it in the dark!

Arenal is a beautiful place with lots to do and see. It's worth a 3-night stay for sure. I recommend the Lost Iguana resort in Arenal. All their rooms have a volcano view, assuming the volcano isn't clouded over. I recommend you have a car if you stay at the Lost Iguana.

We stayed at Hotel Villa Bonita too in Alajuela for 1 night. Note that the rooms are basic, budget rooms at $47 for a double. If you are looking for a very clean budget place with a nice included breakfast, this is the place for you to stay in Alajuela, about 5 minutes or less from the SJO airport. Humberto and Carmen are nice, and will answer your e-mails. www.hotelvillabonita.com

I recommend you stay 1 night near the airport...and then spend at least 3 nights up at Arenal.

Another good place to stay about 20 minutes from the SJO airport is the Hotel Bougainvillea in Heredia. They have a free shuttle into downtown San Jose if you want to go into town for shopping or dancing. Hotel Bougainvillea has an outstanding garden! I have paid to get into some gardens that weren't as nice as theirs! Nice pool and sauna too. Great staff. $80 per night for a double. Take a taxi there, hard to find on your own.

Good luck, have fun!

About 3 hours.

Hey folks,
Thanks for all the great information. And now (just to let you know how much I really do need all your help) I have to tell you, we were only planning a day trip to Arenal. I wasn't really sure what there was to do beside hike the National Park. So if we stay overnight, how long is it to Manuel Antonio from there?

The main attraction in the Arenal area is the volcano, and it's show can only be appreciated at night (when the clouds allow). While there are a lot of other activities in the area, similar activities are available in many locations in the country--the volcano is the one thing that makes it different from the rest of CR.

So do stay overnight if you really want to visit Arenal and have a chance to see the pyrotechnics at night.

I visited Arenal about 2 years ago - took a tour out of San Jose that left about 9am. Stopped for lunch and shopping on the way up. We arrived at a spa (name?) with a series of hot springs, heated of course by the volcano, when we spent the afternoon. Had dinner at the spa too; sat on the veranda with a direct view of the volcano. And it put on quite a show that night - magnificent. There is little if anything to see during the day especially if there is cloud cover, so plan accordingly. We returned after dinner, and got back to the hotel in SJ about 11pm. I agree with the guidebooks: do not plan to drive yourself - the roads can be treacherous after dark.