LilyJDragonfly

My husband and I are coming to CR from 15 - 30 June. We are renting a 4x4 (perhaps from Payless Rentals in SJ, though I'm open to suggestions) and going to Puerto Viejo on the Carib coast for a week. We have a house reserved there until 22 June.

From there, we are leaning towards the following plan, but don't have any hotels reserved and we are totally open to ideas and comments:

Two nights at Arenal - we want to see the lava flow! Arenal Observatory Lodge is our pick at the moment. Though perhaps we should stay in La Fortuna and drive out to see it? I'd like to hang in the thermal springs for a bit, too..... where???

Two nights at Monteverde - I'm really digging the concept of the Tree Houses Hotel ( www.treehouseshotelcostarica.com ) Are there other places we should consider? What should we do while in Monteverde?

Three nights in Manuel Antonio - Totally undecided about lodging here - considering Costa Verde, Hotel Plinio, La Posado so far. I would definitely like to spend some beach time here, but also visit MA park, too.

Our last night will be hopefully at Bonita Villa near airport (waiting to hear back for my reservation request).

I'd like to keep accommodations in the $100 and under range, if possible.....

Also, we'd like to do one zipline tour; any suggestions as to where on this itinerary we have planned? I read good things about Sky Trek/Tram near Arenal....

Lastly (for this post, anyhow) I am most interested in seeing toucans! Any tips?

Any comments and suggestions are welcomed!

MichelleY

Here is a link to our trip report from 2008:

http://www.fodors.com/community/mexi...rip-report.cfm

Two nights in Arenal may not be enough. I have never been to Montverde, but perhaps cut this out. Travel between all these places will eat up most of your day.

We liked both AOL and Costa Verde. We did Ecotermales in Arenal and thought it was great. Sky Trek would have been better if it hadn't been pouring rain!!

Where is your rental house in PV?? Which area? Just curious.

Good luck,

MY

cmerrell

Hi Lily,

I think you'll get several suggestions to pick either Arenal or Monteverde rather than trying to split the time between both. I have not been to Monteverde yet, but I can tell you that Arenal is worth 3-4 nights in it's own right (lots to see and do there). Once you factor in travel times to and from the 2 locations, you'll really only have 1.5 days at most in each and that's not much time to enjoy all that either place has to offer. It's probably do-able, but very rushed, imo. Besides, you'll increase your odds of seeing the lava flow at Arenal if you spend more nights there. We had 3 nights and never got to see it due to cloud cover (I was very disappointed, but loved the area regardless).

Costa Verde is quite a popular choice in MA. The views of the ocean and MA national park are gorgeous from there. We stayed at Hotel California when we visited the area (in the same price range) and were perfectly satisfied there. Remember that MA park is closed on Mondays and plan accordingly. It's well worth a visit, and the beaches inside the park are very pretty.

If you decide to stay in Arenal, SkyTrek/SkyTram is a great choice for zip lining. Very fun!

Toucan sightings are sort of luck of the draw, I think. We did see one near SkyTrek in Arenal. We had much better luck down on the Osa Peninsula, where we saw several. You might ask your hotel or any guides you hire for various local tours how to optimize your chances to find one. They are beautiful!

qwovadis

www.tabacon.com good place to see volcano and soak

www.fondavela.com best for me in Monteverde

www.laposadajungle.com best in MA for price.

www.tripadvisor.com/members/natureguide best park guide.

be sure to factor in drive times 6-8 hours or so...

Have fun,

LilyJDragonfly

I think y'all are right in not trying to split Monteverde/Arenal. Per your suggestions, we're going with Puerto Viejo, Arenal, and then MA - no Monteverde this trip.

MichelleY - we've rented Casa Sol y Arena near Banana Azul (and managed by them) in Puerto Viejo.

And I've heard there are a couple of artisan cheese makers in the country - where/who? Any wineries in the countries?

Lily N.

hipvirgochick

That sounds like a good plan. Colin and Roberto's house near Banana Azul should be a great find if they pay the kind of attention to it that they do BA. Great location.

LilyJDragonfly

Oh yeah, I've also realized that the Tree Houses Hotel (mentioned in my first post) is NOWHERE near Monteverde and is actually almost enroute to Arenal from PV; THH is located in San Carlos.

Anyone ever stayed there or in San Carlos?

volcanogirl

We stayed at the Lost Iguana in Arenal and had view of the lava and saw toucans on the property - unfortunately no guarantees though. We also saw toucans on our volcano hike and our guided birding hike. They're much easier for me to spot now that I know what they sound like. I think we probably passed several over the years and didn't recognize the sound. They sound like a creaky gate or creaky bedsprings - not what you'd expect! Sometimes they sound croaky like a frog.

MichelleY

Just an idea - and I hate to screw with your plans any more. but: perhaps skip Manuel Antonio and add Monteverde back in. You will already have had plenty of beach time in PV, although PV & MA are very different. Others here with more Costa Rica experience can help more with this idea. We were not wild about PV, but we stayed with friends in somewhat "rough" accomodations. MA was our favorite place, but we like a little more comfort and ammenities, like a pool and warm water showers

No winegrapes in CR - that I know of. Coffee is big, so visit a coffee farm if you get a chance.

Between San Jose and PV, we stayed at Casa Rio Blanco, outside of Guapiles. This was a great B&B. It would also be on the way to Arenal, but I don't think you would need to do an overnight.

Good luck,

MY

LilyJDragonfly

As I mentioned, suggestions are welcomed! Funny you should mention skipping MA; I'm actually considering ditching MA in favor of going to northern CR - like Montezuma, perhaps? I'm a big water girl and don't get enough easy saltwater access here in NorCal. I wanted to see both sides of the water while there...

I've read most everywhere that PV is NOT for everyone, but from all reads, it seems right up my alley and that's why we chose it for a week of just kicking back.

I'm leery of places with "lots" of development - like I've read about the Guancaste area of CR, but my dear hubby reminds me what might be considered highly developed in CR is probably NOTHING like here in the US, say, in Orlando, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head.... so, that being said, any thoughts from anyone on Montezuma or other parts of Guancaste on the Pacific?

Lily N.

MichelleY

Lily: I am in NorCal too!!

MA is not overdeveloped by our standards. We thought it was fine, in fact we thought it was great.

Is your last name Nichols?

Keep us posted on how your plans turn out.

MY

volcanogirl

MA isn't really overdeveloped; it just has lots of restaurant options, etc. It's not "wild" like other parts of CR, but the beaches inside the park are gorgeous, and you'll see a lot of wildlife. It's also extremely easy to get around here. We were able to walk to most of the places we wanted to go to, and our most expensive cab fare was five dollars. In MA, most everyone speaks English - lots of Americans have settled there.

colibri

You asked about tips on toucan sightings - we saw many of them at Tortuguero, some at Arenal Paraiso, more along the road to Arenal Hanging Bridges, at Selva Verde and some at Guayabo. In each case they were on bare trees without any leaves and high up towards the top. They were very easy to spot and, of course, there might have been many more hidden in trees that we never saw.

Good luck with your decisions and with spotting toucans!

hipvirgochick

In Arenal I really like El Silencio del Campo. It's a smaller place with a dozen or so cabinas, beautiful grounds and hot spring owned by a wonderful Tico family. PV is one of my favorite areas so far in CR. Banana Azul is a beautiful lodge and Playa Negra is pretty swimmable. You may see Toucans hiking in Manzanillo (Abel Bustamente is a great guide). Colin at Banana Azul can put you in touch or I can post his info. Hotel Villa Bonita is a lovely place too. Haven't made it to Montezuma yet. Going south of MA in June to Dominical/Uvita. Manuel Antonio is definitely worth a visit. More restaurants, shops, maybe than a little beach town, but not overwhelmingly so and it's a beautiful area.