My husband and I and another couple are planning a trip to Costa Rica in mid-late November (12 days). Both guys like to surf, but they are still pretty new at it. Which area would be better for surfing? I just don't think we will have time to make it to both areas. Also, we don't really care about the nightlife scene so that won't affect our decision. Any suggestions? Good, clean, inexpensive hotels? Also, does having a room with a kitchen really save alot of money or is it more of a pain to get groceries, cook, etc? Thanks in advance for your responses!

No comparison ... Tamarindo is THE spot for all purposes.

My experience is that Tamarindo in November has too damn many mosquitos. The area is far flatter than Manuel Antonio and the water pools up and stagnates and it is simply too much. I had a thousand or more mosquito bites and cried myself to sleep several nights. Manuel ANtonio is in the rainforest, hence there is a little more to do than just surf. <BR>The beach at Manuel Antonio is good because there are several places to surf that are of varying skill levels. <BR>Didn't surf in Tamarindo, but a beginner can learn to surf here in Manuel ANtonio or a sesoned surfer can get big waves on the other end of the beach...The issue of whether to cook or not is a personal preference thing. If you can eat local food, for example, here in Quepos are various restaurant that cater to local folks, you can rice, beans, fish/beef/chicken and veggies for 700 colones, 2.30 US. <BR>For those prices I wouldn't bother with cooking...Although we also have expensive restaurants that cater to tourists. There are many , many hotels in Manuel Antonio. Inexpenive I could suggest the Mono Azul , [email protected] or you can rent a nice condo for al of you at www.villasmymosa.com or at Villas del Parque, etc. <BR>I live in Manuel Antonio, and I love it. I like Tamarindo, but my November experience with the mosquitos there was enough to make me highly recomend against it. I had more than a thousand mosquito bites there and it made my trip miserable. <BR>Enjoy your trip! <BR>Robbie Felix

Hi Robbie, <BR>Can you recommend a really nice hotel in Manuel Antonio. My wife and I are going there for at Christmas time (no children). Dan

Sorry about the for/at in the previous message

Dan, <BR>we are going to CR in August (our second trip) and will stay at Si Como No in Manuel Antonio. It has been very highly recommended by people posting on this board. Other hotels that I considered were Makanda and Tulemar. Check them all through www.maqbeach.com.