blewbyou

I am still struggling with my family's trip plans. I definitely want to go to MA and La Paz-Peace Lodge but trying to decide if Arenal is worth the additional drive time and if it will cut into the MA time too much. I have a six yr old and 9 yr old. I could do 2 nights La Paz then to Arenal for two nights then to MA for 4 then to Finca Que Ama before heading to the airport. Or we could cut out Arenal and just do Peace Lodge and MA with a stop at Finca Que Ama rearranging the order a bit of course. Any help with my decision would be awesome!

dhswor

I think adding Arenal to your trip would be great. We did a similar trip in Feb. with our 3 kids and it was perfect. You will even have 1 more day in MA than we did. Otherwise our trip was just like yours only we went to Sarapiqui instead of LaPaz. Missing La Paz was the one thing I was disappointed with. I really wanted to go there, oh well, next time! No problem with the driving. We had no complaints from the kids. Places to stop along the way, and beautiful scenery (they had gameboy, DVD, and books, which helped!). Enjoy your planning!

blewbyou

dhswor:
Thanks for your response. It's great to hear from someone who has done the same basic trip. Did you rent a car or have a driver? What were you able to do with your kids in terms of tours and activities and which ones did they (and you) love? What was the weather like in February? Bugs? Rain? etc. How old are your children?
Sorry for the third degree! I am loving doing the research. Kind of a nice fantasy world for a while which we need here in New England. The weather has been lousy!

dhswor

We rented an SUV and drove ourselves. We had the B & B map that everyone recommended here and it was very helpful. Our kids are 10, 13, and 14. We all loved the canopy tour ( my son was a bit nervous and rode with a guide and that worked great, but small kids can do it alone if they want), a guided hike throught Tirimbina reserve in Sarapiqui, a float trip on the Penas Blancs river in Arenal, Hanging Bridges in Arenal, the La Fortuna waterfall hike, Tabacon hot springs was kind of hot for them, we went at night for cheaper rates, the Manuel Antonio park hike with a guide and the rest was the beach time at Manuel Antonio - that is what the kids wanted to do and it was great! The beaches in the park are the safest from riptides. A couple of other things I would have like to do were the Isla Damas tour (or kayak tour), and the Fincl Valmy horseback tour both near MA.
We did have a bit of rain most days, less in MA, but it seemed to rain when we were not doing something outside. Good timing. Even in the rain, all we needed was a cheap poncho and the rain is warm. We had good clothes, the kind that dry quickly so you dry pretty fast after the rain. We also saw very few bugs. My kids got a few bites, but I never really saw any mosquitos. Hope that helps.
We stayed at Costa Verde in MA which was great for the kids. They have monkeys that come to the restaurant every day before sunset. Great fun! Beautiful view. Building B has a nice pool.

blewbyou

Just checking in after taking a mental break from thinking about this trip 24/7! Great info! Did you get to see Si Como No? How would that compare to Costa Verde? Did building B have nice views and nice rooms? How is the food?

dhswor

Hi - I don't blame you for taking a break - planning can be exhausting! We did go to Si Como No for dinner one night at the Rico Tico. It was great! Unfortunately we arrived after sunset, but I bet it has a beautiful view. The food was great and the restaurant was really nice. We did walk around a bit, but didn't see a room, nice pool. It was very nice, but I thought Costa Verde was really nice, too, I would stay at Costa Verde - B-building again over Si Como No. I don't know if it is worth the extra price. Costa Verde was clean, comfortable with a great balcony. We were in Room 7, I think with a view of Manuel Antonio park. The food was very good at both the Anaconda restaurant and at the restaurant just across the street ( 1 minute walk - but I do't remember the name off hand. That restaurant has an internet cafe. The Anaconda has the monkeys just before sunset that your kids will love every day. Our room was quite large with a full-size bed and a king bed. It also had a refrigerator, little cooktop and sink and dishes. It was great to have the fridge because it is quite hot in MA and it was good to have cold drinks. Hope this helps. Did you decide to go to Arenal?

blewbyou

I think my husband will win on this one. He thinks the driving would be too much. I am thinking that we will go to MA for four or five nights and then go to Peace Lodge for the rest. I figure we can take some day trips from both places. But I haven't booked anything yet. On one hand, I feel like we will be missing out on Arenal if we don't go but hate to feel rushed too. So if we love CR that much I guess we will have to go back the next year!

Costa Verde does sound great. Hard decision.It looked like a party place for adults on the website. That's what ultimately made us lean toward Si Como No. I liked the look of the houses at Costa Verde also but wonder about the view and distance from pools. Also, they may be way more than we need.

dhswor

We didn't see any partying going on at the b-building. The adults have their own building and pool and it is quite far away. I don't believe the houses have a view and you have to drive to the resort. I checked into that also and they said driving would be better, especially at night. The pool for the B-building was very quiet, clean and close to the building. It is also nicer than the other building (not the adult only one) I can't remember the name of that building - maybe A. I am sure you will like Si Como No, it looked great, too. Good luck with your planning.

wayfarer

We stayed at Tulemar with our two boys (6 & 9) and loved it. The bunglows have a day/trundle bed setup in the living room which gave us our own bedroom privacy. The bungalows have great views.

There are two pools and they have their own private beach with a small bar and grill and free kayaks, lounge chairs, boogie boards, etc.

The staff was great - we would definitely stay there again!

crarmy

dhswor, Just wondering where you stayed in Arenal?? We will be going in July with our 4 children, ages 16, 13, 3 and 2. We had considered staying at Lost Iguana, but they have told me they can not accomodate us. Rooms available are for families with children over 6. I am a little bummed too becuase some other hotels want to put us in two rooms and I don't know how I feel about this.

Also you said you went to La Fortuna waterfall, I was wanting to do that, but do you think it will be too much with the little ones?? How was the float down Peñas Blanca?? Wondering with the little ones again??

Did you stay in Sarapiqui or did you travel from the Arenal area? If so where did you stay?

MA, I was thinking about staying at Costa Verde, sounds like it will be a good choice for the kids. What activities did you do in MA, we want to do the Finca Valmy horseback ride, once again if they allow me to take the little ones, I read somewhere that their horses are very well trained. So many questions?? Anyway thanks for any advice.