Everyone on this board was so helpful to me, directly and indirectly, while I was planning my spring break in Costa Rica. Thanks to everyone and I?m posting my trip report here in case it might help anyone- as college students, I know that our tastes in terms of budget and activities might not be the same as most people reading this board, but hopefully it will help someone!
*warning* this is long

We arrived in San Jose late Friday night, March 5, and went straight to the Costa Rica Backpackers Hostel in San Jose. This was a bit of a frustrating experience because we had booked a six-person room (there were six of us traveling) and they messed up our reservation, so we had to split up into three rooms. I don?t normally mind hostelling and sharing rooms with randoms, but it was frustrating this night because we hadn?t planned on doing so. All in all, though, it was a really nice hostel as hostels go- very clean, free internet, even had a pool. $9 a night per person.

Early Saturday morning (March 6) we got picked up at the hostel by Grayline, which took us to Manuel Antonio. This was great- they were very prompt, the bus was spacious and clean, and we really enjoyed the trip- the driver was very nice and helpful, especially when another passenger realized she had left her backpack containing her passport and wallet at a place where we stopped. In this situation, I would recommend Grayline to anyone- but read on for more thoughts on this subject.
We got to Manuel Antonio late Saturday afternoon and decided to go to the public beach. I loved this beach- the water was gorgeous and warm, and the waves weren?t too big which was nice for me- maybe a downside for others, but it is a great beach for swimming. We stayed at the Mono Azul hotel which I can?t recommend enough!!! It is a great location, right on the main road from Quepos to the park, and the public buses go by every 20 minutes for only about 25 cents. The restaurant there is great, and we absolutely loved where we stayed. We stayed in their largest villa, called ?The Tower? because for the six of us it was very affordable, $135 per night. It was amazing- two stories, bird-watching patios, big tv, clean kitchen- just wonderful. The other villas looked really nice if not nicer, as well. I didn?t see any of the rooms, though. The hotel has two pools which are small but refreshing, and they rehabilitate baby sloths which you can see- they are adorable.
Sunday morning we went to the park early- I would definitely recommend getting there at opening time. We were only able to spend about an hour and a half in the park, as we were racing back to go on a canopy tour. But in that short time, we were able to see the monkeys, a tapir, several iguanas, and crabs. The beaches inside the park are also beautiful. If I went back, I think I would spring for a guide- they seemed to be very helpful.
Then we went on a canopy tour with Canopy Safari, which we arranged through our hotel. I was not too psyched about doing this just because of mixed reviews of canopy tours, and I would have preferred to spend more time in the park. But, I really loved the tour. It was about a 40 minute ride to the canopy tour (you get picked up at your hotel) and on the way, the guides show you different kinds of plants- which I thought would be boring but it?s actually cool. They showed us henna leaves, cashew fruit, Costa Rican marijuana (which is apparently used in chanel fragrances?) and fun stuff like that. Then, the tour itself was really fun. As we hiked up to the canopy, the guides showed us poison dart frogs and other wildlife. The ziplines are a blast and you feel like a monkey swinging through the trees. The guides were all really nice and fun. Canopy Safari has nine ziplines and three repel lines. I loved the ziplines but not really the repel lines, mainly because I had a bad experience repelling a few years ago- but everyone else loved both. At the end, they serve you a nice Costa Rican lunch- your basic casado, with fresh-squeezed juice and good coffee. It was a really fun and unique experience and I would definitely do it again.
We had dinner that night at La Cantina, which I think is part of the Costa Verde hotel. It is on the main road and we were enticed by the huge wood-burning barbecue in the front. I really liked this place- it has a nice atmosphere, albeit a little touristy, and good prices. Nice outdoor seating.
Sadly, we only had the two days in Manuel Antonio! We had previously booked a Grayline bus to take us to Tamarindo in the morning. 20 minutes after the time it was supposed to pick us up, we got worried and called the Grayline office. Well, guess what- they said they had no record of our reservation! Even though we had the printed out e-mails from our communication with them, a confirmation number, etc. They pretty much blew us off. Then the girl working at the Mono Azul front desk said that she had stopped working with Grayline because they had failed to pick up a number of their hotel guests. We were pretty frustrated, but luckily, Chip (one of the owners of the hotel) was hanging around the reception area (before 7 in the morning! he is very dedicated- you can always find him talking to guests) and with his help and the nice front desk girl, we had a private van ready to take us to Tamarindo in under an hour. Whew. So, in terms of recommending Grayline- I hate to badmouth them since we had such a good experience the first time. But the second time was unacceptable, especially after they require you to fax your credit card number and a picture of it. We did book with two different Grayline agents- the first (good) trip was booked through a nice man named Mauricio C. The second was done through Emanuel G. Maybe if you want to do Grayline, avoid Emanuel- or just take Interbus.
Tamarindo was a bit disappointing to me, but not for the reasons that I thought it might be. I was worried about two things: 1. It being overly touristy and crowded, and 2. Pollution, too much horse poo on the beach. Well, I really didn?t find it touristy at all. I suppose if you are used to vacationing on very deserted beaches you might find it too crowded. But really, it is a fairly tiny town and there weren?t even that many people on the beach! In high season! There are a good number of restaurants and bars, but if you took Tamarindo and put it in America, I think people would think it practically untouched. If you are worried about crowds and tourism, and you?ve ever vacationed at places like Myrtle Beach, Ocean City, NJ, Miami, Daytona, etc- you will have no problem. In fact, you?ll probably be pleasantly surprised by Tam.
And as for the horses, there were definitely some droppings on the beach, but not enough to make me feel that it was overly dirty.
However, I was disappointed in Tamarindo. Why? Well, I didn?t think the beach was terribly polluted, but it wasn?t terribly pretty either. The sunsets were great, but other than that, it looked pretty much like the Jersey Shore. I dearly love the Jersey Shore, but I don?t need to fly to Costa Rica for it. Plus, the days we were there, the wind was abominable! My girlfriend and I tried to enjoy laying on the beach while our boyfriends were in the water, and it was like we were in the Sahara: sand whipping up and pelting us so that we were absolutely covered in it. Plus, it hurt. I?ve never had such a painful beach experience. The water was nice, but not as good for swimming as in MA (obviously). We spent most of our afternoons, consequently, at the pool at our hotel, Villas Macondo. I wish I could go back to this place without going back to Tamarindo. What an amazing place. Just across the street from the beach, beautiful clean new rooms (ours were built just in December!), and such a great time. The owners were on vacation when we were there, but Gerald, who works there, was an absolute angel. He lives with his wife in one of the apartments (you can rent apartments or rooms) and is always available for anything you need (very convenient as one of my friends kept locking himself out of his room.) It?s a very small property, with ten rooms and a few apartments all arranged in little villas in a circle around the wonderful, CLEAN, cool pool. Each room is like half of a villa, and you have your own patio and hammock and little table and chairs. It was just amazing. We also got to meet a lot of the other guests of the hotel because of this arrangement, and they were all so nice and fun. It?s a rather quiet place, and I really liked it because it was sort of like a family place because there were families there, but there were also us college kids, 20somethings, 30somethings- all kinds of people! And we all got along really well. There were a couple families with small children there, but it?s not a place where little kids are going to be running around all the time, but a nice, quiet, friendly place for everyone. And it was a great deal. For a triple room with a/c, ceiling fan, fridge- $55 per night, tax included. Rooms were clean with high cathedral ceilings. So, overall, I didn?t hate Tamarindo- it was a nice enough place. But I think if you?re going all the way to Costa Rica, you can do better than nice enough. But, if you are set on going to Tamarindo, definitely check out www.villasmacondo.com. Gerald will take good care of you! Oh, also I really liked eating at the Taco Stop (very cheap, huge burritos, a la Chipotle for any who know it) and the Lazy Wave Food Company- I had some really great fish there.

After Tamarindo, we had a private transfer back to San Jose. We spent our last two nights at the Pension de la Cuesta, which was recommended by Lets Go and Frommer?s. Eh?it was ok. The price is definitely right- we paid $42 for a triple, including tax and breakfast. The place is a little worn down and we did spot one cockroach, although the place looked otherwise clean. But what was advertised as a ?charming b&b? was not terribly charming. However, you get what you pay for, and it also has a good location- right near several embassies and the police station, and just a few blocks walking distance to the center of town. We always felt very safe. I chose to stay in San Jose because some of my friends thought they might like to check out the nightlife. Instead, we were always so exhausted that our nights consisted of dinner, Jeopardy, and bed by 10. So, like many, if I went back I would definitely stay in Alajuela or some other place that is NOT San Jose. It?s not as scary as I thought it would be, but I just didn?t really get that much out of being there. Our last day we did a day trip to Poas, Sarchi and Grecia. I really liked Grecia though we didn?t spend much time there. The little church is beautiful. Sarchi was cute too, the ox-carts are pretty though expensive. Poas was unfortunately just a big cloud of mist, so that was a disappointment, although the drive up to Poas was very nice.
And then, it was home again.
I also wanted to mention one last thing- the exit fee to get out of CR is $26. Most people probably know this but my guide book (brand new edition) said it was $17. Maybe this won?t matter for some, but if you are cutting it to the bone with cash like my friends and I were, it?s a good thing to know!

Excellent report Ashley. Thanks for sharing!

Great report! We are a family of 3 with a 14 yr old going in Aug. We are used to NJ shore, Cape Cod and best of all outer banks, NC. We are planning to go to Playa Hermosa and MA with more time at Playa Hermosa. Now I wonder if we should change that a little...maybe even spend more time in the Central valley...Glad you had fun!

Dear sautterm1,
As Ally said, finding accommodations in May should be quite easy. It is one of the slowest months in tourism in CR, and in my opinion, one of the best to travel in.
For some special unique boutique hotels, you may need to make reservations in advance, to guarantee availability, but other than that, I do not anticipate any problems.
Feel free to write me directly as well, for any more information.
Pura Vida,
Neta Talmor

Ashley, thanks for a great report. I heard that Tamarindo may be very windy in the dry season. We always went there in August (3 times) and never experienced strong wind like you are describing.

Wonderful trip report, Ashley! Thanks for taking the time to post it.

Thanks everyone!
Trevor, I agree- I was enchanted by the Central Valley area, and if I went back I would want to spend some more time there. I just preferred that area and Manuel Antonio to Tamarindo because I felt they were more unique to Costa Rica.