Thanks, crl. Rental home, Casa Pajaro.

You're staying in two of the places I enjoyed most in my recent trip to Costa Rica, TFC. Marino Ballena Park is fantastic for its beach and sealife, and Cabo Matapalo is a gem of the Osa.

The road between Ojochal and Manual Antonio is great and the trip would be quick (around an hour), so if you run out of things to do in the Ojochal area you can easily pop up to MA. It's a whole different vibe--many, many more tourists, kind of reminiscent of parts of Maui. The animals were indeed wonderful in MA (especially the half dozen morpho butterflies that joined us for our guided walk), but nothing you won't see in Osa. I'd leave the decision to "game day" -- go if the urge hits you.

tilted, I really think it's just a personal choice up to you, but my husband and I were both glad we saw Manuel Antonio BEFORE we went to the Osa because the Osa is just such a wow factor, really jaw dropping. The wildlife in MA park is pretty tame - the kinds of monkeys that will steal your potato chips and know how to open them. The beach inside the park is beautiful though, so I can see spending a day there. We enjoyed our hike through the park with our guide, and we did see tons of wildlife; it just didn't all seem entirely wild or natural. There are a lot of good restaurants with gorgeous views, particularly at sunset.

Thanks, all. There are some in Tanzania that'll take food right out your hand. Reversing the sequence isn't an option for us, but yes, we'll play it by ear. Just figured I'd collect suggestions now.

Tilted (love the name!!), we are also renting a house in Ojochal. I'd love to know how Casa Pajaro goes. We have just found out we have to rent a car for the 2 weeks we are there (initially the owner was going to rent us his car). Have you done any research on reliable and reasonably priced car rentals in the area yet? I have just emailed Tricolour but I have a feeling they don't go that far south in Costa Rica.

Solid rental car for us. They have offices in Alajuela, Dominical (I think it was) and Puerto Jimenez, have been responsive to emails, get good reviews on the web (including from Roadadvisor who usually recommends larger firms), and quoted a pretty good (but not red-flag-low) rate. They tell me they're refreshing their fleet, too.

Solid Rental is good. tully rented from them (a Jimmy Suzuki I think it was) and we drove from Dominical to Osa without a problem. Once we were in PJ and heading to Cabo Matapalo a step up in the 4 x 4 would have been nice. Jimmy just didn't have enough power at times going up hills.

tilted - MA park is gorgeous but you will also see a lot of pretty beaches around Dominical/Uvita. The hike and beach at Hacienda Baru is good too, so it's really a matter if you have the time. If you do, yes it's worth it, especially for the kids who will love swimming in those calmer waters.