SEC181818

Hello! My boyfriend and I are planning a trip to costa rica in August. We plan to spend half of our trip in Arenal and the other half in Manuel Antonio and will be renting a car to travel between our destinations. Our flight arrives at the San Jose airport at 2:05pm on Saturday afternoon, and I'm debating what we should do that evening. I have not read too many great reviews about spending time in San Jose, but I'm also not sure we'll have time to drive up to Arenal by the time we get off the plane, collect our baggage, etc. Do you have any suggestions? Is there someplace between San Jose and Arenal that might be nice for the night? We'd appreciate any suggestions you might have. Thanks!!

incabod

You can make it to Arenal just after sunset. If the plane arrives on time, customs 1 hour max, rental car pick up is painless, sun sets around 6 pm and it is 3 hours.

Get GPS with the rental and you're Goldie.

If you dont want to make the whole drive, or the plane is late, AND you are an animal lover, staying at Lands In Love is an option, - http://www.landsinlove.com/ Awesome place, great people.

Cheers

Cattail

I wouldn't try to make it to Arenal on the same day. The sun sets very quickly, and you can't be certain of your plane landing on time, getting out of the terminal quickly, road traffic, bad weather, etc. Much less stressful to chill somewhere and get a relaxed start in the morning. We like the Orquideas Inn for its wonderfully relaxing atmosphere and good food- not so much the rooms, but we're not in them much. Lots of other good overnight spots to choose from as well.

qwovadis

Mybeaconescazu.com

The altahotel.com

Casabellarita.com

3 great places with plenty for you to see and do based on your budget

Escazu is the nicest area very pretty where all the embassies are

Relax have fun have a nice drive up to Arenal.net the next day at your leisure

Consider a stop at Sarchi a cute little crafts town along your way.

volcanogirl

I'd stay the first night at Xandari. It's a gorgeous property with nice trails for hiking, a few small waterfalls on the property, a spa, and nice open air restaurant on site. It's a little pricey, but wonderful if you can swing the cost. It's a great place for a first or last night, about twenty minutes from the airport but up in the hills with beautiful views.

http://xandari.com/

I'd be a little worried about heading up to Arenal the first day. You could probably make it, but our flights have been late arriving. One time we had to wait in the immigration line for 3 hours which is much longer than normal. You would have to count on everything going smoothly to get to Arenal by dark, but it's up to you and your own comfort level.

SEC181818

Thanks for the suggestions! I would like to stay around $125 or less for the night, so some of the ideas are perfect and a couple are a little out of my range

I am wondering if there is anything interesting to do if we were to stay in the downtown area? I generally like cities, as long as they are safe and have restaurants/bars, etc that are walkable. Also, would it be possible to walk around in Escazu, or is more suburban?

Again, thanks much!

volcanogirl

If you like a city hotel, Grano de Oro is a neat spot. It's built in an old mansion so it has some neat architecture, good service, and a very good restaurant on site. Wide range of prices on the rooms - some are very simple, and some have their own patios with gardens and fountains. They have a nice rooftop garden with hot tubs. Their standard room is probably around your price range. We haven't hung around much in San Jose, but touring the museums and the national theater, as well as the Central Market are popular. I'd stick to taxis at night.

hipvirgochick

If you want to be downtown within walking distance to some sights Don Carlos is a great choice. Another really cool and unique option in the city is Casa 69. It's wonderful and very budget friendly. In Alejuela, like cattail, I enjoy Orquideas Inn and have stayed there several times. They do have really pretty grounds and wonderful restaurant, bar and pool but not really within walking distance to any sights.

mlgb

In Alajuela the Pura Vida Hotel is in your price range. One of the better breakfasts in CR. The dinners by Nhi are not to be missed, but need to book ahead. They will arrange for your car to be delivered the next morning, and pay for airport pickup. That saves you a bit on the airport taxes.

www.puravidahotel.com

Escazu and San Jose are in the wrong direction if you're going to Arenal first.

volcanogirl

Meant to enclose the link for you.

http://www.granodeoro.com/

SEC181818

Great, thank you all for the help! The hotels you recommend all look great, and I am going to book one of them shortly!

steviegene

Grano de Oro was great. We stayed there last March. We weren't crazy about the city, but the hotel was extremely nice.

suze

I'm only reading because I'm interested, never been to Costa Rica myself. But I would definitely stay in the city that night, not try to make a 3 hour drive in a foreign country at night after getting off a long plane ride.

patrigringo

Go to Volcan Poas: http://www.costaricabeauty.com/viewp...%A1n-Po%C3%A1s

It is a day hike that you should be able to reach if you go there directly after dropping off your baggage at the hotel. It is an amazing view inside the crater.

tully

Sorry but I completely disagree. Do not attempt Poas after flying in & getting your rental car. Even in the best of worlds, you won't hit the road until 3:30. It's a minimum of 1 hour to drive there and it closes around 3:30-4, so you'd make a drive there for nothing.

If you're heading to Arenal next day, I would suggest booking at Orquideas Inn, so you won't have to double back out of the city.

Cattail

I 100% agree with tully. It would be a bad mistake to drive to Poas the afternoon your flight gets in.

cmazza

Hi we stayed at adventure inn our first night and loved it close to airport nice breakfast good way to start off a great vacation

RAC

Orquideas Inn is about 15 minutes from the airport, right on the road to Arenal. It has lovely grounds, a pool, gets you a large room with a king-size bed and a view for $99, and has delicious food. Plus, a Marilyn Monroe themed bar and it includes a buffet breakfast.

Our last time in CR, we just hung out on their grounds--used the outdoor jacuzzi, hiked the grounds looking at birds, laid out in the sun, etc for our first day.

cabound11

I will be landing in San Jose and wanting to fly to David, Panama in the next day or so, I'll be backpacking so my budget will be relativley low. Are there any decent hostels or night rentals fairly close to the airport and in a somewhat safer area that anyone is aware of?

JBX

For one night and easy access to/from airport, you'll want to stay in/around.town of Alajuela ..... several of hotels already mentioned in this post are located in Alajuela.

http://www.villadolce.com/
'Villa Dolce' gets good reviews. Price (depending on time of year) runs around $50 - $70. Also, there are several hostels in this area ...... should be