Ok, what a confusion. I have read about so many wonderful hotels I am not sure what to do. We are planning our honeymoon for the end Feb 2004 (so time is tight) and I am open to any suggestions. Unfortunately we only have a week and don't want to move around too much. Our tentative plan is for the Costa Rica Marriott for the first night (as we arrive late and have plenty of points) and then from there we had these hotels in mind, but need to narrow it down to 2 and are not sure which would be the best order to go there. They are: Peace Lodge, Tabacon Lodge,Villas Caletas and Florblanca. We definitely want to do the canopy tour and see the volcano (hopefully lucky enough to get a beautiful night view) We live in Barbados so a beach is not necessary, we have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and it wouldn't be fair to compare. Thanks for any imput.

Hello,

I suggest that you re-post your message and when you're prompted to "Pick One or More Search Topics", scroll down to "Costa Rica" and choose it... that way your question will be listed in the Costa Rica-specific area, not just in the general Latin America listings.

Thanks for the tip CarolM...I seem to be having trouble and can't repost, don't know why. I'm not very good at these things. I read up on many of your other responses and found them helpful. Thanks. I'll keep trying.

Peace Lodge is right in the La Paz Waterfall gardens as you probably know. Many people just go to La Paz for a day trip. Don't know how much you want to do. Not many options other than hiking there to do. Of course, it is your honeymoon and those jacuzzis do look nice! We will be spending 2 nights in one of the deluxe rooms in Feb ourselves.
Villas Caletas has beautiful views of the ocean but is pretty high up from it. You would have quite a few interesting options for day trips from there.
You are obviously aware of the options in Fortuna. Arenal Paraiso and Montana de Fuego IMHO actually have better views of the volcano than Tabacon Lodge. Feb is a good time for Volcano viewing. Evenings are a little quieter at the hot springs because the day trippers from elsewhere leave. I hate crowds but enjoy it there. Worth at least one trip to them.
Florblanca, I am not personally familiar with this place but from postings from other people, it sounds lovely. It is a beach destination.
For someone whose time is so limited I would skip Florblanca because it is a little further away and you don't want to spend all your time traveling.

How are you planning on getting around? Car or Plane?
Florblanca is a FABULOUS hotel, but not only is it a beach location (ON the beach) it is not easy to get there either. I would only consider if you can fly into Tambor and then taxi from there. But even that would eat up time, and since you're from Barbados you don't need a 'beach hotel'.
Villa Caletas is beautiful. I have a friend who was married there and they loved it. It's close enough to Jaco that you can get out to eat at many places there, and there are a lot of tours in the area, including Manuel Antonio park where you'd see the most wildlife. It's a beautiful park and would make a nice day trip from Villas Caletas. I also agree with Suzie@'s hotel suggestions in the Fortuna area if you decide to go there. Personally I think Tobacon is over rated. The only advantage I saw was the admission to the springs, which I believe is about $18 or $19 per person these days. Having been to Costa Rica 8 times, if this were my trip, I'd choose a hotel in La Fortuna for two nights, and the balance at Villas Caletas.

Thank you very much for all of your advice. This stress is not something I was planning on and because my fiance travels so much I am trying to do most of the leg work and then get his help when he's home. I'm am definitely persuaded by Villas Caletas now, does anyone know how long of a drive from SJO it is? My fiance is a pilot and of course wants to fly everywhere so we are open to suggestions. As for Tabacon, you have confirmed my doubts that it is overrated and I will check out the others recommended. We are Canadians that live in Bim for his job, should you have any questions for me, please do not hesitate to ask. Once again, thanks!

I think it's about a 3 hours drive. Or you could fly to Quepos and then drive, which would shave off a couple hours or so.

Suzie2 and Ally, thank you so much for your input. Ally as you have been there 8x, by any chance can you recommend the best area for us to do the canopy tour? Thanks again. TNT

Arenal (La Fortuna) or Manuel Antonio will both have canopy tours available. As I have not done that activity myself, I can't say which might be better, only that both areas have them!