I was thinking of spending a night or two at Ylang Ylang and also maybe at Malpais surf camp or Tropical Latino. Just wondering opinions on dividing our stay this way. Because I read you have to be off the roads early and that the driving is so bad, I thought splitting our overnights would allow us to get more out of being in each area as opposed to a day trip.

Splitting time between the two is an excellent idea. But NOT for just a night. Spend at least 2, preferably 3 nights each area.

We spent 4 nights at Ylang Ylang a couple years back - loved my time there.

Stepdaughter spent 6 nights at Tropico, loved it, but expressed she now wishes she had spent a few nights in Montezuma.

dfarmer - thanks for your input. I am winding up making our plans and trying to divide 10 real nights of travel(not including arriving late 1st night). Flying into Liberia. So far we are planning on 2-3 nights in Arenal, maybe 1st night in La Carolina, 2-3 nights in Rincon de la Viejo, the rest on the Nicoya Penninsula. We definitely want to get rafting in on a class 3-4 river and would love to go the Pacure but it just seems like way too unreasonable to do all that driving. With this said, if you were to divide your time in Nicoya with ony say 4 nights total, what would you do between Montezuma and Malpais.

We are with our 18 & 20 yr old sons looking for a little bit of everything CR has to offer. We are big into adventures. Not surfers, but love body surfing and boogie boarding.

Why split your nights and waste time? Malpais and Montezuma are relatively so close that you can drive to Montezuma in the day or vise versus. Malpais,is right beside Santa Teresa where there is a beautiful beach for boogie boards if you don't desire surfing. You have Cabo Blanco Reserve at the other end of Malpais and just beyond the entry there is a small, white sand beach, great for snorkelling. Beyond Santa Teresa, the road which runs along the ocean for about 20 minutes and you arrive at Playa Hermosa. Simply beautiful and practically deserted. From there, you can venture to Playa Manzanillo(another 15 minutes) for a look. Small quaint beach town with only local restos but the beer is cold.
In Montezuma, sure there is a waterfall and beach, but the scene there is more in the tastes of your young sons. You get tired of the hype very quickly and I would do it as a day trip or a 1 nighter. Tropica Latino is a nice place with accomendations next to the Playa Carmen in Santa Teresa. The food is good but sometimes the service is ultra-slow but who cares, you are on vacation.
Hope you have a great vacation with your family that has something fun for everybody!

I agree with Samuele on all counts. Don't really have anything to add to that except if Tropico Latino is full( a place I hadn't ever given much thought to, but friends just stayed there with their family)Surf Camp in Mal Pais is a great option. They have several different types of accommodations and it seems to have something for the entire family. My friends enjoyed the food there. Have a great trip!

thanks samuele. What you say makes sense. I think I was just trying to cut down on time spent on the road and Ylang Ylang sounds like a great exerience. To be off the road at dark eliminates the idea of going for a day and being able to enjoy the night scene and dinner in Montezuma. Will my 18 and 20 yr. olds like Montezuma or Malpais better. I thought Montezuma would be to our liking and Malpai theirs.

Juldie,

Book a night at Ylang Ylang (former El Sano Banana) for the experience of a night of dining and nightlife in Montezuma. Be prepared with flashlights for all four of you for the trek back to YY in the dark-dark after dining and nightlife at Chico's Bar. I mention Chico's because it is the most popular hangout in town and they make excellent frozen strawberry Daiquires. Do not leave your sons in town and venture back yourselves. I am not overly-cautious in this respect, just aware of 'if something could happen, it probably will.' It's longer than a 15 minute walk and just be careful on the beach portion at night. There are a few undesirables in Montezuma who are weird and sometimes follow tourists. They are usually Gringos who are throwbacks to the 70's and never left and panhandle or worse. Live and let live but sometimes these guys are harassing and if you have drinks on the outdoor beach terrasse behind Chico's Bar, they usually approach you from the beach sector. Leave your passports and credit cards in the safe if there is one at YY. Montezuma is a party town so I think it would appeal to your sons a lot for the experience of a night scene and for you and your spouse for the day scene of soft adventure.(waterfalls, beach,and people-watching on a terrasse in town)
I totally agree with surfexec that the Malpais Surf Camp has something for everybody. Hope this helps.

Samuele