Yet another Costa Rica question!
 

I've spent oodles of time reading other questions on this forum and have read tons of good advice. My family of 4 (2 adults/2 teens) are heading to CR mid December and I have been searching for the best things to do. After research I see that MA and Arsenal are the two top choices. We are flying into Liberia and are renting a car but we don't really want to spend all that time driving. Arsenal is a must for us but we are questioning whether we need to go to MA if it's just a beach we are after or if we would be happy with going to one closer to Liberia to cut our driving time down. Also, i've read so many good reviews on different places to stay but we can not afford spending $500/night on the places that have been recommended. Anyone have any advice on more budget friendly (max $200/night) accommodations?? Thanks

Silencio del Campo is really popular in the Arenal area. We also like the Arenal Observatory Lodge - it's set away from town, so we saw tons of wildlife there including monkeys, toucans, and coatis. They offer a free guided hike of the property every morning, and there's also a nice waterfall on site. The road to get to the lodge is long and bumpy though. We thought it was worth it.

MA would not be convenient to Liberia. Look into Samara, Nosara or other closer areas to Liberia for beach time.

check VRBO or AirBNB for house rentals

Been to costa 6 times.From what your asking and being you have teens go to Tamarindo.Plenty for everyone to do,you can visit a lot of other beaches as well,Look on vrbo for rentals there should be some for you,Love Samara and Nosara also but teens might be a little bored.

We stayed at Los Lagos in Arenal and absolutely loved it. Rates are around$200 and include breakfast which can be a big savings with kids. They have waterslides, hot springs, and animals on property and it's not a far ride to town.