Hoyas

We are two couples in our 60's arriving at SJO December 8 in the afternoon seeking a destination for the first 2 nights. 12/10-12 we will be in Tamarindo for a wedding, and then after the wedding looking for another destination for 2 nights before returning to SJO on 12/15. Any ideas helpful. Los Angeles Cloud Forest? La Paz Waterfall Gardens? Arenal? Zoo Ave? How difficult is the drive to Monteverde? We will have a car. Gracias

qwovadis

Go back through

www.monteverdeinfo.com

www.fondavela.com nice

and

www.arenal.net

www.tabacon.com

Have fun,

qwovadis

Drive Canas Tilaran Arenal nice all paved

Tilaran Monteverde little rattly not bad going slow

did it in a 2WD with no problems not bad going slow

Have fun,

volcanogirl

I would probably go with the Peace Lodge and Arenal myself. The drive to Monteverde is pretty long and bumpy. We like the Lost Iguana in Arenal, but there are a lot of good hotel choices depending on your budget. Silencio del Campo is another good option.

darcy3610

Just got back from Costa Rica last week. Agree with Volcanogirl that Arenal/La Fortuna is a good choice. It is about a 2.5 hour drive from SJO. We stayed at Tabacon and loved it. Their website www.tabacon.com offers good package deals. There were a number of other hotels in the area to choose from that were more affordable and appeared to be quite nice. Montana del Fuego comes to mind as does The Lost Iguana. If you don't have the Fodor's 2010 guide to Costa Rica, consider buying it. My husband and I found it invaluable.

Tamarindo was great and is about a 4.5 hour drive from Arenal. There are many wonderful places/beaches in and around Tamarindo. We particularly liked Playa Grande, Playa Flamingo and Brasilito/Playa Conchal.

If you are ending up in the area of Tamarindo, seriously consider flying out of Liberia if you can. SJO is about 6-7 hours from Tamarindo and the roads can get bumpy whereas Liberia is only about 90 minutes away. We flew into Liberia and out of SJO and frankly Liberia was a dream compared to dealing with the crowds and fuss of SJO. In Liberia we were off the plane, through customs and in our rental car in 45 minutes. In SJO it took us that long just to return the car.

If you must make your return trip out of San Jose, consider driving the day before your flight and staying at the Marriott that is outside of the City, not far from the airport. I have not stayed there but a colleague has and says it is a lovely, former coffee plantation. Not at all what you would expect from a hotel near the airport. www.marriott.com