LizTD

We are traveling to Los Altos Resort and Spa in Manuel Antonio in late March/early April this year with another family. Our group consists of 4 parents, 3 kids and one adventurous grandmother. Can my Fodorite friends recommend good transport from the airport in San Jose to Manuel Antonio? Also, tips and traps about booking our outings in Manuel Antonio? The hotel offers tours but I know from experience that those who post to these forums (fora?) are much more reliable. Finally, we are returning to the San Jose area for our last 2 days. Any advice on favorite activities, restaurants, little known gems would be appreciated (with the caveat being that the kids range from ages 8 to 12 - two girls and one boy - and while they have to indulge their parents' priorities during some activities, we want to accommodate them as well). Many thanks.

P.S. We have a couple of travelers who have issues with heights. If others with these challenges have done the zip lines, we would love to hear your "it was okay" or "My God, never again" stories!

volcanogirl

We always book private drivers through our hotels when we reserve them. If you need a place to stay in the San Jose area, we love Xandari. Lots of cool grounds to explore for kids and wonderful views. If you wanted to, you could visit the La Paz Waterfall Gardens, do the Doka Coffee Estate tour, or go visit Poas about an hour from San Jose. I wouldn't recommend ziplining to anyone with a fear of heights.

qwovadis

If budget personally prefer servicecarrental.com perhaps a nice Toyo Van with a crowd will save a tonne over driver flights.odysseytourscr.com tucanlimoservices.com take some bids for drivers but will be lots more expensive and you need xport for MA so I always rent. mapache.com allso good.

tripadvisor.com/members/natureguide best local guide tours.

Good luck!

jdp867

We booked round trip transfers with Alberto Artavia ([email protected]). Alberto was very responsive by email and gave us a very competitive rate ($300 round trip from SJO to MA and from MA to Finca Rosa Blanca). Our driver Emelio was prompt, professional and friendly. He also took us to a great soda for lunch about an hour from SJO).

We really enjoyed the Rainmaker Tour (hanging bridges) which is about 45 minutes from Quepos. Beware of catamaran cruise by Iguana Tours. Rios Tropicales is excellent if you are interested in rafting.

MFNYC

We used Wilson Rojas as a private driver. This guy is the best! He also give some great advice with regard to tours, private guides, good restaurants, etc. His email is [email protected]

Our favorite tour was the Finca Valmy horseback riding tour (http://www.valmytours.com/). Che, our guy was not only a good guide, but a very interesting person. We actually booked through our villa in MA and saved a small amount. We could have also booked through Wilson. We also did the Mangrove tour with Iguana Tours which was also enjoyable. The breakfast provided was very good.

While in MA we discovered the bus system. There's a bus that runs about every 15 minutes from MA park to Quepos with many stops along the way, for about 50 cents.

As far as places to eat, we loved Cafe Milagro for breakfast (great coffee!). As far as restaurants, on the inexpensive/local end, Rafael's Terazza and El Arado, for higher end (but still very reasonable), La Luna in the Gaia hotel.

MFNYC

As far as issues with heights, I have some, but was able to handle the zipline and hanging bridges (in Arenal, not MA) without any problems. I drew the line at the tarzan swing (part of eco-glide zipline tour in Arenal). In that case, I wasn't alone.

tully

I will ditto jdp - email Alberto for his rates, great guy and very professional. Have used him or his other drivers Carlos & Emilio for years and never disappointed.

For ziplines, you may want to look into Titi Canopy tour. Haven't used them but heard it was a little more sedate. I really prefer Canopy Safari, but it does have a couple OMG moments - mainly the first time you rappel down a tree. I got into position and then wouldn't let go of the guide That said, once I did it, I couldn't wait to do it again. I think there were 2 or 3 rappels total, plus the ziplines.

livetoroam

We used transportation services through Anywhere Costa Rica- the drivers were on time, drove safely, and we would use them again.

My teen aged kids and husband loved the ziplines at Selvatura in Monteverde. I am glad I did it, but once was enough!

In MA- I took the Villa Vanilla Spice tour which I thoroughly enjoyed. Kids and husband went to the beach. We got a guide for the park through our hotel and saw a lot more with him than we would have alone.

akwebber

We've been to Costa Rica each of the last two years. We've stayed at a B&B near San Jose both time before our early morning flight back to the US. It's a family run place. The people are so friendly and so willing to help. One of the sons also runs a transport business and offers services to that part of the country. Some friends of ours used him last fall for their family and it worked out great. The B&B website is www.hotelrobledal.com. You can contact Emmanuel through this website. Or look for them on Facebook. Tell him Chris and Amy from Idaho referred you.

sylvia3

If you're going to La Paz waterfall gardens from San Miquel, know that even though the road in has reopened, it is a nightmare; still being repaired (after several years), and REALLY slow and rough (even by CR standards).

MiamiBeachMomma

A note about heights...
I'm not a fan of heights. Some of the hanging bridges freaked me out and I coukdnt look down. That said...I was totally fine with zip-lining and I LOVED the Tarzan swings.

volcanogirl

I wouldn't recommend Sky Trek in particular - 600 feet off the ground could be scary for someone with an aversion to heights. We've done other lower ones that were more through the canopy vs. dangling above it, seems like that type might be better for you.

mlgb

I'd recommend an excursion to Hacienda Baru south of Manuel Antonio. They have some milder ziplines and for those not up for it, they also have a tower, hiking trails, turtle hatchery, and a beach (although not good for swimming).

I did Titi Canopy and don't recommend it. Especially if you are short or don't have good upper body strength, ie the ability to do a pullup. It is sort of a two-bit operation although they don't charge two-bits!

cthetravellady

Liz, I agree with mlgb that Hacienda Baru is great for kids from 8-12. We took 2 of ours there and enjoyed it more than Manuel Antonio because we find the town of MA too touristy. The park is beautiful but it disturbs us to see people feeding monkeys inside a national park, and sometimes the beach is quite crowded. I sugggest skipping MA and going to somewhere like Hacienda Baru instead.
If you do go to Hacienda Baru, yes I can recommend a hidden gem - Exotica Restaurante in Ojochal. It was challenging to find but we persisted and it was worth it for the amazing food. Beautiful birds were there that we haven't seen anywhere else.
Just south of Hacienda Baru is Marina Ballena National Parks with its beautiful beaches in natural settings. (Playa Uvita is the only beach where you will find many other people).

My adventurous 70-year-old parents went ziplining there last month, or rather, one did and one changed her mind. Choose a zipline company that has some smaller or shorter lines with an "escape" at the beginning so that you can try it a couple of times and then see if you need to quit or if you can continue.
Another suggestion is to watch some YouTube videos of ziplining in Cosat Rica because that is what prepared our daughter the first time she went (she was 6).
You will have a great time - the Southern Zone of Costa Rica is our favourite place on the planet!

LizTD

Thanks to all of you for your informative replies. I do think the "height challenged" members of our group will feel some remorse if they don't have a zip line experience while in CR (or maybe that is me projecting)! For those of you who traveled between MA and Hacienda Baru, can you advise how long it takes to travel there? (We already booked in MA so are not in a position to change that part, but so agree that it is shameful to see people treat wild animals like pets).

Must ask, jdp867. What is the story behind "Beware of catamaran cruise by Iguana Tours. Rios Tropicales is excellent if you are interested in rafting."

volcanogirl

You're not supposed to feed the wildlife in Manuel Antonio; there are big signs stating not to do it so anyone feeding them is violating the rules. We didn't see anyone feeding them when we were there. I think due to the proximity of the hotels though they've come to associate people with food.

mlgb

Allow an hour to get to Hacienda Baru, although it may take less. Watch out for speeding tickets!

I saw one guy feeding the monkeys on the beach at MA and the guards didn't do a thing about it. Those monkeys travel throughout the entire MA area, I think they get handouts often enough that they are agressive.

ParkerSunshine

I would also recommend Wilson Rojas. He is the BEST!