rivenmyst137

We're deciding somewhat last minute to spend our short honeymoon in Costa Rica. We're going mid-September (so green season), and chances are we'll spend a night in San Jose and then 4 nights in the Manuel Antonio area. Suggested things to do in that short time? Personally, I'm more interested in scenery, volcanoes, waterfalls, etc. than wildlife, but happy to do whatever. We're also not big on tours and prefer to explore on our own, though if there's something that you can only see/do through a tour, we're happy to do that.

Also, any suggestions for a car rental company, and thoughts on whether it's worth getting four-wheel drive, are appreciated!

Thanks!

volcanogirl

Based on what you want to see and do, I'd go to Arenal rather than Manuel Antonio. The Arenal area has the volcano, the beautiful waterfall where you can hike and swim, and gorgeous scenery. There are also beautiful natural hot springs like Tabacon and Eco Termales. Lots of great adventure activities too like ziplining and rafting. Check out the Lost Iguana and Nayara - either would be a nice place for a honeymoon. You might want to spend one night at the Peace Lodge or Xandari if you can swing the cost, both very honeymoonish. Grano de Oro is nice if you want a city hotel for a night.

RAC

I would do the Caribbean side--combination of Tortuguero and Puerto Viejo would be nice. Much less rain there in September.

rivenmyst137

Thanks for the suggestions...lodging is fixed (there's a story behind that...we're getting a big discount), so only question is what to do given that we'll be based in Manuel Antonio.

volcanogirl

I would expect a lot of rain in September on the Pacific side. We enjoyed sailing and doing a guided tour of the park. The beach inside the park is beautiful, and we saw a lot of wildlife. Wildlife in that area can be pretty tame because the animals are habituated to people. We also went snorkeling, but it was a dud for us because of sediment in the water. If you did want to do some tours, horseback riding with Finca Valmy and the Damas Mangrove tour are popular. There's also a spice tour that's popular. You could just spend every day at the beach if you luck into good weather.

rivenmyst137

Hmm...in general, especially for the Arenal region, are we likely to end up having dinner at whatever hotel we're staying at, or does that mean missing out on good local restaurants?

volcanogirl

Mouse over this map to see general weather patterns so you can get an idea of rain you might encounter. September weather can just be really rainy. Arenal has a lot of good restaurants - we like Don Rufino the most. La Choza de Laurel is also good. Nene's is popular. Soda la Parada has good cheap local food. The hotel Nayara has excellent food.

http://costa-rica-guide.com/Weather/WeatherMap.html

mangoemily

In Manuel Antonio I would recommend going white water rafting with Amigos Del Rio http://www.amigosdelrio.net even though you said you aren't big into tours, it's a ton of fun especially during the green season! There are several hidden waterfalls throughout the Manuel Antonio area.. are you going to have a rental car? One waterfall, has a nice hike, not a guided tour or anything just a local spot. It's called El Salto, ask anyone in MA and they'll be able to tell you how to get there, you can also jump off the waterfall into the pool below if you're feeling brave. Check out Playa Biesanz, it's a small cove beach.. just make sure you go at low tide, otherwise there will be no beach.. It's off the main road in MA down the side street towards Hotel Parador, and right past the Pacific Suu Hotel you will see a small sign that reads Playa Biesanz. It's beautiful, quiet, relaxing.. not crowded like the main public beach where you have vendors everywhere trying to sell you stuff - you can also rent kayaks and go out snorkeling from the beach. Enjoy your vacation!

jdp867

We really enjoyed the Rainmaker hanging bridges tour (self-guided). About 30 minutes outside MA.

Cindy_Viquez

There are many things to do in Manuel Antonio, like visiting the national park, canopy, atv, you can rent a kayak and visit the mangroves, but if you have a car rented you can go south to Dominical or Ballena National Park to have a wonderful boat tour to see whales and dolphins. Try www.4x4rentacar.com on september and October they have very attractive offers for renting a car, if you travel to Manuel Antonio a sedan car can be a good and economic option