aligroovi

We are going to Costa Rica for 10 days next week with our 2 young children - ages 5 & 2.5. Besides the beach part of our vacation we are going to Monteverde and Arenal. Does anyone have any suggestions (activities, tips, things to avoid) for these areas?

Thank you!

volcanogirl

Los Lagos is a really popular hotel for families in Arenal. Also, I think your kids would love Tabacon natural hot springs. Our favorite thing was the Cano Negro tour - a great boat ride down the river where you can view a lot of wildlife. Sunset Tours is a good operator for that.

I haven't been to Monteverde yet, but I've been researching it, and there's a butterfly farm, frog tour, bat place, and Cheese Factory that are popular. Also just hiking in the Cloud Forest would be fun.

dariow

If your young kids get car sick, I would avoid Monteverde as the roads are terrible with potholes.

Your kids would love the butterfly zoos.

shillmac

Manuel Antonio a great location for kids. Great beaches inside the park for playing. Wonderful wildlife sightings as well. I'd save Monteverde until they were older, but you may already have made reservations, of course! Just a thought. . .

I think the hot springs might not be best for one as young as 2.5. The temps vary, but some are around 104 F.

For little ones, it just seems that beaches and wildlife would be the biggest draw. La Paz and all it has to offer would be fabulous for kids the age of yours. . .

aligroovi

Thanks for everyone's responses. I am worrying more and more that Monteverde might not have been a good choice. Plus we are driving there straight from Liberia airport. How long should that take? Is 3.5 hours normal? I know the roads are bad but is there also a risk of getting lost, or are the roads signed well?

shillmac

Don't worry--it will be fine. I didn't realize how soon your trip was coming up when I commented above.

Arenal and Monteverde are both wonderful places and your family will find plenty to enjoy together.

I'm certain you already realize that having two small children with you will shape your vacation a bit differently than if it were just the two of you. We have been to Monteverde with a 6 month old. You just do it a bit differently, do the mental chill, and lower your expectations with regard to activities. We take our now 3 year old granddaughter every year for part of our time there. During that week or so, we do everything around what works best for her, what she can tolerate (with regard to driving, etc) and what she enjoys.

Getting to Monteverde and then getting to Arenal will, of course, be your biggest challenges. You may have to take a break along the way. Hopefully (at least for us) sleep will overtake them while you are driving. The road to Monteverde is very rough and I assume your little one will be in a car seat? It will bump them around a bit, for maybe the last 45 min. or so.

You might make it in 3 hours, just depends. To Arenal, expect another 3-3.5 hours (I think--we've not driven it). Then back to Liberia, 3 hours or so. So 3 fairly long transfers.

You'll have a nice trip, no question! Just relax and enjoy. And let us hear from you when you return!

aligroovi

Thanks! This does make me feel better! And yes we will certainly have car seats and they will likely sleep. Hopefully all will go well. I'll report back...

shillmac

We'll be watching for it! Have fun. . .

petite43

Just want to comment on the motion sickness....my daughter (now 11) has thrown up over the years throughout Costa Rica & Panama because she refused to take any medication. The mountainous roads to Arenal & Monteverde are very winding so I would recommend having something for motion sickness...just in case. Finally, last week after getting sick on the plane & spending 2 hours with her face in a plastic bag on the drive from SJO to Arenal she learned her lesson & agreed to take the medicine. She was perfectly fine for the remainder of the driving throughout our trip & the flight home. My entire family loved Monteverde & I wouldn't suggest missing it. I think your kids will be fine. Have a great time!

steviesmom

Petite43,

I forgot about that issue! What kind of motion sickness medicine can I purchase for my family?


Stevies mom

volcanogirl

I take Dramamine and also wear Sea Bands when we're on a helicopter or sailing. I didn't think I'd need it for the ride from SJO to Arenal, but all the winding and ups and downs made me really queasy. Our driver luckily had something on hand that made me feel much better, and next time I'll be prepared. I was kind of shocked because I don't get carsick.

petite43

I always use Bonine because it doesn't make you sleepy. One or two tablets are good for the entire day. Sometimes it can be hard to find but the boating stores seem to always have it. We did try Dramamine once on a cruise but it put us right to sleep. We haven't had any side effects with the Bonine & I like that it's a chewable tablet so I don't need to worry about having something to wash it down with.

shillmac

Another good one is Meclizine. We've taken it while deep sea fishing (halibut) in Alaska. One the night before, and another the morning of is what the pharmacist recommended to us. Worked like a charm.

Heliconiaceae

Hola, to answer your question specifically about activities, there are a ton of cool things to see in Monteverde that the kids will get more of a kick out of than you!

Butterfly gardens
frog pond
bat jungle
monteverde Cheese factory

the typical "adventure tourism" that so many participate in usually takes away from these really cool museums with lots of learning and visuals for children.

Here is a great source of info for the area

http://www.monteverdeinfo.com/

Arenal is more for you guys I think. Hot springs for relaxing, volcano viewing will be a thrill for the whole family. Cano Negro will probably be too boring for children, a lot of sitting involved for most of the day, i think they will get stir crazy. Hiking to the La Fortuna waterfall is nice, maybe you can try to go there on horses!

A good beach for kids which has extremely safe water with little to no surf is Playa Samara. Manuel Antonio is beautiful but it is located on the open ocean, a little concerning with small kids.

http://www.anywherecostarica.com/sam...ica/travel.htm