londonbug

Hello, although I say the above we have booked and planned a two week trip leaving on 30th jan.
our current plan is
1 one night San Jose presidents hotel
2. Pick up car from airport and drive to arenal, have booked 4 nights at royal Corin thermal spa
3. Drive to Monteverde have booked spa poca a poca for 2 nights
4. Drive to Uvita have booked an air B and B for three nights ( this bit is cancellable but would need to be quick about it)
5 Manuel Antonio 4 nights la mariposa ( now scared of the missies after reading a lovely trip report on here today!,)
6 final night in San Jose president hotel thought we’d like to take a look around while we are there despite the ambivalence there seems to be
fly back to UK
all of this is flexible and cancellable , we would like nice weather ( it’s grim here at the moment) animals scenary to learn something new nice food wine if poss beer if not
does this sound reasonable? I did like the look of the Caribbean coast but it looks a loooonnnggggg drive.

volcanogirl

If you're getting in late, I'd stay near the airport unless you're planning on getting out and exploring. San Jose isn't the most attractive city - lots of traffic, razor wire, bars on windows, etc although there are a few nice parks and museums. Have not stayed at Royal Corin, but it looks nice; it sort of towers over the other hotels in the area. The road to Monteverde is long and bumpy; if you don't want to drive it, there's a Jeep Boat Jeep service with Desafio that you can use for about $30 per person, up to you and how comfortable you are driving. The Manuel Antonio area is nice with beaches and lots of fairly tame wildlife like sloths and monkeys; the national park is pretty, and there's a nice beach inside the park. Changing hotels won't make much difference in terms of mosquitoes; bring bug repellent with you and apply if needed. The Caribbean coast in general has less in the way of creature comforts than the Pacific side - if you like ac, etc. keep your Pacific itinerary. Have not been to Uvita, but people do seem to enjoy it.

volcanogirl

Regarding weather, it can really rain at any time, although the traditional rainy season for most of the country doesn't start officially until about May. Bring a rain poncho just in case; we've used ours just about every trip regardless of the time of year that we've gone. If you go to Monteverde, it can get downright chilly at night; bring a fleece jacket or sweatshirt and a pair of long pants in case it's cool. Manuel Antonio is usually hot and humid. Everything goes on as planned in Costa Rica in the rain; the only thing we've ever had cancelled is ziplining and that was due to lightning, so a safety issue. Also nice to have a pair of quick dry shoes like Keen's. We got poured on in Monteverde, and our shoes never dried the entire time we were there. Also nice to have your own pair of binoculars if you have them.

november_moon

I agree with staying near the airport the first night unless there is something specific to see in San Jose. The airport is significantly outside of SJ, so it's a bit of a haul to and from the airport. I've stayed at the Hotel Presidente, and it is a nice place, centrally located, but to and from the airport, plan on at least a hour each way. It's only like 20 km, but traffic can be a bear.

londonbug

Thankyou that’s really helpful, the hotel recommended by AZ is fully booked. Any other suggestions very welcome , we usually like a wild night out first night anywhere which is why we opted for the president hotel but maybe we should calm down.

londonbug

Thankyou again , we have now cancelled the car and booked private shuttles which amazingly were significantly less expensive than the car and that was even before fuel insurance gps and an extra driver - we feel more relaxed about the whole thing now.
we have changed to a hotel near the airport as per your advice. Think I really need to sort out some serious rain gear looking at some other peoples reports. We were really hoping to escape the rain as it never stops here but looks like that’s not going to be possible.
one week till take off!,
we love a glass of wine in the evenings with dinner is it very pricey ?

volcanogirl

You don't really need serious rain gear; you don't want anything too hot. We wear those cheap rain ponchos that fold up into a pouch, and those are fine. Make sure to try batidos while you're there - yummy smoothie milk shake like drinks made with fresh fruit; mango is really good. The price of wine will depend on where you go. I would say beer is more common than wine. Imperial is the most popular brand. Upscale hotels will most likely have wine; sodas that serve local food may not.

november_moon

I have a very light rain jacket that I take, plus an umbrella and a very light poncho - nothing heavy or hard core, just some options to keep the rain off should I choose. CR is a tropical place, so its warm and the rain seems to come through quickly - it will rain hard and then clear up. I can't remember any day that I was in CR that was rained out, even in the rainy season. You just sometimes have to adjust your plan to wait out the rain. We were ziplining at SkyTrek in La Fortuna in some intermittent rain, and the rain got too heavy to continue - we waited out the rain in a treehouse bar that they have half way down the course. It was great being up there during a downpour. Then the rain let up and we continued down the course. Another day, we were in Serapiqui and were planning to go on a guided hike - big rain came through, so the guide said to wait it out and then we'd go hiking after. We hung out in the hammocks on the porch of our lodging, read for awhile and watched the rain, then when it was done, went on our hike.

scdreamer

We were in Arenal in December - there were torrential rains, but we still hiked down to the waterfall, and we still went white water rafting. It was never cold. We didn't bring heavy rain gear - actually we brought very cheap plastic rain ponchos, and never used them. It's too warm for ponchos - the humidity would make a poncho or rain jacket very uncomfortable. Instead, we bought inexpensive umbrellas in La Fortuna, and hiked with those in our shorts and light shirts. We were fine. We saw a few people wearing rain ponchos, and they were sticking to their skin ... they looked as if they felt very hot and sweaty.

volcanogirl

Personally I find it hard to hike around with an umbrella; it gets caught on things, and you can't look up to see anything, but everyone has to find what works best for them. Some hotels provide umbrellas for you - nice for going from your room to the restaurant, etc.

londonbug

Thankyiu so much much fir all your help and suggestions. Am due to fly back tomorrow after two great weeks here in costs Rica definitely hope to return at some point in the future
we realised when we got here that we were a bit on a sausage machine on a well travelled route for first time tourists!!
stayed in la Fortuna at the royal corin which was wonderful. Did hanging brides tour which we enjoyed but was quite a big tour group also added on la Fortuna waterfall .
we headed next to Monteverde stayed at poco a poco the rooms were basic but the hotel was great saw toucans. In the hotel gardens did a great tour which the hotel arranged really great . Next to Uvita as I really wanted to see a whale and saw a mother humpback with her calf this was beyond all our expectations and really my highlight the air band was lovely happy to give details and an easy walk to some nice places to eat.
onto Manuel Antonio and la mariposa no mosquitoes in residence I’m delighted to say . What a fantastic place .
weve had a wonderful time - used shuttles arranged h tv rough twoweeksincostarica which have been incredible lovely drivers efficient and kind.
sad it’s over - still time for a final margarita and dinner at Emilios before heading back.
thanks again fir all your advice and help

volcanogirl

Is being on a sausage machine bad? I've never heard the term! Glad you're having such good wildlife sightings. How has the weather been?

londonbug

Ha I realise that might sound derogatory but I don’t mean it to be - just meant so much research and reading and we are all doing exactly the same thing!our weather has been fantastic one rainy day in la Fortuna which was actually one of the funnest days went to a local farm and did a general tour where my bright white shoes were the source of much amusement to people who’d worn much more suitable shoes.
was a great four- not a thing we’d change really enjoyed meeting all the Canadians and Americans but if we came back and it’s a longgggg way to come I’d try and get a bit more off the beaten track

volcanogirl

The Osa Peninsula is amazing if you ever get the chance to return. Glad you had nice weather - that's great. Next time Keen's maybe.

It's just a new expression to me - funny!

november_moon

I hadn't heard that expression before either. Glad you are having a good time, and hopefully you'll be able to come back and get a bit more off the beaten track.

ohiotraveler2020

If you have no reason to go into San Jose, don't. If you do, I suggest renting your car in town with the airport drop off. This way you don't have to fight the traffic, find a place to park etc your first night. If you bypass downtown, there is a nice Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express right by the airport. The car rental pick-ups and drop-offs are right behind there. We have had the best rates/luck with Economy. We used a Chase Sapphire card with a letter of insurance and were not required to pay the hefty insurance premium.

volcanogirl

They're already back from their trip.

ohiotraveler2020

That was apparent, the advice was more for those going in the future.