tanyapye4019

Hi All. I am planning a quick(ish) trip to Costa Rica in May to celebrate my husbands 50th(!) birthday. It is the same week as my kids' 11th birthday to so it should be a lot of fun celebrating. My husband and I have been to Costa Rica twice before, but we are excited to experience it with our children. I keep defaulting back to replicate a trip from 20yrs ago, but know that there are more than likely lots of other great spots to see, thus I am seeking your help.
We loved Tortuguero when we went and will be visiting with the kids... I wish it was nesting season, but unfortunately it won't be. What hotel would you recommend that we stay at for two nights? We would like something that includes transfers from San Jose, meals and boat tours. I can't remember where we were last time, but do recall it had a red eyed tree frog preserve in it!
We thought that we would head upto Arenal after that for a couple days; I know that the volcano isn't active anymore but being at the Observatory Lodge would still be cool, no? Being there and hiking, going to the waterfall, and maybe even ziplining would be such a highlight for the kids I think.
Then we will head to the beach.. Manual Antonio is where we went during both of our last two trips and we can do that again but I was considering Nicolya Peninsula so that we can combine beach and turtles... Thoughts?
Any ideas that you could share would be very much appreciated. Thanks so much, Tanya

volcanogirl

We stayed at Tortuga Lodge and really liked it. It's one of the pricier lodges though. More budget friendly - Pachira Lodge, Laguna Lodge, Mawamba, and Turtle Beach Lodge are popular. We picked Tortuga Lodge because they let you do tours, meals, etc. on your own; most of the other lodges put you into large tour groups.

volcanogirl

We've stayed at the Arenal Observatory Lodge the last two times we were in CR - saw lots of nice wildlife there - toucans, monkeys, lots of coatis, etc. They offer a free guided hike every morning, or at least they did before covid. Not sure of their current procedures. I'd recommend heading to the observation deck early in the morning. They put fruit out, and you can see all kinds of beautiful birds there. Coatis like to catch the bananas that drop so you can usually see them there too. Sky Trek is good for ziplining. The Bogarin Trail owned by a local family in town offers easy guided hikes where you can see sloths, poison dart frogs, red-eyed tree frogs, and caimans.

volcanogirl

If you decide to go to Manuel Antonio again, our favorite spot is Tulemar Bungalows; they offer lots of different styles of accommodations. I'd recommend getting one with a balcony if you can. They have their own beach. We enjoyed having a kitchen to keep breakfast stuff on hand, drinks cold, store leftovers.

tanyapye4019

Thanks so much volcanogirl! I lhad ooked at all the ones that you recommended.... Tortuga looks incredible, but I worry it may be beyond our price point for this. We are splurging on a Rafiki Safari lodge package I think.

tanyapye4019

Brilliant, thank you! I will make a note of that.

tanyapye4019

I think I am leaning towards the Rafiki Beach Camp, but if not I will look that up! Cheers.

volcanogirl

Have never stayed there, but I hear good things!

Jeff_Costa_Rica

The comparison volcangirl makes between Tortuga Lodge and the others is spot-on. Tortuga is pricier and it sets itself apart with smaller groups. It's physically set apart from the other lodges too. But, you know, the others do a good job. They're a little more "mass market," but you'll have fun. I think at this point, I've stayed at almost every place up in Tortuguero. I've enjoyed them all. You won't go wrong with the others.

tanyapye4019

Thanks Jeff, I love that you have been there so often! It really made an impression on us 20 years ago and can’t wait to bring our kids. I’m not sure we will splurge on this part because of the Rafiki part of our trip but maybe….

40kfincher

Since you have been several times before maybe you can be of some assistance. I am trying to book a short fishing trip we know we wanna fish with beto’s but where is the best place to stay what location been looking at beach front Vrbo please help I’m a little overwhelmed 🫠