The family suddenly decided that a holiday trip was in order and Costa Rica appears to be the destination! But we know very little about Costa Rica and are in need of some suggestions. Where is the best place to go for an adventurous family? I've read about hiking, rafting, volcanoes, body boarding, etc. - we're up for all of it but don't know where would be the best Costa Rican location for this kind of trip. Any advice? Also, thinking of renting a home via VRBO.com instead of doing the hotel scene - any potential problems with that plan? Thanks in advance for your input.

You will get more help if you post this on the Latin American board.

You may want to post on Latin America site. Our family went to Costa Rica in May and loved it. There is lots to do . You need to decide if you want beaches, volcanos or both. For the beach try Manuel Antonio it's beautiful and there is a national park there. Of course you need to see the volcano in Arenal. It is spectacular.

We rented a house in Manual Antonio but I don't think it was through VRBO.com. I just googled houses and came up with lots of choices.

If you want specifics on my trip e-mail me @[email protected]

Must stay at Casa Leo Loco! You can view it through several different web sites just google it. You can be on a different beach every day, they are awesome. Lots of great restaurants in Tamarindo, right down the hill. We went to the rainforest for a day, several choices within an hour or two away. You won't want to leave!!!

Unless you are taking a long visit, you will probably want to ignore San Jose.

Allow yourself around 3 days in a given area and be sure to include some time around Arenal. While there, take a day Cano Negro tour.

Keith

Thanks for the replies so far - specially the tip about posting on the other board! OMG - I had no idea that whole area existed. Wow, I need to travel more (and utilize this website more). Anyway, I found tons of info. on the L A board and posted a message there.

Hi, Karen - my husband and I just got back from our second trip to CR and just love it there. We've gone to Arenal (volcano), the Peace Lodge (waterfalls), Manuel Antonio (the beach), and the Osa Peninsula where you can find amazing wildlife. Let me know if you have any questions and definitely check out the LA board; the people are really helpful. If you want to go over Christmas, you need to book really quickly - lots of places are already full since that's an extremely popular time to go. Have fun!