Just booked tickets to Costa Rica. Nine nights in early August. No agenda, yet. This is several well-earned vacations all packed into one.
My vague plans are to stay for a couple of days at the Peace Lodge and do the groovy rainforest thing. Drink some cocktails with the butterflies. Enjoy the hot tub.
Other than that, I want to do Arenal, with some zip lines and lava and hot springs. And then maybe to a coast.
My questions:
[ul]
[li]What’s the best hotel in Arenal is I want to enjoy hot springs? Tabacon? Springs?[/li][li]Which coast should I go to? [/li][li]Should I try to go rafting, or on a boat cruise?[/li][li]What else is a must-do?[/li][/ul]
In April or May My Wife and I are thinking about two weeks in CR. Adventure tour but we also want good food and places to stay. Rafting, canoes, horseback, scuba is all cool. So is 4x4 and hiking. Jungle tours and ruins.
Don’t mind a few days kicking back either. Sounds like we are looking towards some of the same stuff.
It really depends on what you are looking for, the Tabacon is a larger resort but the hot springs are spectacular, the biggest drawback is that there are no rooms with volcano views. The spa there is outstanding as is the service. The The Springs is the newest property and is getting crazy raves. (I’m convinced they are putting something in the water). Although the Springs is a smaller property, they do still bus people in to the hot springs. It does have a very Disneyland Feel to it in the sense that it is a perfectly created atmosphere. Every detail is seen to, which can be great, but it does feel a little fake to me. Again, people love it, it’s just not my top choice. Also, it is a little bit further away from the town and day tours up a pretty rough road.
If you are ok with skipping a Hot Springs Hotel, the Arenal Nayara is probably my favorite hotel in the area. It’s smaller and more intimate, with good views of the volcano, excellent service and a great restaurant. You can always visit the hot springs as a day guest.
The Tortuguero area on the Northern Caribean Coast is a great place to go for nature and wildlife and July and August are peak turtle nesting months. If you are asking which coast is better for beach, the Pacific hands down. It’s more developed, and is a much more extensive coastline. Which gives you a myriad of beaches and activities to choose from.
Absolutely go whitewater rafting! The rafting is Costa Rica is wonderful, so much fun and a great experience. If you are super adventurous, I recommend the Pacuare River (which usually departs from San Jose, but the actual river is about 2 hours away) This is generally a class IV river, (the time of year will affect the water level) but I know many first time rafters who have done this river. Plus, there is an overnight rafting trip on this river that is GREAT!! You get to sleep in a lodge along the side of the river. It’s a neat experience.
I would say the Zipline is the most popular activity in Costa Rica and is now available absolutely everywhere! I enjoy horseback riding in Arenal and love the Manuel Antonio National Park. I have to say I’m a sucker for the sloth and they are EVERYWHERE in that area!
I hope that helps… Let me know if I missed anything!
For the first week – Mountain Paradise Hotel. With views of the Arenal Volcano. We will visit the Hot springs, go rafting and do a zip line.
Then for the second week, Paradisus Playa Conchal Resort. All inclusive on the Pacific coast. Looks wonderful, but perhaps a little bit ‘uppity’. My Wife and I are quite laid back. But it looks like there are enough options and restaurants and activities that we will fit in.
The rooms and food look fantastic for an all inclusive.
“Asian Fusion. Brazilian. Italian. Mediterranean. Classic American. French. Caribbean. A la carte and buffet.” 24 hour room service included. Liquor and mini bar included.
Oh. I guess I should say that the package we are looking at, for both hotels, transfers and activities, is $5300 US. Not including air fare. Room rates at the all inclusive are $500 a night on their website. We are treating ourselves. It’s been about 5 years since just my Wife and I have got away.
But if he wants to keep moving, renting a house won’t work. It’s not as if Costa Rica is exactly full of highways. Going up to El Arenal is one of the four times in my life I’ve felt dizzy in a car (when we got up, we were told that road had been closed while we were on it; our car wasn’t even a 4WD).
I’m claustrophobic and still loved the caves at Barra Honda. It’s also one of the areas that are dry jungle, which doesn’t look like people’s idea of “jungle” and is a lot rarer.
Don’t bother ordering fish dishes other than the local specialty, ceviche (which I don’t recommend if you’re wary of rotten fish or can’t stand cilantro). People in CR consider fish as “those things we get out of the water and sell to Spain,” basically, so any fish other than ceviche will have a high probability of being badly cooked.
That’s silly. I was in Costa Rica last january and had loads of excellent fish. Mahi-mahi pulled from the bay that morning and grilled simply… grilled lobster… I could eat ceviche all day – yum!! They marinate the fish in lime juice actually - its just that the limes are more yellowish-orange than green inside.
Take some surf lessons! Safari Surf School in Nosara – highly recommended.