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Costa Rica HM -- Booked the Flight, Now What Should We Do??

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MarksGirl

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Hi everyone!

Has anyone been to Costa Rica, either for their honeymoon or a vacation?

My fiance and I just booked our flight into San Jose and we will be there for 10 nights in late November. Please suggest any of your favorite places, or must-do activities. We are open to everything and would love a mix of adventure and relaxation! :)

Thanks in advance!
 

bee*

Super_Ideal_Rock
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I''d be really interested to see the replies too as we''re going to go there on our honeymoon too.
 

teetee

Shiny_Rock
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I''m hoping someone here has been there because we are also considering this for our hm.

The travel agent told me that the must-do''s are the beaches, volcano and rainforest.
 

BigDiamonds

Brilliant_Rock
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FI and I went there in 2006 and had an amazing time. I posted in this thread a while back about our trip -

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/hey-ps-travelers-tips-on-costa-rica-needed.73540/

The only other advice I would give is be sure to keep in mind what you really want. It''s easy to get distracted by all the options and lose sight of the kind of vacation you''re looking for. But really, there are so many wonderful places to go and cool things to see, you can''t go too wrong.
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Hope you have fun!!!
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iheartscience

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I''m going to Costa Rica in two weeks and I can''t wait! I''ll do a little review thing, probably in Hangout, when I get back, if anyone''s interested.

We are going to several places, and are also flying into San Jose. I don''t remember our exact itinerary, but the three places we''re going are Montezuma, Mal Pais and Manuel Antonio. We''re going to do a mix of things, from horseback riding to zip lines to just plain laying on the beach!
 

CrookedRock

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We went there, granteed it was a few years back, but here is what I can share...

We had an OK time. Of all the places we have both been, this is not somewhere we will go back. That being said, we do have friends that go all the time...
We personally liked the inland places better than the beaches, we don''t surf and the beaches were kinda dissapointing. We love the Arenal Volcano and the hotel we stayed at was fabulous! Tabacon We did a day excursion (maybe half a day) where we rode horses out to the forest and did a ropes course that was so much fun...
We loved, loved, love the Moteverde Cloud Forest, and if I can remember correctly, someone on PS was recently engaged there with an amazing 3ct+ ring, to die for!! There is a nature type walk you can do there that is over all these suspension bridges in the rain forest, and it is gorgeous!!!
Ummm... Jaco turned us off so bad, theat we drove in and drove right back out and straight to the airport and went home early. We did love the resort in Tamarindo though!

Sorry I''m not more helpful, it was too long ago to remember everything, but I do remember the good stuff!
 

San Diego Bride

Shiny_Rock
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Apr 9, 2006
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i know this is an old thread, but figured i'd post anyway. my husband and i recently returned from a week-long trip to costa rica and absolutely LOVED it! we definitely want to go back. we flew in and out of liberia so we split our time between arenal and the guanacaste beaches. we lucked out with great weather at arenal and saw the entire volcano. we kayaked on the lake, hiked on the old lava flows in the national park, saw the active volcano at night, walked the hanging bridges, hiked to the waterfall, and did the cano negro wildlife tour. we saw lots of wildlife including 3 types of monkeys, sloths, caymans, iguanas, basilics, and lots of beautiful birds. the beaches definitely aren't as nice as some of carribean islands, but we found them to be beautiful nonetheless. we snorkeled and jetskied in the ocean and relaxed after all of our activities in the volcano area. we were sad that we missed the leatherback turtle nesting season at playa grande by a couple of weeks.

on our next trip we want to go to monteverde cloud forest and manuel antonio. we only had a week this time so that limited our locations a bit. a popular 10 day itinerary would include arenal, monteverde and manuel antonio or just either arenal or monteverde along with manuel antonio depending on how many actual days you have to enjoy costa rica vs. travel days.

i'd be happy to answer any questions if anyone is still reading this thread. i found the talk forums at fodors.com very helpful for trip planning.

i'll include a couple of pictures next.
 

San Diego Bride

Shiny_Rock
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here is the view from our hotel room. this is arenal volcano. the white stuff on the left is a cloud (obviously), but on the right is the steam rising from the active volcano. the curtain on the patio encloses a private 2 person jacuzzi. we LOVED this hotel! it''s brand new and very reasonably priced.

volcanoviewfrombed.jpg
 

San Diego Bride

Shiny_Rock
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Apr 9, 2006
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392
the sand on some of the beaches is actually made up of zillions of tiny shells instead of regular sand. it''s beautiful and, surprisingly, not painful to walk on.

playalangostashells.jpg
 

San Diego Bride

Shiny_Rock
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392
here''s a closeup so you can see the shells.

shellcloseup.jpg
 

Aloros

Brilliant_Rock
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Beautiful photos, Novia! Do you mind posting the name of the hotel? FI and I are planning a Costa Rica HM as well, so I''m starting to do some research.
 

bee*

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Date: 4/7/2008 12:44:22 PM
Author: Aloros
Beautiful photos, Novia! Do you mind posting the name of the hotel? FI and I are planning a Costa Rica HM as well, so I''m starting to do some research.

ditto
 

enfianced

Shiny_Rock
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I just got back from Costa Rica about a month ago. We flew in/out of San Jose, but stayed in Manuel Antonio, which is on the Central Pacific coast. San Jose is nothing to write home about, so I think most just use their airport and move on to the coasts.

From San Jose to Manuel Antonio it''s about a 4-hour drive. I loved it once we got there, but the ride was very curvy, hilly, etc, however we had a great tour guide who pointed out all things of interest along the way. In Manuel Antonio there are a lot of hotels, but not like US beaches where there are monster hotels, but tucked away more intimate places. We actually rented a house (it was me, my fiance and his parents and brother) right on the beach with a pool and it was amazing.

The tours we did include Mangrove tour (very popular down there) ziplining, and horseback riding. All really nice but my favorite thing was just hanging out by the pool and watching the monkeys play.

Hope this helps a little. From what I understand, Costa Rica has so many places to go, there''s so many stories about where to go/what to do. We also have some friends who flew into San Jose, rented a car, bought a map and took off. That''s a fun option, too.
 

MarksGirl

Rough_Rock
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Oct 22, 2007
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Novia, thanks so much for reviving this post! I''d love the name of the hotel you loved as well. Wow, what a view! :)
 

bee*

Super_Ideal_Rock
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thanks for that enfianced! I cannot wait to get there-the monkeys sound fab!
 

Sabine

Ideal_Rock
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Thing 2 of 2 just posted a ton of pics and info. about her trip over in the Hangout section.
 

San Diego Bride

Shiny_Rock
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http://www.arenalnayara.com/

The hotel is Arenal Nayara. We''d return in a heart beat. It''s brand new, just opened in December 2007. The rooms are all individual cabins. They are super modern and yet blend in beautifully with the grounds. Each cabin has a 2 person jacuzzi on a private deck overlooking the volcano. There was a nice, modern bathroom with a rain shower (great water pressure) as well as a private outdoor shower. The pool was small, but had a nice swim-up bar with very good drinks. Fruit shakes (mango, guanabana, pineapple, etc.) were $1.75. Drinks with alcohol were $5. Breakfast is included and was decent. Lunch and dinner, while more expensive than non-hotel restaurants, was quite good. The service was great. Everyone was super-attentive, but not pushy at all. There are only 24 rooms/cabins so most people made a point of remembering our names. I would recommend the upper number cabins (we were in 23). The cabins are sort of in a horseshoe shape. The lower numbers overlook the pool area. You can definitely get a good view of the volcano since the property is sloped, but it''s not as private. In the upper number cabins you just see a grassy area and the volcano (like the picture above). It makes the 2 person jacuzzi more enjoyable.
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We had a great time as I''m sure you''ve all gathered. I''d be happy to try to answer any other questions.
 

nickolsae

Rough_Rock
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Dec 18, 2007
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32
Has anyone stayed in an All Inclusive Resort in Costa Rica? If so what did you think?? Thanks!
 

pocahontas

Brilliant_Rock
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Aug 14, 2003
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Hi Marksgirl,

Yah for you and your FF
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You’re going to have a wonderful time! BF and I were there way back in 2001 and we LOVED it – we’d definitely return. In fact, we looked into purchasing property there, but then decided against it for a bunch of reasons not at all related to the country itself. One of my best friend's and her husband went to CR for their honeymoon 3.5 years ago and they also had a great time.

I’d recommend visiting the following places:
- Monteverde cloud forest
- Arenal volcano/Tabacon hot springs (although this will be a long trip from San Jose)
- Manuel Antonio
- Montezuma
- Escazu (an upscale neighbourhood just outside of San Jose – great nightlife/live music)
- El Pueblo in San Jose (translated it means “town” – imagine a bunch of clubs connected by courtyards and restaurants – lots of fun)

Also, don’t forget to take advantage of being in San Jose; there’s lots of yummy food and beautiful architecture to enjoy
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MarksGirl

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 22, 2007
Messages
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pocahontas - thanks so much for the post! I''m a bit overwhelmed with all that there is to do, but your list definitely helps me to narrow down the "must-dos" Thanks!!!
 

pocahontas

Brilliant_Rock
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Aug 14, 2003
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Date: 4/9/2008 10:06:33 AM
Author: MarksGirl
pocahontas - thanks so much for the post! I'm a bit overwhelmed with all that there is to do, but your list definitely helps me to narrow down the 'must-dos' Thanks!!!
Marksgirl,

You're welcome! I'm so excited for you! You're right, it's easy to get overwhelmed because CR has a lot of different types of activities to enjoy. I think you're smart to do your research ahead of time that way you don't waste precious time trying to figure things out when you're down there. Instead, you can enjoy yourselves and the fun list of activities/must-sees you've already planned on. I'd be happy to help answer any other questions you might have - just let me know
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sna77

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 2, 2006
Messages
1,350
Date: 2/26/2008 6:05:21 PM
Author: bee*
I''d be really interested to see the replies too as we''re going to go there on our honeymoon too.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Costa_Rica

I was actually researching this earlier today... leave your bands at home!


Stay safe

Travellers in Costa Rica should exercise caution. Robbery at knife point is not uncommon. Women should never travel alone, and neither should men for that matter. There is no army in this country and the police have been known to be corrupt.


Traffic in Costa Rica is dangerous, so be careful. Pedestrians in general do not have the right of way. Roads in rural areas may also tend to have many potholes. Driving at night is not recommended.


Costa Rica does not have a welfare system, you work or you starve. Hungry people will do desperate things for money.


The emergency number in Costa Rica is 911.


Like any other tourist destination, watch out for pickpockets. Purse snatchings, armed robberies and car-jackings have been on the rise lately. Stay alert and protect your valuables at all times, especially in the San Jose area. "Smash and grabs" of car windows are very common all over the country so do not leave valuables in your vehicle. Another common robbery scheme includes slashing your tires, then when you stop to fix the flat, one or two "friendly" people stop to help and instead grab what valuables they can. If you are motioned to pull over by anyone, do not do so until you are at a well-lit place.

 

bee*

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
May 14, 2006
Messages
12,169
I''d read that too sna. The lucida and band will definitely be staying at home. I''m just going to wear a cheap plain band when I''m there.
 

iheartscience

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 1, 2007
Messages
12,111
Yeah, I definitely left all jewelry at home! I just got back from Costa Rica about 3 weeks ago, and some places were safer than others. Montezuma felt very safe, and locals in San Jose and in La Fortuna all specifically told us how great and safe Montezuma was. However, when we were hiking to the waterfalls, there were cops waiting because there were "muchachos malos" (bad boys) at the higher waterfall stealing people's cameras. So, although the town felt very safe, we did have that experience. San Jose was extremely sketchy, and Manuel Antonio felt pretty sketchy in the town, too. La Fortuna seemed medium. As long you're aware of your surroundings and belongings I think you'll be okay.

Here are my top pics:

1. Montezuma-LOVED it here! Tiny town, gorgeous beaches, lots of hippies, but hey-at least they're laid back! Go to CoColores for dinner, and definitely hike to the waterfalls.

2. Arenal volcano-so many good activities in the area and so fun! Definitely do the zip line at Mundo Aventura. (I think that's the name-if you ask around it's the best one.)

3. Manuel Antonia National Park-I wasn't that crazy about the town, but the national park and the beaches in the park were great!

Also, I highly recommend flying between places if you go-taking public and private buses was kind of a nightmare!

ETA that in Montezuma and in other small towns there are no ATMs or banks, so you have to have plenty of cash, because a lot of places didn't take credit cards. And don't bother with traveler's checks-my sister got some and no place would take them! I guess it would be a good idea as a back up so you could take them to the bank, but other than that, they were useless!
 
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