We are thinking about going to Costa Rica for a week or so in January or February. I found a week long itinerary in Frommer’s Guide that looked really fun, but then I realized that they have you hotel hopping the entire week. Since that’s basically what I do for a living, I really don’t want to move from hotel to hotel every night. Yuck! I was hoping to stay in the same place the entire week, or at worst, book two different hotels.
We were going to rent a car and do it on our own, thinking it would be more economical that way (I’m all about four star experience/resorts for two star prices), but perhaps a tour would be better for a week. The REI adventures tours sound great, but they are pricey. Otherwise, Costa Rica sounds like an inexpensive place to visit. We are not interested in having little kids on a tour, and we are fairly athletic and somewhat adventurous. A little bit of beach time would be fine, but we’re more interested in being active and sightseeing. And getting away from Seattle winter weather!
Does anyone have any suggestions for us? Tour or do it on our own? Any way to see the sights from just one or two hotels, and what location? Thanks for your help, I love to travel, but truly hate planning trips!!
To add, another option is a 7 day Wind Star cruise. They have a number that go through the Panama Canal, and visit Costa Rica also. We can get those at a highly discounted price. However, after our last cruise ship experience on Carnival (we both got one of those violent cruise ship illnesses), I don’t know if I can do it again unless it’s really great!
What is it you want to see/do there? Surfing, white water rafting, zip lining, hiking, mineral springs, or just lounging on the beach? We moved three times while we were there for eight nights. Could have done with one less move, but it became a matter of traveling long distances to the attractions or moving myself closer to the attractions/activities.
I am not a fan of the organized excursions because you waste a lot of time on the van traveling from hotel to hotel to pick up the other travelers. We only did that one for the white water rafting and realized along the way that informed travelers hired a driver to drop them at the start of the rafting and pick them up at the end, sparing them hours on the van.
Comments on Trip Advisor would convince you that you should never consider renting a car in CR, and we had planned to hire a driver for most of the trip, but after having a car at the very beginning, we realized the driving was not bad. There are no street lights and pedestrians, cars and livestock share the roadway, so best to be where you want to be before dark.
Out of those things you listed, maybe hiking, mineral springs, a little beach time, white water rafting, and maybe some of those eco parks. Nothing is particularly required, except for good coffee! I like zip lining, but doubt I could talk my husband into it again, after his safety line snapped 40 feet in the air…
Read some of the warnings about car rentals, but it sounds like everyone does it. Don’t think we would do the organized excursions, but maybe a week long tour where they drive you everywhere and you stay with the same people.
Wow, that sounds interesting. If there is enough to do in four nights there, then maybe I could just book 2-3 more nights in San Jose. See, I’m all about making it easy! Looking into these suggestions right now.
We rented a car in Costa Rica – some roads are truly horrible, you need to drive in daylight, and don’t leave your belongings in the car. We had a GPS, which was invaluable since there aren’t street addresses. Despite all this, we did just fine. We went to Arenal, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio and a couples resort in Uvita called Oxygen which was incredible. We were there for more than a week. We did some hiking, hired guides for some things. It was a great trip.
Does sound like an awesome trip. Hoping in Jan-Feb, it stays daylight pretty long. I don’t know how we’d find anything without street addresses! I’ll check out that Oxygen place too. The Lapas Rios that nottelling recommended sounds unbelievable, however the prices are almost $900 a night during our timeframe. Even for an all inclusive (no alcohol included), that is way about our budget. It looks very difficult to get to, also. But it sounds amazing. Makes me think we should closely look at eco lodges.
I’ve been to Lapas Rios 6 times but its been a few years. Sounds like they’ve raised their prices; big bummer! It’s not that hard to get there because the lodge arranges for transport by small prop plane and little open-air mini-bus/ pick-up truck. It is pretty remote but it’s only an hour flight from San Jose and then a scenic drive by hotel-provided shuttle. It is really a great place. Tons of animals – howler monkeys, capuchin monkeys, toucans, scarlet macaws, katamundi, sloths, all sorts of animals visible from every point. Good food is included. A great surf spot is close by if you surf. There’s another place up the road that is really great too but I forgot what it is called, but it is not so close to the beach. (I’ll look it up. We never stayed there but we had dinner there).
It really is a bummer about the prices because the experience is quite rustic; definitely not a luxury place. You kind of have to accept that the giant insects are part of the flora and fauna that you are there to see. It doesn’t have the touristy attractions like the super-cool zip-lines and suspension bridge networks in the Arenal and Monteverde areas, but you really feel like you are immersed in the rain forest.
Bosque del Cabo is the place up the hill from Lapas Rios. As I said, we never stayed there but visited it for dinner. Has a similar feel to Lapas Rios but is farther from the beach.
I made the mistake of googling Costa Rica and insects once when researching vacation spots. The country fell many spots down my travel list. One of the reasons I live where I do is because I don’t have to deal with large insects let alone ones as big as my hand. :-S
You really, really, really have to get into the mindset that the giant insects are part of the attraction that you are there to see. They really are quite cool – giant walking sticks with “leaves” that look just like the tree with the toucans you were just looking at. Weird moths with beautiful coloring. The rooms/ pavilions have mosquito nets that keep the insects off your body. The giant tarantulas don’t (well, hardly ever) come into your room. The giant poisonous toads don’t come in unless you leave all the lights on and the door ajar … Learned that lesson quite quickly. The ghost crabs stay on the paths and don’t bother anyone.
I just took a quick look at Bosque del Cabo; rates are much better and are in line with what Lapas Rios used to be (SOB!!!) The main activity is to hike in the rain forest to look at animals but there are also very cool guided tours to see the mangroves and dolphins etc. I don’t want to oversell it; the point is immersion in nature, not lots of activities.
When my daughter was young we used to go every other year during “ski week” (week off from school at end of Feb.) My ex-husband was super into surfing and my daughter is a pretty accomplished surfer, too, and they liked the surfing there. But the non-surfing activities are definitely enough to keep one occupied for a couple of days. February is a very good time to go.
I definitely would NOT spend 2 or 3 nights in San Jose. You want to get out into nature. I’d split my time between some remote eco resort in the Osa Peninsula or Manuel Antonio and then a touristy place near Arenal, near the volcano and some hot springs.
Yeah, your description of those bugs sure isn’t helping me get on board with a Costa Rica trip, @nottelling. You’d be hearing me scream from the states. Toads I can live with.
A giant green beetle landed on my sons rear end when we were at the Manuel Antonio beach(about 10 years ago. He was maybe 11 years old.). He was kind of scared because it sounded like a bee when it buzzed in, and when it landed, he could not see it. A bunch of tourists saw it, though, and all started snapping pictures!
We did it on our own. Got a flat tire from hitting a boulder on the dirt road from Monteverde. The rental car company charged us a lot of money when we returned the car with the spare flat. But it wasn’t that big a deal. Yes, drive in the day. You can be going down a paved road fine when all of a sudden there will be big potholes.
Costa Rican people are very nice!
At Manuel Antonio, we liked the Casitas Eclipse hotel.
“Costa Rica sounds like an inexpensive place to visit.” - Everything in grocery store was at least 2 times more expensive than what we have in our hometown and the restaurants, souvenirs were also very expensive. What was really cheap for us was taxi. We were not taking any tours though, we stayed in what used to be a fishing village and the fishing trips were very very expensive. Renting the car is very expensive, I would not travel in car though, I would take tours. Overall, if you are looking for a cheaper vacation, I would say that Mexico is the one
. We loved it in Costa Rica though and are planning to retire there…but it is NOT cheap and another thing - it is very hot! January, February is a very good choice. But it is a “prime” time and renting will be more expensive, more so in January.
I just looked at cars over my timeframe, and these are the cheapest prices I have ever seen for a rental car. About $9 per day, and this is during peak season. Compared to other vacation spots, from what I have heard, Costa Rica is incredibly cheap, I think. Where can you possibly rent a car for $9 per day?
However…giant tarantulas and giant poisonous toads? Giant beetles and scary bugs? Okay, I’m starting to remember why the last time I looked into this, we ended up in Hawaii. Hmm, there must be somewhere in Costa Rica where we don’t get to experience these sorts of “pleasures”. Maybe we should stay away from the rain forest, and perhaps the jungle, too. Maybe the remote eco resort is not for us.
I saw no disgusting bugs in the week plus we were in Costa Rica (other than some things pointed out to us by tour guides in the cloud forest). There’s nothing I hate more than bugs (and snakes), so I’d remember. We did see very cute sloths and monkeys. And I don’t remember Costa Rica being an extremely cheap or expensive vacation.
Toads I can live with.