Sounds like some great trips here. Maybe an all inclusive would be better for our type of travel. Or a guided tour. The driving sounds dicey, though a lot of people seem to do it.
Some of the warnings I read about said to stay away from the eco lodges, as a big issue is the mosquitos and disease (unless you want to wear DEET all day and night).
But actually, now I’m looking closely at Israel. Starting out with a couple of days in Tel Aviv (visiting Jerusalem), then taking a tour that goes to the Dead Sea/Masada, ending up in Eilat. Then going to Jordan, to visit Petra and Wadi Rum. All guided tours, seems reasonable prices, hotels not too expensive. Hopefully no massive bugs, or mosquito borne diseases!
Two vastly different destinations. You’ll need to decide which sort of vacation you want. Since some people are reading this with curiosity about Costa Rica I’ll definitely recommend it as a good place to visit! We used Panama airlines and got an air view of the ships approaching the canal from the west- cool site when we landed there before the second leg of our trip. I do not get excited about the dry Middle East (or the cultures). Your family will need to decide which of these opposites to visit your next trip together.
“Where can you possibly rent a car for $9 per day?” - not in Costa Rica. I believe that it is over $45 / day. I have no idea where $9 price exists…Scary bugs are not really scary though, they are great fun to look at, unfortunately, we have seen maybe a couple in our 2 visits of 2 weeks each.
““Where can you possibly rent a car for $9 per day?” - not in Costa Rica. I believe that it is over $45 / day. I have no idea where $9 price exists…”
Since you have not seen this, it can’t exist, right?
Tell you what, it’s easy to search it out. Go to expedia, cheapfares, whatever site you like to use. Pick some dates. The ones I looked at were in January, I think. I just picked some random dates in October on Expedia, and the lowest price came out as $1 per day. Seriously. I thought maybe it was something wrong with the Expedia website, so I went directly to Ace Rent a Car. $2.14 per day, but that’s for a Yaris. If you want to get a mini SUV, it’s 72 cents per day.
Now I’m always suspicious of a scam. Probably haven’t included all the taxes, fees, etc. But when I go on Hertz website, which would definitely not be a scam, they have compact cars for $7.20 per day, for $62.48 total, for 5 days, including the taxes and fees. Something is seriously going on. I wonder if tourism is in the tank because of Zika.
“Two vastly different destinations. You’ll need to decide which sort of vacation you want. Since some people are reading this with curiosity about Costa Rica I’ll definitely recommend it as a good place to visit! We used Panama airlines and got an air view of the ships approaching the canal from the west- cool site when we landed there before the second leg of our trip. I do not get excited about the dry Middle East (or the cultures). Your family will need to decide which of these opposites to visit your next trip together”
Yes, two vastly different vacations, that’s for sure. I’ve been on endless beach and hiking type vacations, because we always want to get away from Seattle in the winter. Looking at Feb in Israel and Jordon, it seems that it should be mostly dry, with temps around 60-70. If you haven’t been to Israel, I wouldn’t rule it out because of some preconceived ideas. It is a beautiful, and historically fascinating place. As an American, I have never been anywhere that I felt so welcome.
That does seem crazy low for a car rental in Costa Rica. We were there earlier this summer. You do need to be aware that there is mandatory liability insurance of $20-25 per day on top of the car rental fees. IMHO 4WD is necessary.
We spent a week at the Savegre Hotel in San Gerardo de Dota and loved it. Birding, hiking, spa, zip lines. The president of CR goes there to unwind. It was lovely in July but prob would be chilly in January. Very reasonable lodging (~$75 per night) and inexpensive food option around. Not a lot of variety in food. If you want action a week would be too long there but we wanted mostly to unplug.
We also spent time near Dominical (Hacienda Baru) and Manuel Antonio. Again, nature and bird watching was the draw for us. Manuel Antonio was our least favorite-- very touristy but the most varied food options.
Bugs weren’t a huge issue – not anymore than when we went to Chincoteague years ago.
True, however, somehow the bountiful tasty cappuccino, tasty wine, pizza and pasta makes it all seem so much better. Kind of like a reward for walking up all those steps.
Please keep the suggestions coming as we are thinking of going to Costa Rica in November. I think we are going with a more casual approach as we are going to go with our youngest d and her boyfriend and they are pretty minimalistic. We will probably compromise as dh and I are not camping or staying in hostels. So small hotels and inns.
I personally would take the cruise but either way…
if you go to costa rica I strongly suggest you purchase medical/evacuation insurance. https://www.medexassist.com/
We spent 10 days in Costa Rica in July (including the two travel days). We had a great time. Flew into San Jose, then flew to Tortuguero to see the turtles for 2 nights, one night in Sarapiqui to go white water rafting, two nights in Arenal to see the volcano and go zip-wiring and 3 nights at the beach at Tamarindo. Overall a great holiday.
Even if you choose not to book a tour look at the group tour sites for their itineraries to get ideas. The weather will vary depending on location- including altitude. Likewise dry western coast versus wet rainforest. There is plenty to do because of the varied climates. Not like going to a resort that could be on any Caribbean island.
We were in Guanacaste (dry Pacific coast, although the wet season was beginning) for a week in June and it was lovely. I’d like to go back to other areas. But I wouldn’t drive myself; I’d hire a driver. The roads are sometimes not in the greatest condition, there is often no shoulder, and people can drive pretty aggressively. It’s not like renting a car in Europe.
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