Summer trip to Costa Rica for large group

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Happy New Year everyone! We are planning a Costa Rica trip this summer with at least 3 other families. There will be 15-20 of us. None of us have ever been so I’m wondering how we should go about planning. We’ve targeted Tamarindo as our destination and may do a trip to Arenal. </p>

<p>Our common interests are beach activities such as boogie boarding, snorkling, scuba diving. In addition, some of us like to hike and want to zip line. We are open to many things and have no problem striking out on our own when we need “quiet time”. </p>

<p>We need suggestions on general areas to stay. (Resort, condo, private rentals.) When is the best time to purchase airline tickets? Has anyone gone to a Spanish language class there? </p>

<p>The planning is just starting so there will be many questions! Looking forward to any tips and suggestions!</p>

2

<p>Our family went to Costa rica in June several years ago and we stayed in three areas. We spent a few nights in Arenal (fantastic watching the volcano shooting out lava at night and steaming all day!);two nights in Monteverde-glad we went but not the best part of the trip; we have a friend with a condo at the marriott resort at Los suenos so stayed there for a night to do some fishing with them (and do laundry!) then down to Manuel Antonio-also spectacular. The roads back then were truly terrifying and awful but my husband HATES to fly and forget about a small plane so driving it was. We live in Florida so beaches weren’t our highest priority. We also weren’t certified to dive then either. We were able to get by with my very rudimentary “learn Spanish in your car” skills and had a fabulous trip,</p>

3

<p>It sounds like you are planning this yourself, but there are companies that have tours also. I think REI does a trip to Costa Rica, and several years ago we were looking at a group based in Costa Rica. I think there’s a volcano area that people like to visit, but I can’t think of the name of it. You may want to look on-line at tours, just to get some ideas of what’s popular to do there. Good luck, and enjoy.</p>

4

<p>We have planned trips on our own and we’ve also used companies. Any referrals are welcome!</p>

5

<p>I’ve never been (going in March) but be aware: our summer is their “winter” AKA wet season. (It’s actually summer there, too, as Costa Rica is in the Northern Hemisphere like we are, but rainy vs. dry are more important considerations that far south.)</p>

6

<p>We were there for 8 days a couple years ago and spent time in Monteverde (a highlight for us), Arenal, and Manuel Antonio. We did a great naturalist tour in Monteverde, a small coffee plantation visit, and zip lining in the cloud forest. We took the “jeep-boat-jeep” to get to Arenal, where we stayed in a gorgeous resort (Nayara?) where we celebrated a big anniversary. Unfortunately, the volcano wasn’t active and the weather wasn’t great, but it is still beautiful. We did a private walking tour and saw some incredible birds.</p>

<p>We rented a car (one way rental) in Arenal and drove it to our next destination, Manuel Antonio. The GPS was seriously amazing. Even speed bumps were pointed out, narrowing bridges, etc. The best gps we’ve ever used. Given all we’d read about driving there, our experience was a good one. We really enjoyed the drive and getting out into the country. (We ultimately drove the car back to the airport in San Jose.)</p>

<p>In Manuel Antonio, went to the National Park there, which is fantastic. Stayed in a large resort near the town called Si Como No. It was nice enough, but we did see some fabulous rental condos near there and would probably look into that if we went back.
The park and town were fun–much more crowded than elsewhere. We weren’t particularly focused on a beach trip, so although we did spend a day at the beach in the area, we didn’t see Tamarindo although I think we drove by. We also did a kayak trip out in these mangroves which was at the same tme, spooky, fascinating, and filled with monkeys. What a treat!</p>

<p>Costa Rica is wonderful. We loved the people there, the focus on their environmental preservation efforts, and even the food (in spite of much of what we read that said the food wasn’t special). There are so many things for active families to do and the wildlife is truly spectacular. Make sure you do a couple of tours with the local naturalists. They’re quite well trained and meeting some of them was a highlight of our trip.</p>

<p>You’ll have a fabulous time.</p>

7

<p>I sent you a long PM but the ‘server is too busy now’ seems to have eaten it! I will try again later.</p>

<p>Do you want to stay right in Tamarindo for the surfing or are you willing to be within an easy car ride of there?</p>

<p>Reserva Conchal is a condo ‘complex’ adjacent to the Westin. The Westin used to be an AI; I don’t know if it still is. They share the same beach front with horseback riding and jet skiing rentals, but have separate dining facilities and pools. The Westin’s pool is much more extensive, and the Westin offers more activities for children. But, if you are looking for space for families, the two and three bedroom condos cannot be beat. I wouldn’t want to stay there a week but great as a base for a few days of water sports.</p>

<p>If you are looking for a base for an active family vacation, this could be ideal, but if you want more of the resort/lounge around vacation, the Westin (or other hotels) might suit better.</p>

<p>While the tour operators will take you to Arenal and back for the day, I would suggest dividing your vacation time into two or three different stays, depending on how long you will be there. The Arenal area offered so many wonderful outdoor soft-adventure activities: zip-lining, hike to waterfall, hike to volcano, white water rafting, nature preserves (need a guide to spot that sloth!), etc, etc. </p>

<p>Agree with above poster about the accuracy of the GPS. You must plan to do all your driving during the daytime as there aren’t street lights and pedestrians and animals share the road with cars, making driving after dark a very slow process. We had originally planned to hire a driver for the second part of our trip, but once my husband drove there, he found it very easy.</p>

<p>Summer is green season but we really lucked out with the weather and saw very little rain. It poured at night in Arenal, so I suppose that could have been the daytime weather also.</p>

<p>If you decide to travel to Tamarindo and Arenal, you can fly into Liberia and out of SJO.</p>

<p>Costa Rica has become our gold standard for family vacations as it allowed lounging on beach and pampering at one hotel, and serious outdoor recreation in another area.</p>

8

<p>There are many rental villas that actually work out less than staying in a resort. Last year we went with a group if friends to a villa (not in your target area, but I’ll bet there are the same type of lodging where you are headed) . It was all-inclusive. The property manager arranged tours (those were extra) and dropped by a couple of times each day. All meals and drinks were included. It was like staying at your rich uncles vacation home. Heaven on earth.</p>

9

<p>We spent a week in Costs Rica this past September with 18 people on an organized tour. September is the peak of the rainy season, and we experienced torrential rain with violent lightening storms almost every afternoon. The last 3 days we stayed at the Playa Flamingo resort on the Guanacaste coast. The beach is beautiful, with spectacular sunsets every night. The resort is comfortable but not luxurious. A highlight was a Catamaran tour, we saw jumping stingrays, flying fish and humpback whales. Snorkeling is not great, there was no coral in that area and few fish. We also visited Arenal and Monteverde. The roads to Monteverde are extremely rough, and our guide implied this is intentional as the area is very fragile and can’t handle heavy tourist traffic. Access to the hanging bridges through the rainforest is regulated to minimize tourist impact, so you’ll want to arrive early to the skywalk entrance. </p>

<p>I enjoyed the trip but wish we had more freedom to explore on our own, as we were kept to a tight schedule. The biggest shock was how expensive everything is. Dollars are almost universally accepted, and prices in restaurants and groceries were comparable to Hawaii. Bring lots of cash, some people on the tour had trouble finding a bank where they could use their ATM cards.</p>

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<p>We went to Costa Rica with a large family group several years ago. We rented a large house in Playa del Coco, but the best thing we did was get in touch with Amy of Avispas tours. She is an American woman married to a Costa Rican, and they’ll put together custom tours to meet your needs. Also pick you up at the airport. </p>