my wife and i (before we were married) did a 6 day trip flying in and out of LIR. we spent 3 nights in Playa del Coco (about 25 miles west of LIR airport) and 2 nights in Arenal. the advice from SJOGuy about allowing plenty of travel time is astute. it took us about 4 hours to drive from LIR to Arenal area and the road is a challenge once you get off the PanAm highway.

we had a great trip though. certainly would recommend Arenal -- lots of neat things to see, and we stayed at a beautiful property -- Arenal Nayara -- that i would highly recommend.