Costa Rica - Stay suggestions between SJO and LIR
 

I am looking for some suggestions how to spend 4 days between SJO and LIR. This is a family trip with my wife and three daughters (12,8,8). We will be arriving late on a Saturday. I have two nights booked at the Curio Hilton in SJO to start. We will be leaving via LIR 9 days later on a Monday. I have booked the last three nights at the Hyatt Andaz on the Pacific coast. My questions is how and where to spend the 4 days in between SJO and LIR? I am willing to break up the four days into two 2 day stops. I think La Fortuna is a great stop for at least two days. I am unsure where else to go or should I just extend the stop to four days there?

Don't forget to factor in travel time, which always takes more time in Costa Rica than you expect. Getting from the Hilton Curio, which is smack-dab in the center of San Jose, to La Fortuna will eat up a half day. Getting from La Fortuna to Hyatt Andaz will eat up a good chunk of a day. Not literally, but the day will be mostly shot by the time you arrive at Andaz. So you don't really have four days. It's more like 2+1/2 days. You can easily fill up that amount of time with all there is to do around La Fortuna and Arenal. I think that's a good choice for an intermediate stop. The area has a lot to do and lot to do that kids will enjoy.

I take it you're driving? Between San Jose and La Fortuna, sections of the road begin to fog over by mid-afternoon. Get an early start that day, and try to arrive at La Fortuna by noon. Also, in general, it starts to get dark about 5:30. Try to arrive at Hyatt Andaz before then.

First off, thank you, for the information. This was exactly what I was looking for. I am looking at the Baldi and Tabacon resorts at his point and there is a Tree House hotel. How would you split up things between those? I would book the tree house experience as a surprise for my kids. Is it worth it? The Baldi Spa looks nice but how is it compared to the Tabacon

I just re-read your post and we are getting a car and driving on our own. Thanks for the advice!

You can't go wrong with any of those three options. If it were me, I'd pick one place and stay put, rather than having the disruption of needing to switch hotels.The Tree House Lodge is nice and fun for kids. It is several miles east of town. There isn't much else in that direction. Most of the attractions line the road heading west out La Fortuna and going around the north side of the volcano. Baldi is close to town. Tabacon is farther away along that same road, but it still puts you close to everything. You'll have a car, of course.

Bend this line into kind of a semicircle.

TABACON ================== BALDI ===== LA FORTUNA ============================= TREE HOUSE

The trip is still a ways away but I am leaning toward two nights at the Tree House and another two at the Tabacon. I hear what you are saying about moving around too much, it will be four places in 9 days, if we do this way. The tree house is unique & the kids will love it but I am not sure that I (and my wife) want to spend four full days there...I will let my wife decide... :)

Thank you again!

The move between Tabacon and Tree House or vv is only 15-20 miles. That's doable.

Its packing moving check in checkout times etc that makes it not so practical. I d recommend 4 nts some place in la fortuna. I think we stayed at royal corin last tine that had family sized suites and awesome pools.
Next trip we ll do cloud forest area.