Tips for Costa Rica?
Jan 12, 2000, 2:00 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: new york, ny
Posts: 7
Tips for Costa Rica?
mauld refered me to this site and I'm hoping someone can give me some suggestions. I'm planning a 1-week trip to Costa Rica (hopefully during Prez week, if not Easter?...I know, major peak-time) I'm thinking of renting a car (am I asking for trouble?) Want to visit Arenal Volcano, Monteverde & Manuel Antonio -- do I have enough time for all of this? Does anyone know a good tour company that can put something like this together for me? And finally, hotels -- will a "moderate" one do (or is that just an invitation for dirtiness, bugs, etc.) Thanks...
Jan 12, 2000, 2:22 pm
#2
Join Date: Sep 1999
Posts: 1,222
While I have no personal experience of Costa Rica, I can recommend a visit to the General Tours website:
www.generaltours.com
I have used them for several packages and have referred a number of people to them, and we have all been satisfied with the price and the service. Even if you don't use them, their itineraries may give you some idea of what is do-able.
Good luck, and have fun.
www.generaltours.com
I have used them for several packages and have referred a number of people to them, and we have all been satisfied with the price and the service. Even if you don't use them, their itineraries may give you some idea of what is do-able.
Good luck, and have fun.
Jan 12, 2000, 7:26 pm
#3
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Million Miler (mostly earned on CO)
Posts: 2,599
l2nyc: Pura vida! (A nice way they have of greeting each other in CR.) I'm a big fan of Costa Rica. I've been three times on leisure trips in the last five years, and am thinking of buying a small property in Panama near its border with CR. (To be turned into a bed and breakfast for FlyerTalkers!) Help me narrow down your interests a little and I'll be glad to help out with information:
- What style of travel do you prefer? Lots of comfort, some comfort, or "adventure is more important than comfort"?
- Are you more in it for leisure (i.e, want to relax on the beach) or sightseeing?
- Is it more fun for you to make the arrangements yourself, or would you rather be taken around?
- Do you know any Spanish?
Let me know and I'll do my best to come up with some answers.
[This message has been edited by dgolds (edited 01-12-2000).]
- What style of travel do you prefer? Lots of comfort, some comfort, or "adventure is more important than comfort"?
- Are you more in it for leisure (i.e, want to relax on the beach) or sightseeing?
- Is it more fun for you to make the arrangements yourself, or would you rather be taken around?
- Do you know any Spanish?
Let me know and I'll do my best to come up with some answers.
[This message has been edited by dgolds (edited 01-12-2000).]
Jan 12, 2000, 9:49 pm
#4
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: UK
Programs: reformed ex basic Member
Posts: 3,148
I am on a business trip to Costa Rica at the moment. I plan my weekends using lonely planet.. plenty of advice in there.
Last weekend I went down to Manuel Antonio, about 3.5 hrs drive on OK roads (single lane winding) from San Jose. Stayed in Quepos at a cheap place, then walked into the park in the morning, saw plenty of wildlife etc etc, great beaches too.
Going to drive this weekend up to Arenal area on friday night, spend sat am in the hot pools, then drive onto Monteverde for sat night, and sunday in the forest. Have rented a 4WD, and expect to be driving in the dark on more winding mountain roads...
shall report more details if i get back
Last weekend I went down to Manuel Antonio, about 3.5 hrs drive on OK roads (single lane winding) from San Jose. Stayed in Quepos at a cheap place, then walked into the park in the morning, saw plenty of wildlife etc etc, great beaches too.
Going to drive this weekend up to Arenal area on friday night, spend sat am in the hot pools, then drive onto Monteverde for sat night, and sunday in the forest. Have rented a 4WD, and expect to be driving in the dark on more winding mountain roads...
shall report more details if i get back
Jan 12, 2000, 11:21 pm
#5
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: SoCal; DO-RAGS: Old Gold tagged, PIP, LatPass 1/2, AA 4MM, HH LT Diamond, Marriott Titanium/LT Plat, Omni
Posts: 9,180
The roads are generally bad, and wanting to cover the most in only a week, my wife and I took an eco-cruise on a great 99 person ship. You put in at a different National Park or seashore every morning and zodiac in for hiking, beach combing, lagoon swimming, canoeing, etc. Our naturalist, Conrad, was a walking National Geographic. The best part about getting going at 0600 is that when you get back to the ship at 1030 there's an open bar and it's drinks time. The food may not be spectacular, but it's plenty good. I highly recommend it, and can give you more info and the name of the ship if you are interested. We missed the volcano because of time problems, but you can easily arrange a side trip from San Jose. But, if you only have one day for it, be prepared to miss the eruptions due to bad visability.
Jan 13, 2000, 2:39 am
#6
In Memoriam
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Duesseldorf, Germany
Posts: 1,157
One week in Costa Rica and planning Arenal + Monteverde + manuel antonio ??? No way !
I'd recommend Manual Antonio, which is a National Park just to preserve this extremly beautiful beaches. You'll get to see "iguanas" right at the beach. There are some easy to walk trails, where you will "meet" monkeys, birds, giant ants etc. There are daily flights from San Jose's nat'l airports on old "Rosinenbomber" (originally used in the Berlin Air lift), which is a nice experience, too.
Don't try to drive, if you have just one week. Don't spend (waste) time in San Jose. There is no "must see" at all.
If you do want something very, very special try to get to "Rara Avis", which is a "bird watch" in the "middle of the fog forest" about five hours from San Jose. They try to earn money with some eco tourism (max. 10 - 15 people at a time). You'll have a three hrs. bus ride from San Jose to a small village - and then two more hrs. for the last 10 miles. Quite adventurous.
There is a main lodge where meals are served, some log cabins (accomodate 2-4, rivate bath), bird watch, rain forest paths and hiking with guides and even a "tree top elevator". Minimum stay supposedly 4 days.
Both suggestions are somewhat "vacation in a zoo", but don't expect 4* comfort. Costa Rica still is a third world country - but some really great experience. It is "pure nature",
[This message has been edited by bernie (edited 01-13-2000).]
I'd recommend Manual Antonio, which is a National Park just to preserve this extremly beautiful beaches. You'll get to see "iguanas" right at the beach. There are some easy to walk trails, where you will "meet" monkeys, birds, giant ants etc. There are daily flights from San Jose's nat'l airports on old "Rosinenbomber" (originally used in the Berlin Air lift), which is a nice experience, too.
Don't try to drive, if you have just one week. Don't spend (waste) time in San Jose. There is no "must see" at all.
If you do want something very, very special try to get to "Rara Avis", which is a "bird watch" in the "middle of the fog forest" about five hours from San Jose. They try to earn money with some eco tourism (max. 10 - 15 people at a time). You'll have a three hrs. bus ride from San Jose to a small village - and then two more hrs. for the last 10 miles. Quite adventurous.
There is a main lodge where meals are served, some log cabins (accomodate 2-4, rivate bath), bird watch, rain forest paths and hiking with guides and even a "tree top elevator". Minimum stay supposedly 4 days.
Both suggestions are somewhat "vacation in a zoo", but don't expect 4* comfort. Costa Rica still is a third world country - but some really great experience. It is "pure nature",
[This message has been edited by bernie (edited 01-13-2000).]
Jan 13, 2000, 9:12 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: new york, ny
Posts: 7
Your responses have been very helpful...THANKS! I looked up General Tours (thanks to Kitty Hawk!) and found an 8-day package that includes air/"first class" hotels & camping/some meals/Arenal Volcano, Fortuna Falls & Monte Verde. Sounds good, a little bit of everything. It's about $1750pp from NYC -- for those who've been there: would I be able to put some tours together on my own if I just flew down there? And would it be way cheaper? BTW, after some research & your input I now prefer to leave the driving to someone who knows their way around the country...
dgolds: Since I have less than a month to put this together and only a week to spend there, I'm thinking my best bet is to do a packaged tour although I'd prefer to put it together myself and probably save myself a couple of $100. (About a year ago I went to Egypt, where luckily I did the light shows on my own ($10) as opposed to the tour company's $55 charge for the exact same thing) I'm looking for a 25/75 mix of leisure & sightseeing. I'm not too keen on roughing it, but I don't need spa pampering either. And yes, hablo espanol.
dgolds: Since I have less than a month to put this together and only a week to spend there, I'm thinking my best bet is to do a packaged tour although I'd prefer to put it together myself and probably save myself a couple of $100. (About a year ago I went to Egypt, where luckily I did the light shows on my own ($10) as opposed to the tour company's $55 charge for the exact same thing) I'm looking for a 25/75 mix of leisure & sightseeing. I'm not too keen on roughing it, but I don't need spa pampering either. And yes, hablo espanol.
Jan 15, 2000, 2:27 pm
#8
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Million Miler (mostly earned on CO)
Posts: 2,599
l2nyc: $1,750 pp doesn't sound very good to me for that time of year. I priced out EWR-SJC on CO leaving 2/18, returning 2/26 at around $370. Even with hotels at $100/night for 7 nights, you'll do better if you want to take the time to arrange the tour. I checked Expedia; there aren't too many hotels for more than $100 per night in San Jose. In any case you can do much better than $100/night if you are OK with "less than luxe" accomodations. The last time I was there I got something for around $40 per night including breakfast that was just fine.
The first time I was in Costa Rica, booked a hotel in San Jose, met a friend down there, and took days tours from our hotel (Arenal, rain tourist tram) for a couple of days. Then we flew to Manuel Antonio and spent three nights there. We had a great time.
As far as destinations, are concerned:
- Arenal is an active volcano. As such, it's interesting, but if you've seen other active volcanos, it may not be that fascinating a destination. But the area around there is very pleasant. I very much enjoyed some of the small towns we stopped in en route to Arenal.
- I've not been to Monteverdi or Fortuna Falls, so no opinion there.
- I agree with the others on a couple of things. First, the roads in Costa Rica are in many cases truly, truly awful, and there are no railroads, so it is difficult to get around. Allow time for that, or fly. Second, the area around Manuel Antonio National Park is very, very nice. I spent two days there and really enjoyed it; wish I had had more time. We walked down one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen anywhere.
The most fun things I've done in CR were:
- Boat trip to Tortuguero on the Caribbean Coast. You take a bus from San Jose to Limon, which is the main port on the east coast of the country. Then you get on a boat and travel six hours north through an intercoastal waterway with your guide. (Lots of interesting flora and fauna to look at on the ride...) You overnight in an area with no major cities, just a small village and nature preserves, and the guides take you around the area by canoe. Tortuguero is famous as the place where sea turtles come to breed every year, although you won't be there during the turtle season. We weren't either, but despite that, the trip there was loads of fun and a real adventure.
- A couple of days on the Caribbean beach at Puerto Viejo. This was great partly because the friend I was travelling with knew the proprietor of the place we stayed at and the hospitality was wonderful. Puerto Viejo is a sleepy little beach town on the south Caribbean coast.
I've heard that some of the beaches in the north west part of the country are spectacular. I hope I'll be able to make it up there the next time I make it to CR.
Hope this helps...
The first time I was in Costa Rica, booked a hotel in San Jose, met a friend down there, and took days tours from our hotel (Arenal, rain tourist tram) for a couple of days. Then we flew to Manuel Antonio and spent three nights there. We had a great time.
As far as destinations, are concerned:
- Arenal is an active volcano. As such, it's interesting, but if you've seen other active volcanos, it may not be that fascinating a destination. But the area around there is very pleasant. I very much enjoyed some of the small towns we stopped in en route to Arenal.
- I've not been to Monteverdi or Fortuna Falls, so no opinion there.
- I agree with the others on a couple of things. First, the roads in Costa Rica are in many cases truly, truly awful, and there are no railroads, so it is difficult to get around. Allow time for that, or fly. Second, the area around Manuel Antonio National Park is very, very nice. I spent two days there and really enjoyed it; wish I had had more time. We walked down one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen anywhere.
The most fun things I've done in CR were:
- Boat trip to Tortuguero on the Caribbean Coast. You take a bus from San Jose to Limon, which is the main port on the east coast of the country. Then you get on a boat and travel six hours north through an intercoastal waterway with your guide. (Lots of interesting flora and fauna to look at on the ride...) You overnight in an area with no major cities, just a small village and nature preserves, and the guides take you around the area by canoe. Tortuguero is famous as the place where sea turtles come to breed every year, although you won't be there during the turtle season. We weren't either, but despite that, the trip there was loads of fun and a real adventure.
- A couple of days on the Caribbean beach at Puerto Viejo. This was great partly because the friend I was travelling with knew the proprietor of the place we stayed at and the hospitality was wonderful. Puerto Viejo is a sleepy little beach town on the south Caribbean coast.
I've heard that some of the beaches in the north west part of the country are spectacular. I hope I'll be able to make it up there the next time I make it to CR.
Hope this helps...
Jan 18, 2000, 9:10 am
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: new york, ny
Posts: 7
Has anyone flown GRUPO TACA to Costa Rica? Would you recommend it?
dgolds: I was real psyched about the r/t fare you found to San Jose, unfortunately I think you looked up SJC (in California) instead of SJO (in Costa Rica)
. The fares I'm coming up with (Expedia, Travelocity, Lowestfare) are $600-$1000+, this is supposedly due to kids being out of school that week & it being a hot family vacation spot. Thanks for your suggestions, if I can find decent airfare, I might just fly down and wing it....
dgolds: I was real psyched about the r/t fare you found to San Jose, unfortunately I think you looked up SJC (in California) instead of SJO (in Costa Rica)
. The fares I'm coming up with (Expedia, Travelocity, Lowestfare) are $600-$1000+, this is supposedly due to kids being out of school that week & it being a hot family vacation spot. Thanks for your suggestions, if I can find decent airfare, I might just fly down and wing it....
Jan 19, 2000, 10:39 am
#11
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Central New Jersey
Programs: UA-Platimum 2 MM, HH-Gold, MR-Lifetime Gold, Hyatt-Discoverist
Posts: 6,238
Check out this article in todays Chicago Sun Times: http://www.suntimes.com/output/travel/read16.html
Jan 20, 2000, 11:27 am
#12
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Sacramento area, CA USA
Programs: UA Gold Million Miler, HH Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,858
We have flown TACA, though not to Costa Rica. My daughter befriended a girl on our first leg Belize to El Salvador whose father was the pilot on our next leg. She introduced us and he invited my daughter and me to sit in the jump seats into Guatamala City. Not allowed in the US but what an awesome sight: at night, Guatamala City surrounded by active, burning volcanoes! It was fine. The rest of our party was comfortable flying with them.
One word of caution: Adm. Stansfield Turner, former CIA Director, was critically injured in a small plane (maybe 20 passengers) in Costa Rica. The plane took off in a heavy rainstorm and crashed. Weather is a problem in Central America and we were delayed in Tikal because of weather and a similar size plane. Don't take chances. Turner's wife was killed and the owners of the travel agency that were with him also killed. We traveled with these four just a year ago to the Middle East and they are VERY seasoned travelers.
One word of caution: Adm. Stansfield Turner, former CIA Director, was critically injured in a small plane (maybe 20 passengers) in Costa Rica. The plane took off in a heavy rainstorm and crashed. Weather is a problem in Central America and we were delayed in Tikal because of weather and a similar size plane. Don't take chances. Turner's wife was killed and the owners of the travel agency that were with him also killed. We traveled with these four just a year ago to the Middle East and they are VERY seasoned travelers.
Jan 20, 2000, 12:24 pm
#13
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: May 1999
Posts: 46,817
Consider:
$899. PP ALL INCLUSIVE from EWR for Feb trav
includes-
rt air
4* beachfront hotel
all meals, snackk
all drinks inc beer, wine cocktails
entertainment
water sports
tips
CALL Compass trav and tours
609-926-9368
FAX -6841
Email: [email protected]
compasstours-travel.com
http://209.185.131.251/cgi-bin/linkr...p%3fid%3d12440
$899. PP ALL INCLUSIVE from EWR for Feb trav
includes-
rt air
4* beachfront hotel
all meals, snackk
all drinks inc beer, wine cocktails
entertainment
water sports
tips
CALL Compass trav and tours
609-926-9368
FAX -6841
Email: [email protected]
compasstours-travel.com
http://209.185.131.251/cgi-bin/linkr...p%3fid%3d12440
Jan 22, 2000, 5:32 pm
#14
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: UK
Programs: reformed ex basic Member
Posts: 3,148
Well, we just had an excellent weekend in the country, a few hiccups. First of all Arenal volcano was totally hidden by cloud, so saw nothing. Hot springs were godd to relax. We planned to drive over a day round to Monteverde, going around LAke Arenal from Fortuna. Got 2 miles, and founf HUGE tree across road, due to bad storms. So drove back to a restaurant, and ate lunch and changed plans. Then after an hour, saw traffic coming other way, and decided to continue on as tree had been cut up. What a road. Major potholes. 4WD essential. It rained, it got dark early, so abandoned going to Monteverde (as actually wanted to spend some of weekend out of the car) and spent night in Tileran. We taxied to a local disco and salsa'd until 3am. Overslept the next day, so went down to Puntareanas, and spent afternoon on beach. Then spent 4hours driving 140kms back into SanJOse, traffic overload.
All in all, a fun weekend, but don't try to squeeze too much in. As for TACA long haul flights, fine, good aircraft.
Good luck
GK
All in all, a fun weekend, but don't try to squeeze too much in. As for TACA long haul flights, fine, good aircraft.
Good luck
GK
Jan 25, 2000, 11:32 pm
#15
In Memoriam
Join Date: May 1999
Location: San Francisco UA1K; AA Gold
Posts: 937
A highlight for me down by Manuel Antonio was a guided kayak trip through the mangrove estuary. It's timed to leave according to the tides, so my pick-up was at 6:30am (ugh!), but maybe you'll have a more civilized hour. Very easy kayaking (only the last little bit is actually "ocean," and even that had a barrier island offshore), wonderful birds, and incredible sounds coming from the jungle.