Costa Rica Honeymoon questions...

Re: Costa Rica Honeymoon questions...

• alithebride member

  

  November 2009

  dh and i stayed on the west coast for my birthday trip a few years agoo-and i totally agree with you about the AI part-the last thing i wanted to do was to constantly pack/unpack/change hotels. we had an amazing time! as for the clear water part-check on the caribbean side. the pacific side is not known for it's clear water.

   

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• MerRhosyn

  

  November 2009

  We stayed at Paradisus Playa Conchal for three nights at the end of our ten day trip.  It was by far our least favorite part of our entire trip.  It's not that luxurious, the food is mediocre, the excursions are shabby, and it wasn't very romantic.  The cost per night was far in excess of what we thought it was worth.  We did not to the Royal Service upgrade, and I am fairly confident we would not have thought much better of the hotel for having done it.  There are thousands of reviews on TripAdvisor - I would suggest you read those.  In my opinion, if this is the only place you're going to go, you might as well not go to Costa Rica, as once you arrive at Paradisus Playa Conchal, there's nothing that even remotes makes it seem like you're in Costa Rica (in comparison to the places we stayed in Guanacaste and Arenal and activities we did there).  In terms of sites that have the best deals, we got a deal through TravelZoo that reduced our cost per night by 50%, but it's the only time I've ever seen that advertised.  We used Avanti Destinations, but if all you're doing is flying in and going to the AI, I don't really know that you need to sort of coordination that is required if you're going to multiple hotels and taking transfers between each.

  

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• cmp6e

  

  November 2009

  Keep in mind that staying in one place for your entire trip is going to limit you in what you can see and do.  It's not necessarily the most convenient way to travel if you're set on seeing the three things on your list.Even though you may not be packing and unpacking if you stay in one place, you're going to spend a lot of time driving if you plan to go to the rainforest, the beach, and the volcanoes all from the same hotel.  You might feel rushed when you do arrive at these places, because you have to drive all the way back to your hotel by dinnertime.  You simply cannot really experience Arenal Volcano unless you see it at night when you can actually see the lava flowing down.  You won't be able to do that very easily if you don't stay in accomodations there.   If you truly want to see all three of those things (and I definitely think you should), I think your best option is to compromise and split your time between Arenal and Manual Antonio.  At Arenal, you can go to the hotsprings, see the volcano, and relax without having to rush back to a distant AI somewhere.  Then, you can go to Manual Antonio, where you will find a vibrant, animal-filled rainforest and beautiful beach right next to one another in the national park.  The water is not Caribbean clear, but it is very nice.  It's a well developed area and you should be able to find the AIs you're looking for.  If you decide not to do an AI, you will enjoy some fresh, delicious seafood at local restaurants for pretty good prices.  In my opinion, going to those two places would give you a good luxury volcano, beach, and rainforest experience, with only one hotel change.   

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• lemmiwinks member

  

  November 2009

  Poas Volcano is close (~30 min drive) to the San Jose airport. We flew into San Jose and rented a car and drove 5-6 hours to the Pacific Coast. The drive was really fun, and it was a nice way to see the country. Our flight home was at 1PM, so we stayed at a hotel near San Jose on the last night, went to Poas Volcano in the morning, and then went to the airport. It's not a red bubbling lava volcano - it looks more like a blue-green crater lake, but it was cool and really convenient.

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• mofe

  

  November 2009

  Our first week we spent in Osa-Drake Bay Area. We stayed at Jinetes De Osa.  It included all our meals with our lodging. We were on the ocean and surrounded by the rainforest.  Corcovado National Park is pretty much the entire Osa area.  We went swimming everyday and hiked to a private beach area. Clear water and beautiful. We went horseback riding, snorkeling (others did scuba), hiked at Corcovado. I loved it there and will go back. The next week we stayed at Arenal at Montana De Fuego. We did a white water raft trip that was so much fun, hiked by the volcano, horseback riding, and went to a hotspring for free (this is the same hotspring that feeds TAbacon hotsprings).  We also went to the spa at Montana De Fuego. Again so much fun and loved it. We wanted to see a cloud forest so we went to the Los Angeles Cloud Forest and stayed at Villa Blanca (it's an hour from San Jose). We did a coffee tour, tour of the town San Ramon and a bird tour in the morning. Very tranquil and nice. I booked everything on our own. Did flights though American Airline and booked online to get specials with the hotels.  All the hotels we stayed at were great and very helpful.  We did not rent a car and I won't. The driving is different and the roads can be scary...plus they aren't direct so it takes forever.  We flew with Sansa  to Drake Bay. From San Jose we had the staff at Montana De Fuego drive us.  Much more relaxed and easier.

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• KVMW9182010 member

  

  November 2009

  Costa Rica is such an amazing place, you are limiting your vacation if you just stay in one place.  I stayed in Arenal (huge volcano), then went to Manuel Antonio and Bosque del Cabo in the Osa Penn.  I used trip advisor to plan most of the trip - very helpful

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• erickskd member

  

  November 2009

  This is so helpful!  Even before I read this I was thinking we were going to Arenal and Manual Antonio regions but everyone's opinions seals the deal

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• LesaBear member

  

  November 2009

  I haven't stayed at the resort, but I've been to that beach several times. It's a very nice beach, the only one close by with white sand. That said I don't know how much you'll be able to experience CR from that location. Arenal is a decent hike from there but a possible day trip. Rincon de la Vieja close to Liberia is a good day trip. I guess that what I’m trying to say is that I love that area and if you just want to do activities like kayak or rent quads you'll have a great time. But, if you want to see the rainforest and the volcanos you'll be up for some seriously long day trips. Also, that beach is one of the most touristy around. I'm getting married at sugar beach nearby and the beaches are almost always deserted. I know that in November they have a lot of European tourists so if that's not your thing you may want to think again.
  
  Have fun and if you have any other questions let me know. My parents have a place on playa Penca so I know a little about that area. We’re honeymooning further North at the Four Seasons and then heading to Nicaragua.

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