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Costa Rica

mimee03mimee03 member
10 Comments Name Dropper First Anniversary
in Honeymoon Discussions
So my friend's sister who is also my hairstylist said that my fiance and I should go to Costa Rica for our honeymoon. She said it is safer than Mexico and there is more to do. Just wondering if anyone has been there. I was also unsure of whether we should stay at one place the whole time or two a couple different places. Thanks in advance!
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Re: Costa Rica

  • Hokie05Hokie05 member
    Second Anniversary 10 Comments
    How long would you be there? What time of year would you be travelling? The rainy season lasts from May-Nov. so during those months you may want to go to the drier parts of the country. It also depends on what type of activities you are interested in. Maybe Arenal area for a few nights, then the beach for a few nights might be a nice mix.
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  • mimee03mimee03 member
    10 Comments Name Dropper First Anniversary
    Hokie05 said:
    How long would you be there? What time of year would you be travelling? The rainy season lasts from May-Nov. so during those months you may want to go to the drier parts of the country. It also depends on what type of activities you are interested in. Maybe Arenal area for a few nights, then the beach for a few nights might be a nice mix.
    I would like to go for 7-10 days. We will be traveling in December because I am in school. I am interesting in almost any activity! I saw that they have hot springs, horseback riding, zip lining, fishing, hiking, I would like to do as much as we can but also have a couple days to just RELAX :). 
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  • Hokie05Hokie05 member
    Second Anniversary 10 Comments
    With 7-10 days, I would split time between a couple of places. Depending on where you decide to go, flying from one place to another may be the easiest way, but a lot of people rent a car and drive from one place to another. It really depends on where you want to go. We went to Arenal and the Osa peninsula, but our priority was to see wildlife. Sounds like maybe Arenal/Montverde would be a good place for you to start the trip, and then finish with some time at the beach..maybe Tamarindo or Manuel Antonio. I don't know much about the Caribbean side of CR so I can't give any help if you decide to go there, although others may have suggestions. There are lots of hotel options in Costa Rica to fit any budget, and the hotels can help arrange excursions.
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  • hutchslhutchsl member
    Sixth Anniversary 100 Comments 25 Love Its
    We did our HM in CR 3 years ago over Thanksgiving. We stayed at Tabacon Hot Springs resort. Great to spend some time just relaxing in the hot springs and we went there every evening. Room was nice and we had a fruit bowl in our room the day we arrived. They took it away the next day though. We did whitewater afting through Desafio tour company on Rio Toro. It was fantastic - class III and IV. Included lunch and transportation. (got a discount through Pura Vida Eh website). Did a combo tour (hanging bridges, waterfall, hike in Arenal) through Anywhere Costa Rica.  They included hot springs but we got a quote without that option since it was included with our room. We ended up doing private transportation through Anywhere CR for the day we arrived to get to Arenal and the day we departed from Montezuma (to catch the earlier ferry to make sure we got to airport in time for flight).  After Arenal we took public/shared transportation to Montezuma. We stayed in a bungalow on the beach - Ylang Ylang beach resort. Bfast and dinner is included. We upgraded one dinner to a dinner on the beach - private and very romantic. We did a HM package which basically was the price of the upgrde for dinner on the beach. It included flowers in the room each day with some special HM messages in flowers on the bed. Nice special touch. You can walk in to the town (10 min). From other I understand, many places in Manuel Antonio are not walking distance to beach. Depends on what you like. We did a horseback ride on the beach to the waterfalls - really nice. Got it through the hotel. The snorkeling tour was ok. Not great snokeling and a little crowded on the island beach they went to. We stayed 4 nights at each place.  
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  • majesty318majesty318 member
    Knottie Warrior 100 Love Its 100 Comments First Answer
    I recommend La Anita Rainforest Ranch near the Rincon de la Vieja volcano. It is a farm run by a couple, Pablo & Ana, and everyone has their own cabin. You can take excursions to many activities in the area - we did hot springs, mud baths, waterfalls, and hanging bridges. They cook your meals and the food is seriously amazing. It is so beautiful and peaceful. Although I was on a trip with friends I think it would be an awesome stop for a HM.
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  • cruffinocruffino member
    Ninth Anniversary 1000 Comments 500 Love Its First Answer
    we're going to CR for our honeymoon in february. i CANNOT wait. we're staying at the marriott in herradura. neither of us has been before, but everyone says its fantastic. 
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  • alithebridealithebride member
    Ninth Anniversary 2500 Comments 25 Love Its Name Dropper

    dh and i went a few years ago for my birthday for a week. for me with only a week, i'm not fond of packing and unpacking more than once.

    but i have to say also=that i've been to mexico every year for the last 11 years. the generalization of 'cr is safer than mexico' is kind of insultin gto mexico. it's a HUGE country compared to a very small one which, by the way, does have it's own drug and human trafficking issues.  the area of mexico that has troubles with drug people are far from the eastern resort areas-it's like new york and LA.

    please do your research instead of listening to people who make statements like that. she is also mistaken about 'more to do'. they both have tons and tons and tons. and the same things that oyu meantion-zipline, fishing, etc..

     

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  • bananasplit472001bananasplit472001 member
    Sixth Anniversary 100 Comments 25 Love Its First Answer
    I just went to Costa Rica this past April.  It is amazing and it is relatively safe as long as you stay out of the big cities at night.  Your best bet is to stay in one of the many resorts in the rain forest such as those surrounding Arenal or somewhere on the Caribbean side.  This way you won't be in the very touristy areas and you can experience nature at it's finest.  We stayed in the Guanacaste area durring the end of the dry season and it was definitely not as lush and tropical as the Caribbean side but it was wonderful to see.  We made day trips to the Arenal rainforest and volcano and would have loved to stay there are will on a return visit.  We chose to stay at an all inclusive because we were unsure what to expect (Westin Playa Conchal), but I would recommend you to stay at a non-all inclusive because you will want to be exploring the wild-life and the towns and sample the local cuisine.    
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  • mimee03mimee03 member
    10 Comments Name Dropper First Anniversary
    alithebride said:

    dh and i went a few years ago for my birthday for a week. for me with only a week, i'm not fond of packing and unpacking more than once.

    but i have to say also=that i've been to mexico every year for the last 11 years. the generalization of 'cr is safer than mexico' is kind of insultin gto mexico. it's a HUGE country compared to a very small one which, by the way, does have it's own drug and human trafficking issues.  the area of mexico that has troubles with drug people are far from the eastern resort areas-it's like new york and LA.

    please do your research instead of listening to people who make statements like that. she is also mistaken about 'more to do'. they both have tons and tons and tons. and the same things that oyu meantion-zipline, fishing, etc..

    I was just telling you all what she said to me. I did not state that she was correct or that it was my opinion. I am unsure of why you were so offended by this but I am sorry for that. The whole point of my post was to see what other people thought so I was not making any assumptions. Thank you for your opinion and I appreciate you bringing these thoughts to light. 
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  • alithebridealithebride member
    Ninth Anniversary 2500 Comments 25 Love Its Name Dropper
    mimee03 said:
    alithebride said:

    dh and i went a few years ago for my birthday for a week. for me with only a week, i'm not fond of packing and unpacking more than once.

    but i have to say also=that i've been to mexico every year for the last 11 years. the generalization of 'cr is safer than mexico' is kind of insultin gto mexico. it's a HUGE country compared to a very small one which, by the way, does have it's own drug and human trafficking issues.  the area of mexico that has troubles with drug people are far from the eastern resort areas-it's like new york and LA.

    please do your research instead of listening to people who make statements like that. she is also mistaken about 'more to do'. they both have tons and tons and tons. and the same things that oyu meantion-zipline, fishing, etc..

    I was just telling you all what she said to me. I did not state that she was correct or that it was my opinion. I am unsure of why you were so offended by this but I am sorry for that. The whole point of my post was to see what other people thought so I was not making any assumptions. Thank you for your opinion and I appreciate you bringing these thoughts to light. 
    i know you didn't say that you belived her but you didn't say otherwise either. i can't tell you how many times i've heard people believe blanket statements like that. i'm not offended-i'm tired of people saying asinine things that's all :)

     

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  • brittleigh13brittleigh13 member
    10 Comments 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    We did 9 days in Costa Rica and absolutely loved it.  We stayed in Manuel Antonio and rented a house which was perfect but we also visited the resort Si Como No for a dinner and I highly recommend it. 
    Manuel Antonio National Park is amazing.  The beach is awesome and they have fun vendors to go through right down the road from the beach.  Get in touch with someone to book excursions-- its been so long I can't remember who we used.  We went horseback riding on the beach which we highly recommend (but not if you don't ride, they are not real helpful, we actually were sent out on our own and the horses were not the best behaved but we ride all the time).  We did a private ATV tour through the jungle and waterfalls which was definitely the highlight of the trip.  They have a drink at all the restaurants in Manual Antonio called Monkey Business-- if you like Bailey and Bananas, it's to die for.  Manual Antonio is the monkey capital of world so you see them everywhere and some are rather friendly.  We also saw a ton of iguanas and even had a sloth in our backyard. 
    One of our best trips for adventure!
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  • hoffsehoffse member
    Fifth Anniversary 1000 Comments 100 Love Its First Answer
    edited December 2013
    PP is right about the safety in Mexico.  I live in Alabama, and I'm about 8 hours closer by car to the recent problems in Mexico than the Cancun area is.  I know you said you didn't agree with your friend, but I'm pointing this out so that you don't end up ruling out Mexico because of people who don't understand geography.  Like PP said, it's ignorant and infuriating when people claim that the Mexican honeymoon destinations are unsafe because of drugs and trafficking.

    That said, CR looks amazing.  H and I have not been there yet, but it is pretty high on our list.  If/when we go we will split between the Arenal area for the volcano and hot springs and the Manuel Antonio area for the wildlife and beach.  Manuel Antonio actually has an entirely unique ecosystem because of their mangrove estuaries that dump right into the ocean.  They actually think there is literally no other place like it in the world, so you get a completely unique mix of nature of wildlife.   H and I are really intrigued by seeing something like that.

    The biggest issue with the Arenal/Manuel Antonio pairing is they aren't super close to one another.  If H and I ever go we will probably fly in between the two areas.  Check out Nature Air and Sansa airlines for cheap flights that are specifically for the interior of Costa Rica. 

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