Any suggestions for Costa Rica travels?

B

Blue Rose

New member
Enough winter for us so we are flying to Costa Rica on Feb 6th and staying for a month. The plan is to fly into Liberia airport, rent a 4x4 vehicle and stay in AirBnB's as we explore the country. Our route and timing is flexible at this time except we need to be back in Liberia by March 6th. Any suggestions for "must do's" and "don't do's" would be appreciated.
thanks
 
I spent a week in Samara a few years ago. Beautiful beach and a reef offshore kills most of the surf, so it's good for swimming. Not so good for surfing.

Samara is off the main tourist track. No big hotels, no resorts. There are several restaurants and bars to hang out at, a grocery store, and a quite a few vacation rentals. I think I found the house we stayed at on VRBO. The town is very walkable and it felt 100% safe, except for the monkeys which would steal food at any opportunity.

Went to Arenal for a couple days after Samara and it was packed with tourists, tour busses, etc. I'm glad I saw it but wouldn't go back...
 
Hi
My personal favorite is Cahuita on the Caribe side. Reefs to fish and snorkel. Long miles of beaches and a Natl Park. Not as developed and Less tourista and very laid back. Hotter though than the west side or the highlands. Favorite hotel is the Hotel Playa Negra- http://www.playanegra.cr/
Marlin and sail fishing out of Manuel Antonio is good on the Pacific side.
Get the GPS with your car, its very much worth the extra cost.
Its all good though.
Rob
 
Thanks for the information. We'll put those places on the list. So far, the car rental has been the biggest planning issue. Insurance is very expensive and there are lots of horror stories about bogus charges etc.
Jim
 
Hot on the Pac Coast this time of year. We spent two weeks in a nice villa/hotel on the Caribbean side a couple of years ago and gave up on the heat! Lots of day trips but didn't rent a car, just went with tour drivers and a private car, very nice.

Charlie
 
We've been to Costa Rica a few times. Its an absolutely beautiful place.

Do's : I recommend Manuel Antonio National Park. I avoided it my first 2 trips, because its "too touristy"... but it truly was memorable and worth it. If you want to go on a zip line tour, many operators have world class options there. Eat at Pablo Picasso's in Playa Negra. You'll see signs all around the area advertising burgers as big as your head. They're good, and not lying! I recommend the fish tacos though. Playa Avellanas is a nice beach with some places to stay. Further south on the Nicoya Penninsula is Nosara, and Sumara... they're funky spots with lots of yoga studios and hippy gringos. Mal Pais is at the furthest point south on the peninsula, I recommend it!

If you want to go surfing, Pavones on the Panama border can't be missed. Its raw an undeveloped, with sloths and monkeys in the trees, and herds of wild horses running on the beach. Its fabulous! Its also a hell of a long ways away from Liberia, so keep that in mind!

As mentioned above, Volcan Arenal is really touristy. It makes for a really interesting day trip, as the vegetation and weather change as you climb in elevation. I liked it, but as soon as I saw it and experienced it, I was ready to go!

Don'ts: Avoid Tamarindo if possible. It's seedy, and lots of drugs and prostitution. We had fun there as 20 year olds! I wouldn't go there now.

Avoid San Jose. It's like any big city in a developing country. Lots of traffic and diesel exhaust. Lots of folks struggling to make a living.
 
I forgot to mention on the rental car insurance.... These rental agencies have a scam going. You'll book a reservation online, and when you get to the rental car kiosk, they tack on their insurance. Usually its more expensive per day then the car rental is.

Check with your credit card company. For us, our card insured the car rental and we were able to save more than half the cost.
 
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