Hello, we have just booked our flights from uk to San Jose arriving 20th December. Everywhere looks amazing! finding it difficult to limit to a few places. So far thinking hire a car drive to Caribbean coast (Cahuita) then up to Arenal for Eco lodge etc then down to south Nicola beaches like montezuma, st Theresa. Also the north of Costa Rica looks interesting Santa Rosa national park. We like going off the beaten track but now we have toddler in tow! Looking for nice chilled beach, beach bungalow accommodation, eco lodge, rainforest. We have ruled out Tortuguero as internal flights hike the price up and ground transportation too long (though sounds great and we enjoyed similar experience in Borneo)Manuel Antonio sounds very developed / resorts etc. so think we avoid there. is it worth doing both Nicoya and Caribbean coast? Do we have time? Any suggestions for nice areas for Christmas and New Year?! Many thanks!
2 weeks is nice amount of time for both coast. But, that is also more running around. CR is very family oriented and child friendly overall, you will probably engage locals more with a child than a couple without one...that is a bonus.
Here are some things to consider-
You can get to Tortuguero via a public bus, which would be about a 5 hour journey, though its broken up-
The bus from downtown SJ goes to Cariarri via a 20 minutes stop about 1 hour from SJ in Guapiles. Its another hour from to Cariarri where you would switch buses to get to La Pavona, about 35 minutes, this where boats meets buses, there is a nice riverside cafe with everything you would need too...food/bathrooms. Then its about a 40 minute journey in the boat to Tortuguero Village...
Or, you can shuttle from SJ area hotels, direct to La Pavona, about 2 hours or so, then boat to Tortuguero.
Or, you could drive and leave car in La Pavona 2 nights, there is a huge covered car parking area that has 24/7 security. You then would drive from La Pavona>Cairairri>Guapiles>Rt 32 to Limon> then down coast to Cahuita, about 3 hours max total...there is also shuttles from Pavona to Pt Viejo.
Otherwise, you would take a boat from Tortuguero south 3 hours to Moin, then taxi hire to Cahuita, about 1 hour max..add another hour to Pt Viejo.
But car rentals that time of year are not cheap, and you don't really need one on caribe coast at all...
The caribe beaches are the some of the nicest in the country, and very swimmable overall, compared to the pacific coast, which is much rougher and better for surfing. The caribe side is very authentic and rustic and not nearly as developed as the Pacific side and Nicoya region, so there is less lodging options, but its also cheaper.
The caribe is also where you can hit many biospheres and eco systems in one direction, rainforest, rivers and parks with lots of monkeys, sloths and wildlife/birding.
That said, the Pacific side, is a lot drier than the caribe side, and actually very hot and brown/dusty roads, as rain around this area of CR from Dec to April is little if any. From Tamarindo to Papagayo and Santa Rosa is dry, hot, arid ranch country, not very tropical...all dry forest, no rainforest...mainly looks like Oklahoma in August. Santa Rosa is rather desolate and very much raw as far as bugs, winds etc.its very out of the way. Consider Tenerio or Rincon over this area...
Tamarindo is a great swimming beach, and also has nightlife/things to do, and huge array of nice lodging at all price levels, though its rather popular at Xmas, as is the entire coast, so rates are nuts and many places are already booked up...the other area offering nice swimming a more low key than Tamarindo, would be Playa Samara and Carillo area.
The Mal Pais/Montezuma area is not great for swimming, but for surfing. Its also a hard to reach place with a car, via ferry from Puntarenas to Tambor. There is no road connecting it to Samara, you need to go back up to Nicoya the town, then over to Paquera, and then down to Tambor>Cobano and MP/Monte...this area will also be very crowded and popular too. Montezuma has the best beach for smaller waves and a small town for dining/shopping, where as Mal Pais is very spread out along a 3KM road...beaches are great, but not really decent swimming...
With that said, with a little one in tow, consider lodging with a pool. Its hot, and most beaches don't have chairs/umbrellas and cabinas, or even lifeguards, besides Tamarindo and Samara.
So with all that to chew on, here is the other info-
Xmas is low key as far as the locals go. Its mainly tourist escaping the cold filling places up both parks and beaches, but New Years eve is katie bar the doors, the locals are on holiday and families, and everyone heads to the beaches, they camp everywhere, and party. Bonfires are the norm on the beach, and its pretty festive...fireworks will be blowing up all night and everywhere...Central America loves firecrackers and rockets.
You also don't really need a car at the beach, so consider taking it oneway and topping it. Tamarindo is a hub for rentals too, and so is Liberia the nearby airport...can be cheaper and no drop fee...
The best place for using a rental car is the central and NW areas, Arenal, Monteverde, Tenerio, Rincon, and south near Orosi, La Amistad/Chirppo, and Dominical to Osa/Drake Bay...
Consider putting your adventure first, and beaches last...the other issue is drive times, a small country but takes time to get about. I will list them below.
SJ to Pt Viejo 5 hours
SJ to Arenal 3 hours
SJ to Monteverde 4 hours
SJ to Quepos/Manual Antonio 4 hours
SJ to Tamarindo/Samara/Mal Pais 6 hours.
Arenal to Tamarindo 3 hours
Arenal to Samara 4 hours
Arenal to Mal Pais 5-6 hours
Arenal to Quepos/Manual Antonio 5 hours
Figure same times for shuttles too (Interbus etc).
One thing that would be nice, is the smaller towns, especially in the mountains, are pretty nice climate wise, and charming at Xmas time, the church is always the center of the town, and a park, usually well decorated for Xmas. Areas like San Ramon, Grecia, Sarchi, San Carlos will be nice stops around Xmas.
If you put adventure and National Parks 1st, and stay 2-3 nights in a few, then stop moving about and crash at a beach for a week, that would be easiest...going to both coast, will be a lot of driving, and planning, just so you know.
I have stayed in CR at Xmas a few times, the last time we rented a place on VRBO in Montezuma on the beach (see link) then drive down to Dominical a night, and then to Pavones way downing the Osa ( I surf) and rented another place above the ocean for a week on VRBO. I have also stayed in Tamarindo at Xmas, but that was 10 years ago. I was last there in 2014. Been going there since 2001..
Here is some links to help you decipher all this, and come back ask more questions when you think you are zeroing in on a plan...
http://www.anywherecostarica.com/destinations
http://www.tortuguerovillage.com
Places I have stayed you may like-
Villas del Caribe- Playa Cochles Caribe: Local family owned,(Italian) nice villas on the beach, fully stocked kitchen patio, bbq, cafe and pool, great swimming beach, rent bikes.
Punta Uva Cabinas- Punta Uva Caribe: Spanish owned, small cabinas on beach, share kitchen, old school all the way.
Alby Lodge- Playa Cahuita Caribe: German owned, great thatched roof bungalows share kitchen, next to National Park/beach and walk into town for spicy caribe food and funky reggae music.
Campo Verde- Arenal: nice local family 4 generations run it, cabins, near Hot Springs and other highlights.
Capitan Suizo- Tamarindo- Swiss Owned, great pool, cafe, end of beach away from main town.
Laguna La Cocodillo- Tamarindo: French owned, great cafe, music and plays, tucked into end of beach with best swimming...
Hotel Pacific del Brisas-Samara- German owned, great pool, cafe, on beach, walk to town.
Montezuma- This place was fun, but lots of Mozzies...US Owned.
https://www.vrbo.com/3581819ha
Get the Moon Guidebook...has everything you need...
Hey thanks so much for this, really appreciate your time to detail everything here. Can you help me understand a bit more about specifically what you mean when you say 'developed' re the Pacific side, and conversely the Caribbean side? We've been to Nicaragua, Colombia, Belize- is there anywhere there that could be comparable?
Caribe side is a more rustic and authentic if you will, maybe more like Nicaragua...
Costa Rica feels like a mini Colombia.....
Its not as touristy as Cartagena...
Pacific side has nice condos/villas and lodges, expat residences etc etc...
The Caribbean side was settled by black plantation workers and was not developed with basic infrastructure until well after the Pacific side was developed. It is now has good roads and bus routes but remains less touristed than the Pacific side with an African/Calypso flavor in food, music and general culture.
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