Hello,
I'm travelling with my family (2 adults and 3 children, 12-10-7 years) in Costa Rica from Jul 16 - Aug 6. We are planning:
San José 2 nights (booked hotel)
Tortuguero (booked 3 day tour)
Puerto Viejo de Sarapique 1 night (open for suggestions)
Arenal 2 nights (open for suggestions)
Vulcan Tenorio area 2 nights (booked)
Samara, 4 nights (booked)
Monteverde 2 nights (open for suggestions)
Manuel Antonio 4 nights (booked hotel)
Alajuela 2 nights (open for suggestions)
After our tour to Torguero we have a 4 x 4 car to travel.
Any suggestions are welcome!
Ronald
rhbhlis
1
costaricablog
In La Fortuna/ Arenal Hotel Linda Vista del Norte HAS THE BEST 'LAVA' VIEWS AT THE MOMENT!
Tabacon is overpriced.
Cano Negro is best 'wildlife' tour.
2
ticotim
adust
1 night in San Jose....no need to be in Capitol, its congested and polluted and no fun in the heat.
2 nights in Tortuguero
Skip Monteverde maybe, and insert Rincon and the Rio Negra north of Arenal.
Why Manual Antonio and Samara? Forget Samara, and MA is a 1/2 day hike max for the entire park, closed Mondays-
1 night Alajuela
3
col2
Ronald what a wonderful trip!
I do not know your budget or your desires but 2 places I considered in Sarapique are Rancho Leona and Selva Verde. (We are also traveling to CR this summer, I have not stayed in either)
On our last trip we stayed at Los Lagos in Arenal ,which my then 10 yr old loved. He really liked the pools and waterslides. It is resorty and has gotten expensive.
Where are you staying in Samara?
4
spin
A good place in Alajuela for a family of five would be the Hotel Pura Vida. I'd choose the Katydid Casita, and make reservations for dinner there at least one night. The Restaurante El Mirador (the night views are awesome) up the road is another good eating choice, plus the Italian restaurant behind the Hotel Buena Vista.
I think that you have too many locations in your itinerary, and way too many hours on the road. Remember, you are going to be here during the rainy season, which means nice mornings and wet afternoons and maybe evenings. DON'T DRIVE AT NIGHT! You'll be on the road the Best Part of the Day. I'd pass on PV-S (after staying in Tortuguero) and maybe Monteverde (after Arenal and Tenorio).
Consider some half-day tours from your Alajuela location that will appeal to the kids. I'm not sure if Parque de Diversiones in Pavas will be open while your family is visiting, but if it is then definately treat the kids and go. It is an amusement park with an Old Town Village. The restaurant in Old Town is very good with tipico tico foods.
This reminds me of our family trip from Minneapolis to Atlantic City through Niagra Falls when I was 12 and my sisters were 11 and 8. I wanted to push Dad off the boardwalk, but he never got near the edge. Enjoy
5
genofromcolorado
I'll second the suggestion for the Mirador del Valle restaurant if you overnight in Alajuela. We were there a few days ago, great views. The peppercorn sauce steak was really good. Villas Pacande hotel, just down the hill from there is a fine place to stay, not fancy but totally clean and private.
6
harmoniaproject
You could try Arenal Lodge there prices are pretty reasonable...
You can also look at staying outside of Alajuela for those 2 nights. Alajuela is the second largest city in Costa Rica...the towns in the central valley can be very peaceful and off the tourist trail..you could try Grecia...it is on the way to Volcan Poas, La Paz Waterfall Gardens, coffee tours, canopy, all kinds of things. you can check out www.bandbgrecia.com for more info...their prices include a complete breakfast!!
Pura Vida!
Pro tip
Lonely Planet
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