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school me on Costa Rica...

Kyrie Eleison

By Kyrie Eleison
in Food and Travel

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captained

captained 57

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Went there last month with my wife and really enjoyed it - the food (I use salsa lizano on everything I can now), drinks, and especially the people, are great.  We stayed at the Hotel Mangroove Papagayo and really enjoyed it.  If you want to play the points game, it is a Marriott Autograph property and a steal at 35,000 points/night.  Although not an all-inclusive place, they offered all-inclusive on food/drink for $120/pp/day which made everything really easy - basically spent the middle of every day eating ceviche and drinking by the pool and looking out at the bay.

That said, we got a driver/guide and took a 6a-7p day trip to Arunal (as suggested above) and it was our favorite day.  Did the hanging bridges in the Mistico forest, which isn't overly adventurous or off-path, but we got what we wanted with the exception of a sloth sighting.  All sorts of colorful poisonous frogs, a few vipers, birds, etc.  We walked down to the La Fortuna waterfall, which was beautiful but it's a lot...a lot...of steps back up.  I'm in my late 30s, ride the bike a few mornings a week for 10+ miles, and I was gassed.  There were a ton of people down there that had me wondering how they would make it back up.  After that we went to a place called EcoTermales Hot Springs, which is only a day location (no hotel) and it was great.  I would repeat that whole day again in a heartbeat.

Considering the Papagayo/bay setup was less "beach-y" than I was expecting, and they pool was where I wanted to be, I would honestly look for a similar setup inland in, or close to, the rainforest ecosystem.  The area close to Papagayo/Liberia Airport was more dry forest.

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bobcat1995

bobcat1995 71

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We went a few years back and spent a whole week in the Arenal/La Fortuna Area.  Rented a car and drove ourselves from San Jose.  Hiked up Cerro Chato, Hanging Bridges and Zip Lining with Sky Adventures, Rappelling and waterfall jumping with a tour company called Desafio.  We also went white water rafting with the same company.  Spent a couple of afternoons at Tabacon Hot Springs.  They had a pool bar where we watched the Women's World Cup.  Visited La Fortuna Water Fall and yes its a lot of steps.  My wife and daughter also paid to volunteer at an aminal refuge called Proyecto Asis.   

Why did we spend the whole week in La Fortuna and not split time on the west coast?  We have spent many vacations on beaches in Mexico so this trip was to do things that we couldn't do at a beach.  Hope to return someday to visit Manuel Antonio.      

Stayed at an Airbnb closer to El Castillo on the backside of Arenal from La Fortuna.  The view of Arenal from our AirBnb...

IMG-2533.jpg

 

Proyecto Asis....

IMG-2867.jpg

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G650

G650 14277

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21 hours ago, Kyrie Eleison said:

looking at going there for a honeymoon, specifically the Pacific side.  pros, cons, personal experiences?

Been a regular spot for us Virginia Beach surfers for 40 years, but has sadly become very Americanized.

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Newdoc

Newdoc 3453

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https://www.billbeardcostarica.com/

Worked twice with this outfit. They can put together a complete package. They market diving but they do everything. Very responsive and hassle free. They price competitively with a DIY trip. You can rent a car but we didn’t and all transportation was on time, professional and way more relaxed than you yelling at your new bride about missing the turn on the map.

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wood

wood 11268

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On 5/28/2019 at 5:04 PM, Shaddie said:

Manuel Antonio. 

Arenal Volcano. Stay at base and do pools. Pools temp go up higher you go up. 

Do day trips from both locations. Enough to do at both locations to fill about 6 days.  

 

This. We stayed at the Tabacon Grand Spa Resort Hotel right there at the hot springs. One of the best things we've ever done abroad. The hot springs are included with the hotel, alternatively you can stay elsewhere, probably in La Fortuna, and then pay the entry fee for the springs. It was around $30 when we went, but that was 15 years ago. The springs are immaculately kept (imagine 15 natural hot tubs in the middle of stunning tropical botanical gardens) and have spas on site. Some of them have little falls coming from above that you can sit under or even in the recesses behind them. There are also other hot springs that the locals go to.

There are some big falls near La Fortuna and also awesome day trips from La Fortuna, to the Cloud Forest, Arenal, and White Water Rafting, and the Zip Line Canopy tours blow away every other zip line experience I've seen anywhere. Not even close. 

The tour operators in CR are closely regulated, unlike in some countries, so I felt pretty good hiring these guys out. Everyone was super chill & nice. You're gonna have a great time.

https://www.tabacon.com/the-thermal-experience/

volcano-hike-with-tabacon-hot-springs.jp

thermal-experience.jpg

Fuentes_termales_en_Cangrejal_de_Acosta,

tabacon-hot-spring.jpg

Edited by wood
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