marvdds

We are planning a trip to Costa Rica the week of Christmas. We are starting from square one having never been there. If we are going to stay in one place and use it as a base of operation....any suggestions? Places to go? Activities to do? We are lost right now!

hsmithcr

It is really not feasible to stay in one place and see anything other than the area where you are staying. It takes time to travel around Costa Rica - about twice what you would think.

I suggest you consult a good guidebook or spend some time with Google and find some things that appeal to you. Without knowing ANYTHING about you, any recommendation I would make would just be a shot in the dark. Number of people, budget, kind of lodging you like, what kind of transportation are you thinking about, what kinds of things do you like to do, are you interested in night life... this kind of stuff. I am sure you will get the same old recommendations of Arenal and Manuel Antonio, two of the most popular destinations in Costa Rica, but there is a whole lot more to the country than that.

qwovadis

read a good guidebook like www.fodors.com

post up specifics

www.caravan.com good group tour

www.gotmyfare.com fly drive packages

usually the best budget way for newbies to experience CR

volcanogirl

If you tell us what you want to see and do, it will be easier to guide you. Do you want to go somewhere with a lot of restaurant choices or somewhere where you can see wildlife, or volcanoes, waterfalls, beach, etc.?

Arenal will give you the active volcano and a lot of adventure activities.

Tortuguero and the Osa are more isolated and have a lot of wildlife.

Monteverde has cloud forest, birding, etc.

Manuel Antonio - popular beach spot with fairly tame wildlife.

Lots of other choices too. We've been a few times and there's still plenty we haven't seen yet. Most people do an Arenal and Manuel Antonio split for their first trip.

msfranklin

There is so much in Costa Rica to see and do. I love the Pacific coast for thier beaches and small towns. I would do a couple days, 3-4 days on the coast. Then to San Jose and the surronding area a couple more days. We did a tour of the area because we only had a day and a half there. The tour did a coffee plantation, volcano Poaz and then into the rain forest. Good place to start is get Fodor's Costa Rica book. I never go on a trip with out reading through one of their travel books. Have a good trip

EstebanCRGA

O:k do you want help, here is help.

but first I need to profile you.

What kind of group are you ,what is your main interest,
how many of you are there? what are you age ranges, what is your budget?

now as a personal advice I would recommend you todrive around and see as much as you can which is not difficult if you have a guide and a driver, you can make a one week trip staying in san jose fortuna monteverde and somewhere at the beach. the driver and guide thing would be recommendable if your spanish and knowledge about the country are weak, they are not very expensive and you i can find you some nice ones
for less money than most regular shuttle services.

so what I would recommend is:
make reservations with advance(now)it gets super crowded during xmas
rent a full size 4wd. RESERVE NOW
Driver and guide might not be available later so reserve them too.
one of the normal faq's are why whould we hire guide and driver, but according to my own experience and my friends, guides and drivers get lots of diccounts in several places and companies, such as tour operators gift shops , hotels and restaurants, that is a way to keep the bussisness running for every one envolved.

they also make the way to places faster and safer as well as more convenient given the fact that they know the roads and routes better.it also helps when you get pulled over by traffic officers and or get involved in accidents, they also take great care of the vehicle while you are doing some of the normal things like beaching or touring around.

if you need help with the reservations or checking availability just let me know.

trip safe

if you need any

MarciaM

In Costa Rica they really jack up the prices during Christmas week. If there is any way you could travel at another time, you'd save a lot of money.

hsmithcr

"In Costa Rica they really jack up the prices during Christmas week."

In Costa Rica, Christmas week is considered part of "High Season" so prices in many hotels are higher as well as tours. But to say that all the prices in all of Costa Rica are "jacked up" is an exaggeration. Restaurants, taxis, shops and stores, buses don't change their prices. Some hotels have the same rate year-round. Before you go, you will be able to see the prices and decide for yourself.

Using a good guide book will be very helpful. Then you can see the things you are interested in as well as lodging and go from there. It is definitely good advice to reserve early so take a look at that guide book and get back to us for more specific recommendations.