dogdaze4

We are arriving from BdC via Nature Air at noon 4/21 ( we will be at Nature Air terminal)

What is the best (and cheapest!) way to get to Lost Iguana from there?
How long does it take to get there?

So far we are looking at renting a car with GPS is this a good idea?

We plan on doing Sky trek and Eco termales, maybe drive around and check out La Fortuna.

On 4/24 our plane leaves SJO for the states at 14:00 and we are worried about getting there on time if we rely on other modes of transportation.
Thanks for answering my jillion questions!

volcanogirl

We always hire a private driver, so I can't give you directions. The Lost Iguana used to have great directions on their website, but they've recently redone it, so not sure if the info. is still there. Late at night it's taken us 2.5 hours and in rush hour 3.5. I'd say about 3 hours. The roads are in good shape in that area, and lots of people drive it. If you have time, our favorite things is the Cano Negro tour to see wildlife. We use Sunset Tours; you would get back early enough to have dinner at Eco Termales. For me La Fortuna the city is mostly just tourist shops. LI is set outside town a little bit on beautiful grounds.

dogdaze4

Thanks VG
I couldn't find any directions on the site.

If I may ask, how much was your driver?

Is Cano Negro still a good bet during dry season? I am worried it will be a letdown after BdC.

Andrea_loves_travel

Make sure you book Eco Termales ahead of time, (2-3 weeks ahead) the evening time slot sells out.

We took interbus between Arenal and SJ international airport($38 each) - it's probably not the cheapest way but definitely easy. It is scheduled to arrive at 12 noon but arrived at 11am (light traffic?) so even if it arrived at noon that should be enough time for your 2pm flight. It picked us up in Arenal at 7:50am (it depends on your hotel). We booked it through http://www.arenal.net/ .. actually we booked ecotermales on there too.

While you're staying near Arenal/La Fortuna I would recommend going to the Hanging Bridges too, especially if you have a rental car (the biggest cost for us was the ride there since it's a bit out of town, close to the Lake Arenal dam), we actually signed up with Jacomar tours. Also check out the La Fortuna Waterfall.

volcanogirl

dd, we paid $120 the two times we've done it. The Lost Iguana will book a driver for you if you call them. If you decide to do the Hanging Bridges hike, the LI sells discounted tickets at their front desk. The Hanging Bridges is right next door.

qwovadis

Usually rent an econo car www.carrentals.com

for freedom and flexibility best

if you do not want to drive a nice driver like Luis

www.tripadvisor.com/members/roadadvisor

or www.interbusonline.com cheap shuttle...

lostiguana

Hi DG, I'm the owner of the Lost Iguana and want to suggest using a private driver since they will pick you up at the airport and you can avoid the long time picking up a rental car. You can always rent a car in La Fortuna when you are there and they will bring a car directly to the hotel and it only takes 5 minutes to fill out the form. We do suggest Carlos Bogarin as a driver because the guests have loved him and he is extremely reliable. Normal charge for his van is $140, but I think he will go for $120 if you ask. He speaks great English and very informative about CR. Carlos helped me find and purchase the hotel's 120 acres 15 years ago. Email address [email protected] Interbus is cheaper, but takes a lot longer because they stop at all the hotels.
We also bus guests into town when we shuttle the workers at no charge.
I did not realize our directions didn't make it to the new site! I'll get that added ASAP
Thanks for choosing Lost Iguana.

volcanogirl

Yes, we've used Carlos before, and he was very nice. We got in late at night, and he even provided clean pillows and blankets for us, so we could rest.

LI, I'm so glad you posted here. I think I'm your hotel's biggest fan.