karinkz

Only one more week to go before our family of 5 leaves for Costa Rica! We will be staying in the Arenal & MA areas--and don't plan to visit San Jose. One question I have is whether we should bring our own beach towels, buy them there, or count on the hotel to supply them for the beach, waterfall hikes, etc. Any other tips would be appreciated.

cmerrell

Hi karinkz,

It's probably going to depend on which hotels you stay at.

In MA, there are lots of beach towels for sale just outside the National Park entrance (where all the beach vendors hang out). My brother ended up buying one. I can't remember how much they cost, but I think they were pretty reasonable.

How exciting to be one week out from your trip! Have a wonderful time!

kencolian

I would bring a least a couple of very thin (so they will dry)beach towels with you. The women in your group may wish to buy sarongs, which work well as beach towels and make beautiful souveniers. Also be sure to bring some string and clothespins to hang things to dry.

suze

I tuck a couple molded plastic hangers into the bottom of my suitcase, which are great for drying bathing suits. I would pack one each person very old very thin bathtowels just in case (5 regular beach towels would need an entire extra suitcase!). A few sarongs as mentioned above are a great idea to pick up once you arrive, they come in handy for all kinds of things (window coverings, table clothes, beach towels, skirts, besides using as a beach coverup).

fuzzbo

I did a search on this very topic right before we left for CR! I decided to go with the suggestion to buy beach towels when we got there. The ones from home were big and bulky so I was happy to save the space. They were only about $3 and we were able to bring it home with us (and they dried out each night - ready for use the next day.)

Something else I found useful - I bought some of those plastic packing bags that you roll the air out of - that enabled three of us to only bring one bag to CR! I found them in the travel section at Target.

Have a great time!!

volcanogirl

I would call or e-mail the hotel where you're staying and ask them. Definitely bring sunscreen, bug repellent, and binoculars. Good shoes for the beach like Keen's are a good idea too.

hipvirgochick

I don't take towels, but one of those thin picnic things from Target that is good for a couple of people to lay on. It's lightweight and dries fast.

We also take a couple of small blow up floaties with the hole in the middle to play in the ocean with. They're thin and don't take up much room when not inflated.

karinkz

Thanks everyone. It sounds like purchases of towels or sarongs in CR is a good idea. I was worried about the space that our beach towels would take. Maybe we'll just take a couple thin ones--just in case. What are those things from Target that you mentioned, Hipvirgogirl? Blankets, tableclothes? The floaties and the plastic bags for packing are good ideas too. I have been using 2 1/2 gallon Hefty bags for that purpose for several years now. This time, I bought a couple of the "real" roll-up bags to try.

hipvirgochick

karin -- I can't remember if it was in camping, or which area of Target, but it's sort of a paperish feeling material. A water repellant tablecloth/picnic sheet.

teachergirl

I'm not sure if this is the same thing you're talking about, but I bought something similar at Walmart called a Neet Sheet that I use at the beach. It's a thin blue thing that kind of repels the water. The sand shakes off it nicely, too.

cgenster

Hi teachergirl,

What dept did you find the Neet Sheet in?

teachergirl

I don't actually remember - it was several years ago.
But you can read about it at www.theneatsheet.com
and there's a place on the site you can put your zip code in and it'll tell you what stores in your area carry it.

This thread was a good reminder for me to bring it along when I go to CR in June - July for language school. One of my three weeks is at Playa Flamingo, so I'm looking forward to some beach time.

Enjoy your trip!

cgenster

Thank you. I used the store locator and it seems the Babies R Us store carries them.

I go in less than three weeks. I can hardly wait. I will be sure to give you a report on CPI when I get back.

hipvirgochick

teachergirl -- Wow! That's it! I went to see if it had a label and indeed it's a NeatSheet! Very handy. ')

TrvlMaven

cgenster--are you getting excited about CR? (we're in CPI together?)--DH and I have travel towels from National Geographic (got them on the promo) that's are the size of a small ziploc bag. We've traveled with them several times--they aren't the most absorbant for "toweling" but they are great for laying on the beach. I always pack a sarong in my carry on (Cost Plus) and use it as a blanket on the place and for all the other things mentioned in previous posts. Hasta Playa Flamingo!

hopefulist

My CA packing list is #15 here:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntre...2&tstart=0

if you're interested. Since I posted that I've added a SD card reader to the list and subbed a UV water purifier for the pump (which you wouldn't need). Happy trails!

kencolian

I'm not sure how old your kids are, but one of the best things I brought was a blow up ball. I brought 2, one medium and one small, used them both often. Also I found an UNO game made to be used near water that we played alot. (I think it was UNO splash)

cgenster

TrvlMaven,

Yes, I am getting so excited and I am trying to make as much room in my suitcase as possible for some of the school supplies that we have collected. So all these packing hints are coming in handy.

You are leaving even quicker than we are if I remember correctly. We will arrive in Liberia 4/5 and then we are leaving that Thursday afternoon after class and going to Rincon de le Veija. Maybe go to Liberia on Friday for the parades like Shillmac mentioned.

We count down the days every morning.

TrvlMaven

cgenster,
Yes, we leave in less than two weeks! Do you have reservations for the weekend of the 10th? I'm nervous about waiting to let CPI book a tour given it's a holiday weekend. See you soon!

cgenster

TrvlMaven,

Yes we are staying at Buena Vista Lodge, I chose to stay there because that is where we will be staying part of the time when I come back in June with the 8th graders.

I have a room booked for us on Thurday and Friday night, and we are leaving to come back home on the 12th.