Planning a week's vacation to Costa Rica - any advice?

[radhak]

Anybody been to Costa Rica, or know about it? Any personal inputs, recommendations, etc?

If possible, want to go there middle of March. If not, might make plans for later.

[cabinetman]

My first suggestion is to learn Spanish. I have an Army buddy that's been there many times. I'll get some info from him and post it for you.

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[dbhost]

One of my nieces lived there for a few years, I'll ask her for pointers...

[Cubsfan]

Are you looking to go to the rain forest or the beach? Both are very cool. I spent some time around the Arenal Volcano and there are lots and lots of cool things to do around there. Hikes, waterfalls, hot springs, zip lines, etc... If you're headed up that way I can look up the places I stayed.

I also spent a week at Montezuma. It's a great little beach town, but what I really liked about it was that it wasn't over-touristy. I mean, the place is somewhat built around tourism, but I didn't see any large resorts or anything like that. All small hotels in the rain forest. Also a very cool place.

Oh, and if you're renting a car, I recommend a 4 wheel drive. You can get around fine in a car, but the roads aren't exactly great, so you have to be a whole lot more careful in a car

[frumper64]

Had a friend go there on vacation about 10 years ago. He absolutely fell in love with it and is still there with no plans of ever coming back.

[Gershwin]

My parents went there years ago and they loved it. I remember my mom talking about going on a guided hike in the jungle and the heat and dampness being almost unbearable for her. Other than that, they mentioned that it was modern, clean and quite beautiful. They also said that nearly everyone spoke English; perhaps that has something to do with where they stayed.

On a side note, a coworker just got back from Puerto Rico a few weeks ago. When he was there, he was bit by a mosquito. A couple of days later, he was diagnosed with Dengue fever. He's back and is fine now, but it knocked him on his ass for a few days. I mention that because it may be worthwhile to take a few minutes to figure out the details of how you should seek and/or pay for medical treatment should something happen.

[radhak]

Thanks gentlemen - looking forward to whatever pointers you can collect from your circle(s).

Yes, I was hoping to be in the vicinity of Arenal, in Monteverde. Unfortunately one of the more popular lodges (Arco Iris) has reported that they are full; now I need to find some other. I wish I had the money to take up one of those all-included tours, but they cost around $1000 per person for a week's trip, not including air-fare. Way out there for me.

We will be there 7 days, and I am told that might not be enough to do everything; in that case, I'll jettison the beach first, and opt for the forest. My main purpose of the visit is some good strenuous treks, maybe zip-lining, and of course, photography of wildlife.

My spanish is pitiful. I am seriously brushing up my past lessons on a daily basis, and am hopeful I'll have some basic stuff ready by the time I'm there, but not sure how that'd go ! I need somebody to practice with on a daily basis, but my neighbor laughs at my efforts, while my gardener only shows up once a month !

I have been warned about the bugs, insects etc there, and was hoping a large batch of deet spray should do, but that dengue fever possibility never crossed my mind. Now I need to find out if there's any way to avoid the more serious repurcussions of bug bites.

[BeauxTi]

Be flexible - have some cold ones and relax!! Best advice for any vacation

[Gershwin]

The State Department has some interesting info...

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2019.htm

[tommyt654]

Take an iPod with you and download the translation app available and you should be good to go as far as any language difficultys, plenty of bug spray while there and check in with the consulate to see if you can find a reputable guide thru them and of course take plenty of pics, otherwise it didn't happen

[Cubsfan]

As far as language, I didn't find there was much to worry about. I don't speak any Spanish, and my girlfriend at the time spoke very little. Really, many people speak English. The ones that don't were very honest and helpful.

So, a few ideas for you:

I stayed here:
http://www.butterfly-bungalows.com/B...s/Welcome.html

Very nice place. Owned by a guy from Austin who knows the locals really well. It is in El Castillo, which is about 1/2 hour drive from Fortuna. A bit of a drive, but, at least for us, it was worth it to be in a place that was much more "real". Fortuna is cool, but very touristy.

Some things to see:
SkyTrek The first zip line is insane. Something like 600' in the air. This is toward El Castillo (I think it's like $55)

Fortuna WaterFall, I think $10 to get in. Lots of places sell horseback rides to this. I wouldn't recommend it. It would basically be a horseback ride down a street. Take your swimsuit if you want to swim by the waterfall

Arenal National Park

Hot Springs (very cool since they don't smell like hot springs here). I think Baldi and Paraiso are the big ones

Those are just some of the things I can remember there. There's tons of other awesome things that I didn't get a chance to see.

[radhak]

Thanks Cubsfan, that is very helpful. I'll reach out to the butterfly. And looks like the best I can do is make a good list of things-to-do. Don't want to miss the hot springs!

Tommy, the iPad is a great idea, thanks. For me, the whole purpose of this trip is photography; hopefully my family does not come in my way !

[d_meister]

I'm a yacht captain and have been to Costa Rica many times. It's a beautiful country and the people are indeed very open and friendly towards travelers. The most important advice I can give you is to be VERY careful with your belongings. You're in very little personal danger, but your stuff will get legs in the blink of an eye.
Just Google "Theft Costa Rica".
Among the hits is one from the State Department, that includes this:
"Travelers renting vehicles should purchase an adequate level of locally valid theft insurance, park in secure lots whenever possible, and never leave valuables in their vehicles. The U.S. Embassy receives several reports daily of valuables, identity documents, and other items stolen from locked vehicles, primarily rental cars. Thefts from parked cars occur in cities, at beaches, at the airport, in front of restaurants and hotels, and at national parks and other tourist attractions."
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p.../cis_1093.html
There's a lot of information there that can help you avoid a bad experience.
Be sure and read it, especially the bit about being certain that the taxis have inner door handles

[radhak]

thanks d_meister, that is good to know. I am hoping to avoid renting any vehicle, but shall now be circumspect with what taxis we take too.

[Cubsfan]

Oh, and I'd recommend against taking the public bus unless you're really on a budget. It's not all that comfortable