Has anyone been to Costa Rica?

[mullarks]

I am starting to plan out my next vacation and I was thinking about Costa Rica with my girlfriend and a few of our friends. I am looking to spend about a week there in July/August/September. Has anyone been there? Where to stay? Any insights on what to do? (zip lines, good hikes, possible a DH day for me =), good beaches) We probably want to only send a day or two in San Jose, but beyond that I don't really know.

[MuddyEdgar]

Costa Rica is the bomb..... I went to the hot springs, El Volcan Arenal, lots of tours river rafting, canopy etc......We stayed at the Barcelo Hotel in Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

Costa Rica is better than Hawaii, Australia, Mexico, Jamaica...........

"PURA VIDA"

[KeepsWhatHappens]

Buy this Rum at the duty free shop in San Jose airport. You'll thank me later.

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On a family cruise in 11/07 we hired a private tour guide from this Greenway Nature Tours in Limon. They were awesome! They arranged tours based on what we wanted to do and handled all the details. It's a little pricier but you get personalized service and you get to do what YOU want to do on YOUR schedule not someone else's.

They are out of San Jose.

They took us on a private river cruise
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where we saw sloths, iguanas, birds and other critters.
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Then they took us to a animal santuary where we got to play with the animals.
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Megan even got to feed the monkey Coca-cola like a baby.
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We also did cave tubing in Belize which was incredible. If they do that in Cosata Rica I highly recommend it.
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KeepsWhatHappens

[tkedeuce231]

i was in costa rica last summer and I am returning this summer for a couple of months bc I loved it so much. I would recommend going in august bc it is not as rainy as the other months. I stayed in central costa rica in a little beach town called playa hermosa, which is a well known surf spot(not swimmer friendly). I also have the contact information of the tour guide my gf and i used. His name is alex and speaks decent english and is super chill. I would highly recommend using him to plan your trip bc he will take the guess work out of your vacation. PM me if you would like more info. Just make sure you go to CR.

[rmb socal]

So jealous! Your going to love it. I've been there 3 times including a 2 week trip for my honeymoon. I've mostly been to the beaches as its almost always been a surf trip I'm on, but we've done some time in the mountain also.

Basically yo have to choose (remember this is all my opinion) if your going to go to the North, or the South from San Jose if your doing a week trip. The North is the better choice I think. If you want to do the mountains go to Arenal, alot of ziplines, hikes, hot springs, etc. You will not be bored. Monteverde has the best canapy tours/ziplines. One of the ziplines we did your close to 700 ft off the jungle. If your doing beaches I can recommend Playa Grande (thou its a long drive from San Jose) Montezuma, Domincial, and Drakes Bay.

If you choose to go South, and stay along the coast please go to Manuel Antonio State park, that place is amazing. Monkeys, snakes, sloths, etc, you will see it all as long as its not raining.

Places to avoid (imo) Jaco, Tamarindo, San Jose (fly in there, but then get out as fast as possible) and Puntarenas all of these places are way too touristy and there are alot of car break-ins etc.

If you need anything else, feel free to PM me. I could talk about CR forever.

[kanga]

I've been going there for 14 years, and have many friends (mountain bikers and surfers) and I've ridden and raced there, and worked for a mountain bike and rafting tour company down there.... PM me!

[Singletrack Angel]

Originally Posted by KeepsWhatHappens

Megan even got to feed the monkey Coca-cola like a baby.
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You don't get to feed monkeys Coca-Cola in the U.S. zoos!

They went insane for the stuff...

[Pain Freak]

I went there over 30 years ago and we ended up staying for 6 weeks, mostly because our money didn't run out. We surfed every single day, sometimes all day long. The surf was incredible. We did make it to a few of the smaller towns and I fell in love with the place, but sadly have never been back. I will be going back soon though, sounds like a lot has changed. I also have a mountain biking friend who does guided tours down there now.

[northshore]

Originally Posted by mullarks

I am starting to plan out my next vacation and I was thinking about Costa Rica with my girlfriend and a few of our friends. I am looking to spend about a week there in July/August/September. Has anyone been there? Where to stay? Any insights on what to do? (zip lines, good hikes, possible a DH day for me =), good beaches) We probably want to only send a day or two in San Jose, but beyond that I don't really know.

Amusing cause my GF and I are thinking about the same destination! Highly sporting packages are available. MTB, surfing, kayaking, and hiking can be had. I'm steering my destination this way because Europe is so expensive during the summer months.

[TahoeDays]

Thanks for posting this. My wife and I were planning to go this summer in August. However, we've read that this is the "rainly" season. Anyone else ever been to CR in the July or August? What's the weather like and does it slow you down?

[MuddyEdgar]

Originally Posted by TahoeDays

Thanks for posting this. My wife and I were planning to go this summer in August. However, we've read that this is the "rainly" season. Anyone else ever been to CR in the July or Augest? What's the weather like and does it slow you down?

I've been in August. August is a good time to go....it's a bit like Miami...it's sunny but then it starts raining...... it's all good.

[rmb socal]

Nope the rain will not slow you down, we've always gone August-Oct. The rain usually comes in the night or afternoon and you can usually set your clock by it, unless there is a big storm. And its cooler, you can go on longer hikes etc. And everything is cheaper! You don't really have to make reservations and you can go from town to town and pick your favorite hotels and usually negiotate a good price because its usually slower that time of year for them.

[mullarks]

Sweet!!! Thanks for all the responses. Sounds like August is a great time to go, I was a little concerned about it being the rainy season, but it sounds like its no big deal. I am thinking maybe 3 days in the mountains and 3 at the beach and 1 day for San Jose. Thanks again for all the feedback.

[sdyeti]

Hmmm...we are thinking of taking a 'big trip' next year...could this be it??

Anyone know what the progress is on Marla Streb's bike park down there??

[Reedster]

My wife and I went for 3 weeks last June and July for our Honeymoon. We had a blast and loved it. It rained pretty much every day, but wasn't too bad. We also had sun every day and we both thought that the weather was great, considering that it was supposed to be the rainy season.

We had a guide book and would reserve a place when we were switching locations, but the rest of the time we just winged it and never had a problem. The people are great, but we felt that we met more Californians than Costa Ricans. It also wasn't as cheap as we expected. I'm sure it gets more touristy and more expensive every year, and we are definitely a part of that equation.

We got tour guides in the National Parks and highly recommend them. We saw so much more with the guides than we would have on our own. We did a couple organized tours and thought that they weren't as good as going on your own and then hiring a guide when you got to the park.

You will have a blast.

~Reed

[Stray_Bullit]

My buddy went there and they put this stuff Lizano on everything. It's on the table in every restuarant instead of ketchup. He brought back some and got me addicted to it! I finally found it in some tiny market in the ghetto. Great stuff, Lizano!

[Endo Verendo]

Great thread. I'm thinking of going down there for spanish immersion classes. Anyone ever do that? I figured if I'm going to be stuck somewhere for a while, that a beach, ziplines and hotsprings would be good.