Travel Answers

My fiance and I are considering coming to Guanacaste for our honeymoon in early September (probably Sept. 2 - 11). However, we are nervous after hearing it will be the peak of the rainy season! Can anyone describe what the weather is really like there in September? Does it rain every day? Does it rain at the same time every day? Does it rain all day long, or just for a few hours? Obviously, we don't want it to be overcast and gloomy all day long on our honeymoon. We appreciate any detail that can be provided!

He there, can anyone tell me if there is a decent place to party in Brasilito or is it necessary to drive to Tamarindo to dance a little?

Kind greetings, G:

My wife and I will be traveling throughout Costa Rica. We arrive in San José and from there go to Arenal. From there we go to Guanacaste, and then return to San José. We have the option to rent a car or to take shuttles from each place. We were wondering how good the road system is in Costa Rica. Would it be worth it to rent a car, or would it be safer to go with a shuttle service? Also, does anyone know how long it takes to travel from each San José to Arenal, Arenal to Guanacaste, and Guanacaste to San José? Lots of questions I know, if anyone could help that'd be great. Thanks!

We're planning to visit Costa Rica with our daughter who uses a wheelchair to get around. I'm wondering if there is a good transportation company with wheelchair access also any suggestions on accommodation, there will be 5 of us. I'm also wanting to know if using a power wheelchair would be possible or would she have to use her manual one. One more thing :-), is there one area over another that would best accommodate someone in a wheelchair. Thank you

Is it advisable to drive ( or take a shuttle ) from Punta Islita to the Tamarindo area, using highway 21 ? Or should we fly ? Is the drive safe ? Things to see ?

How serious is this news? Should I cancel my trip on Nov14-21? "November 3, 2012 – COSTA RICA - Costa Ricans are on alert, which was declared by the National Committee of Emergency due to the seismic activity in the central region. The western province of Guanacaste and the Great Metropolitan Area are the most active regions and authorities are asking residents a continued vigilance. Although other movements must occur to catalog the situation, it is peculiar the succession of recent tremors in very short periods of time, said seismological network specialist of the University of Costa Rica, Lepold Linkimer." (news.co.cr/costa-rica-on-ale...

My fiance and I will b going to Guanacaste (Riu Palace) in late january for 8 days. I have been doing a lot of research on the Canopy tours(zip line) and hot spring tours. i was wondering if anyone has been to any of these tours in the area of the RIU. some of the places i wanted to go were way to far. like skytrek tours since they had the longest zip lines. i was looking at tabacon hot springs but i read some post in the forums saying that there are better hot springs closer to the resort. such as in Rincón de la Vieja. Any feed back would be greatly appreciated. also, if there are any other areas that are a must to see , tamarindo or fishing tours i'd be interested in hearing about them. also, i know about the RIU and what they did so im over that detail. thanks for your help

Possible headed to CR Mar 17th for a week. Looking at Tamarindo and Playa Grande. Big question is should we rent a car? We are flying into Liberia, the RT shuttle will cost us80 and I can get a car for under200. We have been to CR before, Monteverde, Arenal and know that the roads can be crazy. How easy is it to get from Playa Grande to Tamarindo without a car? looks like there is some kind of bus taxi to go across the peninsula. Also with a car we have the option to check out some other areas nearby. How bad are the roads around Tamarindo? Thanks

we will be renting a car to get to la fortuna and then turning it in in La Fortuna. I can see there is a bus out to San Jose, but we are needing to head toward Jaco. is there a place to transfer, or must we go to San Jose?

Arriving in La Fortuna next week for three days and was wondering which volcanoes are active presently? I heard that Arenal is only spewing steam presently. Also the free hot springs at Tabacon are they worth going to. Thanks for your relies Jack

I am new to this forum, and I am looking for some help in choosing a place to stay in Guanacaste. We are a family of three - 2 adults and a 13 yo - and we are looking to rent a condo or villa on or close to the beach. We are flying in from Liberia and will probably not rent a car, so we would love to be somewhere that allows us to walk to restaurants, markets, etc. I have found LOTS of rental possibilities in our price range. But I need suggestions about what areas people recommend. We are looking at the following areas: Playa Coco, Tamarindo, Ocotal, Flamingo, Junquillal and Hermosa. I would love any and all feedback! :) Thanks!! Ellin

We are flying into Liberia from USA and are wondering if there is there a camping outfitter or a camping supply store in Liberia? We would like to camp in CR , but would like to know how much camping supplies we would need to bring? ie type of camp stove fuel available & cooking supplies.

Hi, which hot springs would you recommend going to at arenal area? tabacond? baldi? thanks!

FRANCAIS : J'adore danser les danses latines comme la salsa,la bachata,meringue. Est ce qu'il y a des endroits pour ca a Tamarindo ? ANGLAIS :I'm crazy for dancing latino dance like salsa, bachata, meringue. There is some places where i can go for this in Tamarindo ? ESPANOL : Me encanta mucho bailar salsa, bachata, meringue. Hay algunos lugares donde puedo salir en Tamarindo ?

Hello, my boyfriend and I are flying into Liberia from Houston, and staying in Tamarindo at the end of June. We are wondering if it's easier to fly into San Jose or Liberia before we book in the next couple of days.? Also Tamarindo is known for surf and I wondered where is the best places to stay if we didn't get a hotel. I figured hotels are the way to go since they can get us a bus or shuttle to pick us up from airport. Ive heard it's a 3-5 hours drive from San Jose but almost the same from Liberia because of the roads. Can someone please give us some advice. We just wanna nice place to stay with surf and other outdoor extremities:) I greatly appreciate it!

It is our first visit and we are using Marriott reward pts so the two hotel choices are JW MArriott in Guanacaste or Los Suenos by Jaco. We want to see the main sights in Costa Rica and will be driving so which hotel is the best location?

We are thinking of staying at the samll Fenix hotel on Samara beach. Would be grateful to know if anyone has been there and what you thought of it. Secondly does anyone know about the flights from San Jose to Samara?

Are there any villages to walk to or thnigs to do near the resorts. If so, which resorts. We don't want to be confined to a resort or have to purchase tours for every off resort time we spend.

How long from San Jose to Gunacaste? Can you get up and back in the same day or would one need to stay up there and return the next night? I plan on looking at some rentals and or homes for sale. Thanks

Has anyone traveled to CR, specifically the northern pacific coast, during the rainy season. I am planning on traveling to the Guanacaste area in early September, and am hoping it doesn't rain too much throughout our stay. Also has anyone been to the resorts in the area- is there much nightlife for young adults? Any information would be very helpful. Thanks

Hi, I am wondering if anyone has been in Tamarindo in September - December and can give me some advice on those months. I have been planning to stay there in September and October, but have been warned that the rain will be relentless and that November and December would be much better if possible. If anyone has been there for an extended amount of time in September or October, please let me know how it was, particularly, how frequent the rain was. Thanks, Derek

Hi, my girlfriend and I will be living in Tamarindo for the months of September and October of 2010, and we are trying to find an apartment for those two months. We don't want to pay a lot of money or stay in a fancy resort, a small apartment with reliable Internet service, and hopefully a decent location do fine. I have some leads through craigslist, but they are few. Does anyone have any recommendations about the best way to find/rent an apartment by the month in Tamarindo? Any leads, contacts, ideas, or advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

OK, maybe I'm being paranoid, but I read about leptospirosis being a problem in Costa Rica. Does anyone know if you can get it by swimming in the hot springs? Thanks!

Upon entering the Arenal National Park, are there hot springs within the park we can check out ourselves, or is the only access to them through the resorts, like Tabacon or Baldi?

Does anyone have any info/opinion/experience with the Red Lava Tours? I googled it, and the results were some postings on other websites about it being a tour reseller with credit fraud, not having a valid website, and having legal issues from using another company's trademark. My friend booked us on a daytrip through one of the major hostel websites (hostelworld.com)a while back, and I just realized it's associated with this Red Lava Tour. We picked it because the tour is 6 hours long and supposedly ends at Tabacon river. Have we been duped??!!

Can anyone gimme some advice on places to stay and transport going to Rincon de la Vieja? For example, is Liberia a good place to base yourself in? how long does it take to get to Rincon from Liberia? how do I go about arranging transport or tours? etc. any info is useful info

Ok, anybody know how to get to Liberia from Monteverde/Santa Elena? cos I heard there's no direct buses to there. Also, if anybody knows of some hostels you'd recommend and where to book tours to Rincon de la Vieja that be much appreciated.

Does any one know the status of Club Hotel Talolinga? Has it been completed? Please give me any information you have on this. It's supposed to be located in San Jose, Costa Rica--Playa Flamingo.

I'm staying at Tilawa resort Oct 15th-21st. I know its rainy season & yes I'm there to kiteboard and my timing isn't so good. I'm trying to figure out the best places to wander from there especially on windless days. Fishing(fresh or salt water), surfing (west coast), + other great ideas really appreciated. I'll have a rental car. Its my 1st time in CR Also recommendations on the best weather sites for checking wind/weather conditions for Arenal just prior to my departure. Many thanks for input Dave

How far are the "MUD" Baths, hot springs from Tamarindo and also would there be a tour from Tamarindo?