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Forum Question Posted By: Replies:
San José
costa rica advice
Posted: Wed February 14, 2007 04:04 PM UTC
I am planning a trip for late april and was wondering where would be a good place to go from San Jose. I am interested in a place that has some good energy but not super touristy/crowded. Also, with nearby trails and nature. Could somebody offer a few suggestions? I also heard that April might be a very busy time due to Holy week, is this a bad time to visit Costa Rica? Thanks for any advice. Potentially could go Guatemala or Mexico.

Thanks
Jordan
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San José
RE: costa rica advice
Posted: Thu February 15, 2007 05:02 AM UTC
If you are interested in beaches, a nice option could be Manuel Antonio National Park. It's like five hours from bus from San José. Been there five years ago, and it was a place not flooded by tourists, with a gorgeous beach, and interesting nightlife. Don't know if it got crowded now, though. If fond of nature, you can also hike or get tours around the national park. Since you are going in the dry season, you will have clear skies to enjoy the sea.

I would recommend you to the check on Costa Rican national parks and pick according to your preferences (e.g the beach, the volcanoes, the hiking, the sport adventure, etc). The list and complete description in English of Costa Rican national parks are in:
http://centralamerica.com/cr/parks/index.htm

Good luck!
Flor de Maria

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San José
RE: costa rica advice
Posted: Fri February 23, 2007 09:07 PM UTC
Hi there, I went to Costa Rica 2 years ago, what a wonderful wonderful trip!! The country is beautiful and the locals are very friendly. We stayed in Arenal at one of the properties at the base of the volcano, wow!!! Can see the lava on a good night. Reccomend you to take a cab to La Fortuna and check out the town has some great restuarants!! Also while we were at Arenal Hotel Paraiso the hotel staff set up our zipline tour which is located at the hotel very convenient), and the waterfall repelling. Dont miss out on those excursions, there well worth it! After we spent some time in Arenal, we made our way to Tambor and stayed there for 5 nights at the Hotel Barcelo Playa Tambor. Be sure to check out Montezuma, its a great little surfing town that is a shortbus ride from Tambor. The shops are plentiful and there a great little pub right off the beach where you can watch the ocean and realax. Sorry I dont have more information on Montezuma we only spent half a day there, but it was a wonderful place!! Wouldnt reccomend driving yourself, it can get pretty crazy! We did fly into San Juan and we(8 friends) hired a driver, he was totally cool and make the 5 hr drive fun!! Anyways if you have any questions feel free to email me, thanks.

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San José
RE: costa rica advice
Posted: Sun February 25, 2007 05:32 PM UTC
By late April the rush will be over. Easter is on the 8th. You could think about Montezuma or the Caribbean side like Puerto Viejo. Arenal will have quieted down some too or you could even head down to the Osa. Playa Hermosa up north. Don't know about nature trails there though.

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San José
RE: costa rica advice
Posted: Tue February 27, 2007 07:03 PM UTC
look for a hostel. there you'll find a lot of younger travelers, some traveling alone, and its a good place to meet travel companions [if thats what you are looking for] and its pretty safe and such. if not, there are a lot of people that you can go do things in the city with. in san jose, i stayed in one that was like the backpackers hideaway of something to that effect, and it was pretty cool.
hostels are also the cheapest of the housing choices, i think, and usually range from 10 - 20 dollars a night. tamarindo is a little touristy because its nice, and theres a hostel there that used to be called la botella de leche, and now its something else, but its my favorite place probablt in the whole world.

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San José
RE: costa rica advice
Posted: Tue March 6, 2007 02:32 AM UTC
Hi we just got back . We were 6 weeks in CR. You don;t say how long you are going for but there are so many areas to . We pent some time on the Carribean coast, and raelly like Cahuita. It's not as touristy as Puerto Viejo and the nature park is right there...saw lots of wildlife and the beach is one of the best in CR. ( about 3.5 hours from San Jose by bus .Check out my travel pages on it if you're interested. We also liked Manuel Antonio it's about 4 hours away , more touristy and more expensive but gorgeous beach and tons of monkeys in the park ( and at the hotel). Great white sand beach.Arenal was amazing ...best to stay a few nights and have a hotel with a view of the volcanoe. Took about 3.5 hours by bus from San Jose. Have fun

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San José
Re: costa rica advice
Posted: Wed April 4, 2007 10:12 PM UTC
Hi Jordan,
I HIGHLY recommend the Caribbean side of the country. We spent the month of June last summer in Manzanillo, but I loved Puerto Viejo, too. Either town would be great--and there are very few tourists (especially in Manzanillo) which is why I chose that side. I have heard that the Pacific coast is nothing but tourists (but don't actually know as I have never been there).
Read my page on Costa Rica for more info.
Buena suerte,
Jen

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