# Arenal, Costa Rica



## SciTchr (Oct 7, 2007)

We will be going to CR in February and I need to get some planning done. We will fly into San Jose and rent a car. We are staying on the Guanacaste peninsula near Flamingo (on Coco Beach). We thought we would like to spend a night or two at Arenal on the way. Can anyone suggest good hotels (or ones to avoid). Also, any great excursions there? We would like to do a zipline tour somewhere and a canopy nature tour. Is Arenal a good spot for these activities? Where else? TIA!


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## suzanne (Oct 8, 2007)

Hi Ruth,

We are going for the first time in May, 2008. I booked 4 nights at the Playa Flamingo Beach Resort and 3 nights at the Areneal Paraiso Resort and 3 nights at the Ramada Playa Herradura Resort close by the airport. I chose the Paraiso Resort after reading all the reviews on trip advisor and found that they have both the hot springs and zipline on property. I would have loved to stay at Tabacon Hot Springs Resort and Spa but it was just way too expensive. We will be doing day trips for the different tours that we want to do as they all pick you up and return you to the resort as part of the price. I booked the Flamingo and the Paraiso direct with the resorts, I got the best rate that way. The Ramada, I was able to grab off Sky Auction.

We are not renting a car as it was cheaper to just use the Interbus system and not have to worry about the bad roads, etc. We hired a private car to take us from San Jose Airport to the Playa Flamingo as our flight arrives too late to catch the last bus. In all the private one way shuttle is $155.00 for the two of us and the Interbus from Playa Flamingo to Arenal Paraiso and then on to the Ramada was approx. $150.00 for the two of us. The Ramada has free airport shuttle service.

This is just what worked best for me and Hubby. Hope this info helps. If you need websites please let me know and I will be more than happy to email them to you.

Suzanne


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## SciTchr (Oct 9, 2007)

*Suzanne...*

I think you picked a good Arenal Hotel. I have a Costa Rican friend (we are staying in their brand new condo on Coco Beach) and I asked them for hotel recommendations at Arenal. He said that the Tabacon would be awesome, but it was pretty $$. They stayed at the Arenal Paraiso and loved it. He said there was a very good free breakfast, but I did not see that on the website. It does have good Tripadvisor reviews. 

Car rental is expensive. I am toying with the idea of taking public transportation to Arenal, doing the things there and then taking public transport to Liberia and renting a car there for the rest of our trip.  We will be in a small little beach town and I think we will need a car to get around. I would love your websites. I found a good one too: http://centralamerica.com/cr/

I have been looking at Sky Auction. What do you think of the packages for activities? There is one that includes a rental car with maps. You drive to the locations and then do the activities. Seems kind of neat. I have to look at prices further, but you could possibly get the touristy things in for the price of the rental car. You do get lodging, too, but you stay at their hotels. I am just beginning to play with these ideas. We will be there for 17 days. Our condo is free, but it is on the beach. I want to add some things like Arenal, Monteverde that are away from the beach. The planning is the fun part, don't you agree?

Thanks for sharing your websites and info! Keep me posted on your plans.


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## suzanne (Oct 9, 2007)

Hi Ruth,

Your welcome, your website is also good, I have it bookmarked now in my favorites list.

I looked at the all inclusive adventure things on Sky Auction but after looking at all the add on costs it did not seem to end up being that good of a bargain for us.

Hubby loves the beach, so that why we are staying the first four days at the beach. He also wants to try a surf lesson for the first time. We then move to the Arenal area, so we can do the canopy zipline, hot springs and other area tours and see the volcano. We then move to the Ramada as its only 7 miles from the San Jose Airport and they will take us free of charge for our return flight home. We plan to do the 5 in one day trip there which will take us to the Monte Verde Cloud Forest we also are planning to do the tram trip from there. We hope to see as much as possible during our trip.

Here are a few websites that you can use to view the tours in different areas and the Interbus site. 

www.interbusonline.com
www.marbellatours.com  this one operates out of the Ramada resort
www.govisitcostarica.com
www.fortunawelcome.com  this one gave me the most information about the Arenal Area

Keep me updated on your trip. 

Suzanne


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## SciTchr (Oct 10, 2007)

*Suzanne*



suzanne said:


> We plan to do the 5 in one day trip there which will take us to the Monte Verde Cloud Forest we also are planning to do the tram trip from there.



I have looked at the 5 in 1 day trip on that site I sent to you, but I did not see Monteverde included. Which 5 in 1 trip are you looking at? Sounds like a good idea. We also want to go there. Thanks


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## suzanne (Oct 10, 2007)

I'm sorry, I miss typed. It's the Poás Volcano, La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Sarapiquí River 5 in 1 trip that we plan to do and we also want to do this trip to the Monte Verde Cloud Forest.

Monteverde Cloud Forest:
Departure time: 6:30 am
Includes: Guided tour, transportation, breakfast, entrance fee and lunch 
Duration: 11 hours

Both trips are listed on the Marbella website. Sorry about the confusion. There are so many sites that I have been looking at. I think I need another week or two..  It is so exciting, I love  planning a trip like this almost as much as the trip itself. But not quite.. 

Suzanne


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## DebBrown (Oct 10, 2007)

The Arenal Hanging Bridges are wonderful.  This is a walking tour through the canopy.  We really enjoyed it.

http://www.hangingbridges.com/

We spent two nights in Arenal.  It is worth it to get close to the volcano, especially at night when you can see the glowing lava flow.  I would check which side of the volcano has flow and make sure you are staying at a good viewing location.

Deb


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## SciTchr (Oct 12, 2007)

DebBrown said:


> The Arenal Hanging Bridges are wonderful.


Deb: Thanks for the site. That looks like something we would like. I read somewhere that the lava is always on the same side. Most of the hotels, except a few, are on the other sides. One called the Arenal Observation Lodge has great views. But, we like Arenal Paraiso. Where did you stay when you were there?



suzanne said:


> we also want to do this trip to the Monte Verde Cloud Forest. Both trips are listed on the Marbella website.  It is so exciting, I love  planning a trip like this almost as much as the trip itself. But not quite.



Suzanne: Thanks for the clarification. I agree that the planning is half the fun. I picked up 2 guide books at the library today.I also got a hotel for San Jose on Sky Auction. Got it today. Had tried earlier, but did not win it. We will be staying 2 days at the end of our trip in the old section of downtown right across from the National Theatre. The hotel is called the Gran (Grand). It looks real nice and it should be fun to walk around the plaza. Keep me posted on your plans and I will too.


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## DebBrown (Oct 13, 2007)

SciTchr said:


> I read somewhere that the lava is always on the same side. Most of the hotels, except a few, are on the other sides. One called the Arenal Observation Lodge has great views. But, we like Arenal Paraiso. Where did you stay when you were there?



When we were there - a few years ago now - the lava was on the side with most of the hotels, NOT on the Observation Lodge side.  I can understand how this would change over time.  It really was fascinating to see it at night.  We drove up very close.

We stayed as Los Lagos.  I think the decision came down to a hotel with rooms large enough for our whole family.  My granddaughter really loved the water slides at the pool.  They also had a butterfly farm and other things to see.  The restaurant was very nice, the rooms so-so but probably typical for the area.  The nearby town was also fun for shopping and lunch.

And as a word of caution, most of the roads in CR are not paved - only the main highways.  Driving anywhere takes a long time.

Deb


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## suzanne (Oct 14, 2007)

Ruth, I looked at the Gran Hotel also but since we are not renting a car we wanted something closer to the airport with free airport shuttle. The firs time I did not win the auction for the Ramada either but the 2nd time I got lucky and got it for $29 per night. I thought that was a great rate even with the fees.

I just picked up the 2008 Fodor's Guide, it has a lot of great info in it and a pullout map. I already had the 2007 Frommer's guide so did not get the 2008 for it.

Deb thanks for the tip on the way the lava flows. I just hope it flows in our direction when we are there. DId you go to the hot springs when you were there? If so did you enjoy them? 

I am now looking at clothes to take since we are limited now on how much we can take. The airlines let you ship thru two suitcases each, but the Interbus limits you to one plus a carryon that you have to keep with you at all times. Deb, or anyone reading this that's been there, what type of clothing will we need during May? Is it cold in the volcano areas? Do we need medium weight jackets or just a thin raincoat or rain poncho? Shoes is also a big question. I live in SE Florida where less is sometimes too much in the heat and humidity down here.  

I love this thread. Its so fun discussing planning to the same area with other TUGGERS.

Suzanne


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## ati2d (Oct 14, 2007)

We've stayed at the Arenal Volcano Lodge several times. It is on the opposite side of Arenal Lake & has a perfect view of the volcano!
http://www.volcanolodge.com/index.php

My son & his "bride" are going to stay a few days at Arenal Observatory Lodge.
http://www.arenalobservatorylodge.com/EN/


> Treat yourself to a unique, once-in-a-lifetime adventure at the Arenal Observatory Lodge. This volcano hotel - perched high on a ridge only 1.7 miles from Arenal Volcano (Volcán Arenal), Costa Rica's most spectacular active volcano - offers the area's most stunning views of the volcano and Arenal Lake. With easy access to the Arenal Observatory Lodge, only a twenty minutes drive from the small town of La Fortuna, Costa Rica, volcano and nature lovers alike can feast their eyes on the majesty of Arenal Volcano in its lush tropical setting.



Have a wonderful time. Costa Rica is one of our most favorite places on Earth!


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## DebBrown (Oct 14, 2007)

Suzanne, we were there at spring break time - probably late March.  It was beastly hot on the guanacaste coast but we were wearing light jackets in the rain forest and volcano area.  (I just checked our pictures.  )

Deb


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## bailey (Oct 15, 2007)

*Arenal*

I actually liked Baldi Hot Springs much better than Tabacon.  We stayed at an ecolodge for only $32.00 per night.  The owner took us to Baldi where we had dinner and spent our first day in all of their hot springs pools and waterfalls, relaxing after a long day of travel.
We flew into Liberia and rented a car ithen drove to Arenal from there.  The roads are not as bad as I expected but everything is quite a drive.   In San Jose, we used a taxi ....traffic is crazy there.  

Arenal has a lot of cloud cover, so seeing the lava flow may be difficult.  We saw steam from the top the first day we were there, but never got to see the lava.


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## PClapham (Oct 18, 2007)

Bailey- do you have a link for the ecolodge where you stayed?  How did you find it?
Thanks
Anita


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## places2go2 (Oct 19, 2007)

*Arenal Suggestion*

The place I have stayed near the Arenal volcano is called the Lost Iguana Resort. Almost new when I was there, really beautiful handmade furniture, awsome view of the volcano off the balcony in the room, seriously amazing sunrises from behind the volcano itself. Walking distance to one of the view points that has a nice restaurant and the path starts on the resort. This is away from other resorts, has a bumpy road to get to it and has a different view than some of the others mentioned but I would go back in a heartbeat. Check where the lava action has been happening (there is an online website tracking activity) and pick your resort based on where the flows are being seen. Definitely try the hot springs in the area! I did not pick one of the places that sounded really nice because it is in the path of a major eruption should one occur...


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## honeybunney (Feb 5, 2008)

*Need some advice for Arenal, Costa Rica*

I'm trying to plan my trip to Costa Rica.  I will be flying in to Liberia and renting a car.  Planning to stay 3 nights at Arenal then will head over to Papagayu (sp?) during the last week of July 2008.  I know it will be a raining season.  What type of clothes should I pack?  I will have a 5 & 7 year old children with me, oh, and of course, my husband too.    Should I pack shorts or pants?  Thin rain jackets or regular jackets?

Now, how is the bug situation then?  Mosquitoes loves me.  In Cancun, I got 17 mosquito bites and my husband only received 3.  Is that fair or what! 

Also, since I'm renting a car, is car seats a requirement for kids?

Do I even need sunscreen?

Thanks for any help or advice here.


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## PClapham (Feb 5, 2008)

Check out this website for information re sunscreen, mosquito repellent, etc.
http://www.therealcostarica.com/
Anita


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## honeybunney (Feb 5, 2008)

*Great Website*

THANKS!!!     That is a great website.  Just what I needed.  A realistic practical advices and suggestions.


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## marcmuff (Sep 2, 2008)

Ruth - How was your trip to Costa Rica?  I have been wanting to do the zipline tour somewhere and we didn't go when we were in PV.  I remember your recommendations on the Lindo Mar.

I want to do a zipline where I don't need to hike or climb much to get to it.

Did you stay at a timeshare there?

Thanks for any information.


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## SciTchr (Sep 3, 2008)

*Muriel*

Hi, Yes, I remember talking with you about Lindo Mar. I am glad you liked it. We are going again this October and are staying 3 weeks, one of which will be Lindo Mar.

Costa Rica was wonderful!! We saw so much. First we booked a tour with Costa Rican Expeditions to Tortuguero Nat'l Park. Stayed 2 days on the Caribbean side at Tortugo Lodge and Gardens. Great place and I recommend this tour company.

The second part of our trip was in the Arenal area. We rented a car and drove there from San Jose. Driving is kind of scary. There is good public transportation that is inexpensive. We rented a friend's home right near the volcano. One night we could see lava coming down the sides and out of the top. Her house is on 2 acres with a view of Lake Arenal. It was so beautiful.There is a lot to do in Arenal. We went to Ecotermales Hot Springs, which I would recommend. It is very nice and much less pricey that Tabacon. We also did the Hanging Bridges tour near Arenal. There is a zipline in the area also. It has a tram with it. We did not do it, but my guidebook says it is a great one.

The third leg of our trip was to the Pacific coast. We stayed in another friend's condo in Playas del Coco. From there we toured several beaches, did a zipline and enjoyed the sun. 

The zipline that we did in CR was not nearly as good as Los Veranos in PV. I can't speak for the one in Arenal.

Costa Rica is a beautiful country and we hope to return. Are you going there?

ps My avatar is from Lindo Mar


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## marcmuff (Sep 3, 2008)

Thanks for the information, Ruth.  We're thinking about going there.  I'm wondering about timeshares there.  I don't see many recent reviews.

I loved the sunsets at Lindo Mar.  I couldn't stop taking pictures.  I must have taken at least 60 (in one week).  I envy you going there again this year.

Thanks again,


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## SciTchr (Sep 4, 2008)

*Muriel*

While in Playas del Coco we were given day passes at a timeshare on the Guanacaste coast called Condovac. It is at Playa Hermosa. We went there 2 times. The pool area was very nice. Food was good. I had a massage there. They had shuttles that would take you down to the beach, which was decent. We were not able to check out any of the rooms, though. In this area you are somewhat isolated, but we did take some drives to a hotspring area and zipline. There is a national park nearby at a volcano. It involves some driving or you can book a tour company. If I were going for the first time I would combine a timeshare week on the beach with some hotel time in Arenal. It is not to be missed. Another spot that we did not get to was Monteverde, also in the rainforest. Costa Rican Expeditions has packages for these areas. We found them to be a little more in price, but the quality made it worth it.


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## Jaybee (Sep 6, 2008)

Hi, Ruth, and all... I just found this thread, and it took awhile to realize I was reading notes from '07. LOL!

I love reading about Costa Rica trips.  We spent 3 months there many years ago, when we cruised there on our boat.

We went back again a few years ago, and stayed at a ts in San Jose.  We were there in Oct., and of course it was the rainy season, living up to its name.
Our favorite tour was one that gave us the afternoon and evening at Tabacon Springs Resort.  We had the use of the pools, and it was wonderful.  Dinner was included, on the terrace, but as luck would have it, and the clouds, it was so overcast we could only see spots of lava.  It was a wonderful day.  Jean


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## honeybunney (Sep 7, 2008)

marcmuff said:


> Ruth - How was your trip to Costa Rica?  I have been wanting to do the zipline tour somewhere and we didn't go when we were in PV.  I remember your recommendations on the Lindo Mar.
> 
> I want to do a zipline where I don't need to hike or climb much to get to it.
> 
> ...




Our family came back from Costa Rica last month.  We spent four days at La Fortuna which is next to the Arenal Volcano and 7 nights at Peninsula Papagayo (pacific northwest coast).  As for zipline, I found out there were two types:  handbrakes and momentum.  I would highly recommend you do the Sky Tram that was built three years ago, I believe.  No climbing or hiking at all to get to the top.  You take the Sky TRam up and you would zipline back several times.  You just have to hand on and enjoy the sights.  Supposedly, as you head toward the end of the line you would go slightly up and then on the way back down is when the guide will catch you.  It is a huge zipline long and way up high.  Unfortunately we couldn't go on because my kids were under 8 years of age.

I'm not sure how much it costs, but you can book rooms at Baldi HOt Springs for some R&R.  Also, highly recommend La Choza for tipico Costa Rican food that would cost you about $10 dollars. Well worth it.  It's located in La Fortuna main road.


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## marcmuff (Sep 17, 2008)

Thanks everyone for your comments.  I just discovered that they opened a new zipline at Lake Tahoe CA.  We are planning to go this weekend.


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