• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 30 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 30th Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $21,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $21 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    60,000+ subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

Going to Costa Rica for the 1st time....where should I trade to?

tarahsu

TUG Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
138
Reaction score
12
Points
228
Location
Coto de Caza, CA
Resorts Owned
SDO | 1BR (ODD)
SDO | 2BD LO (EVEN)
Hi Avid travelers:

I am looking at trading through II to Costa Rica and of course would like to see everything.
Which general area should I stay to make it my home base and more convenient?
Any recommended resorts?

Thanks
 

am1

TUG Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
Messages
8,081
Reaction score
1,531
Points
448
I a timeshare is not a good way to see everything. There are two long coasts, mountain areas and a city. If you fly into San Jose spend a few nights there before your timeshare stay so you are a little closer to seeing everything.

I have only spent 5 minutes in Costa Rica and maybe an hour in their shared border area. Eventually will do a tour but for now can do without the bad roads, crime and high prices.
 

lauramiddl

TUG Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2009
Messages
98
Reaction score
52
Points
378
Location
Seattle, WA
If you're going for ecotourism, timeshare isn't a good option. We went last summer and spent one night near San Jose, three nights in Arenal, three in Monteverde, four in Manuel Antionio, three in Drake Bay then one night in downtown San Jose.

My favorite were Monteverde and Drake Bay and if I did it again id switch around my itinerary. To see things you need to book excursions with reputable guides. Tourism is big business there and all the guides we had were great. We used a travel agency to arrange this trip of a lifetime, Costaricaexpeditions.com

It was the most expensive trip we've ever done. Costa Rica is not cheap but you can save by planning ahead and going in low season (spring and fall i think)
 

tarahsu

TUG Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
138
Reaction score
12
Points
228
Location
Coto de Caza, CA
Resorts Owned
SDO | 1BR (ODD)
SDO | 2BD LO (EVEN)
If you're going for ecotourism, timeshare isn't a good option. We went last summer and spent one night near San Jose, three nights in Arenal, three in Monteverde, four in Manuel Antionio, three in Drake Bay then one night in downtown San Jose.

My favorite were Monteverde and Drake Bay and if I did it again id switch around my itinerary. To see things you need to book excursions with reputable guides. Tourism is big business there and all the guides we had were great. We used a travel agency to arrange this trip of a lifetime, Costaricaexpeditions.com

It was the most expensive trip we've ever done. Costa Rica is not cheap but you can save by planning ahead and going in low season (spring and fall i think)

Thanks for the awesome information. I will check out that agency. We went to Belize last year and that wasn't cheap either for the state of the country. That's probably why I usually stick to Asia :)
 

lizap

TUG Member
Joined
May 26, 2013
Messages
1,949
Reaction score
240
Points
173
Location
Louisiana
If you're going for ecotourism, timeshare isn't a good option. We went last summer and spent one night near San Jose, three nights in Arenal, three in Monteverde, four in Manuel Antionio, three in Drake Bay then one night in downtown San Jose.

My favorite were Monteverde and Drake Bay and if I did it again id switch around my itinerary. To see things you need to book excursions with reputable guides. Tourism is big business there and all the guides we had were great. We used a travel agency to arrange this trip of a lifetime, Costaricaexpeditions.com

It was the most expensive trip we've ever done. Costa Rica is not cheap but you can save by planning ahead and going in low season (spring and fall i think)

Depends on what you do. For us, we like to do a lot of exploring on our own, so it was very reasonable, cost-wise. We rented a gorgeous house (VRBO)in the rainforest.
 

DannyTS

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2018
Messages
5,753
Reaction score
3,076
Points
348
Thanks for the awesome information. I will check out that agency. We went to Belize last year and that wasn't cheap either for the state of the country. That's probably why I usually stick to Asia :)
I am new in the TS and still evaluating our options to add to our growing portfolio. I am pretty impressed with the exchanges you have done. All with the 2 SDOs? Please let me know
 

TravelTime

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2018
Messages
8,092
Reaction score
6,460
Points
499
Location
California
Resorts Owned
All Resale: MVC DPs, Marriott Ko Olina, Marriott Marbella, WKOVR-N, Four Seasons Aviara
We went to Costa Rica several years ago. We loved the country. I did not think prices were high nor did I encounter any crime except near the northern border with Nicaragua. We were warned when we went there to be careful since there was unofficial guerilla fighting on the border. However, I just googled crime in Costa Rica and read that their crime rate in 2017 was up. Costa Rica used to be very safe so I am surprised to hear crime has escalated. I think we were told parts of San Jose CR were sketchy but we did not go into the city. Roads were great except going up to Monteverde - it was not paved at the time and was one of the bumpiest rides. We stayed at a beautiful hotel in Monteverde with gorgeous views (forgot the name), then we went to Nayara Springs in the Arenal area (it is rated one of the best luxury hotels in the world now but we only paid about $200 per night because we discovered it before it was “discovered”), then we went on a Windstar cruise along all the entire coast of Costa Rica and we ended at the beautiful Spanish style Marriott hotel outside of San Jose. I think we spent 2.5 - 3 weeks in Costa Rica. I loved the Monteverde and Arenal areas better than the coast. But that’s because the Pacific coast of Costa Rica has darker, cold water. I did do some scuba diving but had bad visibility and it was too cold for me.
 
Top