I was there in February, what kind of advice are you looking for? We mostly stayed at a resort where all the food, entertainment, and excursions were included, so you may be looking for a different kind of experience.
We stayed at El Ocotal resort in Guanacaste. It was an organized trip with McDougall Adventures. I liked the outing to the Buena Vista lodge the most, though not so much the horseback ride getting to the hot springs. I also liked the hotel we stayed at in San Jose the last day of our trip, the Doubletree Cariari.
I'm not picky. I like strong/dark roasts (as any Cuban would). Just any coffee that looks like a popular local brand - label in Spanish is a good sign. ;-) locals might be able to recommend a favorite.
Very awesome, thank you! Oh, and I like whole beans better than ground.
I went to Baldi hot springs which were really nice and I wasn't at all disappointed. (Also much cheaper!) Though I did hear Tabicon was really amazing, and no one that I knew who went to Tabicon regretted the money spent. (It's really expensive, like $65 to enter.) Oh, but some girls I hung out with later were staying there and got a great rate, like $135--so you might consider that!
All of this is in La Fortuna--at the base of the Arenal volcano.
My sister and I went to Costa Rica for 10 days last september. It was pretty idyllic.
We stayed at the Tabacon hot springs hotel. There are dozens of naturally-fed hot tubs, including a few with waterfalls and one that's the size of a pool, with a swim-up bar. Most people there were on their honeymoon. From the pool, we saw the volcano erupt in the evening. We hiked to the base of the Arenal volcano to check it out, pretty neat.
Also went walking through the forests in Monteverde and chilled by the beach in Manuel Antonio, on the west coast. Wonderful. Small town. Very pretty beaches. Monteverde had the standard "zip-line through the forests" but we skipped it.
My sister did all the planning, and booked everything ahead of time. We didn't rent a car; the hotels arranged door-to-door shared-vans from one hotel to the next.
I don't think I like our poorly overlapping schedules! We need hang out time!!
I was in Costa Rica like 2-3 weeks ago. I only had a few days so I spent the whole time in La Fortuna, which I thought was awesome. La Fortuna is the town where the Tabicon hot springs (which have been recommended by a few other people) are located. Things I really enjoyed: Canyoning--this is where you can essentially hike through a river bed and rappel down water falls and cliffs. It was totally rad. I keep meaning to post pictures. White Water Rafting--I am a novice at white water rafting but I had a really great time rafting in Costa Rica. Hiking through the rain forest and seeing the animals--Monkeys and sloths! Yay! Hiking on Arenal and seeing the lava--Dude, it's lava! Zip Line Tour-- It's a little tourist-ie but I thought it was super fun!! Hot Springs-- Like everyone else recommended, the hot springs are totally amazing! Bits of advice: I took the public buses to get to La Fortuna and most other places-- they were cheap and easy, they went everywhere and ran on time, and were a really cool cultural experience. Much better than taking a shuttle with other tourists, IMO. I was also told by other people that the "spice tour" was really cool. (I think it's just a tour where different spices are grown.) And that the cloud forests of Monte Verde are really amazing. (I didn't get there due to time restraints.)
We stood watching one climb along a vine from one tree to the next. It moved continuously, one hand in front of the next, but so slowly that it took something like ten minutes just to move a few feet. Sort of the opposite of the monkeys, which jump and fall and catch themselves.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mattbell
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 12:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 12:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 01:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 02:35 am (UTC)And excellent taste in ex-lovers.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 01:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 02:33 am (UTC)I tend to be an adventure/nature/culture/exploration junkie.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 05:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 03:16 am (UTC)If I give you some money will you bring back some coffee beans? :)
no subject
Date: 2009-10-24 07:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-25 12:10 am (UTC)Very awesome, thank you! Oh, and I like whole beans better than ground.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 04:24 am (UTC)Sadly, it is not clothing optional.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 04:25 am (UTC)http://radven.livejournal.com/tag/travel+-+costa+rica
no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 04:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 10:30 pm (UTC)All of this is in La Fortuna--at the base of the Arenal volcano.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-24 07:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 08:02 pm (UTC)We stayed at the Tabacon hot springs hotel. There are dozens of naturally-fed hot tubs, including a few with waterfalls and one that's the size of a pool, with a swim-up bar. Most people there were on their honeymoon. From the pool, we saw the volcano erupt in the evening. We hiked to the base of the Arenal volcano to check it out, pretty neat.
Also went walking through the forests in Monteverde and chilled by the beach in Manuel Antonio, on the west coast. Wonderful. Small town. Very pretty beaches. Monteverde had the standard "zip-line through the forests" but we skipped it.
Pictures
http://stevo.smugmug.com/Left-Coast/Costa-Rica
no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 10:31 pm (UTC)I don't think I like our poorly overlapping schedules! We need hang out time!!
no subject
Date: 2009-10-24 07:49 pm (UTC)- Did you need to book hotels ahead of time?
- Did you rent a car?
no subject
Date: 2009-10-24 08:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 10:45 pm (UTC)I was in Costa Rica like 2-3 weeks ago. I only had a few days so I spent the whole time in La Fortuna, which I thought was awesome. La Fortuna is the town where the Tabicon hot springs (which have been recommended by a few other people) are located.
Things I really enjoyed:
Canyoning--this is where you can essentially hike through a river bed and rappel down water falls and cliffs. It was totally rad. I keep meaning to post pictures.
White Water Rafting--I am a novice at white water rafting but I had a really great time rafting in Costa Rica.
Hiking through the rain forest and seeing the animals--Monkeys and sloths! Yay!
Hiking on Arenal and seeing the lava--Dude, it's lava!
Zip Line Tour-- It's a little tourist-ie but I thought it was super fun!!
Hot Springs-- Like everyone else recommended, the hot springs are totally amazing!
Bits of advice: I took the public buses to get to La Fortuna and most other places-- they were cheap and easy, they went everywhere and ran on time, and were a really cool cultural experience. Much better than taking a shuttle with other tourists, IMO.
I was also told by other people that the "spice tour" was really cool. (I think it's just a tour where different spices are grown.) And that the cloud forests of Monte Verde are really amazing. (I didn't get there due to time restraints.)
no subject
Date: 2009-10-24 08:13 pm (UTC)We stood watching one climb along a vine from one tree to the next. It moved continuously, one hand in front of the next, but so slowly that it took something like ten minutes just to move a few feet. Sort of the opposite of the monkeys, which jump and fall and catch themselves.