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As mentioned in an earlier thread my wife and 2 boys are coming for the summer and wanted to make sure not to miss out on anything important to get a real feel for the Country.
I know that I could browse all the sites but most are trying to sell there own service/product and tend to be a little unbiased.
So for those that are living the dream and have been around the block as far as site in CR, what would you NOT miss out on if you were to be visiting as a family. And also where would you NOT go on this trip?>
Thanks for any and all input.
PhilAll veteran CR travellers assume ou will spend some time in San Jose, however, you can see everything worth seeing in 2-3 days.
Corcovado, Manuel Antonio, the entire Pacific Coast of Guancaste and Nicoya Peninsula, Montezuma, Arenal & Tabacon Hot Springs, Rincon de la Vieja, Orosi Valley (trout fishing) and Turialba we have found the most enjoyment from.
The best snorkeling is Puerto Viejo and south but it is much more of a “free spirit/rastafarian” locale.
The least desirable (my opinion) is Limon, Golfito, the far southern Pacific (Pavones – surfing only for the most part and not much civilization). Tortugero in the NE corner we have not been to, but it is very remote and only accessible by boat or plane.
Keep in mind that the roads to get to some of the above are not passable by anything by a 4WD SUV or truck and usually require fjording rivers.
After a number of trips to CR we recommend that you “Get out of Dodge” i.e. San Jose quickly and get out into the country and drive almost anywhere. On one trip we discovered an beautiful valley with a spectacular waterfall, still not exactly sure where it was (somewhere around Ciudad Quesadas) by following ICE signs to a hydroelectric plant, a facinating archeological site at Guyabo just because we saw the signs on a rough rock road and decided to follow them. Perhaps we lucked out but the drive down to the south over the “Highway of Death” was incrediable and beautiful. Take less travelled routes whenever possible, you will come across good hotels almost everywhere in the country. While the aerial tram trip is rather expensive it is extremely informative and worth the cost, a whitewater rafting trip, a zip line ride, a butterfly farm and a horseback ride through the countryside are all not to be missed educational and fun things to do in our book.
Have a great time.
I agree about getting out San Jose asap as the reading here would suggest to do.
Last year we spent all the time in Grecia area except for 1 day when we went to Arenal and spent the night at Tabicon resort and then drove back the next day. We also got to ride the “cable car” into the jungle at the side of Arenal just past Tabicon heading Westward.
Is there any GPS that has some mapping from CR?We surely want to stay away from the “Hot Spots” as far as crime may go, and I know that you could be robbed anywhere, but as far as stats go, I want to steer clear of any “known” dangerous areas.
I also want to keep our family busy as far as educational places to see that a family with 2 young boys and a fun loving wife.Now I have a different opinion! This is because of my experiance as being married to a tica and spending my first experiance of Costa Rica in the heart of San Jose. There are many great places to find around and in San Jose. Clubs, Resesurants, Malls and many other things to see and do.
Many people are afraid of San Jose just because they don’t know the city and think it is not what they think is Costa Rica. They are diffently wrong! Some of the great areas are in central valley! I remember one of the most impressive hotels that looks like the and is named after the mansion in Gone with the Wind! (Tara). Incredible views and great food but very expensive!
What you need to do is go and experiance it for your self, hit the tourist areas first since that is what you will be. Then when you come back check out a differnt area.
If you want something educational and fun for the boys, you might want to check out Zoologico de Aves in La Garita. It’s real easy to get to off the exit to Garita.
Peg’s right, Zoo Ave is a great place to see a lot of wildlife and spend a couple of pleasant hours.
And if you’re thinking of moving here, and as long as you’re in La Garita, you really should wander through a couple of the viveros (landscape nurseries) where you’ll see plants for sale that you’ve only seen in books and at prices that will take your breath away.
I have travelled extensively throughout CR, but don’t know what your family likes to do. If it is to learn the country and look at lots of scenery, I’d recommend you take the road out of San Jose that goes to San Ramon (past the Juan Santamaria Airport), and from there cut up into the mountains heading towards La Fortuna. That will take you through the Cloud Forest Preserve, where there is an interesting zip line tour up high. Then, you’ll drive by the Arenal Volcan area, where you can check out the Tabacon Hot Springs Resort. The countryside around there is remarkably beautiful, and you can refer to the guidebooks for things to do around there. Maybe taking an ATV tour would be fun for the boys and the family. Then, go up across the dam at Lake Arenal and take the road to Nuevo Arenal. Just after the dam, within the first coupla miles, you’ll probably run across some coatamundi, there is a whole family of them that likes to mooch from the tourists, but they are really cute to watch. Then, you can find lodging at Nuevo Arenal, or I can recommend going on around the lake to Puerto San Luis to the Resort there. The rooms are plain, but clean, but the setting on the lake is really special. Have a look at the development next door called Buena Vista, which has fabulous lake-front and lakeview properties (I know, I just bought one). Then, go on to the little town of Tilaron, then down to Las Canas on the Pan American Highway. Go from there over to the Taiwaan Amistad bridge over to the Guanacaste coast to a place called Playa Carillo. This is one of the most beautiful beach areas in the Nicoya Penninsula, and the little town of Puerto Carillo has nice restaurants and things to do. There is a little hotel just about 1 – 2 miles south of Puerto Carillo, down a dirt road on the left hand side. I can’t remember its name, but it is owned by an American couple and is a very nice place to stay. Places to go hiking, a swimming pool at the hotel, and good food.
I’d stay away from Jaco because of the gritty people and crime. I just can’t stand that place, although everyone goes there. THere are a lot of neat restaurants there, I admit, but I just won’t spend any time there. Too many other beautiful places to go in the country to waste time there.
I understand there are some nice white water rafting trips originating out of Manuel Antonio. Also, there are wonderful mangrove tours north of Quepos.
Past Dominical, the entire coast line is beautiful. I understand there is great deep sea fishing out of Quepos and the area south of Dominical. Check out the beaches and the Marine Natural Whale Park at Uvita. The “Tale of the Whale” at low tide is spectacular and fun to walk out, just watch the tide activity and don’t get caught out there.
Also, check out the central valleys past Cartago. The Turrialba area is spectacularly beautiful.
This should give you plenty of ideas for the next 2 or 3 trips to CR. This is a wonderfully diverse and beautiful country, and you could spend a lot of time there and never see the same things twice. I envy you having the “first-timers'” experience in CR. You’ll be amazed and will want to go back over and over. ENJOY!Thanks to all of you that have commented on all the neat things to see and do while we are in CR.
PhilYou just bought a lot in San Luis? We will be building just off the Tilaran-Arenal road overlooking the bay at Buena Vista. When do you plan to build and, if I may be so bold, are you retirees? We are from upstate New York on Lake Ontario, my husband retires in May and I’ll continue to work for about 3 more years. Then we hope to be in Tilaran long enough to apply to pensionado status. Howdy, neighbor!
Rita,
I believe the new immigration law states that you cannot apply for pensionado status while youre inside the country. You must begin the application process prior to coming. You might want to check your plans with a CR attorney just to be sure.
If you come to Jaco, there are some options for families.
1. Convenience: There is a 24 hour child care now if the parents need some time off go out on the town. They advertise on channel 11 on local cable that you get at most hotels. I don’t have their number yet or I would post it here.
2. Culture: the family can take salsa dance lessons or join the local Latin dance events at SalsaStar Latin Dance Academy, located in Plaza Coral mall (by KFC). The salsa lessons are a good way to get out of the heat, as the studio has A/C and also a sprung dance floor.You can also drop in on, or drop the kids off for, locals’ group classes in salsa and other Latin dances, cheerleading, tumbling, hip hop/breakdancing, Latin Cardio, or Hip Hop workout. They are the only ones in Jaco to sell dance shoes, acoustic guitars and Latin percussion instruments in case you left your own at home or want some. My daughter and I are taking classes there. Their web site is http://www.SalsaStar.com
3. Adventure: There are surf lessons and canopy tours. There are surf instructors working right on the beach (set up under tents in the center of the beach) and there are others who have set up surfing schools, which I think are more organized and reliable. Some of Costa Rica’s surfing national champions are running these schools, some of which are only for women and are taught by Costa Rica’s top women surfers.
For families, I recommend making the most out of the days and then after dinner, go to a reputable place or sleep so you can be up early the next day. There is so much more for the children during the day. Hope this helps some of you.
Edited on Apr 29, 2007 10:36
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