I've seen a few threads, but information is scattered.

I'm considering a 5 night stay in Costa Rica near Manuel Antonio national park. My other option is near Tamarindo in Guanacaste. I've read/heard that commuting is a pain in the ass. Ideally I'd like to stay in one area.

I was hoping to get some beach time in (just relaxing, reading a book, etc), in addition to maybe some day hikes or sight seeing w/o having to drive half way across the country. People speak highly of the Arenal region near the Volcano, but that is inland far from the water.

Any thoughts? Tamarindo has tons of beaches near, but people poo-poo their beaches compared to even Playa and Tulum south of Cancun (or Cabo).

Thanks!

Been to Costa Rica several times. December is considered "dry season". In those months, expect dirt roads to be very dusty when cars or ATV's drive by. It can be an issue for anyone with irritable respiratory issues or allergies. If you stay in Tamarindo, most of the roads are paved, so not a big issue.

If you want pristine beaches, Costa Rica may not be for you. These are volcanic beaches and you will get a huge variety of textures and colours depending where you are. Within 20 minutes of Tamarindo, you can see red, black, shell and "silver" sands. Tamarindo falls into the silver category, but a few minutes south you will be in Playa Logosta which has thick coarse tan sands.

There are plenty of options north, Playa Flamingo is good too. I would avoid anything really remote that time of year. We stayed down on Playa Santa Theresa in December and we had to wear bandanas as face protection everywhere we rode ATV's due to the dry season dusty conditions.

You cant go wrong with Manuel Antonio, plenty to do there in a relatively short trip And a great spot for jumping off for local jungle tour related activities if you want a day or 2 to explore. Quepos is near there and that is the spot to go for fishing.

I wouldn't let the commute scare you. We went almost 2 yrs ago (https://texags.com/forums/54/topics/2759843/replies/46579600#46579600) and never regretted renting a car. If we go back I'd do it again. We enjoyed staying at multiple places and seeing more of the country.

DId they trap you with another $75 day "mandatory" insurance fees?

evan_aggie said:

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DId they trap you with another $75 day "mandatory" insurance fees?

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Total was $340 for 5 days through enterprise. If I recall I booked it for $160ish and was surprised with more fees at the counter. (This did include an upgrade for an automatic 4x4 vehicle)

Wasn't all that cheap, but found it to be worth it.

Thanks. That isn't that bad. Yeah, I'm pretty sure we will fly into Liberia and go to Tamarindo and the beaches out there...ziplining, maybe some ATV or hiking where we can find it.

People warned me that the drives across can be quite long . I wanted to go to the Arenal area, but it'd be a LONG LONG day with 2x 3.5 hr drives and hiking.

evan_aggie said:

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People warned me that the drives across can be quite long . I wanted to go to the Arenal area, but it'd be a LONG LONG day with 2x 3.5 hr drives and hiking.

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Just stay in the Arenal region a few nights. That area was my favorite part.

We stayed at the air plane hotel in Manuel Antonio. Fantastic views

We just got back from Costa Rica last week. Spent some time in Santa Elena and Monteverde near the Cloud Forest Reserve. We did the ziplining up there, which had incredible views. We then spent a few days in Tamarindo, which is basically has a small surfing town feel to it, very touristy though. I will have to counter the comment about all the roads are paved, the only paved road we saw was the main road. Maybe it was just where we spent most of our time, but the roads off the main drag were bumpy, rocky, dirt roads.

We stayed at the Hotel Arco Iris. It is a nice little place and not too far of a walk to the beach. Our favorite places to eat in Tamarindo were The Ocean (right on the beach and we went for dinner and had a great view of the sunset), Green Papaya, and La Bodega.

It was easy driving around Costa Rica, nice scenery, but we found it was easier to walk around in Tamarindo. If you rent a car, be prepared for the mandatory insurance (at least that's what we were told it was) which was $360something, but we went for the total coverage for $425 I think, which covered everything even if it was stolen. Since we weren't sure about the roads and carjacking, we thought that wasn't a bad deal. Automatics are an extra $3 per day.

evan_aggie said:

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Thanks. That isn't that bad. Yeah, I'm pretty sure we will fly into Liberia and go to Tamarindo and the beaches out there...ziplining, maybe some ATV or hiking where we can find it.

People warned me that the drives across can be quite long . I wanted to go to the Arenal area, but it'd be a LONG LONG day with 2x 3.5 hr drives and hiking.

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This is a good choice, especially for the first time in Costa Rica. I would highly recommend staying at the Capitan Suizo. It is on the southern end of Tamarindo, away from the tourist center, but still within walking distance. If you can afford it, get a beachfront bungalow. It doesn't get much better. They have a nice beachfront bar, huge breakfast spread every morning and a nice pool to take a quick cooldown dip. The concierge is a nice little old lady that will set-up whatever day trips you want (fishing, sailing, zip-lines, ATV, nature trails, white water rafting, .....).

The roads from Liberia to Tamarindo and most of the roads north and inland are paved, so no problems with day trip adventures during the dry season. The first time we went to Costa Rica, this is where we stayed. We actually did not need a car because most of the activities include pick-up and drop-off at the hotel and the shuttle to and from the airport was pretty cheap for the two of us.

The only "catch" to our stay is that we'll have a relative with us, so we are looking at resorts that have 2 bedrooms. That has me focused on Hacienda Pinilla. We wanted a common kitchen/living room area with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

Suizo looks amazing though.

Instead of starting a new thread, I thought I would bump this one.

Husband and I are thinking about going to Costa Rica in September. I'm looking for adult only spots. Do you have an recommendations of all-inclusive vs non-inclusive.

Also, I'm reading that September is one of the rainy months, so does it tend to rain during the day,or mostly at night? Or is it a random pop up shower every now and then?

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Quote:

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The months of September into December tend to be wet and rainy in the majority of Costa Rica. The Guanacaste region along with the Pacific Coast and Central Valley can tend to experience wetter days. While the sunshine does come out, mostly in the mornings, this is the best time of the year to take a budget trip to Costa Rica. Not only are prices lower, but there are fewer travelers here.

Contrary to rest of Costa Rica, the Caribbean Coast experiences gorgeous weather during the months of September and October. The lesser-visited Caribbean or 'Limon' Coast has sunny skies, calm, blue waters and scorching hot temperatures during these two months and tends to be the location of choice for those visiting at this time of the year. A trip through the mountains of Caribbean slope to the coast during these two months is one of the best kept secrets and offers travelers an alternative to the rain.

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https://www.creescapes.com/when-to-visit-costa-rica/

Tamarindo is relatively easy to get to. Limon and the Caribbean side might take a little longer. I don't have familiarity with when it would typically rain in the day. I would say that the drive to Tamarindo and the entire area was incredibly green and lush, which tells me it must rain often!

There are a few high dollar resorts out there. Resorts nearest to the town of Tamarindo are nice because you can walk or take a 5 min drive to town and piddle. Secrets of Papagayo (spelling) and others might be too far to walk.