Honeymooning in Costa Rica

Here's another hotel:

http://www.makanda.com

and another:

http://www.lamansioninn.com

Tara,
Here's a sample menu from one of the restaurants in Quepos (the town right next to Manuel Antonio which is where most of the nightlife & restaurants are):

http://Greatescape.com

Note: the prices are in Colones, the current exchange rate for one American Dollar is 360.87 colones, so as you can see, prices aren't bad, I remember saying 'Wow you can eat & drink like a King & Queen here and not go broke!'

Taxi's are pretty cheap too. From Si Como No to Quepos was something like $2.00, it's like a 7-8 minute ride.

Wow La mansion is alot more expensive no?! Is that why you didnt stay there?
What about these other links...why didnt you stay at them...if any reason at all other than you couldn just stay everywhere! lol

20 min isnt bad I guess to be in the plane but how many people are in the plane? And how much did you spend each flight? I think the 5-7 hour drive it says it takes to get from San Jose to Punta Islita is just too long, but I would like to do the jeep thing so maybe we can do it to manuel antonio becuase from what you said it seems closer a 3 hour drive isnt bad at all.

I hear Mariposa's food isnt good off another site how was the food at Punta Islita, Si Como No and Tabacon? How were there prices? Were they a good as the restaurants in Quepos as far as taste and price?

Also if Quepos is the place for nightlife, which hotels are closest? I think you said 7-8 min ride by cab from Si como no, which is fine with me....

When you say nightlife, was it any fun or were the locals kind of sceevy? Like what is there to do, dancing? Bands? etc?

Si como no does have a honeymoon suite according to their website btw, maybe they just didnt offer it when you went. I think I can do without flowers and wine and jus pay for dinner myslef if its reasonable and just get the suite.

Did you get upgraded as far a your room since you were honeymooners anywhere? Because I was also thinking maybe to book say deluxe (the room below honeymoon suite) and get upgraded but I want sure how that works.

I am definetly gonna book online if it saves money, did you book directly through the hotels or through some sort of travel site?

ok this is getting long.
Thanks again

Ok...let me see if I can remember to answer everything! lol.... I honestly didn't even know about La Mansion, after we saw Si Como No we stopped looking for a hotel. All the really nice resort hotels are in Manuel Antonio, this is because they are mostly near the beach and the national park. Hotels in Quepos are not and most are old & not romantic in the least.

When we went it was last year and it was just for a fun vacation, Joe & I weren't even engaged yet so we didn't ask about staying in any honeymoon suites, but we did want the nicer rooms.

Hmm...the food in Si Como no was pretty good. A lot of their food consists of beef (grown locally, especially at Punta Islita), Seafood and lots of rice & beans (they even have it as a side dish in McDonalds in San Jose, how funny is that?!). I thought the food in Punta Islita & Tabacon were the best, as their wine lists. However, those two were the priciest (Average was about $40 PP for a really nice dinner w/ wine).

Now...Nightlife...they don't have clubs like NYC does, they have one bar on the beach (can't remember the name) but they have music & a dance floor & techno/house music. We went to a place that had salsa music & all the locals were there, it was pretty interesting but fun. The locals aren't the sceevy ones, it's all the European tourists!!! The locals are VERY nice & respectful, they know that tourists are their livelihood so.... Even our cab drivers were very sweet & helpful. They also have a pretty good sports bar in Quepos owned by a guy from Texas. There's also other bars there, some that have live bands, others a dance floor. To be honest we did a lot of tours during the day that at night we went out to eat, had a couple of drinks & we were so tired we went back to the hotel.

I booked the flights & hotels with the companies themselves, I cut out the 'middleman' this way it was cheaper & I knew exactly what we were getting. The only things we didn't get ahead (with the exception of one) were the tours. We did a catamaran tour to Tourtuga Island the last day we were there. That was fun & I highly recommend that tour.

Lastly, the flights....umm...I think it was like $49 PP, it wasn't that expensive, on the way there it was a four passenger plane (I freaked out, but then once we took off I was fine), on the way back we had a 12 passenger plane. You might be better off having someone drive you to Manuel Antonio, then renting a car once your there. Hope this helps! I'm more than happy to help you with anything so just let me know what else you need!

Here's what we did, our last day we stayed in San Jose & got up REALLY early to do this, they come pick you up & take you to the catamaran, it was $99 PP when we went & a trip well spent! They provide the transportation & they serve you a really yummy BBQ lunch on the island, then you spend your day either relaxing on the beautiful beach, swimming or snorkeling. Check out there site:

http://www.calypsotours.com

Ok I was talking with my FH today and trying to explain everything but he wanted to know why I wasnt looking to stay on the Caribean side....
I didnt really know why other than the fact that noone suggested it or mentioned any nice hotels there, am I right?

I think the 3 seperate places being Punta Islita, Manuel Antonio/Quepos and Arenal Volcano areas are the three places I'd like to see just like you did evelyn, did you look into any other areas or do you think this is definetly the way to go?

I dont think after looking at the other options in the Tabacon area there is anything nicer than the Tabacon resort itself, plus you get free access to the springs and spa so i think Punta Islita and Tabacon are definetes, i just have to decide the exact itinerary and how we will work out the traveling to each place. Did you know about the buses?

Manuel Antonio seems to have alot of hotels and stuff going on so I still havent decided on a hotel in that area yet. Si como no seems nice but the Tulemar is different, I dont think the bugalows look all that upper class but Punta Islita does so i think it may be a nice mix.

How long also do you think we should stay in each area at a time, if there is alot to do in manuel Antonio maybe we should spend a little more time there than lets say the Tabacon..... I dont know i am rambling now, I'll try to do more research on my own.

bump

Tara, we stayed a total of two weeks, we stayed in Puta Islita for four days, Manuel Antonio for five days, Tabacon for three and the rest in San Jose. Punta Islita is good for four days, maybe five as is Manuel Antonio. Tabacon is good for two days, three maybe strectching it, we stayed three & thought it was too long since there's really not much to do there.

Now, the Caribbean side....it's supposed to be beautiful too but no, there aren't really nice hotels on that side and it's not the safest either. A few years back two American women were kidnapped in a small town on the Caribbean side and were found raped & murdered, this was in the early 90's I believe. Although the rest of the country is really safe, tourists tend to stay away. It's more of a younger, adventure seeking, trekking/hippy crowd that flock there. It's full of Rastafarians and there still seems to be the place where drugs are still VERY popular so..... that's why. It's also the sufer's hang out place, nuf said? Not a place where you want to spend your Honeymoon!

There are various beautiful hotels on Manuel Antonio & there's a LOT to do there so this might be worth staying five or six days, you can always do what we did, stay a couple of days in one hotel & then the rest of the week in another in Manuel Antonio if you can't decide.

well thats a good enough reason for me to stay away from the caribean side!! Scary!

What about Tamarindo or Tortuego?

I was thinking about doing 4-5 at punta islita, same if not more for manuel Antonio and less for Tabacon I had a feeling it wasnt a long stay type of area.

Which did you do first, the route is kinda like a triangle?

What tours did you do other than the canopy one?
Was the butterfly farm worth it? I definetly want to horse back ride and white water raft but what else should I consider or forget? and they offer similar tours at the different places so I am wondering where i should do what.

Have fun in Vegas!

We did the nature hike in Punta Islita, that was nice, we learned a lot. We also went to the Monkey Bar to watch the sunset at Punta Islita, really beautiful, I highly recommend that, it's this little dive of a bar, but watching the sunset is breathtaking! Also...do the 4-wheeler/ATV tour in Punta Islita, that was by far one of the best things we did, next to the canopy tour! That was soooo much fun!!! Punta Islita also has horse-back riding, as does Manuel Antonio. The Canopy tour we did in Manuel Antonio & we walked the National Park, it was a tour w/ a guide given by Si Como No, that was really nice too. You'll find that all the hotels have tons of things to do, some have a list on their websites.

thanks kiddo! I'll talk to you when I get back!

Ahh someone today told me she has been to costa rica and that I have to have an 'open mind' and be very adventurous or not to bother!!

I really dont know what that meant exactly but it scared me a little, I am not THATt adventurous and she said she had a scorpion on her bed at one of the hotels!

She also did say that they drove around and just stayed at some hotel that they saw for $50 a night which is alot lower than the 3 I have tentatively chosen, but now I am having doughts, do you think she is right? Am I not cut out for Costa Rica?

SHe said I have to remember it is really a 3rd world country, I dont want a resort really but I am a little weary of that word.


Please help!

Where in Costa Rica did she stay and how long ago? Maybe she was on the Caribbean Side, there are also low-end hotels in Jaco & Osa Pennisula area, the high class luxery hotels are all VERY nice and clean. We did not encounter any bugs, let alone scorpions in our room. Like I said, there's lots to do, if you like adventure you can go white water rafting, surfing, hike up a volcano, etc...or you can lay on the beach or by the hotel pool, take guided tours, etc... Everyone is going to have their own opinion, it's like a restaurant or a movie, just because one person had a bad experience or didn't like it doesn't mean you will/won't. Costa Rica is far in advance to it's other Central American neighbors. They have the HIGHEST literacy rate in the Northern Hemisphere & more companies are building plants down there, Intel has a HUGE plant in San Jose. Both Conde Nast and Travel Magazines write TONS of great reviews on Costa Rica, you can check it all out on their website. Two of my co-workers have both been to Costa Rica recently & both said they would love to go back in a heart beat! I also can't wait to visit this beautiful, friendly country again. They only thing I can say is pick up some books in B&N and read a little more about the country so you know a little more about it. Everyone's experience is going to be different so I can't tell you to go or not to go. This person should have explained what they meant becuase I have no idea what she meant by that comment about being adventurous, but you know the saying...'You get what you pay for...'

Go to:http://www.infocostarica.com/

Here's a blurb from Frommer's website:
For years, Costa Rica was the well-kept secret of a few biologists, backpackers, and beachcombers, but that's all changed. Today, the country is a major international vacation and adventure-travel destination, and tourism has become the nation's number-one source of income. Despite the boom in vacationers, Costa Rica remains a place rich in natural wonders and biodiversity, and far from the madding crowds. Here, you can still find unsullied beaches that stretch for miles, small lodgings that haven't attracted hordes of tourists, jungle rivers for rafting and kayaking, and spectacular cloud and rain forests with ample opportunities for bird watching and hiking. Perhaps the biggest sea change in recent years has been the opening of a handful of large luxury resorts (even the Four Seasons chain has begun to develop a new super-luxury resort in the northern province of Guanacaste).

This is my sixth year putting this book together, and the 'best of' experiences keep racking up. Some of my personal highlights include watching the sun rise on the first day of a new year from the top of the Irazú Volcano, camping alone on a deserted beach in Guanacaste, battling a feisty snook in the Golfo Dulce, soaking in some newly discovered hot springs alongside a jungle river as a sun bittern majestically stalked its dinner, conducting a half-hour-long photo session with a remarkably calm eyelash viper, swimming in a pristine pool formed by a jungle waterfall, finding myself in the midst of a school of hammerhead sharks in the waters off Cocos Island, swooping from treetop platform to treetop platform on a canopy tour, seeing both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea at the same time from the summit of Mount Chirripó, and finally learning how to surf.

For more info go to:


http://www.frommers.com

I was thinking 5 days at Punta Islita, 5 in Manuel antonio and 2-3 at Tabacon, I dont really want to stay in San Jose if I dont have to, sounds a little scary. Can I avoid it, or do you think I should stay a night that it is worth seeing.

I also am still undecided where to stay in manuel Antonio, Makanda and a couple others seem nice but the pictures are hard to tell for sure, i might go to a travel agent just to see what they recommend, or maybe just call even.

A representative from Si como No kind of pissed me off becuase I emailed them asking whether or not they would honor the 2002 Green season special where you get a 5th night free and he was kind of rude in his response, basically saying that he had already explained it to me, I emailed him back kind of annoyed that he was bothered by my questions (which were many hehe like on here) and said 'sorry to have bothered you, maybe I should just look into a different hotel' and he didnt respond, so I am gonna just look into other hotels anyway.

Online is overwhelming, what book should I get?