How We Experienced Beautiful Costa Rica

January 23-31, 2024

Day 1 - We flew overnight on JetBlue to San Jose, Costa Rica via Fort Lauderdale, FL. Took the night flight in order to get there early enough to drive to our first destination before dark (most country and mountain roads do not have lights). Flight arrived around 10 am, and we finally left the city after Noon. Drove through humble residential areas then up to beautiful mountains and stopped at the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Didn't tour the park but enjoyed lunch at the Gardens restaurant with a nice view, and then stopped at the La Paz Waterfall which is right by the road. 

We drove on through beautiful country and arrived in La Fortuna around 4:30 pm. Checked in to the Volcano Lodge and Spa, about 10 minutes outside La Fortuna. The resort was in a beautiful tropical jungle setting in the shadows of the tall cone Arenal volcano - it was usually clouded over at the top while we were there. The resort was very beautiful, comfortable and nice with natural hot springs pools.

Day 2 - We got up early and drove 20 minutes for a 7 am reservation (to beat the bus

crowds) at Mistico Hanging Bridges Park. Awesome, fun and beautiful. Our self-guided walking tour took about 3 hours. Drove into La Fortuna for lunch (lots of great restaurants) and some shopping. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and enjoying the resort.

Day 3 - Nice breakfast at the resort, and then on to Arenal Mundo Aventura Park for a horseback ride and 500 steps down to the La Fortuna Waterfall. Amazing and beautiful. 

The horseback tour took us to the side of the canyon and the falls where few people are. The other side has cheaper access, but more steps and lots of people. Enjoyed a dip in the cool pool - pleasant, not too cold. Shopping, eating, and relaxing after.

Day 4 - Drove along the beautiful, winding north coast of Lake Arenal, saw coatis and monkeys, and then headed up the winding, rugged and steep dirt roads to Treetopia Park in the Monteverde Cloud Forest, high in the mountains on the continental divide. This part of the drive was more difficult than we expected, and we wondered if we were really on the right road, but we were finally rewarded with some awesome ziplining in the beautiful cloud forest. 

A tram took us up to the top, and we took a thrilling series of 7 zip lines down to the start. Afterwards, we had planned to continue driving down to the beach town of Tamarindo, but we realized that due to the rough mountain roads, we would likely be arriving well after dark. The trip down rough, winding and dark roads and overall distance would have taken around 5 hours. So, we found a room in Monteverde town, shopped and ate well at a small "soda", the Spanish name for mini restaurants.

Day 5 - We drove down the mountain and through the countryside to Tamarindo on the Pacific coast, arriving around 1 pm. Checked in at the Hotel Luna Llena (Full Moon), a cute, nice boutique hotel in a jungle setting. 

The rooms were individual 2-story bungalows, surrounding a pretty pool. Only a short walk or drive to the downtown shops and Tamarindo Beach. Over 200 restaurants and many shops. We drove a few minutes south of town to avoid the crowds on the main beach and enjoyed a few hours and sunset at Langosta Beach. Dinner at the Dragonfly restaurant was amazing.

Day 6 - After a relaxing morning at the pool and beach we hopped on a sailing tour up the

coast, stopping at a bay for snorkeling and ocean swimming, which was not especially good for either activity. They served a delicious lunch/dinner around 4 pm and then we enjoyed the sunset before coming back. It was fun, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you want a "party boat" experience with an open bar and dance music. It provided interesting people watching, anyway. Ice cream and shopping in town ended the day.

Day 7 - Enjoyed a bit of beach, pool and shopping, before we left, and then drove 5 1/2hours back to San Jose, checking into the nice Studio Hotel, somewhat near the airport. We wanted to have time to explore the city in the evening, but the drive was longer and more tiring than expected. So, dinner at the hotel restaurant ended the day.

Day 8 - Returned the rental car, flew home.

Notes:
1.The driving turned out to be much more time and effort than we had planned. In some places, the roads are bad or not paved, most highways are only 2 lanes, and some places get backed up traffic. We rarely got up to the speed of around 50 miles (80 km) an hour, usually lower. Too much time in the car took away some of the enjoyment from the overall trip.
2. The activities/tours we took in the La Fortuna and Monteverde areas were amazing and well worth it (though Monteverde is a challenge to get to).
3. We found all the Costa Ricans to be super friendly and welcoming. Most in the tourist industry speak at least some English, but knowing a little Spanish was sometimes helpful. Very nice people who live and exude the "Pura Vida" philosophy.

4. Though it was fun for one visit, I would not return to Tamarindo. It's great for a surfer/ beach town, if that's your style.

5. The weather/climate was cooler but nice in La Fortuna and Monteverde, and warmer/hot in Tamarindo. The humidity was high, but not stifling.
6. Bugs did not seem to be a big problem. We used bug spray a couple of times, but it didn't really seem necessary.
7. Everywhere we ate, the food was delicious.;'afd,

8. Overall, Costa Rica is a beautiful country with a lot of fun experiences.  It was great place for adventures, but overall, ours was not a relaxing trip. If I were to return, I would limit it to 1 or 2 locations. I have heard that the southwest coast / Manuel Antonio area is nice and might have been a better choice for us over Tamarindo. La Fortuna was our favorite area. Definitely worth a visit!

Pura Vida!