Want to Plan a Trip to Costa Rica

I would really call a travel agent. If you've never been there before, I'd do it. They know they good stuff and do all the leg work finding the best price, just give them a budget. Plus, trying to coordinate all those people would be kind of a nightmare, let someone else do it! :) Just my advice! Sounds super fun though!

Costa Rica is a beautiful & fun place to take a vacation, esp. with kids & friends!

Went years ago with hubby & his family. We planned it out to experience 3 very different areas of Costa Rica - San Jose (capital city), the west coast, & the cloud forest.

I don't remember what hotel we stayed @ in San Jose, but we were there only the night we arrived, & then between the coast & the forest. Just enough to get a feel for the hustle & bustle of the culture. I do remember the hotel was within 1mile walking distance to a big shopping mall, filled with lots of touristy shops, but also authentic arts & wares.

On the west Coast, we stayed @ the Drake Bay Wilderness resort on the Osa Penninsula http://www.drakebay.com/
This place is fantastic. Very small, all-inclusive, packages include different guided tours & other activities. A few standout activities we did were a horseback ride to a butterfly farm, & then back down the beach, and a trip to an island with a waterfall where they served lunch.

Food was outstanding - we did a deep sea fishing one day, & they prepared the fish I caught for dinner, & my husbands fish was laid out for breakfast the next day!

In the Monteverde cloud forest, I don't remember the specific hotel we stayed at. They are hotels, not resorts, so activities can be on your own. This link helps with information about lodging & activites, etc. http://www.monteverdeinfo.com/index.html

I do remember we took a horseback ride to a waterfall (there was also some hiking involved). My SIL went zip-lining through the canopy & loved it. A number of guided tours are available, & I remember one that included suspension bridges, quite the views!

Now, with all that being said, it can be very daunting to plan a trip that takes care of all the lodging, transportation & activities, esp. for so many people, & if you want to visit different areas. Truly, you could do a vacation just on the coast, or just in the cloud forest, spend a week & still feel like there is lots to see!

My suggestion is to take a look @ websites & get a feel for the different regions, what activities they offer, etc. and then contact a travel agent to see if there are packages available.

One last thing - many places offer seasonal discounts. In Costa Rica, the rainy or "wet" season is considered the off-season. This is when we took our vacation, & all I can say is that it just means that there is a small rain shower @ 2pm every day, and the humidity in the air prevents your clothes from completely drying if you lay them out at night. But the humidity is not the oppressive, take-your-breath-away smuck that we have in the midwest, it really wasn't a problem at all.

I'm so jealous!! Go & have a fabulous time! T.

I would start with a travel agent. Tell them when we want to go. Ask where the best and safest place to stay is and then tell them what we want to do while we are there.

If the other families are planning at the same time, are you going to get a group rate? I would start talking to the other families and find out where they want to stay or what they have planned so far. Make a list and then start talking to travel agents for the best all-inclusives and deals on activities.

This is on my list of "one day" trips. I really want to go with our kids! You are in luck - last Sunday the New York Times travel section had a long article on a family's trip to Costa Rica and everything they did and liked. I kept it because it had so much good info in it. You should look it up online.

A girl I work with just got back from Costa Rica. She and her husband both speak Spanish very well so they didn't rent a GPS - just maps - figuring they'd be fine. She said it was mistake because streets, etc. are not marked.

They did fine because they stopped and asked people for directions but the GPS would have been helpful and saved them time.

My daughter has been there about 3 times. She has gone a couple of times by herself. She says it is safe there and she enjoys it a lot.

She has photos of her bungy jumping, ziplining, and she says she got a massage with the monkeys swinging in the trees right outside her window.

I can tell you she is a big fan of trip advisor.

Enjoy!

Check out Si Como No. It's great for families. And great for adults. It's in Manuel Antonio so there is a lot of nature and thrill seeking to do there.

It's very easy to go to two spots while in CR. So plan a few days in one place and a few days in another. Start in Manuel Antonio and then take a very quick plane ride (like not even 20 minutes) to the Arenal area. Warning, the planes are not for the faint of heart. But the driving isn't either. Roads are narrow and winding. We decided 15-20 minutes on a plane the size of a minivan (seriously) was better than 3 hours navigating in a car.

Have fun - Costa Rica is amazing! And it smells so good and is full of butterflies! How can you go wrong?

The only thing I would recommend, is not at all specific to Costa Rica, but it has to do with travelling with other families and kids.

Yours will be a very large party, should you want to do any activities together, i.e. dinner, an excursion, a zip line, a volcano adventure. Speak with the hotel conceirge and the other adults to see what your collective expectations are and how they might accommodate you. Can they reserve 4 cabanas near each other on the beach? will you meet poolside afterlunch for some drinks? will you have things geared for the little ones and for the older ones? Can all the kids get together for a movie night with a nanny or two provided by the resort while the adults get a night out? what about a couple's night?

Best,
F. B.