Planning a trip to Costa Rica? Well congratulations! You cannot not love this country! The beauty is magnficent and Costa Ricans know it. They are leading the pack when it comes to conservation of their natural resources. The cities are laid out in the way we traveled them. For more information on Costa Rica in general go here
Tamarindo
It’s a good jumping off point. Tamarindo will ease you into the fact that things are a little different here. Compared to other spots you might be exploring, Tamarindo is a buslting community of hotels, pub fare, upscale restaurants, coffee shops, unique shopping, yoga studios, surf shops and a lot of bars. Having said all that it’s still a pretty small town. You can walk the downtown strip from start to finish in under 10 minutes. Although it is a pretty well traveled town, it doesn’t feel overly touristy. It’s clear that people live and work here (albeit catering to tourists), and many of the small restaurants and stores are run by either local Costa Ricans or ExPats wanting to attain the Pura Vida way of life. It’s a great way to start your vacation.
Monteverde
Monteverde & Arenal - Most people choose to do both of these towns, if they decide on one. They're somewhat close in proximity by Costa Rica standards. But their feel is completely different.
Monteverde - A town up in the mountains that will take your breath away. The drive is notably some of the toughest terrain we encountered but it's completely doable if you take it slow. We drove it during the dry season but without a 4 wheel drive and were fine. From Monteverde if you chose to continue to Arenal, you most likely would want to rent a 4 wheel drive. From Monteverde, we drove down the hill and around the lake to Arenal. It was a longer distance but we reasoned that the time it would've taken on the bumpy road probably saved us or was equal in time at the end.
Arenal - One of the most traveled towns in Costa Rica. It's the only town over the month we were there that we stayed in an actual resort. If you are into Hot Springs, you have just found your mecca. The mecca of the mecca would have to be Tabacon. You can stay at the hotel or get a day pass for the day. The resort is roughly $500/night (high season), which seems pricey. In low season it will most likely be 1/2 the price. However, if you factor in the day pass for the spa ($85/adult, $30/child), it makes sense to book a room here for at least 1-2 nights. If you are planning to do the hot springs, try to stay where you want to experience the springs and bypass the day pass fee.
Manual Antonio
Manual Antonio - It feels exactly what you would expect when you think of a rain forest. It's where you will see a significant amount of wildlife...and it's beautiful. The downside is that it does have a slightly touristy feel compared to other places we traveled. The prices were the most inflated as well. Having said that, it's a destination that should not be missed. I had my heart set on Corcovado. However the more and more research I did and locals I spoke too, I realized it would not be a good idea for our kids. It was treacherous, long hikes and teeming with animals, some dangerous. Manual Antonio was a great compromise for our family. I think a more adventurous family could have conquered it, but, and I'm being honest here, if I told my 3 year old not to touch something, the first thing he's gonna do is touch it. This was proved on our night jungle hike we did. Liam was in a carrier, but insisted, on touching everything Brian (our awesome tour guide, his info is here...) did. He was braver than the adults on the tour who declined to touch (insert here beetles).
Playa Flamingo
Playa Flamingo - Back on the Guanacaste coast and one of our last stops before packing up. Let me preface this section with we were all sick in Playa Flamingo. We rented a 2 story condo that was the largest place we had stayed in during the entire trip. It also had 3 bathrooms, often in use at the same time. In hindsight, if we were going to get sick this was the best place to do it. We had AC throughout the house and could sprawl out. The best place about Playa Flamingo is the beaches. They are beautiful and not as well traveled as some other places. The downside with kids is that theres a nasty rip current. So while we would go in the evenings and play in the sand, I don't recommend letting your children play in the waves unless you are with them. If you go up the road a bit you will see Playa Conchal which is right in front of the large Westin resort. The water is calmer and the sunsets (pics above) will take your breathe away. There are a lot of horse back riding that goes through this area so tread wisely on the horse poop.