Put a Costa Rica Itinerary together for me

[Anonymous]

I am feeling very overwhelmed by Costa Rica - seems like so many different places to go and see. I don't know where to start, and I don't have the time to dig in. If I lay out our criteria and group, can someone suggest some areas and resorts?

Extended family trip over spring break in March. Two very active 70 year olds, four adults in their 40's and a 13yo and a 16yo. Mid-range budget.

We love beaches, but also want to see rainforest, volcanoes, anything we need to see. Ideally, our time there (7-10 days) would be split between beaches and rainforests or more internal locations.

We are adventurous, but also want a little down-time. We don't mind renting a car if necessary. We like hiking, zip-lining, boating, fishing, touring, nature...not much we don't like.

Where do we go?!

[Anonymous]

just do a search on this website. posters are obsessed with Costa Rica and post about it constantly. personally I don't think it's that great, but DCUM seems to think it's a required right of passage.

[Anonymous]

1/2 trip at Hacienda Altagracia or similar
1/2 trip at Andaz Papagayo or similar

Or spend the whole time at Papagayo and travel to do the rainforest and volcanoes? Good rentals here: https://www.papagayoluxury.com/

[Anonymous]

This is the perfect query for Chat gpt

[Anonymous]

Monteverde is a must see

[Anonymous]

Go to the Osa. Seriously. It feels way out but it was the best part of our trip, hands down.

[Anonymous]

We are not ChatGPT

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are not ChatGPT

Seriously. Do it yourself. Or call a travel agent. My goodness.

[Anonymous]

Wow, so rude above. Just looking for first-hand experiences and advice from those who have been there. If you don't want to help, then just move on. Some people like sharing their experiences. I do that for other posts when people are asking about places I've been.

[Anonymous]

I loved Costa Rica and want to go back so DH can see it. I would suggest:

1. Arenal
There is hiking, ziplining, white water rafting, sloth tours, and hot springs (adults might enjoy mud baths and massages -- we loved that). You can gave dinner at a place with a view of the volcano.

2. Monteverde cloud forest
See hummingbirds, butterflies, wildlife, hiking, chocolate and coffee tours. You can zipline here as well.

3. Manuel Antonio/Quepos (we spent most of our time here)
Hike and see wildlife (monkeys!), beach, catamaran cruising, surf lessons, wildlife sanctuary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are not ChatGPT

Seriously. Do it yourself. Or call a travel agent. My goodness.

Do you really not understand that 1) info from actual human beings who have traveled to a place can be better than AI, and 2) most people don't use travel agents anymore (it's 2025 ffs).

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all of the helpful info!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go to the Osa. Seriously. It feels way out but it was the best part of our trip, hands down.

I spent a week in the Osa peninsula, and 2 days in San Jose to fly in and out. I’d go again.

https://costarica.org/destinations/osa-peninsula/

[Anonymous]

We did this and did 5 days at Manuel Antonio and 2 at a cloud forest. I would swap that out for the volcano hot spring area. We started at si como no kn Manuel Antonio which we liked. We did a day tour and a night tour of rainforest. The beach is right there. We did a kayaking trip of mangrove area which was cool (tons od monkeys).

But I think osa peninsula would also be very cool. There are lots of good choices but some of it depends on how much you want to spend and whether you’re okay with little hop flights or longer drives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are not ChatGPT

Seriously. Do it yourself. Or call a travel agent. My goodness.

Yeah, really. Save dcum for the people who want to beat up on other women for how they raise their kids. /s.