Costa Rica

Ok. so i am planning a vacation for me and my aunt. (for my 16th birthday) I would like to go somewhere in the caribbean. Costa Rica, Bermuda, Bahamas, anywhere. somewhere tropical. WE have about $4500 to spend on this vacation. it would be from November 1-8, 2009. for a week.
the $4500 would be spent on flight hotel possibly a rental car, food, and activities (snorkeling, swimming with dolphins, zipline tour, bungee jumping). is this do-able?

what are some good websites that have cheap deals? (flight+car+hotel or something)

OR would it be cheaper for me to go to a travel agency? would they be able to find me better deals and an overall cheaper vacation in the same destination?

thanks for your help. if you have any suggestions on where i should go i would love to here them because right now i have no idea. i just want a nice sunny beach and the tropics.
thanks.
any suggestions on which travel agency i should go to?

I would go to a travel agency, not only will they be able to give you great prices, they will also find a location/resort that will be the best fit for you. When you do it yourself online, you may not know that the resort that you just booked is under serious renovations and you will wake up to jackhammers pounding away all day, or the resort is family friendly and you will have to deal with screaming kids at the pool when you are trying to relax and get a tan. A travel agent will steer you away from these. I think Cancun would be lots of fun, I suggest this because I really like history and from the hotel zone you can visit mayan ruins like Chitzen Itza, its amazing. I’ve also heard good things about Costa Rica and Punta Cana, Domincan Republic because it tends to be cheaper than other Carribean islands because it is not as well known for its resorts.

As far as which travel agency I would suggest AAA, if you belong or if your aunt belongs (even if you don’t belong it may be worth it to get it because it will save way more than the 50 bucks it costs to join for a year) AAA is the biggest travel agency in the country and because it is so big, vendors, like resorts and cruise lines offer them better deals, because of the volume of customers they give to these vendors. You will also get member benefits like room upgrade or resort credit that you can use at the hotel for things like spa treatments. hope you have fun on your trip! Make sure your passport is valid or send away for one asap!!!

Can anyone tell me the best canopy tour in costa rica? I have heard that the best ones are in monteverde. What are the best ones called and how much does it cost? My husband and I would like to go on a canopy tour but want to go on the best one available (we have heard that there are quite a number varying in how good they are and price) can anyone help?

thank you

I would concur that the best are in Monteverde but there are good ones elsewhere as well. Sky Trek is probably the best because they do not tie their lines directly into trees so they will not eventually damage the forest. That can’t be said for the majority of canopy tours. As for suspension bridges in the canopy I would visit Selvatour in Monteverde– but not for their zip lines. Wherever you are in Costa Rica do not rely on hotel desk clerks for recommendations, they generally recommend the enterprise that gives them the highest commission. In the high season hotel receptionists earn more than double their base salary from commissions.

going to the pacific coast of costa rica and I don’t do much salt water fishing, I just bought a surf casting rod to bring down with me, and looking for any tips or advice.

fly fish for rooster fish. They fight like mad no matter what the size. You walk up and down the beach until you see their fin above the water, cast, and badabing, serious action.

I’m looking for a resort, right on the beach of the Caribbean coast of Cotsa Rica, that’s known for the fishing, & ideally has a casino close by. Any ideas? Or if there’s no such place on the Caribbean side, what about the Pacific side?

For fishing the best place is north of Limon in Barra de Colorado, the othe good area for fishing is on the pacific coast in Quepos and Manuel Antonio.
Now for Casinos the better ones are in San José such as the Hotel Fiesta near the airport, Cariari, Herradura, Irazu, Corobici, Marriott, Radisson and the one that used to be called Camino Real near the Multiplaza.

Lic.Gregory Kearney Lawson.

I am arriving near 7 at night and have a car rental and reservations at Hotel Borinquen but it occurs to me that I probably don’t want to make that drive at night.

Correct..you dont! But..not really many options in Liberia – there are 2 Best Westerns – …budget at best.

My favorite hotel closest to airport is El Ocotal – awesome views!! It’s about 22km from airport – good roads….

http://www.ocotalresort.com/

If its just for 1nt…not sure if i’d do it…since best, best thing about Ocotal is the sunset – but if you could do 2nts? Yes, yes…do it….definitely.

Or…just know that if you decide Best Western, just understand it’s going to be basic.

Have a great trip – Borinquen is awesome!

My friend lives NEAR San Jose Costa Rica. I asked her to give me her mailing address and she started laughing and said that there is no address because she lives outside the city. She said it is basically directions to the house. Has anyone on Yahoo answers been to Costa Rica and understand what she means? How could I get a package to her if there is no address?
THANKS!
"Areopostale"?
That really tells me nothing.
I need Details PLEASE!

You have 2 choices, 1) have your friend set up a PO box and then sent it to there or 2) You can send your package via one of the courier/package services such as UPS, DHL (who I have heard is excellent) or Fedex. Your friend can then pick it up at their nearest location in San Jose. The courier will give you the location of the pick-up center.

Rates depend on the size of the item. If you know the weight of the item, you can get the info from the any of the courrier websites (assuming you’re mailing from the US to these other places).

I think I saw a road map showing you can drive to Costa Rica.

Yes you can, but if you are thinking about it, it will probably take you a month and cost 1000s of dollars. You connect on the Pan American Highway in Mexico and it will take you to Costa Rica.

See the below article:

http://ticotimes.com/costa-rica/driving-pan-american-highway

Is there any nice eco boutique hotel near Jacó, Costa Rica? Somehere where I can find a nice ecological environment near and out of the rush of Jacó.

You can try Playa Hermosa, near Jacó, but my best bet is Terrazas del Pacífico. They just got some awards such as the blue flag since they lowered contamination of the beach almost to none.
The place its beachfront so when you wake up you´ll have the ocean in front of you and its only about 5 minutes from Jacó.
You can also try Hermosa, like Hotel Fuego del Sol, also beachfront, but Terrazas is more secluded than the other ones since its the only hotel at that beach.
If you want more information you can go to my online chat at http://costaricanativa.com/

We are travelling in november and doing a 14 day tour that takes in carribean coast, volcano, and pacific coast. we want to know what to expect with weather accomodation and locals

Temps will be in the 70s and 80s during that time of year and cloudy with some rain every now and then but not enough to worry about.

Locals are great! Especially the ones that can speak English which is about 50% of them!

You will have the time of your life!

Bring your camera/cam and be prepared to take lots of pics!

Have a real good Trip!

I will be leaving for CR in three weeks!

VIVA LA PURA VIDA!

by small but nice i mean 2 to 3 bedrooms, a garage, safe neighborhood, home in good shape, etc.

It depends exactly where you go in Costa Rica.

Things are about a third cheaper in CR than here in the States and a person can live like a King for only $600.00 a month USD!

But – Its just like any other country and the prices will vary with – Location, Location, Location!

In Quepos for example, on the Pacific side you could probably find something like this for around $350.00 USD a month but in San Jose and in some of the upper class suburbs it would probably cost you around $450.00 – $500.00 USD.

Good Luck!