Costa Rica

Museum in San Jose

Tip: We flew into San Jose which required us to stay a night there to be close for an early morning departure. Had I known flying into Libera would have been an option, I would have done that in a heartbeat. It cuts down a lot of the driving time-our longest ride was about 6 hours. Flying into Libera will give you an extra day to enjoy the beach and/or rain forest. I would highly suggest cutting your trip into two as I did and staying in both locations. There are so many different activities to do at each, specific to each location. Transportation between cities is very easy to book and very reliable.

Arenal

Things to do: There are so many different activities to do in this area. The hanging bridges tour is a great way to talk a walk through (and above!) the rain forest. It's not as scary as it may seem. My favorite thing we did was horseback riding to the largest waterfall in the country. We had a private guide and it was amazing!
Another suggestion would be to try zip lining down to the waterfall!
We also enjoyed a night after a long day of activities at the hot springs. For this we went to The Springs Hotel & Resort. They had so many different hot springs to choose from on their property!

You can even swim by the waterfall!

Perfect spot for coffee!

Where to stay: We stayed at Hotel Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs. This hotel was perfect and I'm so glad we chose it! It's almost like a little neighborhood of bungalos. There is a good restaurant on site as well as a pool side bar. On a clear day you even get a view of the volcano from your room!

            

Guanacaste

A stop en route from Arenal to Guanacasta

Things to do: Like Arenal, there were so many choices of things to do, it was very difficult to choose! There are many people on the beach who will set activities up for you. We decided to do an ATV tour of 4 other beaches in the area. It was neat to see different beaches other than the private one at our hotel. 

Snorkeling is also a "must" activity whenever we are at a destination that allows for it. Andrew was able to get up close to a large sting ray!

Where to stay: We decided on the all-inclusive route for this part of our trip. I have nothing but good things to say about the Riu Palace! The restaurants there were delicious. The nicer restaurants have two seatings and require reservations. The meals are served course style. It is also adults only which we preferred. If you are looking for something less expensive or family friendly, try the Riu Guanacaste next door. Both hotels share a private beach between the two.