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With 3 teens were looking for some fun activities but also some quiet times. A loud and party town is NOT what we want. Is it hard to find a quiet place where noise and partying won't keep you up at night?
Where would you suggest I look specifically? The all inclusive are asking at least $3grand per person so that is out of our price range. Is it just as good to seek out zip lining, surging, "ala carte" on our own? What is restaurant availability like? We do speak Spanish so were fine with trying out any local spots to eat.
This would be likely in July. Appreciate any tips, advice.
One of the BEST independent vacation experiences we ever had was planned by Pat Hewitt. Pretty much all he does is CR. Perfectly arranged based on what WE wanted to do, our lodging preferences, well within the budget we wanted. Flawless planning, end to end, 3 different areas.
This was probably 18 years ago. That he is still in this business with great reviews speaks volumes about the quality of his services.
We had no problems winging it in CR, including lodging and all the activities everything from hiking to horseback riding on to volcanoes to massive zip lines to animal spotting type stuff to kayaking. It isn't hard to arrange stuff to do since usually vendors find you, or at the very least most places to stay have a billion pamphlets on display in the lobby. Granted we didn't have children with us but teens are probably fine.
As for suggestions depends a lot on what you're into and how much time you have.
We had no problems winging it in CR, including lodging and all the activities everything from hiking to horseback riding on to volcanoes to massive zip lines to animal spotting type stuff to kayaking. It isn't hard to arrange stuff to do since usually vendors find you, or at the very least most places to stay have a billion pamphlets on display in the lobby. Granted we didn't have children with us but teens are probably fine.
As for suggestions depends a lot on what you're into and how much time you have.
Yes, we could have easily winged it. But it NEVER would have been as successful. Especially the arrangements in the Osa Peninsula.
We had a great stay in Playa Cocos a few years ago, flying into Liberia. We stayed at Hotel Puerto del Sol. It's a 3-star economical place but has a pool, bar, AC, hot water, etc. Click the link to see it.
It's a poplular activity center for local ex-pats and usually something going on in the bar area 6-1opm but quiet otherwise. It's a few blocks walk to the main drag where there are bars and restaurants and shops. Same distance to the beach. We were diving but there's plenty of other water activities there. We hired a driver to take us on a jungle river cruise and swim in a creek by a waterfall.
Spanish will be helpful of course but many people in CR speak English. Costa Rica is very hot and humid, though.
One of the neat things about CR is the number of environments you can choose from - cloud forest, beach, volcano and hot springs, mountains, jungle, city.
We flew into San Jose and took transportation to the little ocean town of Tamarindo where we stayed in a bed and breakfast tree house for six-hundred American for the week. It's near where some of the "The Endless Summer" was filmed.
We took a local tour of the mangroves and jungle and another tour to Rincon Viejo where we rode horseback, took a two hour white-water tube float down a river that most kids would love. We were fed a good buffet lunch and then went for a mud bath and soak in the hot springs before returning back to Tamarindo.
Tamarindo is low key but accommodating. Excitement is the sunset celebration on the beach and the occasional night storming of the town by the howler monkeys passing overhead. You haven't lived until you hear that at night!
While you are there look for the honey made by bees which feed off of coffee bean flowers. Unbelievable
Edit to add: Be sure to check customs to see if they will let you in. I know they weren't accepting visitors from the US this last year.
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