Costa Rica- Pura Vida
I have been to Costa Rica twice. The first was with my husband in 2012. We went to the Arenal Volcano area (in the north) for 4 days, and the Manuel Antonio area (in the south for 4 more days) . I returned this year 2018 with 10 couples (yes 20 people in 2 beach front houses!) for 1 week and then 4 us stayed for an additional week (perks of being retired). I love the country of Costa Rica!
Truly friendly people, and great sights = a fabulous vacation destination for you to enjoy!
What I can do for you:
- teach you how to say Pura Vida !
- tell you which phone APPs to download that make foreign travel easier
- inform you about which mapping on your phone works well
- prepare a driving itinerary for you
- explain the rental car "liability" that will effect your total car rental cost.
- organize really fun excursions (see the pictures below for ideas
Budget
- airfare non-stop DFW about $700 , (DAL) 1 stop in Houston $590
- Hotels on the beach run $200+ a night, house rentals on the beach run $210+ per couple (they come with maid service and some come with chefs (hotels off the beach are much cheaper)
- Hotels in the Arenal Lake and Volcano area run $85 -$200+
- Hotels in Manuel Antonio area run $100-$240+ depending upon ocean access
- Car rental $500 for a week for a full sized 4WD- (big enough for 4 adults and luggage)
- Food will be about $50 per day per person. If you eat like a "Tico" (local) your food budget will be much cheaper.
- Excursions will cost $50-$150 some include transportation
Excursions in Costa Rica are a must. You can rent a catamaran, go zip lining, soak in hot springs, and catch some fish for dinner.
You can feed monkeys at an animal rehab, hike to and swim in a blue river, see exotic birds and view volcanoes
Go down a rain forest water slide, rent a tent and chairs on a great beach (where they will cook fish for you for lunch on a BBQ grill and get a $20- 1 hour massage, climb a giant ficus tree, and take a 2 hour hike over 10 hanging bridges
See coatis, agoutis, humming birds, and lots of monkeys in the wild in the Manuel Antonio area (don't let them steal your stuff-really)
Stay in great places like a cacao farm (they will give you a tour), beach house with an infinity pool or hotel tree house in the rain forest or a hot spring hotel with a view of a volcano
See exotic plants!
