Costa Rica

[Isaiah_53_5]

@Yayyywork

Trip was awesome! Was like a year ago to date, loved Playa Hermosa very quiet little beach town spent my days that I didnt go do something on the beach drinking and in the ocean.

I did visit Tamarindo with some other Americans that were staying at the hotel I was at. It depends what you are looking for really, Tamarindo was pretty Americanized and would certainly be more comfortable if you wanted something like that. Plenty of restaurants and lots to do, seemed like a bit of a younger crowd (as in early 20’s) but it had more to do than most of the towns we drove through to get there. If you are looking to experience a bit more of the culture youd probably be best to avoid Tamarindo for those same reasons, I thought it was cool to visit but the beaches were way more crowded than any of the smaller communities you could find.

Didnt check out any of those other places but trip advisor gives a pretty good idea of the areas and you can kind of pick where you want to go based on how populated you want it to be which is nice. They are all going to be hot as hell if you are going within the next few weeks most likely, we werent on the beach from noon-3pom daily due to the fact that it was just too strong us sun with no clouds and about 105 in all of Guanacaste this time of year. Was a nice time to head off grab some lunch and drinks as most towns I saw have lots of resteraunts on beachfront properties you can walk to. All the trees that arent directly on the beach shed their leaves due to the heat/lack of water its pretty wild to see.

Not sure where around Arenal you are going to be, but take a peak and see if you are by the Tenorio area. If you happen to be I suggest checking out the Rio Celeste and seeing if thats something your family may be into. Was a hike (and not the easiest one in the world) but was able to see some absolutely beautiful scenery & a stunning blue waterfall.

All in all, CR is amazing I will definitely be doing back within the next 5 years but most likely checking out the south western & Caribbean side next time. Hope you & the family have an awesome trip!

pura vida

[higgmond]

^ Thanks. Rio Celeste is on the top of the list for me, which is why we chose a place right on the edge of Tenorio park for that portion of the trip. Maybe I can convince the rest of my group to do Tamarindo for just a couple of days and then finish out someplace quieter.

[Yayyywork]

Awesome! Rio Celeste was probably one of my favorite moments of the trip, as long as you are lucky enough to not get a rainy day when you go the waterfall looks absolutely as beautiful as the pictures its amazing. I will say the 200 steps going down are a bit tiring, going back up I needed a break once I got back up.

Tamarindo was certainly fun had a great meal there but alas cant recall where. Would love to enjoy an Imperial on the beach again, have a blast