Hello,
my boyfriend and I would like to travel to Costa Rica in November. We would like to spend one week at the same hotel and visit around. We would like to spend some time on the beach but also visit around. A nice city with little restaurant would be nice. Do you have any recommendation of city and hotel (reasonable budget)?
Maybe Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean side.
Montezuma, Mal Pais, Santa Teresa. From this locations in the south Nicoya Peninsula you can explore the whole area as long as you have a car rental (4x4). In 3 hours you can even explore all the way up to Samara / Carrillo / Nosara. and return the same day.
November can be nice around Caribbean side of Costa Rica... check...Cahuita...Puerto Viejo...Cocles...Punta Uva ...Manzanillo
Also Tortuguero...maybe a nice combination with Pacuare river rafting trip!
At the Pacific...Manuel Antonio Nation Park area and a combination with Arenal Volcano even that the volcano is located at the Caribbean side of our country!
Popular itinerary...SJO...Arenal...Monteverde ...Manuel Antonio and back to SJO...
At each destination many good hotel options good for almost any budget!
roadadvisor
Edited: 4:56 pm, September 18, 2012Montezuma (on the Pacific Coast) is my favorite place on the planet. I believe the first two weekends of November there will be a film festival there (in the evenings) if you happen to be going at that time.
I like the Pacific side of the country more myself. Montezuma is a tiny tiny town and it's just great. Puerto Viejo is a pretty small town but it's huge compared to Montezuma.
I've been to Montezuma (over a dozen times) in November 3 different times and the weather has been amazingly good for being the end of the green (rainy) season).
Multiple waterfalls very close, another after a 2 hour hike up the beach. And a few more scattered around there.
Montezuma Pacific Hotel is THE best value in town (it's on Trip Advisor under B&Bs, maybe under Montezuma Pacifico) is great cheap and the staff is super friendly (A/C, WiFi, free coffee/tea in mornings, refrigerators, hot showers, big digital safes in rooms). I've stayed at this hotel 8 times(?) sometimes as much as 3 weeks. It's downtown but off the strip so it's not noisy; he downtown area is less that a few city blocks.
If you don't want to drive too much use Montezuma Expeditions and they'll provide transport to get you to and from SJO area for cheap; if you get in not early and have to spend the night, they have some hotel packages which are a real deal (pay the extra to upgrade to Casa Tago, it's worth the $5-ish, then probably $5 for A/C too). You could then rent something semi-local for a day or two (or just rent a 4x4).
Cabo Blanco national park is just south too (7 miles?) with daily bus transport (less than $2).
Gary
Edited: 8:28 pm, September 18, 2012
