Well, since my companion cert on Alaska Airlines was expiring, I re-booked the Costa Rica trip with granddaughter for mid August 2021. It just felt good to have the trip back on the books and to be planning again. Hopeful for a vaccine before February-March. So, you all will be seeing postings in the summer wherein I will ask a bunch of questions. Positive thoughts y’all.
Linda
Linda, I don't know where you are in the pecking order for the vaccine, but August seems reasonable for a trip. Anything earlier than July would be a concern.
How was Manual impressive?
Yes, please elaborate on Manuel Antonio without links because I am super cautious about accessing links from persons I don’t know. Thanks
Manuel Antonio is great! If you visit the national park - and you certainly should - I'd recommend hiring a private naturalist guide. They'll help you spot wildlife you'd never see on your own. When we spent a couple hours in the park with our guide, we were stopping to look at animals in the trees and undergrowth that visitors without guides had been oblivious to and walked by entirely.
Well, guess what!! Alaska Airlines changed their schedule to Costa Rica for different limited departure dates AND an extra stop in Liberia. That was not acceptable to me, so I am rethinking my August trip with my granddaughter.
Now thinking of Mexico - perhaps Cancun or Oaxaca. I have not been to either area of Mexico, my granddaughter did go to Tulum when she was 5 or 6. She will be 11 in July. To get some advice, I will create another post for Mexico suggestions. Maybe Lane will pipe in as I think he lives somewhere in Mexico.
AND an extra stop in Liberia.
That is a bit of a detour
EDIT-- I read 'Liberia', in your first mention of it, as the country in Africa, not LIR , the airport in the city of Liberia in Costa Rica.
Got a bit of a geography lesson today.
I responded to your Mexico query separately. But I wanted to point out something about the Liberia airport. I have not used it for the two trips I’ve taken to Costa Rica. But for my next trip, I plan to use it. It’s in a fine location for lots of adventure trips and, in fact, depending on what itinerary you are planning, it can be easier than San Jose. The San Jose airport is crowded and the lines can be long. The traffic getting out of San Jose is very slow. So if you’re set on Costa Rica, check your itinerary - or see if you’ve got some flexibility and consider Liberia.
Joe, I think Alaska Air wants to fill up the airplane by stopping at the Liberia airport and load more people.
Valerie brought up a good point about considering Liberia as my transit hub. Now I am back to looking at a Costa Rica trip starting and ending in Liberia. I will have some questions on planning a couple of days in and near Liberia.
So, this is generally what I am thinking. I really don’t want to drive, so will be using busses or private shuttles to get around.
Day 1: Arrive Liberia,CR and acclimate ourselves
Day 2: take bus or private shuttle to a beach, Playa Hermosa, Playa del Coco (need help here)
Day 3: Monteverde/Santa Elena cloud forest activities
Day 4: Monteverde/Santa Elena
Day 5: La Fortuna and Volcan Arenal
Day 6: La Fortuna and Volcan Arenal
Day 7: Return to Liberia (last night in Liberia)
Questions:
should I switch Monteverde and Arenal? Does it make more sense travel wise, to switch timeline?
what beach do you recommend on the coast nearest to Liberia for myself and GD? I do not want a party or surfer scene, but to start our trip relaxing before a possible long travel day getting to Monteverde or Arenal.
Thanks
I think this might be more streamlined:
Arrive Liberia and take a shuttle right to Arenal.
Then when you're done in Arenal, take a shuttle to Monteverde.
Then go to Playa Hermosa or somewhere near there on the coast.
You don't waste days in Liberia this way.
Playa Hermosa is less than 20 miles from the airport so you can sleep your last night there and then head to the airport.
I used Morpho Vans for my transfers. It was more expensive than shared rides but I thought it was worth it. Liberia airport to Arenal is showing at $195 on their site for a private transfer. Looks like a shared shuttle is about $55 per person. Those vans are tight and can be uncomfortable. I tried them once and nixed them and moved on to private rides - but the shared ones are perfectly safe etc.
Thanks Valerie for the suggestions. I will have to see what time the flight arrives in Liberia whether or not it’s a good idea to just power on with shuttle to Arenal.
Getting some updates here. So, because my incoming flight to Liberia doesn’t arrive until 6 pm, I decided to stay one night at a beach hotel in Playa Hermosa and my GD and I will head to Arenal the next day. I pretty much stuck with the itinerary mentioned above.
Now I am figuring out ground transport: Hermosa>Arenal>Monteverde>Hermosa. I have communicated this routing to my hotel staff and they have given me basically two different options that sound like what Valerie suggested. I figure if they schedule it, there will be a cut for them. Choices were Either shared shuttle or private transport. There are other options-like hopping local busses that are cheap but don’t sound very comfortable. Another suggested Interbus. Has anyone used Evergreen Transport?
[https://www.arenalevergreen.com/english/transportation-arenal-costa-rica/][1]
Please let me know what transport companies you are familiar with. Thanks Valerie for the suggestion of Morpho. I will check that out.
GD will likely not be vaccinated for COVID 19 before our trip because she is underage. I am fully vaccinated. Both of us will need to have a negative PCR test to return to the US (as of this date in time; rules may change before August). So, we will need to take that test in Monteverde or Liberia area. If we wait until we arrive back in the Liberia area, the timing of the test and waiting for the result will be tight. Anybody currently in Costa Rica know the average time to wait for results of the test? From my current research, it appears the result time may be longer when the test is taken in more remote locations. Anybody?
Have since found out and have been in email communication with a clinic that is very near Hermosa beach. So I have that covered.
Are there Any forum members currently in Costa Rica and can give me on the ground info bout the current COVID situation in the country?
We were in Costa Rica in February 2021 and were in Uvita. We were able to get our COVID results in less than 24 hours.
I rented a car twice at that airport and drive all over to and from Arenal and along the coast and to several parks.
