boulderjohn:
Another couple, my wife, and I are looking for a summer trip, and our previous plans got totally screwed, so we are rethinking everything. They had a relative go to Costa Rica and have a great time, and they have that bug. We are exploring possibilities, but we have to decide very quickly.
Here's the problem. Of all the people I mentioned, I am the only diver. On a trip, we would like to be somewhere where we could have a great time exploring the island's charms together and still allow me the chance to get off for a reasonable number of dives. We did a trip to Cozumel a while ago that worked great this way.
I am a fairly skilled and experienced diver who will be looking for the best possible experience.
Can anyone suggest a good starting point for us as far as the best place to stay that will afford us the best of everything?
Your first problem is that Costa Rica is not an island.
Having got that out of the way as a diver I would probably want to start in the North East. Ocotal or one of the resorts nearby. The diving is pretty good and that area of Costa Rica is going to have pretty much the best weather i.e. hot and dry. It is probably the least interesting part of the country however.
The peninsula south of Ocotal is interesting, but the roads are marginal, and I don't think there is much in the way of diving, didn't look. We took an Echo over them, but I will drive pretty much anything anywhere so a 4 x 4 may be called for if you go this route. Anywhere else a regular car was fine.
Rent a car and go inland - Arenal for the volcano, wind surfing, kite surfing, bird watching, orchids white water rafting. The canopy tour is excellent, a day at the spa at the foot of the Volcano is also a good way to spend a day. The botanical garden is hard to find but worth a look if you are in the area and are interested in that sort of thing. The area around Mt Arenal is probably my favourite part of the country, however it can be cloudy and rainy depends on the luck of the draw re weather.
West of the volcano is interesting - farm country but we jsut drove through it on the way over the mountians to the plateau.
San Jose as a city you can take a pass on, but the communities around are worth a look. We stayed in a B&B coffee plantation the first trip and made that our first stop on the second. Hidden away, but very nice in the hills west of San Hose.
Manuel Antonio is nice, the diving is worth doing. Have yet to get to the Eastern side of the mountians. Not enough time. The canopy tour on the road down from San Jose to the coast is not as good as the one near Arenal. However if you are not into being harnessed to a zip line and travelling from treetop to treetop then this one will be more your style. You sit in an open gondola with a guide and ride through the treetops. Not as exciting, but still worth doing.
We have gone twice - rented a car and never spent more than three or four days in any one spot - just exploring. Wonderful country, never lacked for things to do or places to stay. It has something like 7 climate zones in a very very small area. Don't like the weather - drive a couple hours and it is completely different.
The country is really best done as a series of B&B's IMHO. However if you want a spot to explore from and you want hot and dry then The Ocotal or another hotel nearby would be a good choice.
