www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Hi folks,

Below is my tentative plan for locations by date. Would appreciate feedback as to appropriate days of week to visit and amount of time in each place, any transport or weather issues, places to avoid, tips, suggestions, CRT discounts, etc. And I would like to meet up others on this board so count me in on some of the activities!

I am a 46 year old gringo traveling solo, first time to CR. Spanish level is beginner. Been to Caribbean and Southeast Asia a few times. Arriving July 2nd 6:02 p.m. on Delta 39 from Atlanta and departing July 18 at 7:00 a.m. on Delta 38 to Atlanta. If anyone wants to share a cab please PM me. I'm staying at La Amistad the first three nights.

My goals are: women and alcohol in moderation, nature in abundance, surfing (beginner), fishing if the opportunity presents itself, meeting a variety of people, staying at a mix of hotels and hostels, and being flexible to change plans to take advantage of events. I also want to navigate the tourist areas efficiently, minimize exposure heavy crowds, and avoid rip-offs (don't we all) however I'm willing to accept some of these as learning curve and price to pay to visit the attractions. Having an authentic Costa Rican cultural experience would be icing on the cake.

I'm budgeting about $150-$175 per day on average, excluding airfare and women. Here's the tentative plan:

DAY DATE LOCATION
Wednesday 2nd San Jose
Thursday 3rd San Jose
Friday 4th San Jose
Saturday 5th La Fortuna
Sunday 6th La Fortuna
Monday 7th La Fortuna
Tuesday 8th Monteverde
Wednesday 9th Monteverde
Thursday 10th San Jose
Friday 11th Jaco
Saturday 12th Jaco
Sunday 13th Playa Hermosa
Monday 14th Quepos
Tuesday 15th Quepos
Wednesday16th San Jose
Thursday 17th San Jose

Pretty ambitious plan. Two things I'd recommend. First, take the taxi/boat/jeep option to go from Arenal to Monteverde. Although they are close physically, to drive from one to the other is at least 3-4 hours. Second, don't bother to switch hotels from Jaco to Playa Hermosa. They are really close together and a cab shouldn't be more than around $15 round trip. This will maximize your 'girl' time in Jaco

Good luck and hope you have a fantastic trip!

_________________
The only thing that matters is happiness in all it forms...

^ Pvt, thanks for the advice, those sound like good ideas.