Justine Rudman asked 7 years ago
hi
I finally got our password to work. I sent you a note via the itinerary section but it is probably more relevant here. I didn’t make a copy so will re-write it here:
My husband, three kids (14, 12 and almost 10 by the summer) are coming to Costa Rica around July 29th for 2 weeks. My elder son will have been on a service project there and we will meet him in San Jose. We were originally looking for a house in Santa Teresa/Malpais area but we have been offered a “house swap” in an area near Cabo Blanco, Puntarenas Province (and not far from Lepanto and Isla San Lucas) which is on that same peninsular and just up from Paquera.
Question 1: Do you know anything about this area? The house does look amazing and remote and does have access to a private beach etc.
Question 2: I know we can get the car ferry from (or to) Punta Arenas to Paquera but there looks like there is also a ferry from Punta Arenas to Playa Naranjo which is much closer to this house but maybe that is not a ferry that takes cars?
Question 3: We would like to rent a car and to stop somewhere for a couple of days (or maybe even two places). where would you stop for a couple of days from San Jose to Cabo blanco? Would Monteverde be good at this time of year or far to wet or far too touristy? Volcano Arena?La Fortuna sounds quite touristy so maybe not for us….
If we go to Monteverde are we better off doing ziplining there or nearer to Cabo Blanco?
We have Marriot points so could stay at the Courtyard by Marriott San Jose Airport Alajuela or the Costa Rica Marriott San José or we also have some Hilton points so could stay there. I read something about it is better to be out by the airport (Alajuela) but maybe not if we need to pick up the car the next day etc.
Thanks so much,
Justine Rudman
Jenn and Matt Staff answered 7 years ago
Hi Justine,
Glad that you got the forum figured out. That area of the Nicoya Peninsula is on our list to explore but we haven’t done much more than drive through. From doing that though, we can say that it is quite beautiful. For taking the ferry from Puntarenas to Naranjo, we don’t know much about it but one of our readers recently commented on our Puntarenas to Paquera Ferry post about doing it and breaking up the drive. So we think that is a possibility for you. For a place to stop for a few days, Monteverde would be a good choice. July is the rainy season but it isn’t peak rainy season so you should be able to get some activities in during the day. We’d recommend doing the zip-lining there as the facilities are really nice. Lastly, yes, better to stay closer to SJO airport unless you plan to visit museums, etc. You can rent a car from either place. Make sure to check out our Rental Car Discount page to save some money too. Good luck with your travels!
