Bonjour
I'm newbie to this forum. We are going 2 weeks early Feb to CR. Renting Villa in Playa el coco but are going to Monteverde / Arenal for 2 days.
I've done the backpacking in my early days and now looking for "higher" end hotel. 1) Any suggestions?
We are naturalists at heart. want to kayak, see nature at its best... 2) My question is: Should I get a Hotel in Arenal and take boat taxi to Monteverde? We want to book our hotel before we leave.
jo

Hi. Newbie to the forum too. Just saw your msg. Also just returned home after 3 weeks in CR and Panama, 2 of which were spent all over CR, including Arenal and Monteverde.

Our opinion: The road from M to Arenal is tortuous! We did it with a tour guide and a robust 4-wheel drive and it took nearly 4 hours! Definitely not a day trip! We actually saw a 15-psgr van trying to get up the slope we were crawling down, and he obviously didn't have 4 wheel drive. he couldn't make it! Most of his heavy American passengers had been told to get out and walk to the top of the hill they were on! He coasted back down to a spot wide enough for all traffic in both directions to pass him, and we continued on without ever seeing how he made it to the top!

Monteverde is lovely but it's a royal PITA to get to/from! Roads are much more like dry stream beds than roads! Arenal is much better; much more normal to get around in!

Hope this helps.

Just remembered you also asked about hotels in Monteverde.

Monteverde is the generic name for the region, but the "urban" area it's nearest is a little village called Santa Elena. This might influence how you Google on searches, for example.

We had a prepaid tour pkg that put us up for 3 nights in the Monteverde Lodge in Santa Elena. It's definitely the highest end high end hotel, and it's marvelous! Since our package was all for a single prepaid amount, I can't break out how much each night cost, but I suspect it's considerable compared with other spots we saw there. We did see a brochure in the room dated in 2006, that I think (not sure at all) put "extra nights" per room for their own packages in the plus-$200 range! but you get your money's worth, in the room, in the lovely bird-filled gardens, and in the fancy restaurant.

Santa Elena is a typical little tourist-oriented village where you'll find all you need.

Hope this helps.

Thank you for taking the time
I appreciate your comments. We booked private transport from El coco to Monteverde. Monte Verde lodge was booked so we are in El Establo for one night. Next morning we are taking the boat-taxi on Lake to Arenal. We will stay there a little longer. We are not sure what type of transportation we will use to get back to our Villa in Playa El Coco. I've heard a lot about the terrible road conditions.
I'm sure we will enjoy our trip.
Thanks again, joanne

Hi. Glad I could help!

Don't let my words about roads scare you off! They're quite acceptable if you have the right vehicle and someone with intelligence and experience driving them! And except for the ones right into and out of Monteverde, and down toward Lake Arenal, they're all paved, for whatever "paved" means in CR!

You're gonna love it!

I read this thread with interest as we are thinking about making the route in reverse and are debating the same questions. We are thinking about driving from La Paz to Arenal, to Montverde to the Pacific Coast. We will have a 4x4 (or at least plan to). I've seen statements online about public transportation taking 8 hours for the trip (9 during the rainy season). My reason for the trip to Montverde is the canopy zip lines and susension bridges. My kids would enjoy this and this seems to be a better place for it than other places I've seen but if I could condense my Arenal/Monteverde trip into one stay whick would be the best without taking a tour from one to the other. Thanks