My story starts with a Red Eye flight (non-stop on Frontier Airlines) from Denver to San Jose, the capitol city. It was a 5 hours and went so smoothly that I think you can jet away to Costa Rica for a long weekend.
As a travel agent, we book our Costa Rica hotels and tours through a package company named Way To Go Costa Rica. Their staff of agents are very knowledgeable about the destination.

Costa Rica is a democratic republic, meaning they hold elections, collect taxes, and have a representative government for the four and a half million residents of her 7 provinces (States). It is a tiny country by US standards (being 1/3 the size of my home state of Colorado) but her richness is in the welcoming personality of her people and her soil. Everything grows here. Tourism is now Cost Rica’s “numero uno” industry. But right behind tourism is Bananas, Papaya, Pineapples, Coffee and so much more.
A US citizen needs a valid Passport good for at least 90 days, because that’s how long you can stay here as a tourist; 90 days. Then you have to leave for 3 days, and then you can come back again, and repeat the cycle. No need to have dual citizenship. There’s about a quarter million North Americans living here year round or vacationing like “snow-birds.”
Your first vacation or two in Costa Rica is like vacationing in Hawaii…you don’t stay in one location the whole time. Most people will visit two or three provinces during the typical 7-night trip. On this trip, we are visiting the Central Valley region (San Jose up to Arenal) and then West Coastal region (Quepos/Manuel Antonio).
San Jose has built a modern “international arrivals” terminal. So, Immigration and Customs was quick, Our destination management company, Destination Costa Rica, sent an English-speaking Driver/Guide to pick us up. His name was Roberto and he was holding up a paper sign that had my first and last name on it. He was standing outside the terminal building (with a lot of other drivers) leaning against a plate glass window. I gave him the “hi sign” and he flashed a wide smile. Everything went smoothly. After exchanging big hellos, we walked a short distance to his Toyota 9 passenger van.
Along the 3-hour drive to the town of Fortuna, we talked about the people, the history, and what we can do to have fun in his country. Your driver will make a stop along the way for pie and coffee or to a local Super Market (if you’d like a bottle of water for the ride). Speaking of water, I do recommend that you drink bottled water while in Costa Rica. In addition, a Pepto Bismol tablet each morning is cheap insurance against an upset stomach.

Our first hotel for this trip was the Arenal Paraiso hotel. www.ArenalParaiso.com The AP covers many acres and in keeping with the jungle feel, has a series of 100 small stone and wood bungalows. We were located close to the highway. The better rooms were the wooden duplex’s located up on the hill because they were away from the direct noise of the road and had better views of the Volcano Arenal. All the rooms have private bathroom (with shower only), king or two double beds, vanity, satellite TV, small refrigerator, and a 2-cup coffee maker. To me the best feature of the rooms was the Costa Rican made rocking chairs on the patio. It was nice just sitting their with coffee or a drink and relaxing. Each room came with it’s own parking spot in case guests had rented a car. I rate the Arenal Paraiso 3-stars and it’s a great family resort in that they have nice swimming pools, daily complimentary breakfast buffet, and reasonably priced food for the rest of your meals. Plus this hotel has a great view of Arenal, a small hot springs, and a well-priced Canopy Tour right on site so you don’t need to go anywhere if you don’t want to. $45 US for the zip-line, lunches at $7-$10, dinner for $10-$20. One thing I always recommend when you first arrive to your room at a tropical hotel, get the bellman to show you how to use the air conditioner. The Arenal Paraiso was able to get us into rooms by 11am on our day of arrival, and that was nice seeing we flew all night. However, the A/C could not keep up during the heat of the day. Only after the sun went down did the air conditioning make the room comfortable enough for sleeping. The resort had a moderately priced Spa and a small gym with 3 machines. I had “Today’s Gentlemen” treatment package which was a combination of a full body Swedish Massage, facial, and pedicure, all for $125 USD plus tip. The Arenal Paraiso is built on the side of a hill. We are in the mountains here so access for the handicapped (while not impossible) will be somewhat of a struggle. I would come back to the Arenal Paraiso. Other hotels we saw along this stretch of road were the Kioro, the Volcano Lodge, the Tabacon Lodge, and the new Royal Corin. We were told the best accommodations are at the Arenal Springs Resort and Spa.