4-5 days in Costa Rica

My wife and I will be arriving in Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica at the end
of a Panama Canal cruise in early December and wanted to spend 4-5 days
seeing the natural sights of Costa Rica. We will be on the cruise ship
from the Caribbean so we intend to focus on the central and Pacific
region. We would appreciate recommendations on places to visit and
places to stay. We are also wondering if we should rent a car or try to
hook up with a land only tour. We have always preferred independent
travel.

Driving in Costa Rica is easy enough, so rent a car and go. Spend a day at
Arenal volcano and Fortuna. The north beaches on the Pacific are very nice.
We've been to many, but the only one we stayed at was Flamingo. You can
find many nice spots from there. Costa Rica is nice, and generally safe, so
have a nice time.

k
"alandmim" <afaconsult@pinehills.net> wrote in message
news:1155133584.968954.9520@p79g2000cwp. ps.com...
> My wife and I will be arriving in Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica at the end
> of a Panama Canal cruise in early December and wanted to spend 4-5 days
> seeing the natural sights of Costa Rica. We will be on the cruise ship
> from the Caribbean so we intend to focus on the central and Pacific
> region. We would appreciate recommendations on places to visit and
> places to stay. We are also wondering if we should rent a car or try to
> hook up with a land only tour. We have always preferred independent
> travel.
>