Manuel Antonio or Jaco?

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Mark The Latin Travel Dude

Well. Personally, I think Manuel Antonio is a beautiful park with beautiful beaches, *BUT* I highly recommend seeing the place ONLY on a day-trip and not spending so much as ONE SINGLE DOLLAR anywhere within 20 miles of the park.

All those hotels and restaurants and tourist shops that have sprung up are the Chernobyl of Costa Rican "eco tourism". They're responsible for decimating the monkey populations that abounded in the park only 20 years ago. The development was so irresponsible and so deadly to wildlife that it disgusts me to see them bill themselves as an "eco destination".

Sure. Visit the park....see the monkeys...see the beaches. Just do *NOT* support any businesses around Manuel Antonio or Quepos!! Do so and YOU become part of the problem.

Da Tony

You should stay at jaco, its full of americans and theres a variety of cheap and expensive hotels for whatever you're thinking.Manuel antonio's beach isnt very nice, Jaco's is prettier, even if it does have the whole prositution deal =P just stay away from street corners i guess =]

curlyjess_04

Manuel Antonio, hands down! Beautiful national park. beautiful beaches, and great night life. Also plenty of great day trips available.

tico times directory

Manual Antonio has probably one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and it is a must to see, but I would reserve it for a day trip. It is only about an one hr drive from Jaco (depending on traffic). However, due to the tourist trade, it has gotten expensive.

Personally what I would do is to spend the 3 days in Jaco, take a bus/shuttle or just rent a car for a day (with an early start and it is easy to find) and see Manual Antonio and then head back to Jaco.

Now Jaco does have its adult businesses, but regardless of what you hear there are some great places to stay at a reasonable price (a lot cheaper then Antonio). You can cruise the town and enjoy the nightlife without being hassled by the hookers. Below is a small list of places without the dirtiness you hear so much about, and are geared to families/couples - all hotels have maps to them or just take a taxi ride. It will only cost at the most a couple of bucks.

Bohio on the Beach- A great beach front Bar/restaurant,
Tabacon- Another good bar, Restaurant, and nightclub
Ganeisha - mix of Tourists and locals there of all age groups
Claritas - cool sports bar right on the beach. Food okay, but good drinks and lots of local beach traffic. Fun place to meet people.
Jungle Bar - music, dance floor - fun place for couples
Vibraciones - nightclub center of town - great place for couples

A few reasonable hotels are Tangeri, Hotel Mar de Luz, Copacabana and Claritas

Jaco does have a lot of other recreation like sportsfishing, zipling and eco-tours ....

Enjoy your stay in Costa Rica

John S

thanks.

Kristina L

If you are looking to go clubbing, drinking, dancing and party hardy than you'll want to head to Jaco. This also has some good surf areas. It is however, a little more.....aah, 'free spirited' for lack of a better word -than I prefer. Believe the reviews.

Manual Antonio has an incredibly beautiful beach. There is the Manual Antonio National Park which is gorgeous. Quepos is the biggest "city" near Manual Antonio if you want to be in a highly populated area. The strip of beach between Quepos and Manual Antonio is pretty much hotel after hotel mixed up with some restaurants, spas, and other tourist things. If you want to be in a less populated area, but not out in the sticks - this area is ideal. I stayed at Costa Verde last June and I really really loved this hotel. It feels isolated, but it's not. So you have a feeling of privacy without feeling uncomfortable. Plus there were 3 restaurants within walking distance, hiking trails on property, and the tour companies would pick us up right at the hotel. It was really nice. www.costaverde.com

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