Hey all — traveling with 4 friends (5 total) and trying to sanity-check our plan, especially the last part of the trip.
Here’s what we have so far (May 22–30):
- Friday night: arrive in San Jose, grab food/drinks, drive to Cartago and stay there
- Saturday: visit Volcán Irazú, explore Cartago, go out at night in La Cali
- Sunday: head to La Fortuna (arrive afternoon, still figuring out that evening)
- Monday: hike in the morning, hot springs in the afternoon, bars at night
- Tuesday: ziplining + hanging bridges, bars at night
Now here’s where we’re stuck:
Our return flight is Saturday at 3pm out of Liberia, so after La Fortuna we have:
- Wednesday afternoon/night
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday morning
We want to spend this time at the beach, but we’re trying to balance a few things:
- We enjoy nightlife (go out pretty often back home)
- But we also want a more “Costa Rica vibe” beach, not just partying the whole time
Current idea (not sure if it’s the move):
We were thinking of staying somewhere central on the Guanacaste coast (like Playa Grande) so we can be within ~30 min of different beaches, do day trips, and still go out at night if we want.
Where we’re stuck:
- Is it better to stay in one Airbnb the whole time and keep things simple?
- Or split it up (like 1–2 nights in different spots)?
- Which area actually gives the best balance of good beaches + some nightlife without feeling overly touristy?
Main goal is to avoid wasting time driving/logistics and not make the trip feel rushed.
Would appreciate any recommendations from people who’ve done something similar. What would you do with ~3.5 days on that side?
Thanks!