October: Ireland vs. Costa Rica

[hz80408]

We want to take a 7-day trip with another couple leaving from Chicago for ~$1,100/person for flight/transportation/accommodations. I posted yesterday asking for travel package website deals.

We've seen several for both Ireland and Costa Rica. Both would have us staying in 3 cities and having a rental car to drive amongst them. Have you traveled to either country in early October? From what I've found, it seems like for parts of CR, October is their rainy season...is that similar to Hurricane Season, where you still can have gorgeous weather everyday, or is it truly likely to rain every day? Given the two options, which trip would you take? (Chicago weather early October flexs, but recently it's still been pleasants 60s and 70s; I know I'm generalizing a country's weather for Ireland and CR, but since we'll be traveling, this seems to make sense?) TIA

[katieh]

I vote Ireland b/c 1) I don't like Costa Rica (been there twice) and 2) I really like Ireland. ;-)

What I didn't like about Costa Rica - it felt very touristy and fake. Yes, Dublin is obviously very touristy, but there's not a tour office or souvenir shop on every corner. It felt much more difficult to find any real culture in Costa Rica - everything seemed built for tourism. We went in September and it poured every day so that may have impacted my first trip, but the second time was in January and I still didn't really enjoy it.

What I liked about Ireland - great beer and whiskey, everyone was really friendly, we made lots of friends in the pubs (one group even offered to drive us around the next day), there's a ton of history and culture.

So I guess it depends on what you're looking for - more history or more outdoor adventure.

[ILikeSloths]

I've never been to Ireland so I can't comment on it or compare.


We went to Costa Rica for our honeymoon and loved it. I disagree with the PP about being fake. Some towns are touristy as expected, but the country is diverse and other places aren't as touristy if you get off the beaten path a bit. That's also a good reason to get out of the main towns and experience nature because it offers so much - mountains, rainforests, volcanoes, wildlife, etc. We did a lot of fun excursions if you need recs. I think it's a good destination for a 7 day getaway.

As for the rainy season, it completely depends on what part of the country you visit. There are different climates. The northwest coast (Guanacaste region) tends to be drier year round. The southwest (Osa Peninsula) gets more rain. We stayed in the Central Pacific area near Manuel Antonio at the beginning of rainy season (June/July) and had no issues. It was sunny every morning with periodic rain showers in the afternoon then it cleared up for the evening, so it never interfered with anything. The rain also made everything lush and beautiful. We stayed inland near Arenal Volcano the second half of our trip and again, it rained some but nothing crazy. That said, there's rainforest throughout the country and weather can be unpredictable so sometimes it may be dry for days, then rain for a few days straight. You just never know. I don't know much about going in October, but I don't think I would let rainy season stop me from going during that time depending on which part you plan to visit.

I do agree with the PP that it depends on what you're looking for - more history or outdoor adventure. If you need more info on CR then let me know.

[travelingjen]

I've been to both countries and enjoyed them for different reasons. I don't think you can go wrong with either choice. I visited Ireland at the end of March/beginning of April and it was very cold and rainy which made some of the sightseeing miserable. If you go towards the beginning of October the weather might not be quite as bad but if you go towards the end of the month it will likely be much more rainy. When I visit Ireland again I will go during the warmer summer months just to try and avoid as much rain as I can!

In terms of Costa Rica, as the previous poster mentioned, October is rainy season for only part of the country. October is actually one of the best times to visit Arenal as it is when you are most likely to see the volcano. There is a great weather chart on this page for Costa Rica: www.govisitcostarica.com/travelInfo/climate.asp
And even if it does rain, it will still be warm outside, unlike Ireland.

When I visit Ireland I spent a week which was no where near enough time. Next time I want to do two weeks.

When I visited Costa Rica I spent 8 days in the country dividing my time between two areas (Nosara and Arenal). While there is plenty more to see in Costa Rica I didn't feel as rushed with my time as I did in Ireland.

[hz80408]

Thanks for the insight all. I totally agree that there are differences to each. Essentially we are looking for a vacation that is somewhat carefree but still with options of sites to see and activity (as compared to an AI). Plus we love the idea of having a car to go off the beaten path and explore a little.

The majority of the CR trips we've looked at include Arenal and San Jose with one other city. It looks like I'll have to really research which cities we would visit to try to get the best weather.

But Ireland's coastal views, food and beer, and history is intriguing as well! It sounds like we can't go wrong with either option; thanks for the input and I'd love to hear from anyone else as well.

[ejpint]

I would choose Ireland if CR is potentially rainy season. If I were doing CR, I'd want to do it when I'd maximize my opportunity to avoid crappy weather at home and enjoy sunny weather on vacation.

Ireland's weather really could be gloomy any time of year. October is still likely to be nice. I loved Ireland so so hard, and can't think of a better fall vacation. Curling up with a pint after a great day of sightseeing, warding off a crisp evening chill with a lovely Irish wool scarf that you picked up in the shops, and you're just outside of peak tourist season, so most things should be open, but not packed.

[scout8]

I have been to both and I voted Ireland.

I loved Ireland and CR was just meh for me, for many of the reasons the other poster mentioned. Did you look into Nicaragua at all? We did Nicaragua & CR on the same trip and I much preferred Nicaragua.

[katieh]

Jun 12, 2012 19:53:46 GMT -5 scout8 said:

I have been to both and I voted Ireland.

I loved Ireland and CR was just meh for me, for many of the reasons the other poster mentioned. Did you look into Nicaragua at all? We did Nicaragua & CR on the same trip and I much preferred Nicaragua.

I'd also suggest Honduras as another alternative. For all the reasons I disliked Costa Rica, I loved Honduras. I felt like the cities were less overrun with tourists (Roatan is touristy of course, but it still felt lived in, not like in Arenal where I felt like everything there was built for tourism). I visited Roatan and Copan, which I really loved. There are some ruins outside of town that are very cool (you can walk to them) and you can visit coffee plantations, go horseback riding, or take a cooking class at this beautiful little B&B overlooking the valley, called Hacienda San Lucas. Plus, the prices were cheaper in Honduras and I thought the food was MUCH better. Even my friend who lived in Costa Rica for 7 months said he never found really good food - all the local food is pretty bland.

I really feel bad bashing Costa Rica as I know some people LOVE it and maybe you will too. I just prefer other places in Central America and would go back there before CR - like Honduras and Colombia.

[hz80408]

Thanks for the input. I haven't checked out Nicaguara or Honduras; only because I looked at at Guatemala (I visited in 2009 but no one else has) and flights themselves were $500. I know my hotels in Guatemala were cheap, but it didn't seem practical/like too much work to investigate hotels and transportation. I guess we're fairly set on doing a package, although now maybe I should try googling Nicaguara and Honduras packages. Or maybe it's worth putting the effort in to try to plan a vacay.

With our budgets, that'd leave ~$2,400 for 6 nights of hotel rooms (2 rooms) and car rental; does that seem reasonable for CR, Guate, Nicaguara or Honduras?

[scout8]

CR: We had a free place to stay in CR so I don't know what hotels would cost. I think our rental car was around $350 for the week, but I really can't remember. It was just in November--how did I forget already?

Nicaragua: We took buses to get around. Very cheap (as in $2 per person), but they are definitely an experience. We stayed in B & Bs with good TA reviews and they ranged from $35-75 per night. Super cheap! With your budget, you could definitely afford Nicaragua.

I haven't been to Honduras or Guat so not sure about the budget. I know in researching Guat in the past, it seemed very cheap.

Not to confuse you even more, but if you are considering Latin America, my trip to central Mexico was my favorite of the places I have been!

[hz80408]

Lol, thanks Scout. I think I need to spend some time with the group to identify what we're looking for and then do some research. Thanks for the suggestions!