$2500 trip? - Non-Wakeboarding Discussion

(mnwakerider) · (mnwakerider) **Join Date: Jun 2004** 11-02-2011, 8:05 PM

Need a little WW inspiration:
I actually just had a distant relative pass and left the entire family some money. Boils down to 5K for the wifey and I. We are putting half to the lake frontage fund and half on a much needed vacation.

Looking for some suggestions. Here are a couple of things we want to do or include (understood that not everything can be included)

Learn to surf
Good cuisine (we're wanna be foodies)
Vino (wanna be winos)
White water rafting
Wakeboarding (duh?)
Zip line
Canyoning
Spa Day

We were thinking something like flying into SoCal and then driving PCH north to wine country, but wanted to get some other ideas as well. Let me know what you guys have done that would fit the ticket/budget.

(kstateskier) · (kstateskier) **Join Date: May 2002** 11-02-2011, 8:40 PM

We went to San Diego in August for much less than your total and had a great time. I got a lot of good information off of here. There were a bunch of great restaurants, microbreweries, etc. there and we did learn to surf there. I'm pretty sure you could wakeboard at Mission Bay, though we did not.

(ttrigo) · (ttrigo) **Join Date: Dec 2004** 11-02-2011, 9:13 PM

San diego is perfect for that. Mission bay has wakeboarding, but head a little north of there to carlsbad and ride the lagoon there. Lots of great food, and temecula which is near san diego is the newer wine country of california.

(tripsw) · (tripsw) **Join Date: May 2006** 11-03-2011, 7:11 AM

Tickets from MN are probably too expensive, if you were more south Costa Rica were your destination. Apart from the wine thing.

(mnwakerider) · (mnwakerider) **Join Date: Jun 2004** 11-05-2011, 8:38 AM

Tickets are not that bad (around $600) to costa rica.

WHere should we look at going city/town/coast?

(bcoppinger) · (bcoppinger) **Join Date: Sep 2002** 11-10-2011, 6:48 AM

My wife and I are booked for Arenal in Costa Rica in January. I got some great advice from WW in this thread on where to stay and what to do.

http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=790445

(wakegirl22) · (wakegirl22) **Join Date: Dec 2005** 11-11-2011, 4:42 PM

Going to Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica in 2 weeks. Will be there for a week for my sisters wedding. There are tons of things to do and I don't think that everything is that expensive. We are renting a house for the whole family, so that cost was quite a bit, but the plane tickets were inexpensive.

(tripsw) · (tripsw) **Join Date: May 2006** 11-14-2011, 7:51 AM

Jaime C stop by at Lake Arenal if you have time!
John Brine, forget about city and town, off to the lake and the coast! If you just plan to visit the beaches fly into Liberia to dodge San Jose, it's terrible there. My recommendation; no resorts and forget about the popular tourist places like Jaco, Tamarindo, Coco, Quepos/Manuel Antonio. Rent a car and drive around without a real plan. Stay longer if you like it somewhere, move on when you're done. If you have the time, visit Peninsula de Osa (Corcovado National Park, Drake Bay) in the south (maybe fly there cause it's a long drive and flights are cheap). Again, time permitting; visit the Caribbean coast (Puerto Viejo/Cahuita) and spend 2 days or so in Tortuguero (north caribbean). Arenal lake and volcano should not be missed. Monteverde in case you couldn't make it to Osa. Then on to Peninsula de Nicoya. Surf, relax, and drive from Nosara along the coast down to Montezuma (or vice versa). I'll pass you some places where to stay along the road. This drive is one of the coolest things to do in CR, I think.
Any questions just shoot!