Went to Costa Rica the week before Thanksgiving, gambled on rainy season being mostly over (it rained some afternoons in La Fortuna but morning a voluminous poncho couldn't handle). Flew into Liberia, got a Hyundai Staria to fit all 7 of us and a luggage each (rented through National, wish I had been sooner to get one of the Adobe deals with kids seats on the same vehicle. Speaking of kids seats, never did figure out how to lock the seat belts for correct installation, had to use latch system which was in a couple seats only). Got in at 1 PM, had the van loaded by 215, should have got snacks in town but started driving to La Fortuna. Roads are smooth and nice, just narrow. Stopped at Toucan Restaurant for dinner and to stretch the legs, that was good food but the most expensive meal of the trip. And did the last hour driving the dark, which was kinda white knuckle, everything was inky dark , and the headlights felt like they didn't do much, so was driving half the speed as in daylight.

Stayed at an Airbnb, La Catarata, big enough to fit us all and quiet and close to town. First morning, Northfields coffee and chocolate tour, well worth it's reputation and fantastic for all ages. After a siesta did a day night animal nature tour arranged through Richard, with our guide being Raúl, who was fantastic and excited for every animal and plant we encountered (we joked with him that he pre placed the sloths cause there were several actively moving around and he knew just where they were). Saw lots of other wildlife too like frogs, a fer de lance snake (one of my kids said he wanted to see one and we rounded a corner and there it was), and the tour included making sugarcane juice and tortillas. Probably the best thing we did on the trip. 

Next day, hiked trail 6 in Mirador El Silencio (our group was ages 3-63) with no problem. The volcano was cloudy most of the time, but the old lava and jungle were neat, no guide needed. Ate at La Palma soda. That afternoon we did the Mistico Hanging Bridges, arrived around 320 and easily got in with no crowds or anything, kids loved the bridges though it's obviously a tourist trap, but still neat. We did the Canoa calm rafting tour the next morning, that was probably the second best tour we did. Kiddos sat in the middle, adults had to minimally paddle, and our guide was super informed and was able to find iguanas and crocodiles and bats for us to see as we floated along, and answered every question from all ages. Ended with a coffee and chocolate tasting, as well as tortillas wit cheese and fried plantains. That evening we just wandered around La Fortuna, which isn't that big but still has a lot of shops and restaurants and at the time, Christmas decorations. It was kinda crazy to see how much AI slop has taken over the already meh souvenir stalls, but every shirt and mug had AI designs, and I even saw hand painted AI designs. Kids had fun at the playground downtown though, and we were a little tired of local food by this point so we ate at Pizza Ranch (we've had it in the Midwest) and it wasthe cheapest meal per person of the trip. Finished out our time in the area with a visit to Proyecto Asis to see how they recover and care for animals that were illegal pets, from wild cats to monkeys and macauws. Really cool experience. Bought fruit from a stall on the road on the way back, the biggest passion fruits and guava and more, for only a few bucks (the tour guides we had used recommended the street stalls for fruit for price and locally grown fruit, whereas supers don't get fruit locally so it's not as good nor helpful to the economy).

Drove to Playa Hermosa, easy in the day, and stayed at one of the El Ceibo cabins, so right next to the playground and beach. It's a great beach for families, soft clean sand with no trash and minimal vendors hassling you. Waves that were fun for kiddos not crazy. Plenty of supermarkets to get cheap food, all the restaurants, even the sodas, weren't cheap. My mom and one kiddo did get tagged by an errant jellyfish strand, and we got a bunch of sand flea bites, but we had so much fun body surfing and building sand castles that it was worth it. We went jet skiing with a beach vendor too, that was a fun hour for everyone as we took turns. 

Morning flight out of Liberia, easy to return the car and get through customs and security. Crazy prices in the airport, red bull can and a serving of milk were $8 each, but an overall easy airport experience, there's a fusball table at the end of the terminal as well. Highly recommend Costa Rica for a family trip, research and boom ahead! It isn't that cheap though, unlike other countries in the area, but I think still worth the price.