Hi,

I will be traveling to Costa Rica next week, staying 5/26 - 5/31.
Business trip to San Jose and looks like I'll be going to
Quepos/Manual Antonio area for about 3 days.

I'll have to be in San Jose on Wen, Thur, and Fri until noon for the
meeting, and plan to head south to the coast either Friday afternoon
(my first thought) or Saturday morning. My flight home is Monday at
noon. A friend who's been there told me to avoid the crowds(?) heading
out of town on Friday afternoon. I'd rather get to the coast and out
of the city as quick as possible. Can traffic make the Friday
afternoon trip less appealing.

I'll probably rent a car, but taking a bus might be wiser,
particularly if I don't need wheels in Manuel Antonio/Quepos.

Also, I was considering traveling to Arenal to the volcano on Friday
as a possibility. I see that it's ~4 hours trip. That's too long.
Any good ideas for Friday afternoon as far as volcanos near San Jose?
Can't remember the name but this friend of mine said there's one near
San Jose.

As far as accomodations in Manuel Antonio, is it neccessary to make
reservations in advance for a late May trip? I don't need luxury, but
would love an ocean view within walking distance to the beach. Looks
like Coste Verde may be a good choice. Would I be better off going
further south (Drake's Bay or Domincal) for something nice on a beach?
I will be traveling alone, would like to avoid outright crowds, but
don't want to be alone. Hope this makes sense.

Guess I'll do a tour of the National Park. Maybe some snorkeling (hope
there's not too much rain). Any other suggestions about "must see"
things to do in that area?

Muchas gracias.
Mike