Costa Rica Vacation Review: Luxury Family Trip, Arenal Volcano, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, Sloth Walking Tour, Canyoneering

Costa Rica is the place to go now!  Just returned from a first-time visit to this great destination.  The key measurement for our family is: will we go back again?...and the answer is a resounding yes.
We stayed for eight days.  This is a good time frame, but a couple of extra days would have been good to add.  We flew into San Jose and was greeted by our travel planner and his wonderful wife, then introduced to a long-time company driver who drove us the 3 hours to Arenal Volcano area.  Didn't seem that long, especially since we stopped for lunch along the way.
Our stay at the hotel in Arenal was the best hotel that we have been to in Central/South America.  The view of the volcano in the morning was picturesque (search up Arenal Volcano pics, and that is literally what you saw when you woke up).  The hot springs-fed pools were a welcome relaxation each evening.  We did several activities in the area and these were the best of our Costa Rica visit...see details below. 
After three nights in Arenal, we headed across the lake to meet our ride to Monteverde.  More of a local road trip through the hills.  Adding the lake portion not only broke up the drive, but it also saved a little time overall.  Monteverde has a cooler climate, so bring a light jacket or sweater.  A nice place to visit if you have a couple of free days, otherwise I would say spend the time in Arenal and/or Manuel Antonio.
Another couple of hour drive to Manuel Antonio.  Did stop for zip lining at Los Suenos.  Another recommended item to break-up the drive.  Manuel Antonio was smaller and more quaint of a beach town than I expected.  The larger town is Quepos, about  5-6 miles away.  Here is another part where I wish we had a extra day to hang out at the beach and explore the local shops and establishments.
Overall, the people of Costa Rica were friendly and welcoming.  Felt safer than any US city.  Never had a problem communicating...most locals spoke pretty good English.  Food was fine, but nothing especially memorable...in fact, the best food was the local casado (look up on youtube).  Can say that everything tasted fresh...from farm to table.
Most important tip/recommendation: Go Now!  The crowds were non-existent since post-pandemic travel is just now starting to gear up.  Highly recommend you get to Costa Rica before it gets re-discovered.  It's such a great place that I am convinced it will soon be the go-to Latin American destination.
Finally, use this travel company.  Since it was our first time and didn't know the lay of the land, our travel planner was very helpful during the course of our several Zoom calls and answered all of our questions.  The itinerary went smoothly and really appreciated another planner checking in with us along the way, just wanting to make sure we were taken great care of...which we were. 
Can't wait to get back again to Costa Rica.