My family of 4 (2 kids, ages 8 and 11) are planning to travel to Costa Rica in August and want to kn

My family of 4 (2 kids, ages 8 and 11) are planning to travel to Costa Rica in August and want to know when is the best time to purchase airfare, I don't want to pay too much. We would be traveling from Newark, NJ and would like a direct flight, prices as of today the fare is $390 ($472 with all taxes and such) for round trip direct flight, is this a good price? Should I book up now or wait?
We would like to only drive 1.5 hrs or so after we arrive in Costa Rica does anyone know of any good hotels that are inexpensive and nice on the drive up to the Arenal Area? Or what we should stop to see?
IMO that is a pretty good price. One thing to consider is that as the price of oil goes up, so will the price of airfare. A ticket under $500 from USA - CR right now is well worth it and you might want to jump on it.
If you are heading north from Alajuela (to Arenal, for instance), then there are two that I can recommend - Airport B B and La Rosa de America. These two are on the northwest side of Alajuela so if you spend the night, the next morning you will be able to avoid all the traffic. Each of these is close to the PanAmerican Highway.
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