Costa Rica recommendations?

[jamaicaspanish]

We are planning on spending six weeks in Costa Rica this fall.
Just wondering if any mustachians have recommendations for or connections in CR.
Our tickets are paid for (many thanks, TravelMiles 101).
And we are thinking of spending a few weeks at a time in three or four places.
Feel free to PM me with responses.
Thanks in advance.

[wordnerd]

My favorite place in Costa Rica was Drake's Bay, so isolated and beautiful. I stayed at the tent camps here: www.corcovado.com

[Walsh1122]

I second Corcovado National Park.  I spent a week within the park at a research station back in 2007. It was absolutely amazing!  Checking out Sierra del al Muerte is also highly recommended!

[Bracken_Joy]

I loved my visit to this place: https://costa-rica-guide.com/nature/refuges/la-selva/ Although I went through a university, not sure as a normal visitor how to go? We also stayed in some cabins near there, but they may have been university owned. If not, it was awesome.

[MishMash]

We love fishing, so Uvita was amazing.  Also booked an airbnb called Tucan Paradise in MonteVerde, the couple that runs it is just amazing, and there is fresh goats milk and cheese every morning.

[moresprinkles]

You have a good amount of time there! Along with Corcovado, I suggest Jaco and surrounding beaches, Manuel Antonio and Pavones, but I prefer the beaches. The public transportation is excellent. Have fun! If you make it to the Oso Peninsula, then I suggest the bioluminescent bay experience on the east side. Its like you walked into the Avatar movie and everything glows. Super awesome! Have fun.
 

[Daisy]

Other than the usual tourist locations, I highly suggest staying in Montezuma. It's a little off-the-beaten-path. We had to take a ferry there from somewhere around the Jaco area, I think. I went in the late 90s, so this is all going off memory.

Highlights:
First night stayed at in a hotel room on the beach. Not too pricey, but wasn't our cup of tea. We did hear howling monkeys in the area which was cool, but felt isolated from the cute center of town.
The other nights we moved to the same hotel, which had some rooms available in the center of town. Free movie shown every night in their restaurant. Bohemian groove. I don't remember the name of the hotel.
Took a 10 mile roundtrip hike on the beach to a waterfall. Beautiful secluded beaches along the way to frolic in privacy in the waters.

https://nicoyapeninsula.com/montezuma/

[poetdereves]

I second Montezuma! I had heard it was amazing and that I would fall in love with it. I took a ferry from Jaco as well and pulled up on the beach and was underwhelmed at what I saw. I got a room at a hostel and decided I would only stay a day or two because I couldn't really imagine what there was that would be so amazing about the place. Fast forward almost two weeks and I still hadn't left. It is the kind of place that sucks you in and makes you feel at home. I met locals and travelers alike and made friends that I still keep in touch with to this day. It is also easy to get a bus and head to other beautiful places like Santa Teresa, Mal Pais, and other small Nicoya peninsula towns.

FWIW my parents actually retired early to Costa Rica. I am there quite often and have been to most parts of the country. They also have quite a few hook ups of local friends that are guides, taxi drivers, business owners, etc. in the area and local phone numbers, so if you guys need anything you can shoot me a message and they could probably have ideas for you for any budget. I am almost 30 and love going cheap in hostels and surf towns, but they are closer to 50 with money to spend, and have visited every nice resort and spa from north to south.

[bognish]

Third on Montezuma. We stopped their first on our trip with plans to tour around CR. Every day we would wake up and decide to stay one more day and cut something off the itinerary. Never went anywhere else. We stayed at Los Mango's, but this was years ago, so conditions may have changed. Beach in town is rocky & steep. Walk along the beach & jungle to the east of town to eventually hit an empty shandy gradual beach.

[Samuel]

Didn't make it to Montezuma, but I can vouch for the nearby western side of the Nicoya Peninsula. Santa Teresa and Playa Carmen have amazing beaches and are just fun, chill, surf bum towns. I have post FIRE plans to spend some time there, surfing (poorly) and eating casado con pescado every day.