Anyone been to Costa Rica? Need your thoughts

[FrugalSaver]

On my other thread I was considering other places but think I've zeroed in on Costa Rica at the end of September.

I'd prefer more beach time / relaxation than very active events for this trip but would still make time for zip lining and the volcano.

Probably stay 10-11 nights

[wordnerd]

Costa Rica is great! Sounds like you're definitely doing Monteverde and Arenal (which you should). After I did those,  I took a cheap intracountry flight to Drake's Bay, which is perfect for quiet and relaxing beach time. It's located on the southern Pacific side and pretty isolated. I stayed at a tent camp on the beach, and it was definitely the highlight of my trip. Enjoy!

[poetdereves]

My parents live as early retirees in Costa Rica currently and I have been there quite a few times. If you're looking to hang out on he beach and relax there are plenty of places. How long are you going? What are your interests? Any limiting budgets? Hostels or hotels??

[onewayfamily]

Costa Rica is great but much more expensive than basically anywhere else in Central America - probably not an issue if you're only talking about 10-11 nights though.

The North Coast is exceptional!

[Dexterous]

I didn't like Costa Rica that much compared to many other places I've visited.  The wildlife is cool, but I wish I would have spent the 2 weeks seeing other countries as well. 

I highly recommend you avoid rental cars there due to the government mandating stupid insurance requirements, which cost as much or more than the vehicle.  If you eat out then try "sodas" to save money.  Be aware of departure taxes when you leave, which is also odd.

[brooklynmoney]

Where are you going? I think it's still pretty rainy during that time at least where I go which is the northwest.

[HipGnosis]

I didn't like Costa Rica that much compared to many other places I've visited.  The wildlife is cool, but I wish I would have spent the 2 weeks seeing other countries as well. 

I highly recommend you avoid rental cars there due to the government mandating stupid insurance requirements, which cost as much or more than the vehicle.  If you eat out then try "sodas" to save money.  Be aware of departure taxes when you leave, which is also odd.

What other countries do you do recommend then?
How do you see other countries without renting a car?!?

[poetdereves]

Costa Rica is easy to get around on public buses. I've never rented a car there and gone all over the country. It's cheap, safe, and a great way to immerse yourself in another culture. The also go to the border on both ends, so you can get to Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, etc fairly easy. Most Central American countries offer similar experiences at different prices. Costa Rica is by far the most touristy, so obviously, the most expensive. People do say that you kind of get what you pay for though because you have access to better transportation, safer locations, better planning and scheduling, etc. If you're looking to just hang on a beach and don't really care as much about logistics you'll be better off in any of the other surrounding countries.

[MaaS]

I went in July and loved it.  A few thoughts:

1) If you fly into San Jose, I wouldn't recommend spending much time there.  The coasts are incredible, so maximize your time there.
2) +1 on the buses.  They run pretty frequently and are dirt cheap to get from city to city.
3) Hit the farmers markets for fruit.  Crazy cheap and absolutely delicious.
4) If you're a coffee fan, consider one of the coffee plantation tours.  Interesting, and all-you-can-drink of some of the worlds best coffee (IMO).
5) If you go to the national parks, don't be cheap, get a paid tour.  The wildlife is absolutely incredible, but it's not a zoo.  I would have hardly seen anything without the guide pointing wildlife out and setting up the binoculars (think bats, insects, small birds, etc).

Enjoy!

[TravelJunkyQC]

I've been to Costa Rica twice and absolutely love it!

In terms of rental cars - it's true that if you look at typical rental companies, the quoted price ISN'T what you'll end up paying (due to government mandated insurance). However, check out Wild Rider rental (http://wild-rider.com/) - absolutely impeccable service, perfect little 4x4 two-door, honest price for the area (600USD for 11 nights, tax, insurance included). Since I wasn't there for a long time, I didn't want to waste entire days on public transport (buses are efficient and cheap, but not as quick to get from one place to another).

If you go to Arenal (which you should!) take a hike up Cerro Chato. You can get a view of Arenal and the interior crater of Cerro Chato from there. We stayed in a little studio in Nuevo Arenal (19$ USD a night), which is a little village with very few tourists (we didn't see any).

In that area, go to the free hot springs, just across the street from Tabacon Resort. Walk under the yellow gate across the street from the resort, down hill a few yards, and you'll land in the free hot springs where the locals chill.

Viento Fresco is a great little day-hike as well, where you cross paths with half a dozen little waterfalls. It's just a little south from Tilaran.

La Catarata Llanos de Cortés is a lovely little secret, just a little past Bagaçes. You'll go a few km past the town, turn into a dirt road, pay a "contribution" to the local church (on whose land you are - I think we gave 2 USD and the women gave us some fruit in return), and you'll end up in an amazing little oasis with a huge waterfall. You can even camp on the beach there.

Then, we ended up in Nosara on the Pacific coast for a week of surfing. Nosara, because of the surf/yoga tourism, is a lot more exensive then the other areas we visited, but Playa Guiones was awesome and some great waves.

Just an FYI, most of our in-between activities (those that I mentioned plus way more), we're suggested during the 2 hours that the guy from Wild Rider spent with us, map on the hood of the car, asking us in what areas we were staying, what the best route would be, where to stop, how to find less touristy spots, etc. Half of what we did we wouldn't have known about, which is another reason why I encourage and share the name of this local car-rental company (owner is a European expat - Danish I think, all employees are locals and very helpful, before, and after the rental).

Feel free to PM me for more details if you want!

Have fun!

[ooeei]

Don't eat the salad.

Montezuma got his revenge on me my third day there. I was dumb and had no idea salads were an issue. The rest of the trip required me to stay within an hour of a bathroom (preferably more like 3 minutes).

Also don't go swimming or near any water area you don't see other people swimming in. We crossed over a bridge on our way in and the host had us get out and take a look down in the river. There were about 20 GIANT crocodiles just chilling, some drunk guy jumped in the river a few weeks prior and lasted less than 30 seconds.

Other than that it was great. We stayed in Jaco, it's a bit out of the way and pretty relaxed (or at least was when we went during the off season).