Traveling to Costa Rica
 

Ya'll, I am going to Costa Rica for two weeks with my best friends next month and all we have are our plane tickets and our packs. We have no agenda or plans once we get there so I need some help. I have traveled all over South America before so I am good at scoping things out, and speak fluent Spanish, and we are ready for some adventure. Please give me any advice ya'll have on must see places and places to stay because no one close to me has been there before. Thanks!

Well, my sister lived there for 4 years...she just got back this past summer. She really liked it; the only real negative thing was that it's kind of expensive. Other than that, I can't tell you much, since I haven't spoken with her in a while.

I thought it was rather cheap, but maybe it's expensive compared to other Latin American countries. A bus ticket from one side of the country to the other was like $4. My #1 place to visit in CR is definitely Puerto Viejo. Other places include Manuel Antonio National Park, Montezuma, and I always wanted to visit Monteverde Cloud Rainforest. Up north on the Pacific side are the E-true Hollywood Story party clubs, if that's what you're into. There's also great white-water rafting and canopy tours.

Just bumping this up - cause I just returned from Costa Rica two weeks ago. I miss it much, and would fit in just fine as an ex-pat there. Got to practice my spanish, see volcanos/waterfalls, dance in a reggae club, see part of a male revue show, take canopy tour of the rainforest, run along the beach, horseback ride, watch some great surfing. We went to San Jose, Manual Antonio and Jaco Beach. But there are so many other places I want to go back.

How did you like El Pueblo (the club area of town) and Calle la Margura (the bar street) in San Jose? Did the monkeys come really close to you at Manuel Antonio? How was the tide there? You really couldn't stay on the beach around afternoontime if I recall, and it was very annoying-but nighttime was good again. Did you go to Filthy McNasty's Bar and Bar in Jaco? That's probably the only place I wasn't overly thrilled about, I felt like I was in tourist paradise.

Gosh (ND style) I want to go back!!!!!!

Well, I just got back a few weeks ago too and absolutely loved Costa. We went to San Jose (which was a dump), the Arenal Volcano, and Tamarindo. We also went rafting on the Pucuare Ricer, which was AWESOME. I could fit in as an ex-pat as well! I didn't think it was too expensive (espcially since it was half as much as my trip to Europe.) We met some great people and everyone was super nice. I thought it was a little weird though that you really wouldn't have to trade your money for colonies if you didn't want to. When I got back to work, I was on Costa Rica time and it was hard to get adjusted again!! Well, I'm ready for the next trip there and I hope to go the the Carribean side and Manuel Antonio next. oops, one more thing, renting a car was the BEST thing in the world there!