Cost-ta-Rica

Costa Rica

quick tips:

If you truly want to experience all that Costa Rica has to offer break up your trip and spend a few nights at the beach and a few in the mountains/forest

Rent a car - if you are planning to travel around on your own, it is much cheaper to supply your own transportation if you are a good driver and can handle the navigation!

Always make sure to ask locals for their opinion (you might get good intel that isn't generally shared with tourist)

Fly direct if possible - connections and going through customs is a hassle and I'd only recommend that if you have global entry

Costa Rica is most definitely worth a visit, this was my first trip there and I learned a few lessons for my next trip to this beautiful destination.  First of all Costa Rica has 2 very different regions, beach and forest, the forest or volcanic parts are actually quit far from the beach area so it makes the most sense to actually split up your trip and stay in the area of La Fortuna for a few nights and then go stay by the beach for another few nights.  There are of course tours that will drive you to a location in the forests for a day but then you spend half your day just in the car.  I went on a family trip and most were only staying 5 nights so we stayed in Playa Conchal at the Westin, which is all-inclusive.  Overall the Westin was a really nice resort, the food was mostly very good, the drinks included are top shelf, and real (unlike most resorts in Mexico), and the beach and pool at the property were top notch! There were also some really great hiking trails near by, my only real complaint was that there was no town near by, I love to walk around town when on vacation and check out their local shops, but the best town, Tamarindo was about 30mins away.  Another great thing about this resort was that the howler monkey's were just right there in the trees daily, there were also lots of beautiful birds and of course iguanas.   The last thing to note is the price, while this resort was very nice it was also quit expensive, I think for families though it is worth it!

Outside of the resort

As I mentioned above Costa Rica has more than just beach life, some of the most amazing natural beauties like waterfalls, hot springs and wild life.  We took a day trip from the resort, the ride was a couple hours and the road was mostly up and very windy, it was a bit of a rollercoaster! The first stop on our tour was a waterfall, which was absolutely stunning and the cool fresh water was very nice to swim in after the initial shock.  Then we went on to the hot springs, walking across many bridges within the forests, those are fun to experience and provide a great view.  The hot springs were great to sock in and there was volcanic mud that you could also cover yourself in and then rinse off, supposedly beneficial for your skin, so of course I tried it.  After spending time soaking in the springs we left and went on to lunch in that area before taking the long ride back to the resort.  Overall this was my favorite day, which is why next time I will stay in an area like this for a few nights before going to the beach.

Since there was no town near by I was finally able to find a decent price on a ride into Tamarindo; one thing about these resorts is they really want to charge you to get transport out, its kind of ridiculous but also it is like this everywhere I've traveled, which is why you have to talk with workers and try to find something reasonable!  We found got round trip transport for $60 and spent an afternoon/evening in Tamarindo, drinks on the beach at sunset were exactly what I was looking for, the spot we chose also had live music which really set the tone.  After sunset there were fire shows, many place on the beach have them and they are free of course, so that was especially nice.  We then went for dinner, it was a late dinner but Tamarindo is a surf town and very busy at night, the food was really great as were the drinks but you'll basically be paying what you pay in down town Chicago.  My favorite part of the night was feeding a monkey (shhh it isn't allowed), he dropped in at the local bar and we gave him some fruit, his little hands were so gentle when we took it from me it was an experience I will never forget but I am also a sucker for animals especially ones I never run across in my normal life.  Overall I liked Tamarindo, I ended up spending another couple of nights there with just my daughter, after the rest of the family went back, although it is expensive its a fun place to visit, but do not take the Estuary tour, it was a waste of time and money, and we didn't really see any wild life, definitely no crocs!!

Mexico Lindo

Paradise in Panama