I was there in October 2006 for my honeymoon. I liked it and didn't find it too sketchy, but then I live in Baltimore for chrissakes.

There are some ultra-swanky resorts there. I stayed at Manuel Antonio State park and also the Nicoya peninsula. One notable resort that I wouldn't call cheap (but it was TOP NOTCH in every way) was Punta Islita
This was actually a model resort for the way tourism should be. The resort basically pumped the majority of its profit money into the local town (building its school, hospital, clean water and day care infrastructure) and it wasn't owned by some jackass in the states/eu like the Four Seasons or some other fancypants McHotel would be. It was impressive and quite relaxing.

Another cheaper great eco resort we stayed at was Si Como No near Quepos. Quepos was a bit of a shithole but it did have decent food, and this hotel/resort was quite nice. They have huge ass pet Iguanas walking around and those cute as hell minature spider monkeys all over the place. Plus if you visit you get to cross this frightening ass bridge that's rusted, crumbling and one lane wide. It crosses a river filled with alligators. It was called the "Oh My God Bridge" or something like that by the locals.

One thing I noticed about CR overall is it's super service oriented and friendly overall. Tourism is big there and they respect the business it brings. The two places we stayed were very responsible in their eco practices and labor laws. Not every place is that way, but its not hard to find places that are that way if you look.

I hear Arenal is pretty amazing too, but I didn't see it.

In my experience the crime is way worse in any american city than anywhere I witnessed in CR. I've felt less safe in Bologna, Italy or Vancouver, BC. That said, there are sketchy parts of San Jose (you can skip it if you want to) and some of the smaller towns indeed, and you gotta keep your eyes open.

dontfeartheringo wrote:Just don't go to CR in October. It's rainy as fuck then.

Moving into late October it's 50/50. We had equal days of rain and sun, but the rain always came down fast and blew over in a matter of minutes or so. No big deal and no worse than the east coast of the US.

i spent about 10 days last year in the Guanecaste province / Nicoyan Penninsula. I was lucky - got to stay in a posh villa on top of a mountain over looking Playa Carillo. Carillo is the most beautiful, picturesque beach i've been to.

The zip line was pretty far out. I'm sure there are a number of places to do it, but the one we went to was right near Mount Arenal, which is an active volcano. Visibility was kinda bad, but at night we could see it erupting.

also did the waterfall hike/swim pjwalsh mentioned. boat ride concluded with us hand feeding bananas to crazy monkeys. very cool.

we used lonely planet as a guide for a lot of stuff, and we were not disappointed. you will have fun no matter where you go. CR is awesome and inexpensive. i'm jealous.

Holy shit is this place beautiful!!! I'm in La Fortuna now. It's a bit too touristy for me to ever come back, but in a moment I'll be swimming in a pool overlooking the Volcano here......So, no worries.

John George Peppers wrote:Holy shit is this place beautiful!!! I'm in La Fortuna now. It's a bit too touristy for me to ever come back, but in a moment I'll be swimming in a pool overlooking the Volcano here......So, no worries.

Solid. I'll need a full report on beach areas where I can spend a week with my wife when you return.