Has anybody been to Costa Rica?
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:28 am
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.
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.