Puerto viejo Beach at Costa Rica :)

Puerto Viejo beach is intense and fun place to be. You have a lot of people there, but the vibe is different, more relaxed than Santa Teresa. You can always go ahead and check out the Peninsula de Osa which is most likely going to follow into the footsteps of Malpais, but right now it is a place where you can enjoy time in more privately located surf and vacation spots where you can relax. Manzanillo and Playa Hermosa however are located close to Santa Teresa and Playa Carmen. And they are just like Osa. The roads are bad, but you have the opportunity to spend time away from the crowd. The suburbs of San Jose are also nice. Santo Domingo de Heredia, Heredia itself, also San Pedro where the mall is has a great vibe. San Pedro is the area where the University of Costa Rica is located. Jaco and Tamarindo are two places I do not recommend to my worst enemy. Those who go there knowing what it’s like often do so for reasons which family vacationers would not share, but Manuel Antonio which is close to it is a real treat providing great surf, a beautiful beach and the national park. Costa Rica has something for everyone. So take the time and find out where someone like you is going to be most likely to have a wonderful vacation or with your friends/family.

Costa Rica Travel and Tourism Guide

Costa Rica:
For decades, Costa Rica was a forgotter backwater, a country so laconic it couldn’t be bothered having an army, even though it was sandwiched between war-torn Nicaragua and Canal-plagued Panama. Then North American retirees discovered its charms and its poco a poco (‘little by little’)life style, and Costa Rica became hot property. With its luxuriant rainforests, pristine white beaches, diverse wildlife, to-die-for coffee, relaxed hospitality and full-on eco-tourist trade, Costa Rica is definitely one of the destinations de jour.

Best Time To Visit
December to April (the dry season)
Essential Experiences
Soaring across the jungle canopy on a flying fox Monteverde Taking time out to sit and ponder the majestic rainforest at Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio Making a nocturnal visit to Arenal volcano, followed by a soak in a hot spa Learning to surf at Witch’s Rock lgnoring the bus and doing the Fortuna to Saint Elena route by jeep and horseback

Getting under the skin
Read Costa Rica: A Traveler’s Literary Companion, 26 short stories that capture the soul of the county

Listen to Costa Rica: Calypso, happy calypso tunes for the road, from rootsy trad to pop

Watch 1492: Conquest of Paradise. This Hollywood version of Colombus’ discovery of the New Americas was always going to be problematic-a Frenchman playing an ltalian-born employee of the Spanish army interacting with Mayans is asking for trouble The location shots are stunning though.

Eat la olla, a stew of potatoes, beef, onions, maize, beans and tomatoes

Drink coffee-Costa Rica is possibly the only country in the world where even a take-away coffee in a Styrofoam cup from a fast-food burger joint tastes like ambrosia

In a word
Pura vida (literally ‘pure life’, a national expression that sums up the desire to live the best and most pure pure existence)
Trademarks
Dripping rainforests; toucans and macaws; erupting volcanoes; La Negrita (or the Black Madonna); dead-keen soccer fans; foaming waterfalls; the aroma of coffee

Apart from hiking and camping in rainforests and mountains and on beaches, you can snorkel on tropical refs, the best waves in South America, and raft some of the most thrilling white water in the tropics. Pristine tumble down the lower slopes of the mountains and the riverbanks are clothed with curtains of rainforest-a truly unique white-water experience.

Add caption