anyone been to costa rica ????

[chantheman]

has anyone been to costa rica? im going next month and have been looking for shit to do there. im staying in Guanacaste which is in the northwestern part of the country. so far it looks like some zip lining, fishing, snorkeling, arenal volcano touring, rafting, and rainforest excursions.

anyone recommend any particular companies to use or other activities to do?

thanks

[asshole]

no i haven't sorry

[linkejeuk]

haven't been to costa rica myself, but a friend of mine stayed there for six months, and another went to visit him.

they where both robbed and held at gunpoing multiple times. so only thing I have to say is be careful.

And what I could see from the pictures nature is beautiful there, so enjoy that.

[chantheman]

thats not what i like to hear

[Analyst]

I've heard great things about Costa Rica: cheap coke, legalized prostitution, amazing diving and surfing.

[jim_n]

family friends just lost their house in the big 6.1 earth quake that just hit. feel shitty for them, they just finished building the house..

[sufu1]

went there a few years ago to build superfuture online casino but realized it wasn't really such a great idea. stayed with friends on outskirts of san jose for 2 weeks. guardhouse at front gate with guard and machinegun. razor wire on all perimeter fences. all the neighbours had rottweilers. baseball bat in back seat of car at all times. san jose is a dump but the nightlife is a lot of fun. drove to pacific coast and stayed at some 70s style spanish resort near a creek with lots of aligators. i wouldn't recommend it unless you have friends there [preferably rich ones] or at least speak spanish. the coast and countryside is better than san jose which is a hole.

[chantheman]

yea im staying on the west coast at a resort. i got the trip from work. free trip well see how it goes

[Orion]

Chan-

Not sure if you've left yet, but some of the better spots in my opinion:

Rio Celeste. It's on a national park reserve and well worth the time to go see. It's a 2 day trip with an overnight stay in a cabin at the park. + - 6 mile hike in and out, but some really amazing scenery and wildlife. It's only like $60 for the tour, accomodations and 3 meals. The staff is really friendly as well and goes to great lengths to make sure you see and learn as much as possible.

I actually liked San Jose for some of the museums and galleries. I don't remember the exact name, but the Gold Museum is next to this really old theater and both are a cool thing to see if you are in the city.

On the Carribean, Puerto Viejo is amazing. Really good surf, great food, bars, nightlife, etc. There's a French resteraunt with the bomb breakfast, and some outdoor markets with trinkets and misc stuff. Super rasta vibe. Really humid so try to get a spot with AC. One of the cooler things I've ever experienced is swimming in the carribean in the middle of the night watching howler monkeys run all over the beach.

I didn't spend much time on the Pacific, but I guess Tamarindo is popular...pretty Americanized from what I hear.

People drive like fucking maniacs down there so watch out. Have a good time.

[monk]

I've only bee to San Jose and the South parts, but one thing I learned the hard way is that you need to put on sun screen all the time and everywhere. I mean 100 spf if you can find it. I got toasted real bad. Sun is so much stronger than in the States.

[Caps Lock]

has anyone been to costa rica? im going next month and have been looking for shit to do there. im staying in Guanacaste which is in the northwestern part of the country. so far it looks like some zip lining, fishing, snorkeling, arenal volcano touring, rafting, and rainforest excursions.

anyone recommend any particular companies to use or other activities to do?

thanks

I'm also thinking about going to Guanacaste since there are a few resorts that my timeshare company is with. Hows it out there? Anything interesting worth seeing besides going on excursions? What about nightlife?

[chantheman]

resorts in Guanacaste are nice especially if they are all inclusive. the Hilton is not so i wouldnt recommend staying there

night life is wack. resorts are about 15-20 minutes from any city so the only way to get there is by car either rental or hotel service. taxis arent allowed in most of the resorts, but if you can find one thats cool.

guanacaste is pretty dry and isnt what you would think of when you think costa rica. at least it was for me when i went (during the dry season) so it depends when you go.

best things i did there were zip-lining, and white water rafting. ziplined in guanacaste and also at the arenal volcano about 4 hours away. arenal was better and was more green and rainforesty.

[polishmike]

I've been to Costa Rica multiple times but never stayed in a resort. Always got some small hotels close to the beach. I was just there for new years and it was lots of fun but I prefer smaller towns without many annoying tourists with kids.

[Caps Lock]

The plans are so far is to rent a car and stay in Guanacaste at the resort and then head out to san jose for a night or two to just check it out. Any suggestions for things to see and do in san jose?

[polishmike]

my suggestion is not to go to san jose. it's stinky bars, whores and all over shit. its the only part of costa rica that i don't really like. if you rent a car take it down to nicoya peninsula. there are many small towns you can visit and they are much more charming and exotic than san jose. if you fee like driving more you can go to Manuel Antonio which is also very nice. many of those places you can stay at a nice hotel for about $30 so it's really worth driving around. if you decide on where you want to go i can help you with some info.

[Caps Lock]

Alright, since Guanacaste is already in or near the nicoya peninsula, I think we will just drive around to see other beach towns. And I'll be sure to look into Manuel Antonio.

[hapsical]

==========

Edited July 24, 2014 by hapsical

[mydenvermax]

I've been to Guanacaste. It's very nice down there. A friend of mine grew up in San Jose so I have a little bit of knowledge of the area down there.

My favorite part of Costa Rica are all the little towns in the mountains. There's nothing incredible about them, except that you actually feel like you're in a foreign country rather than a "vacation destination." Fortuna is a name I remember, some of the stuff on the west side of Arenal too. That area is absolutely beautiful, deep in the rainforest, really green.

If you have the time (and are interested in more than beaches), take a more rugged route to where your resort is located, via 134 or 141 north out of San Jose. Some of the driving on 1 is incredible because of the exposure and the views too. These are dirt/mud roads though (1 is paved). It's not smooth cruising anywhere. Farm life blocking the roads with their livestock, mountain passes with no guardrails. But you'll get a more real sense of the life in Costa Rica.

I also second checking out Manuel Antonio. It is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, no doubt. You can stay in Quepos and it's cheaper.

Also, for a very touristy, but fun zip-lines and coffee-buying extravaganza, check out Monteverde. Link. There are probably a number of places exactly like this in the rainforests there, but this is the one I went to, and it was a lot of fun.

This is towards the east, but the Irazú volcano is quite a sight. Very touristy too. Really cool drive leading up there, and the walk to the top is really short and paved. Here's a pic:

[dilemma]

I will be traveling to Costa Rica in 3 weeks and need some advice on hotels. We are flying into San Jose and do not plan on staying there. My friend wants to stay in a resort in Jaco, but I am looking for other ideas. Any advice on must see places? We will not have a car, but will travel by buses or taxis.

[polishmike]

First advice is do not go to Jaco I mean unless you're into bro rape parties and dirty hookers. Buses are also super slow, shit takes forever. Some of the roads are dirt and when it gets dark you can probably walk faster than a bus. I would go up and down the west coast maybe stopping at 3 major areas and visiting 2-3 towns in each. Also it will rain every single day for at least few minutes.

[dilemma]

Jaco seemed a little crazy. I think I am going to Manuel Antonio. Have any other cities or beaches I should see?