Hey Heather,

I remember reading about your trip to Costa Rica. (Although I may be mistaken.) The reason I’m asking is because I am interested in going and was wondering if you have any info to pass on? Any help would be very much appreciated, and maybe you could post it on the travel blog for other readers?

Thanks for your help!

Justine

Yay! Costa Rica was fantastic - the people are warm and welcoming, the rain forest is paradise, and the beaches, while not the best I’ve been to, were still pretty darn great. We sort of cheated a little and made our arrangements through a travel company, JD Watersports. They were very helpful and if I remember, not expensive in the least. We told them what we wanted and they made it happen.

Mind the season. Costa Rica has distinct wet (May-November-ish) and dry (December - April) seasons. We went in early December at the tail end of the rainy season, and boy did we see evidence of it. It didn’t matter much in the rain forest, but it made driving on the winding mountain roads a little scary. Okay, a whole lot scary. I’ll try to post a video of it for you.

Costa Rica is a road sign-free country. Another reason I’m glad we went with JD Watersports is that they provided very detailed driving directions, in a country where it’s really, really uncommon to see any road markings.

You’re probably never going to see the volcano because it’s behind the clouds. Always. But go anyway! There’s a lot of fun to be had in the rain forest areas around the Arenal Volcano. Like, hot springs. We visited Tabacon Hot Springs and it was like the Garden of Eden. Then again, I’m a huge sucker for anything with a swim-up bar. Do keep in mind that you’ll be paying Manhattan prices for food and cocktails in the Garden of Eden (I’m guessing the high prices keep the riffraff out), but elsewhere, food and drink is inexpensive (if not a bit bland).

Eat at Steve n Lisa’s. It’s on the Pacific side of the country (just North of Jaco), and if that’s where you end up doing your beachin’, such a worthy place to grab a bite. Two lobsters for under $15? Yes, please.

Try the zip lines (scary and awesome all at the same time). I remember thinking, at one point while I was hanging there, hundreds of fee in the air, that I might die. And then I realized I didn’t care. It was just that exhilarating. There are plenty of sites to zip through the canopy, but we did it near Arenal, arranged, naturally, by JD Watersports.

Tidbits: Vitamin B complex is supposed to keep the bugs off. Worked for me. The sun is strong, so keep up the sunscreen, even if it’s not particularly hot. Not much excitement in San Jose, I’ve been told, and from what I saw, it was true. Fly in, but get out to the fun stuff ASAP.

Anyone else got some must-have Costa Rica tips?

Wednesday, March 12, 2008 | advice