Please send me your suggestions

Hello,

I just got back from Costa Rica. It changed my life. I had an amazingly good time in Puerto Viejo. It is charming, and there are a lot of inexpensive cabinas to stay in. Avoid Cabina Jacaranda. THe woman can be a bit shady. I recommend Cabina Guarana. They are very nice cabins for $35 american dollars a night. They also have a communal kitchen which is great! You can save a lot of money cooking at your cabina. Loco Natural is a wonderful restaurant in Puerto Viejo. Very fresh and delicious! It is only open for dinner. Also lots of good dance parties there every night. Just remember things really do not get going until 10:30 or 11pm at the dance places. It's "caribbean time". =)

Also about 45 minutes from Puerto Viejo is a beautiful town named Cahuita. Make sure and do a day trip to the national park there. A 30 minute walk to the point is AMAZING! You will love it.

Do not get in a taxi unless it is red in San Jose, Costa Rica. There are alot of scammers who try and get you to ride with them. THey will swarm you at a lot of bus depots. Be extra careful at the one in San Jose. Go to where you see all the red taxis lined up. Those are official taxis.

Have fun. I hope it changes your lives the way it has mine. I am moving there in a couple of months.

Pura VIda!

~Fanci Sue Gentry =)

Awesome, guys. I am researching these now. Thanks for the quick feed back. Sounds like you both had a really awesome time!

Any other suggestions friends?

Depends on what you're into. I went to Tortuguero and found that to be one of my favorites. The river boat trip along was worth it. It's a small town and the amount of wildlife you see is staggering, even before you arrive. I also saw baby sea turtles breaking out of shells and traveling to the beach. Sometimes the power goes out, and that's nice. It's a beautiful little town, very isolated. And when it's not egg lauying season, it's not too full of tourists.

I also stayed at Punta Mona, a center for sustainability and permaculture, in the southern Caribbean rain forest. Incomporable experience living in the rain forest right next to the beach, with nothing around for miles.

I stayed in Cauhita (caribbean coast, N. of Pt. Viejo) much longer than I intended, the wonderful little town and absolutely gorgeous national park beaches just sucked me in! There's a hotel right on the water, one block from the nat'l park, with hammocks and yer own bathroom for $20/night. It's much smaller than Pt. Viejo, but had enough clubs+such to still have fun, without the touristy hassle.

Also, one of the highlights of my travels was crossing into Panama, taking the water taxi out to Bocas del Toro and then Bastimentos. It's an all-day journey, but totally worth it-- Bastimentos is a car-free island, pristine and just amazing.

tips-- DON'T BUY the Lonely Planet guidebook-- order the Tico Times guidebook off Amazon, or wait 'till you're in-country and buy it there. The Tico Times is the nat'l english newspaper and a really good source of information.

Keep your passport on you when traveling by bus

Hostel Pangea is a great place to stay in San Jose, make sure you're set up in the one with the bar. Unless you want the one with the kitchen (they're about 4 blocks apart), I guess it depends on your priorities. ;) You can arrange pickup from the airport with 'em, find their internet site. Still, don't spend any more time in San Jose than you have to.

Don't spend all your time traveling. A bunch of my friends did the whole country in their 2 weeks, and admit they didn't enjoy themselves nearly as much as I did, just chilling on the carribbean for the same amt of time. I did get out to the Pacific and didn't like it nearly as much-- I like wet climates much more than dry, and the Pacific is beautiful but arid and reserved. The Carribbean side has less tourists and therefore is harder to get around, but I think the people are nicer.

Imperial beer is awesome and cheap and I miss it and everyone will want Imperial souveniers.

TALK TO YOUR BANK BEFORE YOU GO-- tell them you will be using your debit/credit cards in Costa Rica. Everyone I know had their credit cards terminated after a few weeks, because the banks thought they had been stolen.

If I think of any more, I'll post 'em.
Have fun!!!