Costa Rica

[Boynamedsue]

I have been hankering after a beach, white sands, turquoise sea...unfortunately a beachy type holiday is really not DHs thing, he likes some local culture, a town he can explore, some lovely countryside. So I think this pretty much rules out the Maldives, Seychelles etc. I've been looking at Costa Rica, specifically Quepos where I have seen an amazing tree house rental 15 minutes walk from the town.

Anyone ever been to Costa Rica? Do you think it could work for us? (Please say yes. I am mentally packing my bag already!)

My DH is Costa Rican and I lived there for 4 years. There isn't really much to do in Quepos, it's really a cheap place to stay if you want to go to Manuel Antonio, the national park. There's not much in the way of local culture. Manuel Antonio is lovely, but quite small and touristy. There are other, nicer national parks. Costa Rica is a beautiful country though and I'd definitely recommend it for a beach / eco tourism holiday. The beaches in Guanacaste are fantastic.

Thanks, I'll have a look at different places in Costa Rica. We like to self cater and I saw the place in Quepos and stopped looking. I should probably broaden my horizons a bit!

I went 7 years ago. It could certainly be a good compromise as there's lots of adventure stuff to do, so your DH won't be bored. Fantastic wildlife, zip lining and also the hot springs at Baldi are great!

Lots of hippy cults but fantastically beautiful

Does anybody know the best time of year to visit?

I imagine it would be October to March, like most latin American countries.

If you think DH would be happy with water sports and wildlife, great. But Mexico may be better for the beach and culture combination?

Or what about South Asia? Goa or Sri Lanka have beaches, architecture and temples.

Watching with interest as DH is very keen on Costa Rica for our next holiday.
I was looking at Mexico but could be easily persuaded. We can only go in late July/August (summer hols).

Came back from Costa Rica just over a week ago. It's a really beautiful country and can't recommend going enough! We stayed in Manuel Antonio which is very very near Quepos. We drove through Quepos and to be honest as a town it's not particularly interesting in itself. It's key draw is being very close to Manuel Antonio National Park. Manuel Antonio (according to our guidebook anyway!) is one of the 10 most beautiful places on the planet - there are bigger and less visited parks in Costa Rica but we really liked it! You can go yourself (there are regular buses) or take a tour. There's a fabulous beach in the park. We stayed in Tulemar in Manuel Antonio - beautiful place and again, I'd recommend it.

Other than that, we spent 3 nights in San Jose. San Jose is pretty grotty, it was interesting to find out more about the history of the country but only worth spending a day there if that! We used it as a base to do other trips. Arenal is worth going to.

When we went (early August) it was rainy season. My BBC app showed rain all the time before we went but the reality down in Manuel Antonio was very hot mornings with a tropical rainstorm either in the afternoon or evening, it was about 30 degrees + most days. Rainy season goes on till about October and while it's wetter, accomodation is cheaper!

Definetely go - it's fab! It's not cheap and expect to pay what you pay here. They get a lot of US tourists so are used to big tips. Colones are more useful outside resorts than dollars.

Any other questions, do ask!

have a look at Belize as well. you can stay on the mainland for part of the time and Ambergris Caye or one of the other Cayes for part of the time. fantastic place for a holiday.