Costa Rica or Sri Lanka?

[Chocbuttonsandredwine]

Planning holiday of a life time in feb next year.

had almost settled on CR but now wondering whether Sri Lanka, possibly combined with a couple of days in Dubai and

If it genuinely is your holiday of a lifetime then go the place you have always wanted to.

It's your lifetime and your holiday. So disregard what other people advise.

Sri Lanka is wonderful, (Dubai worth a visit but not a must do in my opinion by any stretch) but I've not been to Costa Rica.

But for me neither would be my "of a lifetime" trip.

My mum absolutely raves about Costa Rica and she travels a lot. That’s all I can add!

Costa Rica is incredible. Flying into Drake Bay, and seeing humpback whales while taking the boat from there to Corcovado NP are two of the most amazing experiences of my life. I haven’t been to Sri Lanka though.

Are you aware of what is going on in Sri Lanka? This from the UK government:

Sri Lanka is experiencing a severe economic crisis which has led to shortages of basic necessities including medicines, cooking gas, fuel and food. The major shortage of fuel (diesel and petrol) is affecting transport, businesses, and emergency services. Hospitals and other medical services such as ambulances may be affected by shortages. There are daily power cuts due to electricity rationing.

It's not somewhere I'd be planning on going right now. Stick to Costa Rica would be my advice.

I adore Sri Lanka - spent months out there but you've obviously not checked the issues in each location....

SL is under a state of emergency after massive issues with fuel, massive protests ousting the government etc.

From the BBC a few days ago:
"In the past few weeks, the government has streamlined fuel supplies with a pass - only registered vehicles with a QR code can buy fuel at petrol stations. But fuel is still in demand with queues outside some filling stations.

Key food items are available in shops, but prices are high as inflation is hovering around 65%."

Both are incredible - I just prefer Costa Rica (it’s my favourite country I’ve been to) but Sri Lanka would be a close second. Sri Lanka has a lot of issues at the moment though with severe rationing of goods and political instability. I would therefore not book a holiday of a lifetime there when it’s less than half a year until you go. Stick to safety, personally.

When I say “lifetime” I mean my 40th but you get the idea.

very true about issues in SL, I read a few bits
over the weekend saying that things are settling down and there aren’t many issues for tourists but it’s still probably very volatile and probably not worth the risk. It’s a shame as the country desperately needs tourists to return.

think will stick to CR

My colleague is from Sri Lanka and just cancelled a trip to see her siblings. She is telling everyone not to go until the situation has vastly improved.

Imo Sri Lanka is not stable enough to consider, so as much as it's near the top of my list, it will be a miss for now. Costa Rica is incredible, a little "American" but excellent destination for an action packed holiday and very easy to navigate around

No way Sri Lanka, so sad but far far too dangerous

Costa Rica is amazing, our best holiday ever! We've also been to Sri Lanka, also fab but I wouldn't go there anytime soon with all the economic and political issues they're having.