Costa Rica

Hi, i lived with a Costa Rican family in San Jose, CR for 1 month. Loved it. San Jose can be seen in one day. It is a big, congested city and I suggest getting out of it as soon as possible (if you are flying into that city). Watch out for thiefs.

There are some really cool volcanoes around the San Jose area. I went to Volcan Irazu and it was awesome.
If you want a central location to do all the "Adventurous" activities on your way to the beach, i suggest staying in Monteverde for at least a couple days. Ziplines, hiking, cloud forests, hot springs, waterfalls!!

Check out their website: http://www.monteverdeinfo.com/

I don’t how long you are staying in Costa Rica, but i suggest going up to the Nicoya Penisula. I’m big into surfing and stayed 10 days on that Penisula. Starting at Tamarindo and driving south, if you have a car.
If you are taking a bus, then getting to Monteverde and from there, the beaches are easy to get to. If you are in San Jose, then i suggest taking a bus up to Tamarindo area and hanging out somewhere in that area. Playa Grande, Playa Negra, Playa Avellanas, Playa Coco.
Tamarindo is a huge tourist trap and isn’t Costa Rica. The same with Jaco. You won’t get a good sense of Costa Rica if you stay in Jaco or Tamarindo, but they are the easiest, biggest beach cities to get to by bus.
If you have time to go south from San Jose area, then get a bus to MAnuel Antonio State PArk and Dominical. Very beautiful beach towns with adventure stuff to do. Rafting, hiking, snorkeling, surfing, ziplines.

When you get some time, check out my surfing blog where my goal is to update my readers with fresh surfing knowledge…..

http://www.surfblogspot.com

Thank you and I hope this is your best answer!!
References :

I’ve been to CR many times- we did a family trip with my wife and son, 17 and my brother’s group with two kids 16,17. We rented an 8 passenger van-hyundai i think- and spent 12 days driving around. Our trip started North to Arenal which is certainly worth the visit- we were lucky and actually had a clear day to see the entire Volcano which is also spectacular at night – we spent two days there at the Arenal Paraiso(recommend) and one day white water rafting which was really fun for everyone- We then headed to Monteverde which I would probably skip if I did it again. I t is beautiful there and the zip line was amazing but that drive was horrendous and long- we averaged 5 mph for 2 hrs due to the vans suspension- the 4 wd trucks were doing a little better- You should really only drive during daylight everywhere in CR due to road conditions- big potholes are common but driving is safe and I think it is a good way to see the country and enjoy the roadside "sodas" -small restaurants with great Tican food. We then headed to Nicoya peninsula for some beach, sun and surfing. I think it was 5-6 hour drive once we got away from Monteverde’s bad roads and on the main highway. We went to a real nice beach on the southern Pacific side called Samara and hung out there for 5-6 days to end our trip. Samara is pretty quiet but a great beach with medium surf and plenty of decent food & drink options in "town"Go to Jessie’s surf shop, family owned and real cool people right on the beach. If you’re looking for a more active place head north to Tamarindo (I know they call it gringo land and it is getting over developed) but it is a beautiful beach with plenty of night life and day activities- quad rentals, fishing, biking… There are also great beaches all around that area so you can drive around and find a place that works for your fam. We stayed at Capt Suizos in Tamarindo on a different visit and it was really an awesome place- went for 2 days and stayed 5- it is a bit $$ but much more reasonable in the summer time. Allow a full day to drive back to SJ due to traffic- I think it took us a good portion of the day before we got back to turn in the rental and crash by the airport for our early flight the next day. All in all, the driving was the best way to go- it gave us freedom to go where/when we wanted and provided for some laughs and a few scares- crossing a 150 ft deep ravine and getting on the bridge by driving on two planks was a white knuckler.. Good luck and I am sure you will enjoy CR and the great people there, Pura Vida
References :

I think the other replies have given you some great information; the only thing I will add is that I wouldn’t go out of my way to make this a diving trip. If you happen to be in the northern Guanacaste area, you can get some decent diving if you depart from Playa Flamingo; in July you MIGHT have 40 ft viz, on a great day, other days maybe five feet. We definitely had a few decent days, but it’s hit or miss; and not worth bringing along your scuba gear. However, there is so much to do topside that you’ll never get bored! Have fun!
References :