Costa Rica

going on a month long vacation in costa rica.. half the time i’m staying with a local family, but the other half im traveling throughout the country and need an easy to carry bag. i’m looking for a duffle bag with backpack straps that is small enough to meet the carry on requirements. This isn’t intense backpacking, the furthest distance i have to carry this bag will be 1 mile. has anybody found a light-weight, easy to carry, comfortable bag that can endure wet/dry environments and be small enough to cram into the overhead bins in the airplanes? any help on the subject would be greatly appreciated as this is my first international adventure travel trip.

Go to the Cabellas or Orvis sites and have a look at their luggage. They both have an excellent line of duffle bags. I have a 32" Cabellas duffle with a lower shell and upper soft side. I use it all the time for international travel. My wife likes the other duffle of the same type that I bought from Orvis. We do a lot of travel and have lots of luggage, but we have found that these shell type duffles are the way to go.

Good luck and good travels – 73 from the Fisherman

we want to have adventure type vacation. Based on what I’ve researched so far I’ve picked these places; Guanacaste, Montevede, and south pacific. can somebody tell me about these spots. what can we do in each place and where we can stay

look at the answers you got to this exact same you asked a week ago:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AkQXOPmZ1XzDDfMJmTC4QmJODn1G;_ylv=3?qid=20100328193415AAYByxa

My husband and I want to be in a nice and safe neighborhood and also be close to the adventure type activities?

Ah man there are too many nice beaches in Guanacaste to just pick one.

I guess if you want a romantic place that would be Playa Tambor.

If you want good weed and surf that will be Playa Monte Zuma

If you want adventure, water sports and to watch Sea Turtles and also night life dancing and pubs you can go to Tamarindo. http://visittamarindo.com/

Here is a link with pics, maps and info on different Guanacaste beaches http://nicoyapeninsula.com/general/map.php

And here is a link with info on the best CR beaches http://www.ticotimes.com/top_beaches.html

Me and my boyfriend will be traveling to Costa Rica for the first time. We will be traveling at the end of March through the first week of April and will be staying for about 8 nights. We are in our mid 20′s are looking to experience a little bit of everything (some adventure, beautiful beaches – we’re amateur surfers, volcanoes, rain forest/waterfalls, some descent nightlife/restaurants/shopping, and relaxation). We are not looking for an all inclusive stay and we don’t need a five star hotel but are looking for some nice accommodations while not spending an arm and a leg. Can someone please recommend some things to do and what city we may want to stay in. I know it may not be possible to squeeze all of this in since we’re only staying for a little over a week… but if we can do as much as possible w/out constant moving while spending as little time as possible traveling it would be ideal! I want to make sure I feel safe but do not need to stay in a completely tourist area (would prefer not to). We only get to travel about once a year so I just want to make this a memorable one! Looking forward for any feedback you may have!!!

Thank you!

Doing everything your hoping for in 8 days really isn’t possible. On the carribean coast you can surf and party in Puerto Viejo, beautiful beaches and VERY laid-back vibe. In Dominical and Quepos on the Pacific coast you can catch bigger surf, but ugly water and drink in chill, neighborhood bars. In the mountains of Monteverde you can do zip line tours, go shopping, tour animal reserves, hike, etc.

Each of these places is a cheap 4-5 hour bus ride from San Jose (which you shouldn’t spend much time in).

Finding a place to stay is very easy (hostels are everywhere) and can be found for under $20 for two people.

Good luck and have fun!

Has anyone ever vacationed or live(d) in Marbella, Costa Rica? Can you recommend any destinations to see/visit; places to eat; things to do; etc? Please share your adventures! I’m primarily interested in outdoor & cultural activities. Also, if you have any good travel tips on what local life is like, the currency they accept, etc. let me know as well!

Marbella is a beautiful surfing beach town that doesn’t tend to have too much of a crowd. It’s located on the northern pacific, the drive might take a while to ge to this beach town but once you get there you’ll see that it was worth it. If you get a chance try to visit the other beaches like Matapalo, Nosara and Samara, which are relatively close.

The beaches in the area are known as world class surfing spots so be sure to grab a board. The locals are very helpful and friendly with tourists so you should feel very welcomed. Dollars are widely accepted but the local currency is the colon with an exchange rate of 560 colones per $1 USD, a bottle of water is roughly 400 colones which is about 75 cents to give you an idea of prices.

As far as safety just use common sense, dont carry too much cash or jewelry on you, if you don’t speak spanish try to stay with a guide or someone who does speak and understand spanish, that way you don’t have any issues as far as getting ripped off with exchange rates.

good luck

Im looking for suggestions on where to go that will give us a taste of everything. I know their are tons of places that have cabins and what not from $40 usd to $80 usd in all different locations. I want to go Jan. 8th 2010 to jan 18th 2010. The prices seem so low to me, is this normal? We usually vacation in Orlando so hotels this cheap baffle me. Anyhow, We are adventure seekers and I definately want to do ziplining, volcanos, rainforests, etc. But I’d also like beaches and romance for some relaxation. How much do you think this would cost with airfare from Albany, NY? And how much have you or people you know spent on this type of vacation? Im looking for under $3000. What part of Costa Rica should we visit? What would you suggest? and do you I should just take him to Vegas instead????

Do NOT waste your money on overpriced overrated Vegas!!!

Costa Rica is a beautiful place that will offer you experiences of a lifetime. Explore the spectacular cloud and rain forests. Do a boat trip down a jungle river. See where the turtles nest on Caribbean and Pacific beaches. Climb a volcano. Visit a coffee plantation. Do a zipline tour. You can easily do ALL of that with a budget of $3K for 2.

I am taking a trip to Costa Rica in mid Sept. (yes, I know it is the "wet" season) and am trying to decide what part of Costa Rica is the right place to stay in. I have done a bunch of searching on-line and every time I think I find the right place, I find some sort of article contradicts it. I have been leaning toward Quepos, Manuel Antonio, or Jaco, but am open to any suggestions from those who know more than I.

A little about what I am looking for:
- I am going with my girlfriend (we are both 25)
- Looking to stay near the coast and beaches
- Want to be able to do plenty of adventure type activities (zip lines, volcanoes, etc)
- Would be cool to see wildlife, waterfalls, etc.
- Want to be some place where a night life is accessible (Not going to go crazy, but restaurants, bars, etc. would be nice)
- Will be flying into San Jose (willing to drive, take bus, short flight from here to where ever)

Also, if anyone has any suggestions about hotels, villas, etc. around the place you suggest, that would be helpful as well. Don’t need a 5 star place, but looking for something decent that wont cost a fortune.

I appreciate any help people can provide. Thanks

Just stay away from Jaco, Puntarenas or San Jose downtown. I love Quepos, Manuel Antonio, La Fortuna in San Carlos, or the white sand beaches in Guanacaste.