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[selini]

Hi Guys!

I am new here. Am trying to decide where to go in Costa Rica. I like the idea of some of the eco lodges - but am also working at finishing some expensive schooling, so don't want to spend too much. I am planning on travelling alone, and not for more than 9 days. I would like to see both sea and rainforest, some local culture, indulge in some activities and some sloth.

Any advice where I should go?
I am in my 30's. Have been to Mexico, Bali, Greece so far. Not big on touristy stuff, but given the small amount of time I have, and that it is not enough to immerse myself in the local culture, I am open-minded.

Please advice : )

[starlagurl]

Oh, my best friend is obsessed with Costa Rica, she loves it. I will ask her to advise you. Be back in a bit.

In the meantime, check out some TravelPod blogs and see where other people stayed.

http://www.travelpod.com/s/trips/costa+rica

[mmbcross]

Hi Selini,

It's awfully hard to give such generalized advice on where to go in a country. Some questions come to mind.
1. Do you want to stay put or move around within the country?
2. When you went to Mexico, Bali and Greece, how did you travel. A travel agent always asks about past holidays, the good, the bad and the ugly, so the future trip can be planned based on past experience.
3. When you are visiting a new country and are uncertain of what there is to see, I recommend you drop by your local library and check out a guide book on Costa Rica. You can visit your local book shop as well. I consider one of the best guides is Moon Handbooks.

Also visit the Costa Rica Tourism Board site at http://www.visitcostarica.com/. Regrettably this is a high-tech site, hence it's rather annoying to get around. I wish they would KISS!

These two are private sites, like a travel directory:
http://www.travel-info-costarica.com/ and http://www.govisitcostarica.com/

Once you have gone though a guide book or the web site, you will pretty much know what you want to see, where you want to stay and what you want to do. That's the time to come back on line and get specific advice.

[shylopruyn]

Depends how you're travelling and what you want to see and how long you're there. The country is pretty easy to travel by bus and hits all the main spots. Also I travelled by car before, and I only got lost once. Pretty good considering I didn't have a GPS. I would recommend Arenal (there is an active valcano) and montverde (cloud rainforest). Cano Negro was great for seeing wildlife as well as Manuel Antonio. I could go on, its hard to choose for such a beautiful counrty!

[starlagurl]

Thanks Shylah, dahling!