costa rica?
 

my wife and i just booked tickets to go there in mid-november for our anniversary......

anybody have any must sees or avoid at all costs?

Well my uncle lives down there and my mom and grandma visit there every year. I'll ask them....it's a great place to vacation I know for sure!

Where are you staying ? I just returned from CR earlier this month - It was my sixth trip in as many years. Definitely Go to Guanacaste, Arenal Volcano, Tabaon Hot Springs, the Poas and Izucu Volcanoes. The beaches - yes ! Tamarindo area.

Get a good guide book. If you have any specifics, please do not hestiate to ask.

don't know where we're staying yet........i figured this would be a good place to start. bought a book last night. i'll start digging in to your recommendations. thanks!

If Arenal's erupting, go up that way (Fortuna). We had a motel on a hilltop facing the volcano, about 7-8 miles away, and from our front porche we could watch wads of lava speed down Arenal all night. If Arenal's not erupting, though, the area's nothing special.

If you want more of a Carribean flavor and want to hit up a cool national park (Cahuita) head to the east coast. Here's a page.

http://costa-rica-guide.com/Natural/Cahuita.html

Cahuita's cool, Puerto Viejo has a nice end-of-the-road Jamaican feel, a lot of back-packers end up there. There's stuff to see, and horses wander wild through the streets. It's possible to drive down to the Panamanian border from the east coast, but I wouldn't do it -- there's a pretty scary border town there.

Can't think of anything else right now, but I'll keep thinking.

If you get a chance, go to La Selva Nature Reserve. It is a beautiful forest teaming with wildlife.

We went to Jaco last year and loved it. There are plenty of hiking, nature walks, canopy tours, beaches, etc within a short drive to keep you busy unless you just want to sit on the beach and do nothing. My only regret about the trip is that I used Marriott points to cover the hotel. There's a beautiful Marriott resort just outside of Jaco called Los Suenos. We loved everything about the hotel except that it doesn't give you the opportunity to really experience the Costa Rican culture. We'd stay somewhere local next time.