# Going to Costa Rica for the 1st time....where should I trade to?



## tarahsu (Sep 25, 2017)

Hi Avid travelers:

I am looking at trading through II to Costa Rica and of course would like to see everything. 
Which general area should I stay to make it my home base and more convenient?
Any recommended resorts?

Thanks


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## am1 (Sep 25, 2017)

I a timeshare is not a good way to see everything. There are two long coasts, mountain areas and a city. If you fly into San Jose spend a few nights there before your timeshare stay so you are a little closer to seeing everything.  

I have only spent 5 minutes in Costa Rica and maybe an hour in their shared border area.  Eventually will do a tour but for now can do without the bad roads, crime and high prices.


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## lauramiddl (Sep 25, 2017)

If you're going for ecotourism, timeshare isn't a good option. We went last summer and spent one night near San Jose, three nights in Arenal, three in Monteverde, four in Manuel Antionio, three in Drake Bay then one night in downtown San Jose. 

My favorite were Monteverde and Drake Bay and if I did it again id switch around my itinerary.  To see things you need to book excursions with reputable guides. Tourism is big business there and all the guides we had were great. We used a travel agency to arrange this trip of a lifetime,  Costaricaexpeditions.com  

It was the most expensive trip we've ever done. Costa Rica is not cheap but you can save by planning ahead and going in low season (spring and fall i think)


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## tarahsu (Sep 25, 2017)

lauramiddl said:


> If you're going for ecotourism, timeshare isn't a good option. We went last summer and spent one night near San Jose, three nights in Arenal, three in Monteverde, four in Manuel Antionio, three in Drake Bay then one night in downtown San Jose.
> 
> My favorite were Monteverde and Drake Bay and if I did it again id switch around my itinerary.  To see things you need to book excursions with reputable guides. Tourism is big business there and all the guides we had were great. We used a travel agency to arrange this trip of a lifetime,  Costaricaexpeditions.com
> 
> It was the most expensive trip we've ever done. Costa Rica is not cheap but you can save by planning ahead and going in low season (spring and fall i think)



Thanks for the awesome information.  I will check out that agency.  We went to Belize last year and that wasn't cheap either for the state of the country.  That's probably why I usually stick to Asia


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## lizap (Sep 26, 2017)

lauramiddl said:


> If you're going for ecotourism, timeshare isn't a good option. We went last summer and spent one night near San Jose, three nights in Arenal, three in Monteverde, four in Manuel Antionio, three in Drake Bay then one night in downtown San Jose.
> 
> My favorite were Monteverde and Drake Bay and if I did it again id switch around my itinerary.  To see things you need to book excursions with reputable guides. Tourism is big business there and all the guides we had were great. We used a travel agency to arrange this trip of a lifetime,  Costaricaexpeditions.com
> 
> It was the most expensive trip we've ever done. Costa Rica is not cheap but you can save by planning ahead and going in low season (spring and fall i think)



Depends on what you do.  For us, we like to do a lot of exploring on our own, so it was very reasonable, cost-wise. We rented a gorgeous house (VRBO)in the rainforest.


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## DannyTS (May 15, 2018)

tarahsu said:


> Thanks for the awesome information.  I will check out that agency.  We went to Belize last year and that wasn't cheap either for the state of the country.  That's probably why I usually stick to Asia


I am new in the TS and still evaluating our options to add to our growing portfolio. I am pretty impressed with the exchanges you have done. All with the 2 SDOs? Please let me know


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## TravelTime (May 15, 2018)

We went to Costa Rica several years ago. We loved the country. I did not think prices were high nor did I encounter any crime except near the northern border with Nicaragua. We were warned when we went there to be careful since there was unofficial guerilla fighting on the border. However, I just googled crime in Costa Rica and read that their crime rate in 2017 was up. Costa Rica used to be very safe so I am surprised to hear crime has escalated. I think we were told parts of San Jose CR were sketchy but we did not go into the city. Roads were great except going up to Monteverde - it was not paved at the time and was one of the bumpiest rides. We stayed at a beautiful hotel in Monteverde with gorgeous views (forgot the name), then we went to Nayara Springs in the Arenal area (it is rated one of the best luxury hotels in the world now but we only paid about $200 per night because we discovered it before it was “discovered”), then we went on a Windstar cruise along all the entire coast of Costa Rica and we ended at the beautiful Spanish style Marriott hotel outside of San Jose. I think we spent 2.5 - 3 weeks in Costa Rica. I loved the Monteverde and Arenal areas better than the coast. But that’s because the Pacific coast of Costa Rica has darker, cold water. I did do some scuba diving but had bad visibility and it was too cold for me.


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