I am a big fan of Costa Rica. So much so that I manage property there on behalf of several companies, individuals and a charitable foundation. It's a beautiful place to work, although everyone always assume that I'm down their on vacation - I tell them when I return to look at my tan to see how much vacation I had ... white as always! But it is also a beautiful place to visit for vacation or live.
For vacationing, I think the PradosDelSol.com units are ideal, near Samara, Guanacaste. These units have 2 spacious bedrooms, they have a fully stocked kitchen, they are in a gated community. This is the location that my wife and I visit when we go and the internet is good enough to let me work while listening to nature.
Reasons I like the Prados del Sol units:
- Hot and not too humid weather all year around (If you want not-hot, consider the central valley, if you want hot AND Humid, consider the North, Caribbean coast)
- Family friendly complex with pool, picnic/lounging area, front and back decks, fully stocked kitchens,
- Many wonderful beaches all around, another one every 3 to 5 minutes drive in either direction.
- The water temperature is much warmer than Hawaii (walk in, no feeling of cold, soak for hours without ever getting chilled even at midnight.)
- Lots of 'day trip' activities around - you could keep busy for a month. (Coffee tours, boat tours, fishing, surfing, ziplining, volcanos, animal preserves, butterfly, bird, flower and more collections.
- Quiet location. (If you like the bar scene as your primary vacation experience, you won't like this location, but there are some bars 10km away.)
- Good options for those with accessibility issues including wheelchair and sensory friendly needs.
- Good access by bus, the bus from San Jose stops 3 meters (10') from the gates.
- Good access from either major airport (SJO and LIR) with lots of great things to do along the way. If you just want a 'touristy' location and don't care about the 'family friendly', Playa Jaco is about 1 hour closer to SJO.
- Good restaurant options starting less than 2 minute drive (5 or 10 minute walk) away.
- Good access by even a 'small' car. They are on the 'Coastal Highway' between Samara and Nosara (about 10km in each direction.) The road is not what Canadians and people from the USA would call a 'Highway', but it is maintained, paved in places, and most important - navigable in a small car all year around. Many units (especially lower cost ones) are off the main road and are often impassable even with a 4x4. In 2018, I saw people carrying their luggage walking a couple miles/kilometers through deep mud getting to a fairly fancy hotel! Well, at least they saved $5 a night as long as their car isn't burglarized where they abandoned it.
- Same time zone as Alberta in the Summer, Same time as Manitoba in the Winter (Alberta and Manitoba switch to Daylight Wasting time in the winter, an insane "mess up everything by changing times by 1 hour twice of year for no rational reason. Costa Rica stays at the same time all year long.) It means you can go for work or vacation and still conveniently talk to people back home if and when you want to.
Visit the web site for more details. A lot of the info there was generated by me, others by another owner, and some by staff that live in the country. Lots of great perspectives.
If you are visiting Costa Rica for business/banking/government reasons you will likely need to be in San Jose, I stay at a hotel called 'Cocoon Hotel' on 9th Avenue downtown. It is low cost but nice. It has both hostel and hotel rooms depending on how cheap you want to go. (In the low season the hostel rooms will normally let you still have a room to yourself at lower cost, but no guarantee.) In 2019 it is going through a name change to 'Best Hotel'. The new manager is quite pleasant as well, but it no longer has a morning buffet included in the price, but being downtown, there are lots of restaurants nearby. I receive no personal or indirect benefit from you booking with them. https://besthostelsanjose.com/