If you LOVED Costa Rica...where else did you love the same?

CR reminded us a lot of Hawaii - active volcanoes, great beaches, adventure activities. Parts of it even look very similar.

How did you think Belize and CR compared to each other? We haven't made it to Belize yet, but I would like to get there someday.

Belize isn't nearly as visually stunning as Costa Rica. No volcanos.

It does have some decent beaches, blue Caribbean water and the second largest barrier reef. It's also got caves and Mayan ruins and cool rivers to canoe/kayak on.

Belize is smaller and easier to get around. English is the official language, Belize dollars are set at 2:1 against the US dollar (and US dollars are accepted everywhere). So, in many ways, Belize is easier.

To the original poster, take a look at Colombia or Panama.

I absolutely love New Zealand! Two very small islands with an amazing diversity of geologic features - North Island has sandy, tropical beaches, volcanos, geysers, glow in the dark worm caves to name just a few.

The South Island is just stunning - mountains, glaciers, rain forests, gorgeous beaches, national parks, wineries - adventure capital of the world is Queenstown for bungee jumping (invented here), jet boat rides, hiking.

Milford Sound is one of the most incredible places in the world on a rainy day - hundreds of waterfalls cascading down the sheer granite walls as your boat floats past.

A lot of the "Lord of the Rings" movies were filmed around Queenstown.

Kiwis are lovely people, so appreciative of visitors since it is a LONG flight from anywhere - 18 hours from L.A. to Auckland - that's the only down side!

I know some people who love CR also love Thailand, so you can check that out.

But, honestly, I'm still trying to find anywhere that really compares to CR in terms of wildlife, beauty, proximity, ease of travel, safety, water drinkability, affordability, etc. I hope to get to parts of Africa one day, but very expensive.

A lot of the islands look beautiful, but they always seem to come up short on the wildlife, lushness, food prices, etc. Seems like you can get some of it but not all of it, the way you can in CR.

Let us know what you find -- I'm always looking too!

This is a totally different kind of vacation, but friends of ours just got back from Alaska, and they went ziplining, saw tons of whales, bears, and bald eagles, beautiful glaciers and landscapes. A little chillier than CR though. After seeing their pictures, I'm intrigued.

Thanks so much for the feedback and keep it coming. I am spoiled by CR as another poster wrote above - not only was it an amazing vacation BUT it was also so affordable and pretty easy travel!

Problem with Hawaii is the expense - it is not cheap! I want to definitely go to Thailand but like New Zealand the travel time requires a full day and airfare is also very pricey! I feel spoiled now that we discovered CR, need to find somewhere else that is also affordable and as impressive!

I totally agree with you; CR is a 3-hour direct flight for us and so much more affordable than Hawaii. Also no weird time change.

Honest? I have not found a place I love as much as CR, which is I why I go back every year - to visit old faves and try some new places, the selection is never ending. In fact every May or June I go to CR and then every Oct/Nov I go someplace different (Nicaragua, Argentina, etc). This year I decided why not just go where I really want to go? So I am just going back to CR.

Yeah, this is the same thought process I always go through: Well, there's that cool place, but the plane ticket alone costs three or four times as much. There's that other place with the great beaches, but the shore is lined with hotels. What about there -- oh, no monkeys? Forget it. Ooh, look at that amazing looking water -- but the land is dry and scrubby and the food is really limited and expensive. You're right, we've been spoiled.

How about going to another part of CR? There's so much to explore -- it really can feel like being in a totally different country.

Thailand is really, really gorgeous. Especially some of the off the beaten track places. However, Bangkok is quite overwhelming! Even though it can be expensive getting there, there are wonderful places CHEAP to stay and eat. Will definitely go back in a few years when daughter is a little more willing to take the long flight and probably include Vietnam. Also, if you check airfare frequently, you can get lucky. I paid less than $700 when I purchased 6 months in advance.

Placencia Belize better beach than many in CR

www.robertsgrove.com

Great Jungle too

www.cavesbranch.com

The Cayes also great beaches better diving than CR

Quite exotic english speaking

more exotic rustic in many non-tourist areas

also

www.visitguatemala.com

very culturally interesting with the Mayan influence

www.aroundantigua.com

www.lacasadelmundo.com Atitlan

2 of the most beautiful places in the world.

I've heard Chan Chich in Belize is really wonderful, but we haven't made it there yet. It looks sort of BdCesque.


www.chanchich.com

The same? Nowhere.
As much, but for different reasons? Lots of places.

Hawaii was gorgeous but didn't do it for me because of the lack of wildlife.
St. Lucia and St. John -- also mountainous and lush but lacked the wildlife and diversity (better snorkeling though).
South Africa is my favorite so far. Where else can you see lions, elephants, ostrich, and penguins in the wild?

Newfoundland, Canada. Wonderful coastal landscapes, abundant seabirds and whales,great music and some of the friendliest people anywhere.

Jerry

ParkerSunShine: I had the same reaction to our first trip to Costa Rica...I had the "asphalt blues" when I returned home to life in the suburbs of San Diego!

For landscapes and adventure that are as incredible as Costa Rica, only wildly different, try the south island of New Zealand! WOW! Heaven on earth! Check out Mt. Cook., Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, and the west coast of the south island of New Zealand... I didn't try bungy jumping, but we watched other people try it, as they went screaming all the way down (somewhere near Queenstown.) I have posted trip reports for both New Zealand and Costa Rica, if you click on my name. Plenty of others have also posted great trip reports.

I wanted to add one thought about New Zealand...yes the airfare is expensive. But once you get to New Zealand, you do get a good value for the US dollar, and also if you want to, you can definitely plan the lodging and food to be within your budget.

In terms of beautiful scenery and friendly people, I've never been anywhere in the world that can match Thailand. We took our kids there this summer - simply amazing in many respects.

My parents went to New Zealand and loved it too; they said it was one of the best places they've ever been.

We loved New Zealand and Thailand too, so much that we've been back again. But once you've been to Costa Rica -- especially the Osa Peninsula -- you look into the tree canopy in your home country and in other countries and wish there were monkeys. You feel the lack of them in a way that you wouldn't have before you went to Costa Rica. It's just a fact, at least for my husband and myself. I'm not sure I know of anyplace that has the monkeys and birds and butterflies the way that Costa Rica does. Africa has some monkeys and baboons and LOTS more mammals and we go there as often as we can manage, but (at least the places we've been) you can't just go wandering most of the paths. In Costa Rica I had the amazing experience of watching squirrel monkeys watching me...in a way that felt like a mirror multiplied many times over.

Also, relative to many places in Africa I do feel like Costa Rica is great value for money. And if you live in the US there is not much (if any) time change to deal with either.

lisa, that's exactly how I feel. I loved Paris, London, Jamaica, all for different reasons but something about CR captured me like no where else has. Many trips and I have barely scratched the surface! The people, the wildlife, the views, just the general atmosphere match me to a T.

I've planted lots of tropical plants in our backyard; we have gingers and angel's trumpets, loads of flowers. The other day my husband commented on how pretty the backyard was looking, and my first response was that it would look better with monkeys and toucans in it! The other thing is the warmth of the Costa Rican people; I haven't found that as much in other places we've visited. In CR, we always come away feeling that we've made friends.