Krista

HELP!!! I'm trying to organize a January vacation to either Costa Rica or Puerto Rico, but don't know too much about either place. I'm looking for a good hotel (Not a 6 star hotel), what is there to do at either place(sightseeing, activities, nightlife, dining, etc.) Also how safe are either of these islands. We will be traveling with 2 couples, and we like the beaches, yet also the option of other things to do, like motor scooters, dancing, we like to see the islands, but safely. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

lisa

Hi Krista. Costa Rica actually isn't an island but a country in Central America that borders both the Caribbean on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. There is a lot more information on it in the Latin American forum if you do a search there. I went last November and really loved it (focused our trip mainly on the Pacific side -- didn't get to the Caribbean side), but it is best for wildlife viewing (monkeys, toucans, macaws, iguanas, sloths, butterflies) and hiking and beautiful scenery, not as great for beaches or nightlife, although there are some decent beaches. No motor scooters in CR as far as we saw -- the roads are rough in places. I've never been to Puerto Rico so can't help you there, although I can say that we considered Puerto Rico but decided on Costa Rica because we knew we wanted to see a lot of wildlife and Puerto Rico just didn't have as much of that. I'm sure Puerto Rico has more in the way of nightlife, dancing, etc. than Costa Rica. The biggest difference is that Puerto Rico is part of the United States whereas Costa Rica is a foreign country (different currency, etc.) If you are still interested in Costa Rica check out some of the trip reports on the Latin America forum -- we had a great time.

jen

Hi, I agree with the previous post. Costa Rica will give you a "new country' experience. The rain forest is spectacular! You can be very adventurous and see many different types of animals and plants. The people are very nice and it is a very safe country for americans to travel in. I would suggest you stay a few days up in the rain forest and then finish on the beach to unwind. We stayed at the Melia Playa Conchal...which we really enjoyed. It has one of the best beaches we saw there and the layout of the hotel is superb! The beaches are not like the caribbean, though, they are pacific beaches and have heavier surf, darker waters. The MElia also had a small, intimate casino which was a lot of fun and I liked it better than bigger casinos. You could meet a lot of people there. <BR> <BR>IF you want a vacation where you laze around days on the beach and dine/party into the night I would suggest Puerto Rico...famous for its nightlife as is Aruba, Cancun, St. Martin. The activites in these locations will center around water, snorkeling, sailing, boating, jet skis, etc...and there will be some great historical sites too (Cancun has mayan ruins and Puerto Rico has Old San Juan just to name a few). <BR> <BR>Good Luck!

Krista

Thanks, Lisa and Jen for your advise. With both of your input and discussion with our friends who travel with us, this should help alot. Thanks again.

Liza

Krista--I would recommend Costa Rica especially in January. It will defnintely be hotter in CR during Jan than PR. When we went to CR we stayed at the Blue Bay Village Papaguyo. It is an all-inclusive and was a lot of fun. Not a 6 star hotel but nice none-the-less. Nice pools, swim up bar, nightly entertainment.... In addition, we were able to take many day trips from this location also. You have to go to Arenal Volcano and a canopy trip if you go to CR. Expect that CR beaches are volcanic that is the sand is dark and the water is not that teal you see in Cancun or the Bahamas. Scuba and snorkeling are also better in other areas. I hope this helps you decide.

fred

Palmas del Mar in Southern Puerto Rico is a lovely place place. Great in the off season.