Best travel book for Costa Rica
 

I would like to plan a two week trip to Costa Rica for next year and wonder what a good travel planning book is. We are in our 50's and 60's, want to do some mildly adventurous activities but also kick back at a nice resort somewhere also (we like nice, but not necessarily luxury). Thanks.

We're your contemporaries and have made two wonderful trips to CR -- mostly focusing on nature. You'll have a wonderful time. I'm partial to the Frommers travel guides. There's a 2004 Frommer's Costa Rica available.
They always give a range of accommodations -- and I've found their
(opinionated) descriptions of the accommodations to be right on the money. I've also heard Arthur Frommer speak a couple times -- always fascinating and I like his travel philosophy as well.

My personal favorite is the Costa Rica Handbook published by Moon Handbooks. It's encyclopedic in its coverage of Costa Rica's history, culture and people and has the most comprehensive information about lodging and restaurants of any guidebooks available about Costa Rica. The 2004 version is schedule for release in October. (The current version was released in 2002.)

I'll cast another vote for Moon's Costa Rica Handbook. The most comprehensive, good maps of cities, lots of detail. However, do not trust bus schedule information in ANY guidebook. Schedules change, and quite frankly, I do not believe most guidebooks have any system for updating or verifying the scheduling info they print. You can usually trust the location info for bus stops and bus stations, however.

Of course, prices for lodging change, too, but no so much that the information given cannot be trusted to provide the range of options.

I have been to Costa Rica several times and just got back from a 2 week trip. It was the first time I had the Moon handbook and it was wonderful! We travelled all over the Guanacaste/Nicoya area and visited a lot of small towns based on what we read in the Moon Handbook. I also had Frommers' and it didn't have enough info. If you want to go off the beaten path, Moon is a must!

Another vote for Moon's Costa Rica Handbook. We were given 5 guides by all the big names and there is no comparison. We used it for info on things we were seeing and not knowing what they were and found great suggestions and right on descriptions of accommedations and restaurants.