Hello all... I'm considering a trip to Costa Rica, and my tropical vacations so far have been limited to Mexico (Mazatlan, P.V., Ixtapa) and Hawaii (Maui and Kauai). So to help my decision, I'd love some feedback from those of you who've been to Costa Rica as to how it compares to my other destinations (if you've been to any of them also) in terms of:

Cost
Cultural interest
Ease of transportation
Beauty
Sights/activities
Food
Overall quality of experience

I really appreciate anything you guys could tell me...

THANKS!

Chris in Seattle

Chris:
I think the cost of flying to CR and Hawaii might be about the same; from LA, CR is usually a bit higher, depending on the season. Lodging and especially food in CR should be cheaper than HI. Transportation is easy via car in both places but CR has the edge with a great bus system.
Cultural interest? To me, a toss-up.
Beauty? Both have lots to recommend.
Sights and activities? CR may have the edge there. Plenty of great surf in both places if thats what you are looking for.
CR is just a bit more "rustic" than HI, but maybe that what you want! Of course there is the language issue although this is becomming less of a problem.
Good luck whatever you choose; Mexico I cannot comment on.

Excellent input. Thanks. No worries about the language difference (I'm hardly fluent in Spanish, but I can get by). I have access to a condo on the Nicoya Peninsula (near Nosara). Any thoughts from anyone on whether this is a decent area in which to stay?

Having been to CR and Mexico *many* times, here's my take...

COST:
Similar.
You can find dirt cheap places to stay and travel can be dirt cheap in both countries. In Costa Rica, you can spend $10 a night for a bunk in a hostel in Jaco, or you can spend $200 a night in Jaco at the big Marriott Los Sueños resort. In Mexico, you can find $10 or $20 hostels and cheap hotels all over the place, or you can spend $500 a night for the Four Seasons in Punta Mita.
Buses seem a bit cheaper in CR than in Mexico...

CULTURAL INTEREST:
Mexico wins by a wide margin.
There's few significant historical sites in Costa Rica and no great archaelogical sites. Mexico has a much more sophisticated cultural base as well with lots of varied musical styles and a rich artistic heritage. Costa Rica has no great art museums, only 1 theatrical venue worth mentioning, and while there are some indigenous aspects to their heritage, it pales in comparison to all the great pre-hispanic cultures that thrived further north.

EASE OF TRANSPORTATION:
Mexico wins.
Costa Rica isn't hard to get around in, but you have to use puddle jumpers a lot and the bus network is nowhere near as far-reaching nor as frequent as you find in Mexico. However, bus transit in CR can be QUITE inexpensive (I think I paid 700 colones, about $1.70, 4 weeks ago to do a 2-hour trip from San Jose to Jaco). There's also a door-to-door bus service in CR called Interbus that's *easy* to use, but considerably more expensive than using the regular buses.

BEAUTY:
Depends.
Costa Rica generally wins because it is *SUCH* a green country in contrast to the largely brown landscape of Mexico.
*BUT* Mexico has some absolutely stunning places as well, and the beaches of Cancun and the Riviera Maya *FAR* outshine the beaches of Costa Rica, and Mexico has some wonderful mountains and desert landscapes and a generally more varied kind of terrain.

SIGHTS/ACTIVITIES:
Tie.
Costa Rica wins for most eco-travelers who want to see jungles, rain forests, volcanoes, and parks.
Mexico wins for cultural sites, museums, cities, and historical sites.
While Costa Rica has cool activities, like the zip lines through the rain forest canopy, Mexico has things like snorkling and scuba diving on coral reefs or in underground cenotes. You can climb a 2,000 year old pyramid in Mexico, or you can climb a 12,000 foot volcano in Costa Rica (though Mexico has volcanoes too...). Whitewater rafting is better in Costa Rica. There's better golf courses and spas in Mexico. What kind of activities are you MOST interested in doing???

FOOD:
Mexico wins, no contest.
While Mexican cuisine is generally regarded as one of the world's five "great cuisines". There are world class restaurants in Mexico City and great restaurants in many other Mexican destinations. There are fascinating regional dishes and variations, like a bread made from pulque that you can only get near Saltillo, or a kind of caramel candy made from scorched goat milk that you find in the north. Nobody has ever gone to Costa Rica for the food (unless they happen to like bland white rice served with bland black beans --- a dish called "gallo pinto" that seems to accompany *every* meal).

OVERALL QUALITY OF EXPERIENCE:
Tie.
What you get out of it is what you put in. People have wonderful experiences in both places. People make mistakes and have bad experiences in both places. People have had their wallets stolen in Mexico while they leave their bags on the beach as they swim in those crystal clear waters, and people have had their cars broken into in Costa Rica while they go hike those jungle trails. People have had "the best trip of my life"! in Mexico. People have had "the best trip of my life!" in Costa Rica.

Generally, Costa Rica and Mexico are both very easy countries to visit. There's a lot of guidebooks that can help you pick the destinations that best suit your own interests, and with some judicious selection of hotels and some advance planning for logistics, I would expect you to have a BLAST in either country.

Hope it helps,
Mark
www.tiogringo.com

Mark has a lot of excellent points, but I'll add Costa Rica has the edge when it comes to flora and fauna. I have never seen the beauty and variety of plants as I saw on my first trip to CR, and the wildlife - monkeys, birds, etc, - were delightful as well. We're soon to go on our second trip to CR, have been to Mexico several times and have visited all the major Hawaiian islands. One experience that is pretty unique is the Arenal volcano area, where we hope to see it erupt and enjoy the nearby hot srings.

Chris, I have been to Mexico numerous times/places and am going back to CR in April for my second adventure. I like CR better than Mexico! I thought the country was cleaner, the food better and the people nicer and for some reason I felt better about my personal safety there.

CR wins in my book.

Mark, your breakdown and detail were exceptional, and actually the input from all of you is of tremendous help.

I'm an amateur photographer, so the flora and fauna are of particular interest to me. On the fauna side, we'd especially love to see some nesting turtles, which I understand can be seen in abundance at Ostional on the Nicoya Peninsula (just up the road from where we're likely to stay).

Additionally, seeing monkeys, birds and the other indigenous wildlife is of strong interest to us.

I'm also an amateur gardener, so I'm looking eagerly forward to the flora, as well.

One of the things I'm trying to get a feel for, regarding transportation, is the ease/difficulty with which one might travel between destinations of interest -- specifically, places to view the flora and fauna, as well as to take in a few desired sights.

I've heard the beaches in the proximity of our condo near Nosara described pretty favorably, although Mark feels the beaches, overall, in CR pale next to Mexico's (did I get that right?).

Travl4fun writes that the "food is better" in CR, although Mark clearly disagrees. Even though we'll be in a condo and doing much of our own cooking, I'll clearly hope that we'll have more success than Mark has in finding delicious local dining!

I welcome any and all additional feedback!

Having been to all three places, I would have to say that Costa Rica probably ranks #3 in food and beaches, but #1 in the things that you are interested in, such as flora and fauna. The variety of wildlife alone is worth the trip, IMHO.

I agree that you should see at least one of the volcanic sites while you are there. I believe you are closest to Rincon de la Vieja National Park, but Arenal might be worth an overnight trip for you.

BTW, if you are looking for a guidebook, I would rate the recently updated Moon Handbook as the most comprehensive.

Have a great time! Fellow-Fodorite, Ally, is building a hotel in (or near) Nosara. Stop by and say hi.

Oops, I guess her hotel is open!

http://www.plumeriasdelmar.com/

It looks lovely. Time to schedule another CR trip.

Thankfully I am one of many travelers, that loves the beaches in Costa Rica.

No crowds, Sometimes no People! Beautiful Pacific Sunsets and Caribbean Sunrises. Rocky formations, sometimes black sand. Jungle all the way to the beach. Natural and Wild. Love it.