I just heard amazing things about renting a villa in costa rica. one of my friends was just in the north pacific region. im planning to go with 1 or 2 other families and the boys will take off for day trips maybe an overnighter during our stay to explore hiking, jungle tours, whatever else i can throw in the itinerary. my question is what city/region is the best place to rent a villa? activity wise this is gonna be a dream vacation for me.

If you are considering the Playa Flamingo area, I would highly recommend talking to Becky Clower. She is Blue Water Properties and we used HomeAway to find her beautiful 3 bedroom townhouse between Playa Flamingo and Brasito. The condo can be seen at: www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p222509 Becky's other properties can be seen at: www.bwpcr.com

She was super at taking care of us including hustling to redo arrangements when our flight to CR was delayed 10 hrs. in Chicago, arranging tours and activities, etc.

You can shop for villa/house/casa rentals at VRBO.com, homeaway.com, and others. They can be found in many parts of the country. Look for instance at Manuel Antonio and Dominical. These rentals tend to be fairly close to activities. The listings have reviews written by people who have stayed there. Google for places like Casa Tolteca (in MA), Flying Toucans (in Uvita), and VillaBaha (Dominical).

VRBO is a great place as is TripAdvisor to find great Villas. From personal experience I know that the San Miguel/Coyote area has some fabulous properties, most have full services too! Cristal Azul is one place that I know of personally and think is an amazing place for small groups who want privacy and comfort. Owners are very helpful, plenty to do in the area, great food! Best views I have ever seen in Costa Rica!

The villas at Shelter from the Storm are highly rated on Tripadvisor as well as Fodors (near Dominical). You do need a 4wd though.

If possible, try to make sure you stay someplace that has some security. Friends of ours recently rented a villa and someone broke in while they were sleeping and took all their stuff - not common, but just a heads up.