First timer to CR
 

We are heading to CR for the first time in February, the ages are 26-53, we all enjoy the nice beaches for swimming and sunning. Also, we also want some nightlife, dancing etc. Suggestions would be greatly apprceciated.

We do want to vist San Jose for couple of days but after that we are open for suggestions.

Accommodations, we have looked at many house/villa rentals so if anyone has some ideas for this, it also would be appreicated.

What is the cost of living like there, we want to enjoy the local foods not North American fast food.

looking forward to any suggestions or ideas.

Thanks

We found the dining to be pretty affordable and reasonable in CR. For the most part, we spent about $25-30 a night for the two of us. We had one great little meal of casados with two Imperials, and the entire bill was only twelve bucks. We had gone to Hawaii for our last vacation, and had some sticker shock at the food prices there. We got a kick out of our $12 bill.

In Arenal, we liked El Novillo for steaks and La Choza de Laurel - they have rotisserie chicken. Most of the restaurants here are not much to look at - a lot of them don't even have walls, but the food is good.

In Manuel Antonio, we liked Ronnie's Place/Mi Lugar, Barba Roja, Salsipuedes, Cage Milagro, and Cafe Agua Azul.

In San Jose, if you'd like something more upscale, Grano de Oro's restaurant is charming and has good food. It's built in an old mansion.

In the Osa, we ate at Bosque del Cabo every night.

Costa Rica is not really known for its night life, but there is some live music to be found in Manuel Antonio. The howlers and birds wake everyone up at 5:30 a.m. so you tend to hit the hay early.

Regarding the swimming and beaches, Manuel Antonio is probably the most popular spot for first time travelers to CR. There's a National Park there full of wildlife, and the prettiest beach is inside the park. You can also sail, zipline, take a mangrove tour, and horseback ride. The area can get a bit crowded, so if that's not your thing, maybe check out the northern Pacific beaches.

Thank your for the advice will in all likelihood visit these places, as in Mexico and the Dominican and Malaysia appearance is one thing but the food is usally very good.

We did a Dominican All-Inclusive in May, I've never done AI before and glad it was for only a week, could get boring. This time we are electing to do a rental, I think, if we can get some good recommendations. We are a group of 6 possibly eight and most of us have the same adventurous interests even with the diverse ages from 26 to 53(that would be me). I have heard that Jaco can be a 'hopping' area in the evenings do you know about that locations?

Would you recommend staying at one place for two weeks or splitting it up, a week in one location and a week somewhere else?

I think Puerto Viejo might be a nice place for you to visit for both beach and nightlife (Caribbean/reggae style) and the food and hotels seemed much less expensive than in other areas. But then I see you mention Jaco and it will be nothing like that (from what I've read), so it depends on what type of nightlife you're looking for I guess. We stayed at Banana Azul and highly recommend it.

Well, Jaco has a reputation for being a little seedy. I haven't stayed there personally, but I've read references to it being a surf town with large waves, and also some problems with drugs and theft. I would definitely split up my stay and not stay in the same spot for 2 weeks. There's so many great spots that I think you would want to move around a little.