Jaco or Quepos?
 

We are going to costa rica in Dec. and wonder which place is better. How far is Quepos from Jaco driving? If we stay in jaco we have to get to quepos for a flight to San jose.

Dear Gery--
IMHO, Jaco is a very ugly, over-Americanized beach area. If you are a teenager, you'll probably love it. A lot of surfers like it because there are a lot of cheap places to stay & I guess there's good surf. Jaco is also considered a weekend beach "getaway" for Ticos since it is a fairly short distance away from S.J. Since Quepos (and M.A.) is only about an hour or so further, I'd go there ANYDAY!
Beachmama

I've visited both places and liked them both. I thought the beaches in Quepos were much better. The nightlife and restaurants were equivalent. Each place has casinos if you're into gambling. Quepos is about a 45 min drive from Jaco.

Stay in Manuel Antonio, which is just up the street from Quepos ( about 3-5 mins) This way you have better views, better accomodations, nicer beaches, etc.), but still the nightlife of a bigger town. Have fun!

Both places are cheap, touristy dumps. There are some nice places just before Jaco. Also stay in Manuel Antonio versus quepos. Quepos main drag has drug users and other criminal types lurking around looking for clueless tourists. Right up the road in Manuel Antonio, the scenery is awesome with nice places to stay.