We're planning a 10-day vacation to Costa Rica this summer. Our basic outline is "jungle + beach," and I could use some recommendations for which beach. We'll be spending a couple of days in Monteverde to explore the jungle, then want to spend the rest of the time at a beach. Our wish list is: easy to get to from the capital, not too overcrowded, but with plenty to see and do in the area (shops, horseback riding, maybe a rehabilitation center with some sloths?). From the guidebook we have, it looks like Jaco beach might fit the bill (except for the sloths--any animal encounter would be great, but we would particularly like to see some sloths if possible)? Would love any other recommendations while I start digging in doing more research. Thank you!

Monteverde isn't really the jungle; it's the cloud forest. Very misty and cool, chilly enough at night that we had to wear jackets, and our hotel had the fireplace going. I'd go to the Arenal area if you want more of a jungly lush environment. The Arenal area has the Bogarin Trail owned by a local family; we saw five sloths when we did it. They also have the Proyecto Asis animal rescue center; we got to help feed a sloth when we were there. Monteverde is good for birding though. Jaco has a party reputation; a lot of people go for bachelor parties, etc. The Manuel Antonio area a little further south is excellent for wildlife, especially sloths and monkeys. They also have a beautiful beach inside the national park. We like to stay at Tulemar Bungalows; they have their own beach and lots of wildlife on site.

Thank you so much!

We've stayed at Tulemar. The condos are nice and there are indeed sloths and spider monkeys on the grounds. However, we found the private beach quite unattractive and barely worth the hike downhill.

You're welcome; hope you have a wonderful time!

We love the beach there; it's wild like most Costa Rica beaches and seeing the wildlife is a nice bonus. They also have free use of boogie boards and kayaks. Most beaches in CR do not have white sand and clear water that you'll see in other places like Mexico or Belize.

There are some nice pics of Tulemar on TripAdvisor if you want to check them out. It was recently named the number one resort on TripAdvisor.