We stayed at a wonderful little ocean front hotel. Owned by the friend of a friend. Only 26 rooms. Great food, friendly staff, right on the beach.
We rented a Diahatsu Bego, subcompact 4 door SUV, about the size of a first gen Rav4. Underpowered but a strong a/c.. which was key. The roads were terrible, much of the damage was due to the rainy season, which just ended. Their last storm made international news 3 weeks ago when they received 250 inches of rain in one storm. Bigtime mudslides/ flooding. The beach area we were at fared well with the storm.
Costa Rica is an interesting country, poor but developing especially along the coast. Playa Hermosa, where I was, is a real mishmash little town. Some tiny huts mixed in with multimillion dollar gated homes. Our friend’s family has a nice small house a few blocks from the hotel. There are several Hollywood celebs with homes in the same neighborhood. What was surprising to me was the shear volume of free roaming animals. Lots of dogs, monkees (howler and white face), chickens, brahmas, oxen. The monkees pretty much keep to themselves but are loud in the early morning.
When we weren’t hanging out on the beach, hotel bar or at our friends house, we did 4 excursions. First one was snorkling off some nearby uninhabited islands. Very clear water when you get away from the shore. Lotsa fish. We also stopped at some pristine beaches. Officially, the beaches are topless. Sorry, no boobie pics. Family trip. Excellent fishing there. You can fish for Marlin,Tuna and mackerel literally within a mile of shore
Next up, I took the kids (3 teens) on a guided ATV tour thru the rainforest. Very fun, a lotta water to cross. Some amazingly steep rock climbs/descents and narrow trails. Had to avoid running over the occasional Boa Constrictor or Iguana.
Next day, we did a traditional rainforest boat cruise. Many native birds, gigantic iguanas, we also fed some white face monkeys , that jumped onto the boat, and a lot of crocodiles.. A 12’ male literally came right beside the boat.
Next excursion were Zip lines thru the jungle. Way up in and above the trees, where Howler monkees were hanging out. The guide noted that the Howlers tend to be territorial and might sometimes toss their poop at you to let you know you're too close, I had told the kids not to worry, as if that would happen I'd be "behind them 100%"
My son should be publishing some zip line videos on facebook. I'll publish a link if he does. Really fun stuff.If you’re planning a vacation, Costa Rica is a hidden gem. Inexpensive, beautiful views, friendly folks, incredible coffee (I'm hooked on it).
Some pics:
The view from our terrace:
some small islands with spectacular snorkling. Clear water, Fish everywhere.
Several small private beaches. The sand was a dark and very fine.
'da rental car. It was part time AWD. Not a real performer, but with rough roads, it did fine.
Crossing a stream in an ATV, one of the girls receiving a little assistance from the guide.
The kids and I taking a short break on a flooded trail. I'm in the back.
obligatory shot of me on an ATV...
some shots from the boat tour. Those are bats. Interesting to see them sleep in a line.
white face monkey...
a mother with baby on her back came aboard the boat...
a 12' crocodile.....
coming right to the boat...
...and chomping down on a chicken foot. Crunched pretty loudly...
very large iguana
one of many sugar cane fields beside the local roads. The coffee is grown in the hills, We're about a week or two before they harvest.
view of the hotel bar/restaurant....
The beach in front of the hotel the day we left. This was more crowded than normal...
And he told me that right before I rode the line, fun stuff 
Glad to see you had fun! Can't wait to go back and have some gallo pinto on the beach! 
Pura Vida!
