In early March, I spent two weeks being wooed by Costa Rica’s surfeit of natural charms - the sandy beaches sprinkled with shells, lush forests reaching up to the clouds, dormant volcanoes overlooking sleepy towns, and hot springs welcoming tired adventurers to rejuvenate their bodies. 

It turns out that March was the perfect time to visit the provinces of Guanacaste and Puntarenas. The weather along the Pacific coast was hot and dry - perfect for days spent surfing, though I often wondered whether my skin was melting off. Time spent inland around La Fortuna and Santa Elena, where the weather was milder, provided some welcome relief. 

Typically for me, food is central to a satisfying vacation and I would normally have many notes to share with you on the subject but I had been amply warned to leave it out of my good vacation equation. It is not, as I had feared, that the food was bland.  It was tasty enough and a number of times I even looked forward to my casado accompanied by a refreshing glass of batidos (papaya en agua was a trip favourite). It is just that the food becomes monotonous. There is little variation to the theme of rice and beans in Costa Rican dishes and by the end of it, I shamed myself by caving to my desire for change and had a dinner of sushi. (It was a terrible idea. Don’t go to Koi Sushi in Tamarindo, despite the great reviews on Trip Advisor, unless you want sushi that isn’t really sushi at all.)

We still enjoyed ourselves a great deal and bumbled our way through the country together with our broken Spanish, thumbing through our pocket phrasebooks as we slowly added to our vocabulary. I did miss the hustle and bustle of being in a city - Costa Rica is really a collection of towns - and there was little to do at night except party. 

Below I’ve shared the planning spreadsheet my boyfriend & I used during our trip. It contains specifics on our itinerary and costs that I think would be helpful for anyone planning and budgeting a visit to Costa Rica. I am often very detailed with my notes as I find it helps me relive the experience after I’ve returned home. Hopefully someone else can make good use of the knowledge I’ve collected.