costa rica

airbnb graciously gives us two weeks at christmas so i was lucky enough to join my close friend mel and 10 of her/our friends to celebrate her 30th birthday and new years in costa rica! we stayed in playa hermosa, just south of jaco beach. i like costa rica but i found it to be a little expensive for central america. it's good if you're a new traveler or going with a family.

here's some recs:

- playa hermosa (beautiful small beach on the pacific side)
- eat casados (you won't regret it)
- ziplining (long runs and safe staff)... one of the better zipling experiences i've had
- surf competition at playa hermosa (friday and saturday afternoons)
- jaco beach
- hike arenal volcano
- hot springs in arenal (this one was one of my favs)

make sure you book a shuttle/travel accommodations from the airport ahead of time (or go with a stranger, like i did!)






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