I'm a student at Birmingham university, which is heaps of fun! I'm into all sorts of music, I like g...
I'm a student at Birmingham university, which is heaps of fun! I'm into all sorts of music, I like going to the theatre, cinema, or clubbing with my friends. I love travelling (just finished backpacking in Costa Rica) & I hope to travel more soon.
Member since:29.07.2005
Reviews:8
Members who trust:2
I spent a couple of weeks backpacking in Costa Rica during the rainy season (specifically, August - September). I had a fabulous time and learnt a lot about living on a budget. It is possible to live on around $15-17 dollars a day if you don't mind cutting back on the activities you do. One thing you will have to get used to is converting prices from colones to dollars to pounds. Generally, if a price is given in dollars straight away, be wary because its probably hugely marked up for tourists.
I visted Monteverde, San Jose, Ciudad Quesada (In San Carlos), Montezuma and Tamarindo. Out of all these places, Montezuma was my favourite. We stayed in a hostel called HotelLys which I would not recommend at all. It was filthy and the manager was extremely unwelcoming. However, the beach was amazing. Quiet and beautiful with shallow, warm waters. The town itself is tiny and travelling to it on public transport is something of a trek though.
Monteverde is a huge tourist development, but interestingly enough only really groups together things you can do in any number of other towns. Again, its hard to get to, but the town is large and very tourist-y. I went on an ATV ride and zip lined over the forest, both worth the money I paid but by no means cheap. I paid $20 for a morning's ATV ride, which definitely cured a hangover! The ATV ride wasn't as difficult as I'd expected, I quickly got the hang of it and absolutely loved it. I felt safe at all times as Joe (ATV guide) was always around to pull you out of a ditch. During the ATV ride, we also stopped for a free milkshake at the cheese factory and to play with Joe's monkey friend who posed for pictures and sat on people's heads! The ziplining was again about $20 and physically quite draining. The harness wasn't exactly comfortable, but I never felt like I could fall or be injured. The guys operating it were friendly (I think they enjoyed having a group of young girls to look after...) and the experience was totally worth the money. About half way through the 20 lines the cloud came down and you literally couldn't see more than 4m in front of you, where the cable just disappeared into cloud. It was the experience of a lifetime.
Tamarindo is almost totally Americanized. I stayed in Hostel Playa Tamarindo, which has to be the nicest hostel in existence. I really cannot recommend it enough! The beach is, again, fantastic and there's plenty of nightlife. If you're looking for an authentic Costa Rican experience though, this probably isnt it. Having said that, its a really nice place to spend a few days relaxing, and its good for budget living.
San Jose is a really nice city, I only really stayed there en route to other places. (Generally you have to go into San Jose to get buses to other places). I can recommened the hostel Tranquilo Backpackers, the staff are helpful, it has hot showers and they will store your luggage for you whilst you travel. They also offer free internet access! The best thing to visit in SJ is the market where they sell all the tourist type souvenir stuff - but the prices are controlled so you get a fair deal.
Costa Rica is the most beautiful country I've ever seen, I totally recommend it as a destination for travellers. Even in the rainy season, I got sunburnt - be warned. The sun is incredibly strong!
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