You cannot understand the pure beauty of this place until you step off the airplane onto the tarmac, throw off your sweatshirt and take in a deep breath of fresh, warm Costa Rican air. The beauty is breathtaking but the cultural is what makes this place somewhere you never want to leave.
The road from the airport to your destination is filled with rambling green cattle fields, farmers, dirt roads (while sometimes paved they don't last for long) and monkeys swinging from trees. It is a serene experience minus the constant bumps in the road, but it is nothing that an imperial in hand can't fix. While you past by modest homes, children out playing, and little tiny markets, all you can really notice is how happy and content everyone seems to be.
A quick 45 minutes pass and you can arrive in a town with the most beautiful stretch of beach on the pacific coast of Costa Rica, Playa Conchal. The beautiful white sand, the calm blue ocean, the little vendors set up on the beach, tico children playing in the waves and the hot Costa Rican sun make the perfect combination of what I look for in a relaxing tropical beach vacation. That and an ice chest filled with Imperials, followed by a lunch of freshly caught fish, which all can be found within a 10 minute stroll down the beach.
But yes, I know not everyone is looking to just lay on the beach and tan. Drive 25 minutes down another beautiful stretch of road and end up at Playa Avellanas. Known for the great surf, seclusion, amazing trees to lounge under, and well a place of true Costa Rican beauty.
But what makes Costa Rica even more unique is that after a day of sun and surf it is the nightlife that often times makes you realize how truly amazing this country is. The laid back vibe, dollar beers, reggae nights, outdoor bars, salsa bands, casual attire, endless parties. There is nothing to complain about, not a worry exists.
There is no wonder why it was named the happiest country in the world.
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/en
vironment/2009/jul/04/costa-rica-happy-planet-index)
....and I like to consider it my home away from home...
