Costa Rica is renowned for nature, and also being one of the happiest countries in the world. They do not have a military, and generally the country feels friendly and welcoming.
I stayed at the JW Marriott Guanacaste, which was a lovely 5* resort with amazing attentive staff, and great food. Depending on your personal tastes, whilst this was an amazing hotel, I prefer the smaller boutique style property, that has a more traditional vibe.
Getting there: There are non-stop flights on BA from Gatwick to the capital, San Jose, but it is a seasonal service. The other large international airport is Liberia, but you can only get here by either overnighting in San Jose or via the US / Canada, again mandating an overnight stop.
Transport: The roads in Costa Rica are not great, and journey times take much longer than you think, however you have the stunning scenery to enjoy.
Domestic Flights: As the road network is quite slow, the fastest way to travel around, and one of the most beautifully scenic, is on one of the domestic airlines, such as Sansa or Green Airways – both operating the highly reliable Cessna Grand Caravans.
In summary, Costa Rica is a must-visit destination but take decent mozzie repellant.
