How to go to costa rica
How I did it: I talked to a few friends who had been there and began booking with efcollegebreak but didn't really like them (bad previous experience) so I canceled with them and decided to plan the trip on my own. I did some research and found anywherecostarica.com which is a GREAT company to work with to book transportation in CR, hotels, and activities. All you do is pay, print out your vouchers, and everything else falls into place. So I researched that, booked the flight with Continental (around $280-350 [my fiance and I left from different cities]) then when I was 100% on my itinerary, I paid anywherecostarica. I paid a little over a month before actually leaving.
Lessons & tips: Consider only going to Fortuna and the Caribbean coast. Monteverde and Manuel Antonio I didn't really think was worth it. Try as much coffee as you can at various restaurants, and try casado (traditional tico dish) at different establishments as well. Try to practice your Spanish--can be hard because most ppl can speak to you in English.
Resources: anywherecostarica.com, tripadvisor, and wikitravel.org
