Adventure and romance are a zip away in the nearby Central American retreat
During the depths of winter, when it’s 20 degrees in New York, few things sound more appealing than a getaway to the tropics. With its stunning beaches and warm ocean waters, Costa Rica is a great rehabilitation destination for the blizzard-battered East Coasters. It’s closer than Hawaii, more beautiful than the Bahamas and more exotic than Mexico. What puts it at the top of the list for most travelers, however, is the amazing abundance of things to do there: from high-octane adventures to pampered spa treatments in luxury hotels to treks in the most protected rainforests in the hemisphere. And Costa Rica is so conveniently sized that you could sample all of the above in one ambitious day.
You’ll most likely start things off in San Jose, the capital. Perhaps the best way to get there is on American Airlines’ non-stop flight 611from JFK, which operates five days a week, departing at 4 p.m. and arriving at San Jose at 8:20 p.m. It uses a 757 aircraft with 22 comfortable seats in the business class cabin and 166 in coach. While there’s world-class hotels here and more than enough to keep you busy, the town of Alajuela—just a few miles away from San Jose and actually closer to the airport—is a hidden gem with comfy bed-and-breakfasts, fewer tourists, and quaint, quiet orange-tree-lined streets. From either town you can rent a car or jump on a bus and head a few hours north to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve near the Quaker village of Santa Elena. Stay at the mountaintop lodge (if you can get a room), book a guided hike in search of the hard-to-pronounce quetzalcoatl (the elusive, regal, mystical national bird), and then zip-line through the humid forest canopy. Those low and ominous grumblings you hear in the distance are emanating from the still-active Volcano Arenal. Hike to the top for a glimpse of some lava, then descend to the botanical gardens at the bottom, where hot springs (and a massage) await. By now, you may have figured out that Costa Rica is the epicenter of sustainable eco-tourism, where development has been kept in check with a more noble desire to protect and preserve the country’s vast and pristine natural environment.
Costa Rica.
If you’re ready for the beach, the northwestern coast of the Nicoya Peninsula is just a stone’s throw away. Like swanky beachside hotels? Head to Tamarindo for some five-star service. Rather surf with the locals? Then Playa Grande Surf Camp is just across the river. Owner Gerry Gilhool will teach you to hang ten with the dolphins during the day and then take you to watch the turtles come ashore to lay their eggs at night.
The options for your itinerary are endless, and—with the country so convenient and affordable—totally realistic. Cruise through the interior hills of the country and you’ll find coffee and fruit plantations and a traditional way of life that seems not to have changed much in the last century. The Peninsula de Osa in the south is almost completely untouched, and boasts wild jungles filled with scarlet macaws, parrots, and toucans. For a completely different vibe, head east to the Rasta-influenced Caribbean coast where you can snorkel in the warm, crystal-clear sea, play with monkeys in Cahuita National Park (one of the country’s 26 national parks) or mingle with the expatriates in Puerto Viejo, the town made infamous in Allan Weisbecker’s In Search of Captain Zero.
Each region, town and beach in Costa Rica has something unique to offer, but really it’s the country’s people that make the place so special. The Ticos, as they’re known, are not only peaceful (no standing national army!), they’re generous, friendly and welcoming. It’s their smiles as much as the tropical sun that’ll warm you up and infuse you with the Pura Vida spirit and make you consider extending your stay for eternity. But if you do decide to return, consider booking on American’s flight 622, which departs at 9 a.m. and arrives at JFK at 2:55 p.m. American Airlines flights between JFK and San Jose continue through April 2, at which point they take a seasonal hiatus until Nov. 17.
