Put Costa Rica on your bucket list (more than once). Costa Rica is a very small country in Central America with so much adventure!
Zipline, white water raft, hike, visit plantations and national parks. swim in the ocean, sit on a beautiful beach and… witness so much wildlife! Experience the beautiful culture of Costa Rica!
Look at a map of Costa Rica on the Internet. Costa Rica is divided into provinces.
Major airports are San Jose and Liberia (Liberia is in northern area closest to Guanacaste Province). Guanacaste has the majority of timeshares, but timeshare are also found in other parts of the country.
Use the Internet to look up the climate and rainfall when you plan to visit. There are two seasons in Costa Rica, dry season and rainy season. Different parts of the country are wetter than others.
If you don’t mind being rained on, the prices are good during the rainy season. I prefer shoulder seasons when I travel which would be May and November for Costa Rica.
US dollar is widely accepted in Costa Rica. Banks have ATM machines to withdraw colones(Costa Rican currency). Spanish is the local language, but no problem conversing in English.
Use http://Googleflights.com to see which airlines fly from your home airport to both Liberia and/or San Jose. Check the prices at different times of the year. Costa Rica’s time zone is only a few hours different from the United States, so no jet lag.
Decide your top destinations to choose your best arrival airport.
Costa Rica has many national parks. They all have preserved beauty. National Parks- Manuel Antonio, the Arenal Volcano area and Monteverde Cloud Forest are popular with tours easily found.
Tortuguero National Park is worth visiting. It’s only reachable by boat or plane. I recommend booking a tour and arrive by boat. 
Book hotels on major booking sites such as http://Booking.com, read the reviews of various properties, (I choose middle price range) and choose based on your preferences. Costa Rica has both a Pacific Ocean and Caribbean coast offering city, beach town, mountain/cloud forest, and rainforest hotels.
Use http://viator.com (a reputable site for local tours around the world) and read about the tour options to be informed on the area and make decisions for your visit. Book early if there is a liberal cancelation policy.
Costa Rica’s roads can be compromised by mud slides during heavy rains, so do your research before deciding to drive yourself. http://Priceline.com is user friendly when renting cars internationally. Use the app WAZE (with roaming on) to get directions to your destination.
Happy Travels!
Carol 
