We are planning a vacation to Central America likely in February and early March of 2011. We have been to Mexico three times including the Mayan Riviera, Cozumel, Mexico City, Oaxaca City, Puerto Escondido, Zihautenejo and Acapulco and this time we are looking for something different and less-touristy, albeit still within Latin America given the warm to hot weather at that time of the year and the ease and low-cost of travel from North America. We are independent travellers and we ideally would prefer to rent our own transport rather than be lugging bags on and off buses. We are middle of the road travellers who don’t require five-star accommodations but won’t stay in hostels. I’ve always been accustomed to staying in very nice places for $50/night. I was initially considering Costa Rica for our vacation due to the wide variety of things to do and landscapes. After some research (travel guides and internet) I have found that I am absolutely shell-shocked by the suggested accommodations and meals costs in C.R. which appear to be far higher than Mexico and essentially on par with the U.S. I have also read several times that driving in C.R. is not advised due to poor roads. I am also now considering Panama but according to what I’ve read there appears to be much less to do there. Can anyone provide any advice on Panama and if it would be as enjoyable as C.R. for a 2 to 3 week holiday, or for that matter any other destination in the region? Note that we’re not interested in Guatemala (as I do want to spend part of the holiday on the beach), El Salvador (too scary) or Belize (waaaaay too expensive). Anyone have any comments on Honduras or Nicaragua in comparison to C.R. and Panama, and in particular if they’re suitable for the independent travellers who only know the most basic of Spanish?
Well I’ve been to both Panama and CR, but CR is waaaaaaay more enjoyable if you guys are looking for a real getaway. Panama is got big cities just as any country. CR has big cities but they’re kinda more rural (all tho you can find the fancy stores & everything else). But there’s no point of comparison if you guys are considering nature, there’s a bit of everything in CR.
Certainly some roads aren’t quite made for us used 2 driving in perfectly paved roads. That’s completely true, but they’re not that bad either, at least not for me.
Accommodations are certainly big ticket items if you’re considering the big resorts, but if you choose to go with the smaller ones prices aren’t that high. Food… I think it’s reasonable, I mean, I’ve no complaints. In fact, Panama may set you back larger bills for food, because they use US $, and the exchange rate for Costa Rica’s currency is great (I believe it’s called colon).
I’d certainly advise you guys to go with CR, it’s just paradise, they’ve got a bit of everything.
Hope that helps!! Enjoy… pura vida
