Pauline Frommer's Costa Rica

A Note from Pauline.
1 The Best of Costa Rica.
A Quick Look at Costa Rica.
Best Natural Sights & Attractions.
Best Active Experiences.
Best People-Watching Beaches.
Best Beaches for that Castaway Feel.
Best Beaches for Kids & Families.
Best Museums & Historic Sites.
Best Cultural Eye-Openers.
Best Places to Eat.
Weeklong Itineraries.
2 San José & the Central Valley.
Don't Leave San José & the Central Valley Without.
A Brief History.
San José.
The Central Valley.
3 Arenal & the Northern Zone.
A Brief History.
Lay of the Land.
Getting to & Around Arenal & La Fortuna.
Accommodations, Both Standard & Not.
Dining for All Tastes.
Why You're Here: The Top Sights & Attractions.
Side Trips from Arenal & La Fortuna.
Attention, Shoppers!
Nightlife.
Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui.
The "Other" Northern Zone.
4 Up in the Clouds: Monteverde.
Don't Leave Monteverde Without.
A Brief History.
Lay of the Land.
Getting to & Around Monteverde.
Accommodations, Both Standard & Not.
Dining for All Tastes.
WhyYou're Here: The Top Sights & Attractions.
Attention, Shoppers!
Nightlife.
The "Other" Monteverde.
5 The Central Pacific Coast.
Don't Leave the Central Pacific Coast Without.
Lay of the Land.
A Brief History.
Jaco.
Manuel Antonio.
Dominical & Punta Uvita.
6 The Osa Peninsula.
Don't Leave the Osa Without.
A Brief History.
Lay of the Land.
Puerto Jimenez.
Corcovado National Park.
Drake Bay.
The "Other" Osa.
7 The Caribbean Coast.
Don't Leave the Caribbean Coast Without.
A Brief History.
Lay of the Land.
Tortuguero.
Cahuita.
Puerto Viejo & Manzanillo.
8 Guanacaste & the Nicoya Peninsula.
Don't Leave Guanacaste & Nicoya Without.
A Brief History.
Lay of the Land.
Playa Hermosa & Vicinity.
Tamarindo.
Nosara & Vicinity.
Playa Samara & Playa Carrillo.
Montezuma & Malpais.
9 The Essentials of Planning.
When to Visit.
Entry Requirements.
Customs.
Getting There.
Finding Cheap International Airfares to Costa Rica.
Flying

Currently based in Miami, "Latino by adoption" David Appell is the former editor of Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel and Caribbean Travel & Life; co-author of Access Gay USA; and has written for lots of other publications including National Geographic Traveler, Travel+Leisure, The International Herald Tribune, Spain's El País, GQ, Men's Fitness, and Out. Dave's an alum of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and apart from Spanish, gets by in a half-dozen other foreign languages. In fact, these days he's also the publisher and author of the internationally successful Hot!Spanish and related series of foreign-language phrasebooks devoted to love, dating, and the sundry naughtiness likely to ensue there from (www.HotBabel.com).

Pauline Frommer started traveling before she could speak, seeing the world at a young age with her guidebook writing parents Arthur Frommer and Hope Arthur. She went into the "family biz" over a decade ago, serving first as the editor of Frommers.com and then the travel section of MSNBC.com. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications including Budget Travel, the Dallas Morning News, Marie Claire and the upcoming book The Experts Guide to Babies. In 2006, Pauline Frommer's New York City won "Best Guidebook of the Year" from the North American Travel Journalism Association. In 1999, she was awarded a Lowell Thomas Medal from the Society of American Travel Writers for her magazine work. She currently appears every Wednesday night on CNN's Headline News to discuss the latest travel trends. Pauline is married to physical therapist Mahlon Stewart and the mother of two very welltraveled daughters, Beatrix (age 4) and Veronica (age 8).

A former editor at Travel + Leisure, Nelson Mui has written on a variety of topics for publications such as the New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Men's Journal and San Francisco. A native of Hong Kong who's lived in Europe and