Costa Rica Spring Break – Jaco, San Jose, Tamarinado

Club Vertigo's Rocking Night Action in San Jose

Costa Rica for spring break? Humm – not a bad idea!  It may not be as wild as Cancun, Mexico with it’s crazy parties,  infamous umbrella drinks, wet T-shirt contests and drunken beer-guzzling nights, but what really defines, “Exciting!” to your personal taste?

Mexico has always been the choice for Spring Breakers, but now with increasing problems (spearheaded by the Media and read this State Department Warning) with the drug wars, Costa Rica sounds more like the perfect destination if you are looking to party in a tropical setting and most important, FEEL SAFE!!!

Travel Agents have jumped on the bandwagon offering vacation packages for as little as $400 for a weeks stay that includes, hotel, meals and of course, that famous complimentary cocktail upon arrival, but unlike Cancun, this one will have some “serious” alcohol  in it!!

So it may not be a 5-star hotel, but who cares, you probably won’t sleep there anyway.

Do you have this in Cancun?

Places like Jaco, Tamarindo and even San Jose put Cancun to shame. You can not beat their nightlife.  Besides the dancing, loud music from disco to hard rock and metal, to salsa to raggae, lots and lots of women and men, gambling, beers, cocktail and shooters, you ALSO have the wild attractions like one-day tours of  ziplining, kayaking, snorkeling, river rafting, sport fishing, scuba diving etc etc,  which will keep your days busy and nights unforgettable, that is if you remember them! 😉

Can you do all of that in Cancun?  No fricken way!!

THREE “HOT” COSTA RICA SPRING BREAK AREAS

Jaco Night Action at the bar, Funky Monkey

San Jose – If you want the typical nightlife action of clubbing and dancing San Jose is the spot. There are a ton of popular dance clubs, gay, straight and adult action and one of the best is an area called, El Pueblo, a place where there is 100s of bars and places of action.  San Jose also has high concentration of students, both local and foreign which you will able to mix and mingle with a larger crowd of people.

Jaco Beach – Get Waco For Jaco! If you want a downsize version of Cancun action, you can’t get a better place then Jaco. Besides the great beaches, this popular surfing town is packed with bars, clubs, loud music, women, men, adult entertainment, and great food. One of the most Americanize cities complete with KFC, burger joints and a Hard Rock Cafe and Casino.   What is a kicked back surf town by day, turns into a party town when the sun sinks. It is not uncommon to be nursing a hangover at Claitas Sports Bar on the Beach, meet a few people and then end up getting a second wind and parting with them all night long. A $2 taxi ride will get you just about anywhere in town.

Tamarindo – One of the top ten beaches in Costa Rica and one of the hottest spots for getting away and  crazy with the people in places like the bar, Crazy Monkey.  Playa Tamarindo is the mecca of tourism in Costa Rica. However,  if you are traveling on a budget, like most students do (or got Mom or Dad to fork some extra bucks) expect to see some Hawaii and Cancun prices with its dining, bars, shopping, dining, lodging, and other recreations you may want to do. However, in all fairness, Tamarindo’s natural settings will make you forget about the $30 T-shirt you bought at some street side vender.  Its beautiful beaches are also home to the giant leatherback turtles (and others), so if you get  hammered and pass out on the beach, you may wake up next to one.

Costa Rica is a very safe country and very reasonable if not cheap in prices. Unlike most Spring Break places where businesses take advantage of the season by jacking up prices, Costa Rica does not. April is the start of the slow season (or the raining season), and you can get some great hotels and airline deals as long as you book ahead. Don’t worry about rain, if it does, it is only for a few minutes or hours and then the sun breaks out into perfect 80 degree weather.

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