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HammerfestNORD t1_ix4kcd0 wrote

I def want to vaca in Costa Rica. I should put it on my short list.

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BrerChicken t1_ix61nsi wrote

FYI "vaca" means cow in Costa Rica and many, many, many other places. I think you're going for "vacay."

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RubesSnark t1_ix62izw wrote

Ironically the same way vacation is shortened to vacay, in Spanish vacaciones is shortened to vaca sometimes. Although it also means cow, context is used to differentiate the meanings.

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BrerChicken t1_ix6856h wrote

Yes but in that case vaca and vacación both have the identical starting sound. I'm just saying, in English it's usually spelled "vacay," that's all.

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reggae-mems t1_ix9ecp7 wrote

No no you say "vacas" in plural. Nobody says vaca for vaccay in spanish. It has to be vacas. As in "necesito unas buenas vacas"

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flyonlewall t1_ix63mdu wrote

Go, you absolutely will not regret it. It's affordable, safe (especially for central america), and absolutely stunning. You will not regret going, and you'll make tons of rad tico friends and just.. just go.

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cloppyfawk t1_ix6h715 wrote

Affordable? Jeeeee I am in Costa Rica right now and have been travelling for the past year+ already, but Costa Rica is the most expensive country I have been so far. It's significantly more expensive than back home (Western Europe) aswell.

I paid 10$ for a regular, simple loaf of bread and 6 eggs in the grocery store today. Beat that.

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danielleiellle t1_ix6st4d wrote

Groceries are somewhat exceptional because of protectionist import taxes on food. But that is still pretty high for the country based on market data- were they special or did you buy at a gourmet market?

As a tourist, CR is cheap. You can get a seaside resort hotel room with a private balcony and breakfast included for $100 USD and get laundry done for about $2/piece. Nothing I could afford perpetually but much cheaper than most luxury tropical destinations.

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cloppyfawk t1_ix6txo7 wrote

Well your experience is very very different than mine then. But I am also not a luxury traveller. Costa Rica has been significantly more than twice as expensive as the 20+ other countries I have visited in the past year.

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Upvote_me_arsehole t1_ix7bvz3 wrote

What are your top three or five destinations that you’ve travelled to?

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cloppyfawk t1_ix7uxwq wrote

Well I did all of South America most recently. Then mostly Europe before that.

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danielleiellle t1_ixa3k2s wrote

The thread was about vacation. I was comparing to other similar vacation spots. You are talking about living/perpetual travel and have different expenses and daily budget than someone on vacation.

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flyonlewall t1_ix7l67i wrote

I was staying at a Hostel for $10/night US inc breakfast in Alajuela. Food is a bit more expensive, like you said, if you buy import items specifically. Snickers were like $4 (in 2015), and a 5th of Jack Daniel's was nearly $80.

But (at the time), eating like a local was very cheap. Rice and beans aren't expensive. I was buying whole roasting chickens for $3 US. Bread was pricey then, too. Nuts were also shockingly cheap, as were exotic fruits. Perhaps not at the mercado in town, but roadside? Local? The Costa Ricans aren't idiots and you'll pay a tourist tax there if you stay in tourist spots.

I stayed in Costa Rics for 3 months, my entire length allowable, and I spent $2000 US including airfare, passport fees, and I lived luxurious like smoking weed (VERY EXPENSIVE). I stayed between hostels, and worked a bit on a farm. I guess depends how you do things.. but CR can be done cheap. There's a reason it's the new Vietnam.

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SteamZerjack t1_ix77uw9 wrote

Where on earth are you getting that for 10 usd? That’s like 5 bucks just about everywhere. And while getting some very good bread at that. Unless you’re getting your groceries dead in the middle of a tourist zone or something.

CR is more expensive than other Latin American countries but not by that much.

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cloppyfawk t1_ix7v0wd wrote

It was one of the biggest grocery stores right outside of Puerto Viejo.

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-Acta-Non-Verba- t1_iy9e4nx wrote

You are paying gringo prices, my friend. Go where the locals go.

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cloppyfawk t1_iy9ecpk wrote

Yes, the largest national grocery stores in town that are filled with people definitely have gringo prices.

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HammerfestNORD t1_ix64qr8 wrote

I'll look into for Winter '24. I'm going to Dublin in March. So, would have to put it into another years vacation fund.

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berniexanderz t1_ix6jfws wrote

go to Nicaragua instead

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HammerfestNORD t1_ix6k9tr wrote

Why?

Your time to shine and lay out specifics. As an American there is zero other people I've ever heard mention Nicaragua as a vacation spot.

You've got all night to write up a response. I'm going to bed.

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i-speak-jive t1_ix6lg0p wrote

Nicaragua is nearby with similar landscape, flora, and fauna, but much cheaper is the draw. Not nearly as developed for tourists though as Costa Rica (transportation, guides, national parks, etc.). Maybe preferred if you are a low budget traveler that prefers off the beaten path.

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-Acta-Non-Verba- t1_iy9ekw8 wrote

Nowhere near as stable, much hotter, and their medicine is nowhere near comparable to CR. And don't drink the water.

CR's water is potable nationwide.

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Sedixodap t1_ix8vtvy wrote

Nicaragua is what Costa Rica was like before it got overly Americanized. Outside of honeymooners and the fancy resort crowd the people I know who visited both generally prefer Nicaragua.

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Sedixodap t1_ix8wgwz wrote

Which isn't to speak poorly of Costa Rica, sometimes more similar to home is good for a vacation, especially if you're short on time and looking for something easy. If I was taking my mom on a trip it would totally be my choice. But solo or with a friend? Nica wins.

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reggae-mems t1_ix9epb7 wrote

>Americanized.

You mean "developed"? Lol I cant believe how some americans think urban development is "american" .-.

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