Lonely Planet Costa Rica (Country Guide) [Paperback]

Matt Firestone (Author), Wendy Yanagihara (Author), Guyan Mitra (Author)

Book Description

Series: Country Guide | Publication Date: October 1, 2008

Discover Costa Rica

Gaze at Volcan Arenal as it spews fiery lava into the twilight sky
Savor a cup o' joe straight from the source among the vast coffee fields of the Valle de Orosi
Stretch out in a beachside open-air yoga studio in Montezuma
Roll up your sleeves and help the sea turtles of Parismina

In This Guide

Three authors, 150 days, over 500 Imperial beers consumed
Inspirational 'Green Costa Rica' color chapter shows you how to tread lightly in paradise
Top spots of pit stops, cinematic kisses, hot springs, sunset views, wildlife watching and more
Content updated daily - visit lonelyplanet.com for reviews, updates and traveler insights

Editorial Reviews

Review

Best for curious and independent-minded travelers' --Wall Street Journal
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Who We Are
At Lonely Planet, we see our job as inspiring and enabling travellers to connect with the world for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world at large.

What We Do
* We offer travellers the world's richest travel advice, informed by the collective wisdom of over 350 Lonely Planet authors living in 37 countries and fluent in 70 languages.
* We are relentless in finding the special, the unique and the different for travellers wherever they are.
* When we update our guidebooks, we check every listing, in person, every time.
* We always offer the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent.
* We challenge our growing community of travellers; leading debate and discussion about travel and the world.
* We tell it like it is without fear or favor in service of the travellers; not clouded by any other motive.

What We Believe
We believe that travel leads to a deeper cultural understanding and compassion and therefore a better world. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet; 8 edition (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1741048850
• ISBN-13: 978-1741048858
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #470,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #77 in Books > Travel > Latin America > Central America > Costa Rica

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE Go-To Guide for Costa Rica, June 23, 2009

By 

Mark Foster (Iowa, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lonely Planet Costa Rica (Country Guide) (Paperback)

My wife and I recently took a trip to Costa Rica. We packed light, deciding not to even take any checked bags- but we decided it would be worth it to take two guidebooks. After reading reviews online, we bought the Lonely Planet guide, as well as the newest guide from Frommers. After about day one, we barely even opened the Frommers guide. LP had more places, more information about each place, and better recommendations. A fellow traveler had brought a Moon guide, and had to ask to borrow our LP to look up some places he was thinking of visiting.

One caveat, however- we traveled during the rainy season, and didn't have to battle crowds. If you're traveling in the thick of high season, using a non-LP guidebook might be worth it, simply in order to avoid the LP crowds. But for our trip, it was LP all the way.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars INCORRECT INFORMATION!, September 8, 2009

By 

nylagoer (Santa Monica, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Costa Rica (Country Guide) (Paperback)

this book was only okay. We found several errors, ranging from an incorrectly placed restaurant address (we drove around and around until we asked someone) and, less importantly, old information about a B&B that had changed owners at least five years ago, but the description still contained the previous owners... did the author even bother to check? I have always taken Lonely Planet with a grain of salt, so I would take an extra guide with you. Frommers did a better job on this.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good basic guide, July 11, 2009

By 

John D. Mattson "adventure writer" (Nederland, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lonely Planet Costa Rica (Country Guide) (Paperback)

Costa Rica is changing very rapidly, so it is very difficult for any guidebook to be up to date, and I am not a huge fan of travel guidebooks. But I usually carry one, and I found the maps, hotel recommendations, and how to get there and away very helpful.
I have met a few guidebook authors during my travels, and their budgets and time allotments do not allow them to check all of the hotels and restaurants. The other problem with Lonely Planet and other popular guidebooks is that many people read them, and the recommended hotels are often full.
The information on Cerro Chirripo was not very accurate, but we managed to find an incredible hostel right next to the trail that the Lonely Planet author hadn't mentioned. The Casa Mariposa offers tranquil gardens and a very homey atmosphere. It was our favorite place in Costa Rica and we spent a whole week there.
The author was also quite negative about the huge amount of tourism and sudden change, but I attend to agree with him, so it didn't really bother me.
My wife and I usually purchase a guidebook when we travel, but we are always alert for other options. Many of the best places that we have found have been by word of mouth from other travelers, or just exploring on our own. But, if you are entering a strange city late at night, or looking for interesting places to visit, this guidebook can be very helpful.Dancing on the Edge of an Endangered Planet