Lonely Planet Costa Rica (Travel Guide) Paperback – October 18, 2016

Well studied and documented with accurate insights, this guide was indispensable on our trip. Everything was true to the areas we traveled and we enjoyed our trip so much more having been able to navigate directly to the most authentic spots, the best restaurants (all-in or on a budget) and the most beautiful off-the-beaten-path places. We also love the information they include as asides so we better understand what's going on in the area, which gave us talking points with locals on palm oil plantations, insights on the region and local cultures, etc. As always, the Lonely Guide delivers.

Very very resourceful if you're planning a trip to Costa Rica like I currently am. Packed with info! It beats google searching for places to stay, eat or see. The people at lonely planet have done all the foot work for you. At first It can be bit overwhelming because of all the content it has but once you understand the layout and the flow of how things are categorized it's a breeze. Highly recommended! If their books on other countries are just like this one I will definitely be investing them on future trips.

Lonely Planet guide books are the standard, in spite of the small print, focus on commercial establishments, and authorship by hip tourists rather than knowledgable locals. All these held true for the Costa Rica edition. Still, it's the standard, and if you are going to take one guide book, I suspect this will be the one. It is after all a terrible amount of work to collect and keep updated such a large body of material in a rapidly changing world.I use guidebooks to select regions, but seldom to select lodgings. I find that having a print guide is especially helpful in areas with limited connectivity, and even brief descriptions together with costs (important to me!) allow me to prioritize destinations and itineraries. In the event of a travel emergency, of course, such a guide is a lifesaver (not literally, just literarily.)

I purchased 3 different books to review before traveling. Verynice book with a lot of travel information that covers getting ready to go to Costa Rica and then a great guide for things to do and see when you get there. Being unfamiliar with a country, and going there without a plan never works well for me. I like the fact that it alerted me to a couple of things I needed to do prior to traveling to the country. Book is a top quality publication.

SUCH a good guidebook! I had checked out 3 other guides from the library, and in my frustration, I bought this one and found that it was far and above easier to use, prettier to look at, and overall, more helpful that the other books I'd checked out (which include Frommers & Moon). Our trip planning jumped up a few notches on the easy scale after buying this book.

I loved the layout- information was divided into sections of the country. The information and maps were up to date which was a plus. Make sure you keep the publishing date in mind when using the travel guides because things are constantly changing. I'm glad I had this with me on my trip.

This book is amazing. I am a native Costa Rican living in the USA. I have asked my family labout some of the places recommended in the book and they pretty much say the same thing the book says! Will be going back to visit soon and will use this book as my main guide.

We bought this before staying in Uvita for about two weeks in the fall of 2017. We rented a car and did a lot of driving to other parts of the country, and this book was really cool to have with us along the way at different times when we were trying to decide where to go and what to do. All of the advice contained therein was accurate and concise. Format is cool and easy to find things. No complaints.