They have a saying there pura vida, it's like a way of life, they are pretty laid back, if you are on CPT then nobody is really going to trip. When I went it was considered the safest latin american country. It's pretty cheap, but you still have to watch out for gringo pricing. Its a lot of tourist stuff to do, bungee jump, rafting, zip lining, volcanoes, beaches, mountains, cloud forest, coffee tour/farms. The skating rings out there are a little crazy people are going fast as hell. Its a pretty small country, but has about 5% of the world biodiversity there, so they believe in conserving life and stuff so if you see an insect dont kill it. They dont have an army, when I went they had a woman president. Prostitution is legal Im almost sure, one coast in on the pacific and the other is on on the Atlantic. They have malls and walmart, but not many, some things can be expensive, I spent $10 on one white hanes t-shirt because I forgot to pack some. They have two seasons raining/wet and not, like I said it's pretty small so Im guessing you could drive from one end to the other in probably 9 hours or less, so small get away to panama isnt really out of the question either assuming you have your travel docs in order. They charge like a $40 fee to fly out of the country, so after you have your tix you have to go to a country to pay the exit fee.brehs school me on Costa Rica
Can't think of anything else off the top of my head, It's pretty much the closest thing to paradise.
EDIT:
Out there they dont put tissue in the toilet, they throw it in the trash because their systems cant handle it (takes getting used to), and also most houses dont have Hot water, but they have these things you attach to the shower head that heats the water, you have to play with it between heat and pressure to find your right balance. The house I was staying at went out the last week I was there so I had to take cold showers. Also like I said they conserve even electricity, so most hotel room lights wont turn on unless a room card is inserted too
I was trying to explain that we could work 3 years over there and literally retire after. My boy works for an NGO (Oil Company) and he said they are always looking for English speakers 
I have to spend a month here, was in the city of Heredia for school, but it really taught me whats important in life, I went most of the month without internet or a phone. Half of the roof of the house I was staying in was like a slab/sheet metal looked like they found in the junk yard. One day we had a BBQ for a little girl's b-day, and they used a tire rim and a blow dryer for that, food was okay but they had each other/family, lots of family get togethers , none off all the extra B.S I came back a changed man after living with them. 
I know they have a 'zone' for the locals with such commodities for half the price.
this place perfect, I wouldnt even need the pool
