Costa Rica

Puerto Jimenez: though it is a trek, all the way down to the Panama border, it is absolutely worth it.  You can take a quick flight from San Jose.  A very local small town right on the gulf and against the jungle, there is wildlife and local flair everywhere. 

• Corcovado Beach Lodge: I really liked where I stayed.  The cabanas were nice enough, it was right on the water, macaws were everywhere, restaurants next door, and the manager was an angel. 
• A must do is an overnight hike in Corcovado. 
• This is one of the most biodiverse areas in the world.  I saw an absurd amount of wildlife: tapirs, anteaters, a fer de lance snake, poison dart frogs, aqoutis, coatis, squirrel/howler/spider monkeys, pug nosed anole, bats
• The hike can be difficult only because of the heat and sun and portions where you walk on the beach.  Also note that it is a water landing.  You take a boat over and wade through rocky waters to get to the park.
• The overnight stay is an open air hut with lots of bunks at Sirena Ranger Station.  You get a very good dinner and a bunk.  I had the unfortunate experience of sharing a bunk bed with a man who had restless leg syndrome and other unpleasant bodily issues.
• I went with Corcovado Hiking Tours. Highly recommend!  Rodolfo, the owner, was super helpful to me throughout my entire stay in PJ and Ely was a fantastic guide (and friend).  The group was seven people, including me, and it was overall a top experience as far as tours go.  
• Go on a kayaking tour of the mangroves.  You go from town and through thick, tall mangrove forests, which were super eerie and quiet except for bird calls.  Then you can come around to the gulf and wait until evening when there is bioluminescent plankton.  Totally and completely magical - make sure to bring googles/a mask to see it under water. Kayaking at night (and in a storm that rolled in!) was a bit scary but very worth it.  At the end of the kayak tour you can see all the lovebirds cuddled together in a tree by where you exit.  I booked it on AirBnB, and really liked my guide.  It was just us two on the tour.
• Eating in PJ:  
• Los Delfines is a popular spot with decent food and directly on the water.
• Soda Marbella is a recommended seafood restaurant.  They don't have alcohol so you can go next door to Bar La Purruja to bring some over. 

Montezuma: I stayed too long in Montezuma.  It is a decent enough beach town but does not warrant too many days.  Santa Teresa nearby is a scene, but I would have rather stayed there.  Anyway, if you do go to Montezuma, here are some recs:

• Easy and beautiful small plane flight from San Jose.
• To do:
• Zipline tour over the waterfalls:  I went with Suntrails.  Fun ziplines, a nice view of the gulf, and time to jump into the waterfall pools. 
• Tortuga Island:  You can take a boat to this island, which is technically beautiful but very much a tourist trap.  The snorkeling was bad and it felt like a weird party island, but despite all this I was glad for the excursion.  I went with Tropical Tours Shuttles.   I also used these guys as airport transfer from the small airport. 
• Santa Teresa:  definitely a Tulum influencer vibe, but still had a really fun day there, ending with drinking on the beach during the sunset and watching a surf competition. 
• Every day around 3 or 4 the ASVO turtle hatchery releases (if they have any babies) turtles back to the ocean.  You can go watch.  The hatchery is right on the beach, walk a ways down from the beach with the Montezuma sign (not the small beach right next to the town strip). 
• To stay:
• My AirBnB was pretty enjoyable and cozy, although the internet was not good for working remotely.
• I also stayed at Hotel Nya, which was a heavenly oasis with great internet, a pool, monkeys, hammocks, nice beds - the whole nine yards. 
• To eat:
• The best restaurant in Montezuma is Cocolores .  Gorgeous outdoor setup, top food, nice people, overall great vibe.  Need res a lot of the time.
• The food and cocktails were great at Hotel Nya.
• Sano Banano has a lovely garden and decent food and drinks.
• Soda la naranja for standard Costa Rican
• Good (but painfully slow) breakfast at the Bakery cafe (right by Hotel Nya's entrance)
• Cafe Organico for fun people watching and live music.

Monteverde:

• From Montezuma I took shuttles and a ferry to get up to Monteverde. 
• I enjoyed the cabin I stayed in (in Santa Elena).  It was a little out of the main strip, but easily walkable.  It was a good place to post up and work, with a small kitchen.  There was mediocre-to-bad breakfast included.  People were lovely there.
• To do:
• Selvatura Adventure Park: definitely a well-trodden path, but seriously fun ziplines, a tarzan swing and superman lines.  Somehow when I did the hanging bride hike, I barely saw anyone; a very special experience in the forest.  The canopy was gorgeous.  I opted for the whole day package which included transportation, all those ziplines and swings, as well as the sloth, butterfly and reptile exhibits.  There were so many adorable sloths recovering from injuries. Worth going to for sure. 
• Santa Elena Cloud Forest: magical cloud forest, there are multiple microclimates within it.  I took a guided tour, which was helpful to spot things like stick bugs that no normal human could ever find.  The reserve is not crowded and is truly something to see. 
• Night tour: definitely do a night tour.  I did one at the kinda lame Refugio Monteverde.  I say lame because it was close to the road and houses, but we still did see plenty of wildlife.  I think Curi Cancha would've been the better move for a night tour. 
• Monteverde Reserve: a solid reserve, I learned a lot about climate change impact from my guide. Saw a bunch of monkeys here and the Resplendent Quetzal.  I ended up being the only person on my tour, which was a treat.  The hummingbird cafe outside was worth going to, you see hundreds of hummingbirds thisclose to your face. 
• I tried to go to the Bat Jungle, which was a debacle.  The owner left the key with some restaurant owner, who then had given the key to her son.  So, I didn't get in.  Check the situation before trying to go.
• To eat:
• Morphos:  the food is just okay, but you go for the sunset view.
• The best meal I had was at Celajes.  Fancier by Costa Rican standards, the drinks, food and view were perfect.  A bit out of town, in a hotel.
• Raulito's Pollo: OG chicken spot
• If you want an expat vibe, Taco Taco seems to be spot.
• Sabor Tico for solid Costa Rican