San José

"Most of the population of Costa Rica lives in San Jose, the country's largest city because of its more moderate climate. There are a few main areas in the city; downtown, the western side of the city (Escazu, Santa Ana, & Piedades), the northern side of the city (Alajuela where the airport is, and Heredia), and the eastern side of the city (Curridabat & Cartago). There are definitely more locals living on the east side. You can find foreigners sprinkled throughout though. There is a different lifestyle in each area of the city. It's really developed though, so you can get good internet compared to the beach towns. You also don't need to use air conditioning and you can get nice city views, depending on where you are. It's one of the more livable areas of Costa Rica as far as amenities, shopping malls, restaurants, etc. The average rent here is about $500/month for a one-bedroom apartment. Common day trips from San Jose include La Fortuna & Monteverde."

"I would recommend staying in San Jose for stop overs. A lot of public transport routes require going into Sane Jose and then back out so it may be useful to stay a night to break up a long travel. Other than this, there isn’t much to do so don’t factor in time to stay here. It is important to note that you still have to drive around 40 minutes to get to the airport too. We stayed at a great hostel here a few times which had a pool, a kitchen and bar, and a resident cat! "

"We arrived in San Jose and slept in the Hostel - Costa Rica Backpackers. A nice and clean Hostel were you can go by foot in the city. We spend 3 nights there, but 1-2 nights is also enough. San Jose doesnt have so many sights, so a view hours in the city are enough. In the hostel you can relax at the pool an plan your further trip, but there is a train nearby so it is really loud also in the night. You also can make a daytrips to national parks, volcanoes or waterfalls."