Mary, we spent a few months in Costa Rica on that particular trip. Some time in San Jose, a month in Tamarindo in a rented condo overlooking the beach and the rest of the time exploring the country. You can see all our posts about Costa Rica here.

Allison, I think you’d love Costa Rica. There’s so much for the little (and big!) ones to see and do.

Hi Mary,

Of everything we did, I loved watching the leatherbacks the most. It was such a cool adventure to run down a beach only by moonlight and come across the ancient scene of a leatherback laying her eggs. The next time we go, I’d absolutely love to see baby turtles, and try our hand at volunteering.

I love your treehouse idea, btw. I’ll add that to my to do list for our next visit to CR!

Amanda, Costa Ricans love kids. To be honest, most of the developing nations do. When we were in the Philippines with our son (he was two years old) I’m not sure if a rock star would get more attention. It was ridiculous how out of the way some people would go to amuse him. When we left this one hotel complex after being there for less than a week I counted 17 different people that stopped us and said goodbye to him by name!

You don’t hear it enough on all these family blogs but people treat you better (with less fear and more trust at a minimum) when you travel with kids. That’s a huge plus. Though it is common to fear for their safety, most people respect you more if you’re traveling with a family.

Costa Rica was great and I encourage everyone to check it out but to be perfectly honest we found it too hot most of the time. Of course we spent the majority of our time in the warmest areas and I know there are some people that thrive on the heat. Good luck with wherever you choose to go!