I have been traveling extensively throughout Central America for the past five years and some of the best family vacations you can take are to be found nearby in U.S. friendly Costa Rica. Because Costa Rica has no army, and because of its treaty with the U.S., one will not find the political turmoil that exists in other Latin American countries such as Nicaragua and Honduras. This is important when traveling and especially when traveling with your family. You want your family to be as safe as possible and when you travel to Costa Rica you do feel protected most of the time.
You still need to be wary of thieves, pickpockets and druggies on the streets, however, especially at night. Travelers sometimes get lulled by the relative safety of a place like Costa Rica because they see a lot of tourists and Americans and they think that nothing bad can happen to them. But if you plan it right, a trip to Costa Rica could end up being one of the best family vacations you have ever experienced.
The weather in Costa Rica is usually hot and sunny. The peak On Season is from mid-December to the end of July and prices at the hotels will generally be higher, maybe even double what the same room will cost in the Off Season, which extends from August until mid December is the rainy season, and that means torrential downpours, especially by September and October. I do not recommend that you travel to Costa Rica during these months as there is the danger of flash flooding.
I recommend the beaches of Guanacaste, especially the lovely Playa Hermosa as your destination for one of the best family vacations you can find. There are many small hotels that are reasonably priced and the water at the magnificent beach is calm and safe for kids. You still need to be careful, however, with smaller children and make sure they have life vests on at all times and watched diligently by adults. I have not heard about any shark attacks occurring there but this is the Pacific Ocean and you have to be careful of Mother Nature at all times. That being said, Playa Hermosa offers great restaurants and lots of activities nearby including zip lines and canopy tours, kayaking, and horseback riding.
You can spend as little or as much as you care to at Playa Hermosa. If you really want to splurge and have one of the best family vacations of all time, and money is no object, then I suggest you book a room at the Four Seasons Papagayo about a half hour away from Playa Hermosa. There is a championship golf course there unlike any other that I have ever seen and it sits on a peninsula with breathtaking views that juts out into the Pacific. Get ready to be pampered like an A list celebrity when you stay there. There are five star restaurants with five-star prices at the facility.
A fantastic time awaits you and your loved ones and you can be assured of having one of the best family vacations you will ever have when you travel to beautiful, tropical Costa Rica.