Re: Advice for a 1st trip to Costa Rica?
How long are you planning on visiting? To really see everything, I'd do about 10 days. 1 week is rushing it, but it can be done.
You'll love Arenal - it's not currently active but the hot springs are awesome. There's one called Baldi that is much cheaper than Tabacon, and I just bring a small cooler of beer with me to enjoy while relaxing in the various pools.
Manuel Antonio is a really pretty area to see wildlife, namely monkeys and sloths. It's a must-see. I agree w/ NES, Jaco is a shithole for what you're wanting. It's a party town.
Heading on up north, there's Rio Celeste, this really cool joining of 2 rivers that turn this really pretty blue color.
Monteverde is the cloud forest. It's alright, tourists seem to love it, but I didn't really enjoy it. Coulda taken it or left it.
Guanacaste - from Ojochal up north down to Montefuma (montezuma), they're all pretty beaches, just all the same though. Seen one, seen em all. Definitely recommended to visit though.
I happen to love the Caribbean side of CR, but you might hear various negative things about it. It's like the land that time forgot. Dirt roads, so chill, it seems to be like a place straight out of a Bob Marley song. Food is really good as well.