Costa Rica - Affordable and Warm!

Came across this article in Forbes, about affordable places to escape the cold. And Central America (including Costa Rica) is right up there. Here's an excerpt:

Central America and the Caribbean deliver a major cost-saving advantage, according to Tim Leffel, author of The World's Cheapest Destinations: 21 Countries Where Your Money Is Worth a Fortune.

"If you're coming from the U.S., you don't have to pay very much to get there, and there's less jet lag, so you can really hit the ground running," he says.

Here are five more reasons why Costa Rica is at the top of the list for a destination wedding in Central America:

1. Goods and services for weddings are a fraction of the cost in North America. For example, a three-course plated wedding dinner at a 4-star boutique hotel runs only $42, including the tax and tip! Compare that to hotels in the USA and Canada charging $150 a plate! 

2. The only country in the Western Hemisphere without an army, it is safe and stable. 

3. Healthcare is universal, there are world-class hospitals (which are amazingly affordable) and the water is potable, so no worries of Montezuma's Revenge.

4.  Ticos (as Costa Ricans are called) are a happy lot who genuinely love visitors. They are proud of their country and eager to share it with the rest of the world. A warm, authentic welcome is guaranteed.

5. Thanks to a law prohibiting any structure from being built within 50 metres of the high-tide mark, the beaches are not a concrete jungle as found in Mazatlan or Hawaii. Standing on the beach in Manuel Antonio, for example, all you see are palm trees and sand. Beautiful and the perfect setting for a beach ceremony.

Photos courtesy of Lifetime Digital