We had backpacked in Costa Rica about 10 years ago in our 30s. Had a great time and we recall tons of affordable hotels and restaurants. Was fairly easy to travel too.
Fast forward to 2023, we found cheap tickets from Ireland (that's where we live currently) and decided to go with our 6 year old.
With a family oriented plan mainly in Guanacaste, we realized we're going to a completely different Costa Rica, hotels 250-500 USD a night, expensive day tours, transfers etc.
It appears Tamarindo and the surroundings are expensive and cater for high-end tourism, so we feel like we should skip it, but for where?
We're happy with any suggestions! We're arriving and leaving from Liberia was hoping somewhere in the west coast.