Having just spent my 29th birthday in grey rain I've decided that my 30th is going to be spent somewhere sunny! 🙂
Thinking about Costa Rica. Warm and dry in Feb, nice beaches, rainforest, coffee… what's not to like?!
Has anyone been and enjoyed / not enjoyed.
Can anyone recommend areas / places to stay, stuff to do etc?
Any experience of the island would be great really as finacially it's looking to be the most I'll have ever spent on a holiday if I do go 😯

Er, island? Was very firmly attached to Nicaragua and Panama when I was there a while ago! We travelled for a couple of months and stuck to the Highlands and the Pacific coast – really enjoyed it, though it's probably changed quite a bit. We stayed in Manuel Antonio, which was just becoming popular and then travelled down to the Osa Peninsula – remote and rainforesty. The surfing is excellent.

But it's not a cheap place, even as a backpacker. Think American prices. If the budget is an issue, what about Guatemala? Lots of interesting Mayan ruins. I hesitate to recommend Mexico these days, but the south is probably fine and again very interesting. Costa Rica is more about the jungle, 'eco-tourism' and beaches. I would also imagine it to be much more resortified now.

Oh yeah, I am a fool.
Thanks for the advice, I'll take a look at Guatemala as well that could be an option.

Just depends on your priorities.
Culture, history, indigenous communities, ruins: Guatemala, Mexico
Americanised food (and bills), beaches, wildlife (from monkeys to mosquitos): Costa Rica.
Both great, in different ways. Also, forgot to mention, there's a v tough mtb race, the Ruta de los Conquistadores in Costa Rica, though not sure when.