I have traveled to Costa Rica and absolutely fell in love with the country. I spent most of my time on the coast, although I also traveled into the rainforest and Monteverde. Perhaps the most impressive experience on my Costa Rica trip was taking a canopy tour of the rainforest. Although there was a fee, it was reasonable and well worth it. The canopy tour is basically a set of trails that cut through the forest both on the ground and, with the help of bridges suspened between trees, along the actual top of the rainforest. The views are stunning and the wildlife is plentiful. We had an armidillo cross our path more then once, and also saw a number of incredible tropical birds.
Of course; this is only one of many neat things to do in Costa Rica. I was there for about three months and grew to love the warmth of the people and the consistantly great weather. There are many places to stay besides
Costa Rica luxury resorts I recommend the smaller villas or family owned hotels. For anyone who speaks little or no Spanish, this is a great country. Locals are thrilled if you try to speak Spanish and don't punish you for having less-then-perfect grammar.