The Happy Planet Index recently published the ranking of the happiest countries on earth, and Costa Rica is at the top of the list. The survey, sponsored by the New Economics Foundation , is based on a complex calculation of factors including environmental policy, happiness and life expectancy. But surely without so much calculation and by asking the thousands of tourists who come to the country annually, they would have drawn that same conclusion more quickly.
If you visit Costa Rica, you should pay a long visit to the impressive Manuel Antonio National Park , which has one of the most beautiful beaches in the area. On that beach you can see exactly what paradise must be like. There you can start laughing when some of the capuchin monkeys in the area come up to where you are and steal some food.
You must stay in what they call a "barefoot luxury", the Si Como No hotel, which has become an ecological treasure. To make your days at the hotel much more fun and happy, do not forget to jump down its large slide and have a drink at the bar that you will find next to the pool.
For the fun to continue, be sure to have dinner one night at El AviĂłn restaurant. As you can imagine, the restaurant is located inside an old spy plane (C-130) that will make you feel like you are in an episode of “Lost”. The next day you can move to Jaco . It is a two hour drive from San JosĂ© and is a surfer’s paradise.