A number of important beach locations on the northern coast attract Costa Ricans and foreigners alike for vacations, retirement or business opportunities. These beaches are easily reached from San Jose in about four hours of driving. The highway is paved and in generally good condition (if you discount the ever-present potholes), but can be agonizingly slow when you are stacked up behind a string of slow trucks. Relax, go with the flow and enjoy the sights and the ever-changing scenery from the Meseta Central to the Guanacaste coast. Rainfall is lower here than anywhere else in the country. Unlike most of Costa Rica, the dry season here is truly dry, with almost no rain falling during the months of December, January or February. Grass turns parched and yellow; most trees lose their leaves replacing them with blossoms. Around homes or along inhabited beaches, you'll see more evergreen, leafy trees because they've been deliberately planted.

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