Costa Rica is one crazy place! Overflowing with naughty monkeys, lovely locals and more natural wonders than you could poke a stick at, there is absolutely something for everyone and it was also a wonderful honeymoon destination! Our days in Costa Rica were pretty jam packed with activities and full day tours, but here are some of the more random stories and helpful hints we picked up along our travels through the Central American country.

After a few days of high adventure in La Fortuna and kicking back in our jungle treehouse it was onto our next destination, Manuel Antonio, just south of Quepos on the Pacific Coast. We were ready for some beaches, relaxing and focusing on our main goal: spotting a mysterious sloth in the wild. The accommodation I had booked in Manuel Antonio was what I was looking forward to most. Hotel Makanda by the Sea, an adults only retreat, hidden in the rainforest and boasting an infinity pool that overlooked the Pacific Ocean.

Time Zone: Central Standard Time (CST), UTC -6.

Getting There: The only international airport on Costa Rica is Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose (SJO). SJO is located just under 3 hours away from Manuel Antonio if you're travelling by car. Taxi rides and transfers organized through the hotel cost about $150 USD for the transfer. You can get a domestic flight to Quepos Airport (XQP) from SJO and many of the other domestic airports around Costa Rica that generally only take about 25 minutes. Surprisingly, they can be cheaper than the transfers if the times work for you.

Language: Spanish. Many people working in the tourism and service industry, such as hotel and restaurant staff, taxi drivers and people working at the National Parks speak excellent English.

Climate: High temperatures all year round. Rainy season between May and November, with dry season from December through to April. Very humid and sticky through the drier months.

Getting Around: You can get around pretty much everywhere in Manuel Antonio by taxi or walk. Taxis between the main road of hotels and the main beach and Manuel Antonio National Park cost about $10 USD per ride. You can walk between the National Park and the main beach in about 15-20 minutes.

The Money Sitch: There are absolutely no ATMs inside Manuel Antonio National Park. However, you can do a cash withdraw from the ticket box when you buy your ticket - this does have large fees associated with it, both in a commission fee to the 'banker' at the ticket box and also in international transfer fees, but it is good to know if you're desperate. The most accessible ATM we found was at the small strip of shops on the corner of the 618 Freeway, Provincia de Puntarenas and the road that leads down to all the major hotels.

Internet Access: Great connections in most hotels as well as many restaurants and cafes.

The Main Streets: The "618 Road" (that's the only name Google maps will give me) runs right down the hill all the way to the main beach of Playa Espadilla and Manuel Antonio National Park. You can find souvenirs and shopping between the park and the beach, with restaurants and cafes also lining the street.

Best Time To Go: Mid-December to April during the dry season, although be prepared for some very hot days and high humidity.

Can't Miss: Manuel Antonio National Park is the main focus of this region of Costa Rica. Not only does it offer some of the most beautiful beaches with white sand shores and crystal clear water, the wildlife in the park is insane, with monkeys and exotic birds everywhere you turn. It's also one of the best places in the country to get the chance to spot a sloth in their natural habitat. Make sure you take a walk down the Sloth Trail in the national park for your best chances. There's also no shortage of adventure activities to be found in Manuel Antonio including 4WD, ATV and off-roading tours, kayaking, canoeing, wildlife safaris and night walks, hiking, camping, ziplining and aerial adventure parks.

Good To Know: If you're arriving to Manuel Antonio via Quepos Airport there will not be transfers and taxis waiting at the airport (it's not the type of domestic airport you're probably used to). Make sure you organize to be picked up from the airport before you land to avoid waiting.

From the minute I started planning our trip to Costa Rica I wanted to find a way to include a trip out to Río Celeste Waterfall. A tiny pool of sparkling, astonishingly blue water found deep in the luscious green jungle. What could be more magical?! The more I began to research Costa Rica, the more I realized that I wasn't going to be able to visit everywhere I wanted to in the short 5 days we had in this beautiful country. Despite it's relatively small size, the landscape of Costa Rica - with it's mountainous jungles and winding roads - meant that driving between towns often takes a lot longer than you would expect. But I was still determined to get to Río Celeste, even though it was located almost two and a half hours away from where we were staying in La Fortuna. Luckily, Eco Terra Costa Rica came to our aid and did what no other company were willing to do. They planned the perfect, absolutely enormous day for us, fitting in everything we wanted to visit.

Time Zone: Central Standard Time UTC -6.

Getting There: Arriving into Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, I would highly recommend organizing a transfer to get to La Fortuna.  By car it takes about 2.5 hours to reach La Fortuna from the airport, and that's if you're driving directly! We organized a transfer through our hotel that met us right at the airport gate, it was so easy and efficient. You can also grab a short domestic flight from SJO to the local airport FON. It's about the same price as the transfer, but only leaves once (sometimes twice) a day so check if your flight times match up.

Language: Spanish. Many of the people working in the tourism industry also speak great English.

Climate: Tropical climate, very warm during summer and wet and dry season. You can often expect some patches of rain even during the dry season.

Getting Around: Depending on where you're staying it can often be quite difficult to get around, as natural attractions are spaced out and far away from each other. We visited as much of La Fortuna as we could in one day on a private day tour, so our transportation was pretty much taken care of during our time in La Fortuna. If you're planning to try and get around yourself I would probably recommend hiring a car as the easiest option, as public transport is extremely limited.

The Money Sitch: For our time in Costa Rica we get out all our cash when we landed at the airport. It was more than enough to get us through our time in La Fortuna so we didn't have to go on an ATM search. Most attractions, stores and restaurants do accept credit and debit cards, but I would always carry some emergency cash just in case.

Internet Access: During the days in La Fortuna we were mostly deep in the jungle, swimming in waterfalls and hiking amongst the monkeys, so we didn't try and connect to wifi. Out hotel had excellent high-speed wifi for us to catch up with the online world in the evenings. A couple of the restaurants we ate in also offered wifi.

The Main Streets: La Fortuna de San Carlos is the main street, however if you've chosen a jungle experience accommodation style like we did you will probably quite far away from the main street. Unless you choose a hotel/hostel on that main street I would recommend choosing somewhere to stay that is amazing enough that you don't want to leave.

Best Time To Go: Mid-December to April, the dry season boasting plenty of sunshine to explore everything Costa Rica has to offer.

Can't Miss: Rio Celeste Waterfall, La Fortuna Waterfall, Arenal Volcano and Arenal Hanging Bridges, Tabacon Hot Springs, Arenal Observatory, Monteverde Cloud Forest,  Kalambu Hot Springs Water Park, Venado Caves, Proyecto Asis Wildlife Rescue Centre