We have been going to costa rica for the past 4 years and have a trip planned again in late Feb.'04. We love it there. We stay near Tamarindo - Playa Conchal (on the beach). The resort was Melia Playa Conchal and recently changed their name to Paradisus. This is their web site: www.paradisusplayaconchal.com/home.htm
The first time we went we used a travel agent in Chicago.....but really you can plan out your own trip much better with a little of research.
How long do you plan on going for? And what area do you plan on traveling to? With a limited amount of time,say 1 week you are best to stay in only 2 areas because travel around to country is not easy and quite time consuming.
I have some hands on advice so if I can answer any questions I will. Unfortunately, I have only been to the Tamarindo and San Jose area. We have flown into both Liberia and San Jose airports. And we have also used the 2 local airlines for travel within the country. So I do have advice on that also if you need it.