CR Holiday Travel Query -- Help

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My wife and I are planning a 2 week trip in Costa Rica between Dec 18 and the 31st (2 weeks) of this year. We're traveling with our 14 year-old daughter. This is not our first trip to a developing country, but we have a few questions we're looking for some help with. We plan to stay in VRBO property as we always do and will rent a car. We're interested in trying to spend half our time on the west coast and half on the east coast, but not opposed to staying on one coast the whole time. We're not interested in the typical tourist destinations and typically seek off-the-beaten-path spots to experience the local culture and some solitude. Can anyone make recommendations on a couple of the better destinations on each coast that offer solitude, culture, safety, nice beaches, wildlife, wilderness, diving (blue water), etc.? We're also wondering about what we need to know regarding auto travel in CR. We typically don't travel at night during our travels in developing countries, but what else should we be aware of in CR? For example, is auto travel on a holiday such as Christmas Eve discouraged? If we were to select one coast to see, considering the activities we enjoy, which should it be? Thank you for any experience you can share. Feel free to email directly if you prefer: [e-mail]

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