I’m Jason Perez, 36. I chose Jaco because I wanted a place where I could walk all day, go out at night, and still feel safe and welcome everywhere in between. I stayed in a Central Jaco Airbnb Vacation Rental that let me do exactly that.

My four highlights: ATV Jungle Ride, a bright, rowdy night at Jaco Vice Nightclub, dinner at Ridiculous Burgers Restaurant (yes, the portions are ridiculous), and a chill hookah session at Mynt Lounge Jaco. Each one showed a different side of the town, and every staff member I met was friendly and patient with my attempts at Spanish.

Days were built around long walks on the beach, quick trips to Playa Hermosa to watch better surfers than me, and a ride up to Herradura for a look at the marina and nearby rainforests. I took the bus toward Esterillos just to see more coastline and was pleasantly surprised at how simple and safe it was.

One afternoon, a local guy I met on the ATV tour pointed out a hidden soda (little family restaurant) where I ended up having one of the best casados of the trip. Little tips like that piled up into some of my favorite memories.

Nights in Jaco were exactly the right kind of loud—music spilling out of bars, laughter in the streets, and casinos glowing like little neon magnets. After hitting Vice and Mynt, I’d walk home under warm streetlights, hearing the surf in the background and feeling like the town was still smiling.

By the end of my stay, I felt like I’d gotten to try on a different version of myself—one who sleeps later, laughs more, and worries less. Jaco made that possible, and I’m already checking flight prices for a return trip.