re: Costa Rica help

Playa Potrero area (Playa Flamingo is a nice "resort" beach there and ) is pretty awesome and chill. Just make sure your wife knows that these aren't Caribbean beaches. Surf is generally rough, water isn't crystal clear, and sand can be rocky. That being said, being on a beach with monkeys hanging out in the trees behind you is pretty awesome. Las Catalinas is also a really nice resort area that is being developed with lots of cool active things to do there (mountain biking, trail running, paddle boarding, etc..).