1) Costa Rica: Your Own Private Rainforest for Half the Price
Summer is shoulder-season for Costa Rica, meaning brief afternoon showers most days. But the bulk of the deals stem from a resort boom that has outstripped tourism demand, says Michael Brown of Mead Brown Costa Rica Vacation Rentals, which manages luxury rental properties. Deals on airfare are good, too — roughly $350 instead of last year’s $600, he says — thanks to new routes from budget airlines such as Spirit and JetBlue.

Sample deal: Through November, Mead Brown is offering one-bedroom rentals at the Los Sueños Resort and Marina for $175 a night, down from $350 last year. There’s also a deal to pay for six nights and get the seventh free. A family booking a weeklong vacation at the resort, which has its own private rainforest preserve and views of the Pacific Ocean, would pay $1,050 — a savings of 57%.

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