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Bump

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These are two TOTALLY different types of destinations. Best beaches are definitely in Bahamas but it can sometimes be a little cool to swim that time of year (at least for me), though coming from Europe you may think it is OK even in winter (water temp will probably be about 25 C -- I don't really like to get in the water if it is less than about 27 C).

Costa Rica has some decent beaches but not nearly as good as Bahamas, but it is a top notch place to see wild life, visit volcanoes and rainforests and that sort of thing. It is farther south and it will definitely be warm enough for comfortable swimming that time of year. Costa Rica is lush, wild, mountainous and very green. Bahamas are flat and scrubby and, other than the beaches and ocean, aren't particularly scenic. Costa Rica is a much bigger place and can take several hours to traverse from one side of the country to another. None of the Bahama islands are anywhere near as large and may take 30 minutes to an hour to traverse even the larger islands.

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A couple things;

1. The Bahamas are going to be way too cold for swimming in January. They actually aren’t in the Caribbean and Jan/Feb is not really “beach weather” for the Bahamas
2. Costa Rica would be a great destination but you won’t find white sand/turquoise beaches.

Are you dead set on these two destinations? There are plenty of islands in the Caribbean that may suit you better…