I spent 3 months in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, and loved it. Rent for a nice 2 bed townhouse was $1000 but cheaper is possible. It's a surfing beach with a bit of a nightlife. Lots of europeans, I met several british people there. The food was okay, internet access was alright (1-2mbps) but sometimes unreliable. The weather is perfect during the dry season (nov-may), and apparently is tolerable during most of the wet season because the surfing is even better. It's not completely paradise though, its a poor country, drugs and petty theft is common, but altogether not too bad.