In Costa Rica we went to Puerto Viejo Beach and saw a couple of black sand beaches along the way. We were taken there in a mini-bus hired by the cousin of one of the people in our group - She is a native Costa Rican and she and her husband just loved showing us their country. We found out the mini-bus was about $100 for the whole day - this is transportation ONLY, no lunch included - and it accommodated 8 comfortably, 11 a little cramped. For lunch our new friends took us to Manzanillo Beach, to a beach-front restaurant called Maxi's - Fresh Red Snapper coupled with rice & beans & plantains - DELICIOUS!!!! The bill for all of us was around $100 US Dollars, including beers & refreshments.