Heredia or Puntarenas. Which to choose.

I lived in both Heredia and Puntarenas, Costa Rica for roughly 5 months each while studying with the USAC organization and this heavily influenced my opinion on each program as I was able to see the pros and cons of each program. Puntarenas has a local facility that only teaches to Americans while in Heredia you will be attending a local University where the Costa Ricans study. If you genuinely want to learn Spanish then this alone should deter you from Puntarenas. The moment you enter the USAC building in Puntarenas you will only hear English from the students, and I promise you that this will not change not matter what group enters the program. Secondly the social scene in Puntarenas was severely lacking. It was nearly impossible to go out to bars to meet people unless you went out during a special event where there was a DJ. The bars in Heredia had more people during the weekday than the Bars in Puntarenas did on the weekends. Lastly, the university course work in Puntarenas was a joke. I never had homework nor did I feel I was pushed to truly learn the language. It was high school all over again. The instructors in Heredia will give you homework, they will make you work, but more importantly, they will make you learn the language. What my recommendation boils down to is... If you have a strong desire to meet other Costa Ricans while truly learning the language then I would steer you away from Puntarenas and towards Heredia. If you are a person that wants to enjoy a semester away from the states with very easy coursework, nice weather, and a stress-free environment then I would recommend Puntarenas.