8.Nicaragua

Local draft: $1.65, in an open-air bar where you're not embarrassed that your Spanish peaked in 11th grade

What you'll save on: Surf lessons can be had for less than $10/hour.

Why here? Even the poorest country in Central America -- you'll be humbled by how far $500 a month goes here -- is a swell place to assess your coordinates of wonder. When the sun rises here at least four things happen. Hardcore bird lovers and surfers set out on mountain rainforest rambles or big Pacific Ocean wave hunts, and Managua's gamblers and shady night owls call it a night. Sample all of it, and you'll wonder why you didn't get here sooner. In the late '90s this place was slowly limping out of a war. Now it rivals Costa Rica, the darling of Central American tourism, as the place to be.

The narrow country is flanked by the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean while the landmass separating them is a massive, fertile mountain range. The Caribbean coast is flavored by Creole-accented slave descendants while on the west coast of this triangular country Spanish-descended Latino flair remains in full swing.

Affordable adventure: Off the Caribbean coast is idyllic Little Corn Island, which features economical lodgings and surprisingly swank yoga-focused resorts on an island that doesn't have cars -- and by law will now never permit anything with an engine.

If you need a hedonistic binge: The west coast's mountains create private Pacific Ocean beach coves, one providing an idyllic and secluded spot for Nicaragua's first five-star resort. Mukul (pronounced "moo-cool," meaning "secret" in Mayan) is a totally unexpected, understated presence in the developing country. The posh resort in Guacalito was recently opened by the Pellas family, who, among other things, produces the country's famed Flor de Caña rum. The new property hosts honeymooners, upscale surfers, and Nicaragua's elite, none of whom are doing belly shots.

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