Costa Rica has the happiest people...see article from The New York Times and make it a live link or whatever you think is best.
Happiest People - NYTimes

Samara is a hidden tropical paradise on the Pacific coast, boasting a superb coral reef and its own picturesque wooded island in the bay – Isla Chora. It is popular with swimmer and windsurfers and is an ideal beach for children. Samara Beach boasts to be the safest swimming beach in the country.

Though small, the town of Samara has everything you could wish for – supermarkets, pharmacies, restaurants, stores, bars, nightclubs, hotels and a Bank, with a second due to open soon. The airport at Carrillo connects to San Jose in just 40 minutes with two flights a day.

Just a 35 minute drive takes to you Nicoya, a larger centre, with a modern hospital, supermarkets and stores dealing in everything, clothing, hardware, electronic appliances, pet stores and veterinarians.

The crescent-shaped strip of pale grey sand at Sámara is one of the most beloved beaches in Costa Rica – it’s safe, tranquil, reasonably developed and easily accessible by public transportation. Not surprisingly, it’s popular with vacationing Tico families, backpackers, wealthy tourists, snorkelers and surfers alike (even President Oscar Arias has a vacation house near here.

In recent years the villages has undergone a bit of a transformation. Sámara is becoming increasingly more sophisticated…face-lifts to…restaurants and storefronts. Although the village is trying to hang on to the authenticity of the its relaxed vibe, Sámara is without a doubt the most upscale destination on the central peninsula.

--Lonely Planet 2009

Shops & Services
Super Samara (supermarket)
Various Pulperias (small grocery stores)
Clothing and Artisan Shops
Attorneys
Bank
Hardware Store
Internet Services
Language School
Medical Clinics
Police station
Post Office


Restaurants and Bars
Coco’s, El Ancla,
El Dorado, El Lagarto,
Casa Esmeralda, Jardin Marino,
La Gondola, Las Brasas, Las Olas,
Lizie’s, Manglar, Pizza A Go-Go,
Samareno, Shake Joe’s,
Sol Azteca, Il Vino (Tutti Frutti)
Disco, Vela Latina,
Villas Playa Samara
 

Hotels
Casa del Mar
Entre Dos Aguas
Hideaway Inn
Hotel Belvedere
Hotel Fenix
Hotel Giada
Las Brisas del Pacifico
Lodge del Pacifico
Lodge Las Ranas
Samara Beach
Samara Treehouse Inn
Tico Adventure
Villas Kalimba
Villas Pepitas
Villas Playa Samara