Costa Rica, a Central American Toothache

When I set the goal of visiting all 21 Spanish-speaking countries years ago, I never thought that I would be traveling to Costa Rica under these terms. I've had friends live here, offers to travel with work, and even once planned a trip here that never happened. Although the country is named for its rich coast, Joe and I are here for its  affordable dental care. He had some serious crown work that needed to be done, and so we thought, "let's make it a trip!". The low prices in Costa Rica, and the multiple positive reviews on the dentist, allowed us to confidently plan a trip for two, get the dental work done, and still come out ahead financially. Unfortunately since moment one, this trip has been full of difficult moments.
We arrived at SJO to find out the car we rented came with a $37/day government fee, and because we planned to be here for two weeks, that just wouldn't work. I'm so grateful I speak Spanish because we were able to navigate the bus system and get into the city for about $3. After the dental visit, we decided to see the country a bit. Our little hostel in San Jose was perfect and about a block from the dentist, and within walking distance to an art museum, the center of town, and a few bus stops. After 3 days in the city, we headed out to see the beauty that everyone raves about in Costa Rica.
That's when another challenging moment presented itself! We decided to rent a car for a few days to see the countryside, and fortunately had a GPS with Costa Rican maps preloaded and ready to go. We  were eager to get out of San Jose, as it really was quite pricey and truthfully, dirty. So, when the GPS said we could be at a tropical volcano within two and a half hours, we hit the road ready to explore! After almost 5 hours of the worst roads we had ever experienced passed, and the GPS said we were only 2km away, we almost got out of the car to run the rest of the way. Sadly, as we turned on what was supposed to be the second to last turn before our arrival, and a man came out to close the road! What?!?! How could this have been? The rain poured down, and we found another path.
The next day we explored a bit, recovering from the long and exhausting drive from the night before.
The next three days were more of the same. People I know and trust, LOVE this country, and sadly, we can't stand it! After a week of being overcharged for everything, getting lost or delayed due to challenging roads, and the overall shock that comes from seeing dogs running in the trash-filled streets, we left. We actually bought plane tickets and went home. I've never left a trip early, but CR disappointed. Maybe it was the high expectations of others' magical moments here, but this place was not for us. Good news, Joe's dental work came out beautifully!