Costa Rica or Puerto Escondido?

CR / Panama CARIBE!

I've been to both too. Puerto is out of the world and scary much of the time (for me anyways). CR has so many options and in early Feb the caribbean coast works well. Go to Cocles/Salsa Brava on the CR east coast. You'll probably get salsa brava going insane - hawaii style, and also have the chance to hit some clean, clear, mellow beach breaks if you'd rather have a chill session. In your rest time the vibe is extremely mellow and fun. Food is amazing, and the place is inexpensive. If you have some $ you can hop on a boat and surf some of the islands in N Panama too. Sounds like a pretty sick trip to me!