While I haven't visited any of these, here's some tidbits....
Among Costa Rica's attractions (at least when it was affordable) is that it is one of the, ahem, "whiter" countries of Latin America. They never had slavery there, if I recall my capsule history correctly. Crime varies quite a bit in these countries, so check with sources you trust (certainly not me!!!) Call me racist, but it's often the case that the darkest are the poorest, and the most crime- and violence- prone. Just like in the good ole' US of A.