Guanacaste - post flooding and Airbnb safety?

We are a couple experienced in international travel (but never Central America) considering Guanacaste like Samara, Santa Teresa for the nature and beaches. I’ve been reading about a rise in petty crime, cartel violence, and of robbing of Airbnbs, which is where we would ideally stay, in local CR news and comments on this sub. How cautious should we be? I need to bring a laptop for work at the very least and leave that while out. We are not dumb when we travel - but I do care about being safe. I live in the US and have been robbed/stolen three times in my life in various cities, so I understand crime happens everywhere. Before we shell out thousands for a trip, however, I’d like to have a real sense of the current state of things and what precautions to take. I’d like to be able to walk to the beach during the day, grocery shop, etc, without my head on a swivel, but will of course be vigilant.