I just returned from a 10 day trip to Costa Rica which felt like the perfect inaugural post for the new blog! Costa Rica is one of those travel hotspots that everyone has been going to lately, so I decided to join the party. Find me a better first post for a blog titled “On the Beaten Path.” Before I jump into our detailed itinerary, I wanted to share a bit more about the planning and logistics process. Within five minutes of researching, I was already feeling overwhelmed by all the different options Costa Rica had to offer–you could enjoy some time by the beach, hike through the lush rainforest, marvel at a volcano, or spend time in the clouds (literally). Hopefully this spares you a few hours of sifting through information!
Top Destinations in Costa Rica
There is no shortage of places to visit across the country. This is by no means a comprehensive list, just what I noticed were repeatedly mentioned as “must see” places across the region.
You should know: Costa Rica is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west and the Caribbean Sea on the east, so it has the best of both worlds, each with its own vibe.
- Manuel Antonio [Pacific]: National parks famous for its stunning white-sand beaches, lush rainforests, and abundant wildlife.
- Tamarindo [Pacific]: Beach town located on the Nicoya Peninsula, famous for one of the Blue Zones! IYKYK.
- Arenal Volcano & La Fortuna [Central]: Arenal Volcano is one of the most popular tourist spots, and La Fortuna is the town that serves as the base. Tons of activities for adventure seekers!
- Monteverde [Central]: Cloud forest reserve which is great for hikers, birdwatchers, and nature lovers. Insane views.
- Tortuguero National Park [Caribbean]: Haven for wildlife (most notably sea turtles) Access is only by boat or small plane.
- Puerto Viejo de Limon [Caribbean]: Lively town that serves as a great place to relax on the beach and experience the laid-back Caribbean lifestyle.
We met other travelers that had come from Jaco, Cahuita and the Osa Peninsula and absolutely loved it. Of course there’s also San José, the capital of Costa Rica, which has a number of interesting museums, theaters, and historical sites.
Time of Year
Rainy season in Costa Rica generally runs from mid-May to November and dry season lasts from December to April (also peak tourist season). Each have their own pros and cons! We decided to go in March over dry season with the added benefit of coinciding with my husband’s birthday. It was HOT 🔥. Like multiple-showers-a-day hot.
Airports
There are two main airports in Costa Rica: Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) in San José, and the other is the Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) in Liberia. NYC has direct flights into both locations. We flew JetBlue into Liberia which was around $600 roundtrip per person. Bear in mind this was peak timing since it coincided with a lot of school breaks.
Car Rentals
If you’re looking to explore more than one area, a car rental is usually needed, unless you want to fork over a lot of money for private transfers (we met a couple that was spending a month in Costa Rica relying exclusively on chauffeurs!). The car rental cost was hardly a steal, but it gave us the convenience of being in control of our own destiny. We were a little nervous after reading about the condition of the roads and the potential to be stopped by local police officers with “fines.” Thankfully we had zero issues with law enforcement, and the roads weren’t the best but they certainly weren’t the worst.
We rented a 4×4 compact SUV through Sixt car rental and have no complaints. For the 10 days it came out to about $950, including the mandatory third party liability insurance in Costa Rica. We didn’t add any extra insurance since my credit card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve, includes rental car insurance. More on that another time!
How We Decided Where to Go
I knew we wanted a mixture of both adventure and relaxation, which meant a beach destination for at least half the trip. For the “adventure” portion, the hardest part was determining between the Arenal Volcano area and the Monteverde cloud forest, which both seemed incredible. We considered splitting it up, but ultimately it felt like it might be too much running around for 10 days (the drive between the two is 3 hours). We settled on Arenal, which seemed to be a little more touristy but was fine given this was our first trip to Central America! The Arenal area also seemed to have slightly more upscale accommodations. We stayed at Amor Arenal which was one of the most incredible places I’ve ever stayed.
Truthfully, accommodations were what plotted our itinerary! I came across this super cool resort in the dry forest called Rio Perdido, which warranted a stop of its own. As for the beach, we were open to locations but ideally wanted it to be not too far from the airport which narrowed it down to Papagayo Peninsula + Tamarindo. Again, accommodations ruled the way here. I had been wanting to stay at an Andaz property since we stopped for drinks at the one in Maui, and they had a beautiful looking one in Papagayo so that settled it! It was called the Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo. I’ll share some other top contenders in a separate Costa Rica accommodations post.
Cost
If you’re going to Costa Rica looking for an inexpensive trip, then keep looking. Aside from steep hotel prices, the food was pretty expensive as well. The total price for 10 days, 9 nights including airfare, hotels and excursions was about $10,500…and this doesn’t include most meals. Granted we used JetBlue miles, Expedia points, and Chase Rewards to offset a good chunk of this, but that’s what you can expect for a week and a half in Costa Rica if staying in upscale accommodations.
Next up is our day by day Costa Rica itinerary!
