When you think of Costa Rica you most likely think of “Pura Vida”, but what exactly is pura vida? Pura Vida translates to pure life, but is more than just a phrase, it’s a way of life. With only a week in Costa Rica, we barely even scratched the surface of the pura vida. But, for first time travelers to Costa Rica, here is my guide to Costa Rica.
When to go
Dry Season is from December to April, therefore is the most popular time to visit. If you want to save money, traveling in the off/shoulder season is your best bet. We went in January and had beautiful weather our whole trip, we even got to see Arenal Volcano without any clouds. One of our guides told us that her least favorite time is November, in between wet and dry season because it’s so incredibly humid.
Where to go
There is so much to explore in Costa Rica, your options can be overwhelming. We decided on a split stay, starting at the beach and ending in the rainforest. For our beach stay, I was in-between Manuel Antonio and the Papagayo region. We ended up finding cheap flights into San Jose (SJO), so we chose to go to Manuel Antonio because Manuel Antonio is closer to SJO. Meanwhile, Papagayo is closer to Liberia International Airport (LIR). For the rainforest portion we decided on visiting Arenal Volcano, mostly because I had clients stay there and wanted to check it out. Arenal is basically right in between the two airports. SJO is usually cheaper to fly into than LIR. If you do a split stay, I would definitely suggest starting at the beach and ending at the volcano.
If you just want to stick to one spot on your trip to Costa Rica, Arenal or Manuel Antonio would both be great options. Most of the tours available in Arenal are also available from Manuel Antonio, you just have to decide between the beach or a beautiful volcano.
Manuel Antonio
Where the rainforest meets the sea. Manuel Antonio is one of the most visited beach areas in Costa Rica, mostly because of its National Park. Manuel Antonio National Park is great for spotting wildlife and for relaxing on beaches. One of the first things I noticed about the town was that there were a lot of wood-fired pizza places, so naturally we had to try one out! We went to El Wagon and the pizza was surprisingly really good, thin slice just how I like it! Most hotels are perched up on the hill overlooking the ocean. There is a bus you can take to get around, the streets are hilly and there are no sidewalks.
Where to stay
We wanted to save some money on this portion of the trip because we were going all out for Arenal. We ended up picking Igloo Beach Lodge because it was the right price, it was unique and it was close to the beach and the park. Other hotels I was looking at were Si Como No and La Mariposa, both of which were up the hill.
Igloo Beach Lodge
While most hotels are perched up on the hill overlooking the ocean, Igloo Beach Lodge is only steps to the beach. The igloos are minimally designed and come equipped with AC, a TV and a mini fridge. The hotel even offers sunset picnics on the beach. Another reason I chose Igloo Beach Lodge was because their restaurant has a great plant-based menu, which would help me follow my dietary restrictions. Don’t skip their fresh fish ceviche and mixed drinks, super fresh and super tasty! They usually have a DJ by the pool on weekends, so if you prefer peace and quite pick the jungle view rooms like we did.
Arenal | La Fortuna
I honestly thought the Arenal Volcano area was going to be over-rated, but I was deeply wrong. The volcano is breathtaking and it was not as touristy as I thought it would be. This was our favorite part of the trip, don’t skip over Arenal! Our resort had a lot to do with why we loved it so much, read all about below.
Where to stay
Nayara Springs
In my opinion, there is only one place to stay in the Arenal area and that’s Nayara Springs. This has been honestly one of our favorite resorts we’ve ever stayed at. The resort includes Nayara Gardens, Nayara Springs and the Tented Camp. Nayara Gardens is the most economical and family-friendly, all of the casitas include a soaking tub on the balcony. Nayara Springs (where we stayed) is the adults-only section, all of the villas include a private plunge pool. The Tented Camp is the most expensive section of the resort to stay at, all of the tents include a private plunge pool. All sections of the resort are available to you no matter where you stay, unless you’re a kid trying to get into the adults-only pool.
Yoga is available every morning on their gorgeous yoga deck overlooking the rainforest. There are hot springs on site, all with varying temperatures. There’s even a sloth and an armadillo sanctuary on the resort grounds. The spa is literally to die for, this is one of the best spa experiences I’ve had. Our couples massage started in our open-air treatment room with a foot bath. Next was our hot stone massage, blissed out all while listening to the sounds of the rainforest. Afterward, we received a moisturizing facial. Our treatment ended with a rose petal jacuzzi soak, champagne and fruit.
The food is incredible, they were also very accommodating to my dietary restrictions. There are two options for breakfast, La Terraza and Mis Amores, both of which have a view of the volcano. La Terraza in Nayara Gardens offers a buffet, while Mis Amores in Nayara Springs offers a breakfast menu. We had lunch one afternoon at Asia Luna, the decor was my favorite of all the restaurants and the sushi was delectable. We had dinner at La Terraza our first night and my favorite part was our passionfruit tart dessert. Our second night we ordered room service after our spa treatment. And on our last night, we dined and were entertained at Amor Loco. The female musician was very talented and I wanted to try almost everything on the menu. I suggest making reservations in advance or at check-in.
What to do
There is so much to do in Costa Rica, it is an adventurers dream. There’s whitewater rafting, canyoning, horseback riding, hiking, ziplining, kayaking, paddle boarding, hot springs, bird watching, snorkeling, scuba diving, the list could go on forever. Here are some details on the adventures we went on.
National Parks
There are 30 National Parks in Costa Rica, so a visit to at least one is a must when visiting. We visited Manuel Antonio National Park and within minutes of stepping foot in the park, we were spotting all sorts of wildlife. I highly suggest hiring a guide when visiting Manuel Antonio National Park. They are very skilled at spotting wildlife, we would have seen absolutely nothing if it weren’t for our guide Beatriz. She came prepared with a high-powered spotting scope and took pictures with our phones through it. Good pictures are difficult to get unless you have a camera with a good zoom lens. We spotted sloths (including baby sloths), bats, crabs, monkeys, spiders, birds and iguanas.
If you have a rental, drive your own car, so you can stay and enjoy the beaches longer after the tour. The beaches in the park are pristine and are less crowded than the main beach outside the park. The park is closed on Tuesdays, no food or plastic is allowed to be brought into the park. Potable water is available throughout the park, bring your own refillable water bottle. There is a cafe in the park to get food, drinks and ice cream, but beware of the thieving monkeys.
Canyoning
My husband and I wanted to do something we’ve never done before on this trip. Ultimately, we decided to give canyoning a try. The adrenaline rush was exactly what I needed to get my mind off of, well everything. Would you rappel down waterfalls on vacation? On our tour with Pure Trek there were five rappels and our first was 120 feet, the highest of the five. I somehow was first in line, the guinea pig. But honestly, I’m glad I went first so that I could not overthink it. My first go at it was a little sloppy, but once I got the hang of it, man what a rush! I would definitely do it again.
Horseback Riding
My husband had never been on a horse and somehow I always get stuck on a donkey, so we decided to go for a ride with the best views of Arenal Volcano possible. Look no further than Paco’s Horses, the horses are well taken care of and love the occasional gallop. The ride to the viewpoint was mostly up hill, so we were told to lean forward to help the horses. At the top we took in the amazing view, while sipping coconut water right from a coconut. On the way back down, we leaned back to take some pressure off. We usually would have just hiked, but this was a new way to take in the scenery and get out of our comfort zone.
Rental Cars
When deciding between a car rental or a private transfer, here are some things to consider about car rentals in Costa Rica. They drive on the same side of the road, same side of the car as the U.S. You do not need an international drivers license. Car rentals are cheap, but insurance is not. Manual is cheaper and more common than automatic. The roads are mostly nicely paved, but quite narrow at times. Driving can be a little scary at night and in the rain. Don’t expect to get anywhere fast. Most roads are only one lane each way and older cars and trucks go very slow, pass with care. Tolls are 500-1000 colones and can be paid in the “via manual” lanes. I highly suggest downloading the section of the map you need in google maps, that way you can use google maps without any cell service.
I hope you enjoyed my Costa Rica travel guide. As always, I wish we had more time in the destination. If you liked this blog post, be sure to check out My Guide to Maui, Hawaii (on a budget)! Don’t forget to book your trip with your favorite travel planner, yours truly.
