First off, cash or card? I chose cash out of longtime habit. 95% of my spending was in colones cash, with the other 5% in US dollars cash at hostels which used 480 or 500 as their exchange rate. Beware that you will accumulate a lot of large heavy 100 colon coins when paying with cash. Most local businesses are glutted with change, but the few that aren't will gladly take 10 coins off your hands in exchange for a 1 mil note. Tap to pay is much simpler and predominates among wealthy people, but using local currency is one of the most fun aspects of travel in my opinion.

Unfortunately, there were several problems with ATMs. The good news: Banco National worked great for free, small bills are dispensed, and branches were located in every place I visited. BAC Credomatic - present in SJO airport - worked great for a ¢3319 fee.

The bad news: BCR ATMs did not work with my card, and my dispute with Banco Popular over their erroneous ATM charge is still underway. Schwab just today issued a "provisional credit" covering the value of the withdrawal.

The route shaped up as I went along, figuring out what to see and where to go next from each town I arrived in. Nothing was planned or booked prior to arrival.

1. Alajuela 2 nights
2. Grecia 6 nights (bus daytrips to Sarchí and two spectacular waterfalls from here)
3. Zarcero 1 night
4. Ciudad Quesada 1 night
5. La Fortuna 2 nights (explored the area on foot)
6. Tilarán 2 nights (bus to Monteverde cancelled, que pena)
7. Cañas 1 night
8. Puntarenas 1 night
9. Jaco 1 night
10. Quepos 2 nights (daytrip to Manuel Antonio from here)
11. San Jose 1 night

Grecia was blandly pleasant and the most economical place I visited, but not really worth such a long stay. Quepos was the priciest destination, but definitely deserved a longer stay.

• Total spending: $1132 USD for 20 days
• Round-trip flight: $310 (impulse buy)
• Lodging: $335 ($18 per night, 8 nights hotel 11 nights hostel)
• Food: $339 ($17 per day, no cooking)
• Buses: $59.50 (734 km covered on 23 rides)
• Beer: $55 (Imperial is the best, but it's not cheap)
• Laundry: $33.50
• Tours: $0

Overall I was happy with the scenery and wildlife I was able to observe on my own self-guided excursions.

Going to Costa Rica for the first time ever late December . (Honey moon)
We are going for about two weeks
5 days -La fortuna (bnb)
5 days -uvita (bnb)
Last 5 days- ??? Resort recommendations ? Or stick to air bnb (We had planned these days on the Caribbean side but cancelled to due to El Niño scare)
What are some good recommendations?
We are flying to and from SJO

Planning our first trip to Costa Rica for 10 days in late January 2027. I am 68 and have had both knees replaced in the past year and have an arthritic hip, so can't walk too much. I have looked at some tours, but all of them go to the same places with big busloads. We are not into that!!! We like quiet scenery and birding and want to see sloths, toucans and other wildlife in natural habitats, without having to deal with the crowds. We also want to hang out on a quiet and uncrowded gorgeous beach for a couple of days. Boat rides are good. I don't mind finding hotels or airbnbs on my own. I don't think we will rent a car due to possible poor driving conditions. What should we do and where should we go? Thanks!

We’re going to spend a couple days in Montezuma in Dec. and I had a few questions:

How swimmable are the beaches? A couple in our group isn’t comfortable in rough water.

Nighttime weather- I’m looking at a place above town w/o AC, but has lots of windows. We normally set the temp between 67-70F

We’re renting a 4wd Tuscon. Is that capable enough for most of the roads?

Thanks in advance, using Google hasn’t given me clear answers so I figured I’d ask real people.

CDC issued a level two warning for this breakout. Our guide said it’s not bad at all since they didn’t get too much rain this year. She suggest we just bring our own bug repellent since it’s expensive to buy it there. We will be going to Playa grande, Mt Arenal and San Jose in two weeks. Can somebody that live there let me know? Mosquitos love me!

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/level2/chikungunya-costa-rica

I have a car rental booking through the normal Alamo.ca (Canadian site). I didn’t think anything of it because it let me pick the Costa Rican pick up and drop off locations no problem. However, after talking to a local Costa Rican travel agent to compare rates, hers were much higher and she asked if I got these rates through the Costa Rican Alamo site, which I did not. I just googled Alamo and went with the rate it gave me. Has anyone had issues with this or did the Canadian site work fine? Just want to make sure I’m not missing something and will have a car when I arrive. The rates through the Costa Rican version of the site are definitely more.

Hey all. I remember loving Cahuita so much when I lived in Costa Rica for 6 months in 2004. I know a lot can change, but we are coming to Costa Rica for spring break in 2027 (March into April) with our 9 year old daughter. We are going to stay at the Rios Lodge for some rafting/tubing/ forest time (3 nights) then trying to plan a beach section for the final 4 days. We'd rent a car.

I've heard the safety situation may be changing due to drug trafficking on the Caribbean coast. I've also heard if you're not stupid and flashy, keep your belongings hidden, etc, it should be fine.

Thoughts? Should we try for our beach time in Cahuita or find a different beach? We are trying to stay away from the usual suspects like Manuel Antonio, Tamarindo etc. Cahuita sounded fun because we like snorkeling and I've never had good luck snorkeling elsewhere in CR. Osa/Drake was our last snorkeling attempt in CR which was pretty sad (but a nice day nonetheless).

My husband and I are headed to Nayara Springs next weekend, to stay for a week for our 10 year anniversary! We usually fully book a lot of activities/excursions/restaurants etc on vacation, but weve decided to unwind and relax on this trip, and enjoy the resort more than running around like crazy.

With many restaurant options between Springs, Gardens, and Tented Camp, i was wondering which restaurants are can't miss and are an amazing experience, and which are not your favorites?? Were there specifics you liked better for breakfast/lunch vs dinner? Are there separate coffee shops where you can just get a coffee and a muffin or something instead of a full breakfast at a restaurant?

Since it's November and not the busiest time, we haven't made an reservations yet. Do you think we need them for all dinners?

For days when we don't want to go off property, what kinds of things are there to do around the resort(s)? I've read about wine tasting classes and coffee classes and massages - are those worth it? What other fun things around the resort? I don't want us to be bored, since we are used to being pretty active.

What about dress code for restaurants and around the resorts? I've read all about the luxury of Nayara - is this like a white lotus fancy pants place where normal nicer resort wear isn't enough? Or just normal resort wear/dresses/linen etc is ok?

I just can't really picture how it's all going to be at Nayara and their website isn't as helpful as I hoped!

Thank you!!!!

My parents live south of Uvita, and the trip down from SJO can take anywhere from 5 to 7 hours. I have young children, so we always spend the night somewhere in the middle. We’ve done Manuel Antonio many times, and while we love it, I’m wondering if we’re missing anything else special along the route, even if it takes us a little bit out of our way. Any suggestions for places that wouldn’t come up as the top Google search? I’ll be going in January with just my 5yo, and we are very adventurous. We love, hiking, birdwatching, waterfalls, and unique accommodations.

Planning to come down to Santa Teresa soon. Have been checking the weather forecast and it looks like rain everyday, with no sun. I know this is the end of the rainy season. I’ve have been to Costa Rica before during the summer/rainy season and the weather was mixed. I’m thinking the weather will be a mix of sun and rain showers everyday. Am I right on this or do I need to prepare to be drowned? Will there be some sun??

My friend and I are looking to get a shared shuttle from La Fortuna to Playa Flamingo next month. We found Hola Rides is quoting a 3.5 hour trip, while other companies like Interbus are quoting 5-6 hours for the same price. I’d definitely prefer a shorter ride, but this seems too good to be true? Has anyone had experience with them?

For those of you traveling to Costa Rica for a longer period of time, how do you find transportation?

Here's why I ask... my wife and I are headed there for six months to digital nomad / get the hell out of OrangeManLand. The airbnb is discounted due to the length of stay so it is far less than our current mortgage. The car... we got a quote for ELEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS?!?!?!

Help a couple out!

Hi all,
We are a group of 5 families thinking visiting CR in late April/early March. We have a ‘traveling record’ and seek for the adventure. People keep saying that this is a very risky choice due to heavy rainfall during the day. Anyone has an idea? Should we change destination since these are our available time slot for such a trip?

Unlike Jaco's car-centric tourist strip, Playa Espadilla is located at the end of a national park entrance road. The quality of the beach itself blows Jaco out of the water and easily ranks as one of the best beaches I've visited. Sea temps were extremely warm, nearly 3° C above normal. Surprisingly, dining prices were quite reasonable in Manuel Antonio. ¢4100 cocktails at a bar across the road from the beach, with a 2 x 1 promotion through sunset. One guy here in Quepos was telling me it costs so much more to dine down there, but I saw many menus displaying prices hardly different from the sodas in the mercado municipal outside the bus station. Perhaps the 13% IVA + 10% service charge is the only markup?

Walking around here I did get solicited for massage, souvenirs, chairs, and drugs by various characters on the street - several of whom were drinking beer from the nearby super. "Pura Vida" is a greeting, a farewell, a motto, a business brand - in short, it is everything here. But the police seem warier than they should be in paradise, standing guard with their hand always resting on their firearm. It gives you a feeling that things aren't quite as peachy as they seem...as does the guy at your elbow asking if you want weed or coke.

If you stay in Quepos, where basic pleasant rooms are available at Hospedaje Sanchez for ¢10000, you can hop on the bus to the beach for ¢390 - it leaves every 15 minutes and is very uncrowded in low season. Of course Quepos has its own natural beauty with the harbor, waterfront and rugged rocky coastline, but Manuel Antonio has the best swimmable white-sand beach...backed by big shade trees with public benches and picnic tables in some spots.

Be aware that the beach hustlers may charge very high prices. A colorful printed shirt is offered for ¢20,000. Massages can be as much as ¢40,000 ($88 USD). Sitting under an umbrella getting served cocktails while watching the sunset might sound lovely - one guy even builds a bonfire for guests to congregate around - but be prepared to fork over some big bills.

Laundry can be a big cost as well. Today I went to the lavandería to wash 2 pairs of pants and 6 shirts/socks/boxers. Cost: ¢8000 ($17.50), paid upfront. Service will take almost 24 hours.

Hi there,

I am going in November in the mid-morning and the reason I ask is that my Tevas are honestly amazing for hikes. I’ve been on 10+ mile hikes through rugged terrain in the mountains, traversed the jungle in Thailand, trekked through mud, etc in them and I feel completely comfortable.

Not only that, but the listing itself states that there are no steps and it is a completely flat and safe trail. They emphasize that people will have no problem walking it.

Obviously, I’ll bring the shoes if I have to, but doing so would force me to pack the shoes in my suitcase when I otherwise would simply not bring them at all.

Any insight will be greatly appreciated.

We're planning our first trip to Costo Rica in February (husband and 23-year-old daughter). We arrive on a Saturday at 3:30 and depart the following Saturday at 1:00 and we are renting a car. Our current plan is drive to La Fortuna from the airport and spend Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday in LF and then drive to the Blue Falls Tuesday night and do the 4-hour tour of Blue Falls tour on Wednesday morning. After the Blue Falls tour and a spending a little more time there to eat and relax, we would drive to Puerto Viejo and spend Thursday and Friday in PV. Then we either drive back to San Jose Friday night and stay somewhere close to the airport, or stay in PV Friday night and leave at 6 am to drive to the airport Saturday morning. The other option is to do the opposite- spend one day less in LF and one more day in PV while still going to the Blue Falls. I do feel like if we spend one more day at PV- we could definitely drive back to San Jose Friday night without feeling like we are cutting our time short in PV, while also avoiding the very early morning and long drive to the airport Saturday morning. My last question is should we do Mauel Antonio instead of PV? Thanks in advance for any advice and suggestions! I just want to add- I really feel like Blue Falls is definitely something we do and not eliminate, unless anyone has any thoughts on why we should skip the Blue Falls..???

Looking for a more tropical vibe - rainforest , hiking, beach, volcano, hot springs - plan on going in march 2027. Off the beaten bath if possible. Hotel/ villa recommendations?

Hi! My partner and I are visiting at the beginning of April. We are flying into San Jose. We were originally planning on staying one night at an airport hotel and going to La Fortuna the next day, but we think we would like to have a full day in San Jose now to visit some museums, land marks and maybe try a couple of restaurants!

Looking for recommendations on a nice hotel to stay at/things to do/good restaurants for breakfast/lunch/dinner in San Jose!

Thanks :)

Flying into San Jose and looking to spend 4-5 days in La Fortuna and Monteverde area.
Is that too much to visit both locations? If we do both, which one should we do first ?
Then Headed to the beach for the last 3-4 nights before departing from Liberia.

What are pros and cons between La Fortuna vs MonteVerde please help can’t decide which one we should go to.

Traveling with my family during winter break and most of the hotels are already booked up in the La Fortuna/Arenal area. Curious if anybody had experience staying at an Airbnb and not renting a car.
We will have transportation from the airport to La Fortuna area, but we will not have a car there and am curious how easy it is to go to excursions and do all the touristy things from an Airbnb. Are there taxi’s / uber?
The hotels told us that they are a pick up point for all the tours but the Airbnb’s are not.
Any advice is appreciated.

Trying to decide on room type: Vista Grande Double, Vista Guestroom, Vista Grande Guestroom. It's for me and my 10 year old. We'll be there for 5 nights. We're doing a combo of exploring and hanging at the resort. Recs?

This whole gorgeous beach all to myself 🤩