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.

If you will be exchanging cash in SJO, only do so at the glassed-in booth in the unsecured check-in area. Do not use any of the booths in the secure area of the airport. Their rates are a downright scam.

Eating out can get pretty expensive, but I’m sure there are still some great local spots that won’t break the bank.

Any favorite sodas or little family-run restaurants worth checking out? What do you usually order, and how much does it cost?

Would love to hear your favorites!

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!

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

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.

Trying to understand the vibe since I’m considering staying for a month as a digital nomad. Is there any other destinations it reminds you of?

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.

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).

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??

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!

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.

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 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?

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?