Best places to stay in costa rica
Costa Rica is a great place for international travelers. It’s a beautiful country with a friendly population, and it offers a wide variety of natural landscapes and activities.
But where should you stay?
The answer depends on what kind of traveler you are. If you’re looking for an upscale experience, then staying in one of the many luxury resorts will be an ideal fit. But if you’re looking for something more adventurous and off-the-beaten-path, then renting a vacation home or villa will give you the chance to get away from it all while still having access to modern amenities like Wi-Fi and cable TV.
1. San Jose
If you want to travel around the nation, the capital city of Costa Rica is a fantastic area to stay. San Jose, although being small, is a busy city where one million people commute every day.
While some of San Jose’s neighborhoods have a somewhat European feel, others are more conventional middle-class communities. Affluent districts with magnificent hillside residences can be found on the city’s outskirts.
Like other Latin American capitals, San Jose can be noisy and feel chaotic during the daytime, but it is also fun, generally safe, and interesting.
It should be noted that SJO, the main international airport, is actually located in Alajuela, but it takes about minutes to drive to the downtown districts.
If culture and nightlife is what you want to experience when you stay in Costa Rica, San Jose is a great choice because you can arrange anything from coffee farm tours, which are highly recommended, to visits to live volcanoes and even trips to the Pacific beaches.
Don´t miss the Costa Rica National Theater, el Museo del Oro Precolombino (Precolumbian Gold Museum), the Jade Museum, and the National Museum.
San Jose is an excellent base of operations during your stay in Costa Rica, and you can find plenty of major international chain hotels, hostels, ultra-low budget hotels, boutique inns, and business hotels.
The weather in San Jose always feels great, but you should pack an umbrella from July to November. Try not to stay too close to the city center unless you are a sound sleeper who is not bothered by noise.
2. Manuel Antonio
Often voted as being one of the most accessible national parks of Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio is an interesting vacation spot where residential and resort districts are practically within the main nature preserve.
The white sandy beaches of Manuel Antonio are legendary, and the pristine national park is lovingly maintained for the benefit of visitors of all ages.
One thing that should be mentioned about Manuel Antonio is that it is highly recommended for wheelchair tourists whose idea of a nice stay in Costa Rica is to be able to experience nature.
The national park is a jewel of tourism, and it constantly attracts local families because its abundant wildlife can be appreciated during easy hikes.
With regard to accommodations, they range from beach cabins to low-rise beach hotels and country lodges. It is not too difficult to find rooms with a view of the Pacific Ocean, and they tend to be reasonably priced.
3. Jaco
As one of the closest beaches to the capital city, Jaco is also the most developed and Americanized. If you are familiar with Southern California beach towns, this is what Jaco Beach feels like; in fact, some expats call it “Long Beach.”
The best and most challenging surf breaks in Central America can be found in Jaco. This is a very large beach where it is almost impossible to find a day where chest-high swells are not rolling.
Surfers from around the world know about the long rights that form in Jaco Beach, but they also know that the currents can be treacherous. There are lifeguards on the beach here, but please be careful in the water.
The Jaco nightlife is legendary enough to have been featured on the Travel Channel numerous times. This is one of the few towns in Costa Rica where you will find high-rise beach resorts and condos complete with casinos and nightclubs.
The area offers a wide range of outdoor activities from kayaking to hiking to fishing to horseback riding to surfing.
Jaco is also a great gateway to national parks, such as the Carrara National Park or the Pura Vida Park.
The all-inclusive resorts are the best bet for families, and there are a couple of hostels, but they are not as affordable as elsewhere along the Pacific coast.
4. Monteverde
There is a good chance you have seen images or scenes depicting the cloud forest of Monteverde on films, video games, and tourism websites.
The elevated hanging rope bridges of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, which is recognized by National Geographic as one of the best ecotourism destinations in the world, have become an iconic attraction of Costa Rica.
Most travelers who stay in Costa Rica specifically for ecotourism are known to include Monteverde in their itineraries, and this is because the cloud forest is a wonderful sight to behold.
You do not want to miss this experience; getting here is relatively easy because Monteverde is in the province of Puntarenas, not far from the beaches along the Pacific Ocean and relatively close to the capital city.
Nearly all the activities you can get into in Monteverde have to do with adventure and ecotourism. The canopy tours of the cloud forest should not be missed; even if your stay in Costa Rica is short, you should take time to schedule a visit, especially if you enjoy bird watching.
Even though the town of Monteverde itself is small, the diversity of accommodations is impressive.
You can stay at a budget hostel in the town or at affordable cabins in the mountains; nonetheless, there are a few luxury resorts where the pricing is more than reasonable when you take into account everything they offer.
Staying at bed and breakfast properties in Monteverde is highly recommended if your stay in Costa Rica is scheduled for a few days.
5. La Fortuna
Quite a few travelers who arrive at SJO are whisked away by ground transportation to La Fortuna de San Carlos, an emblematic tourism destination in the Americas.
Even if your stay in Costa Rica will only last a few days, you will not go wrong with choosing La Fortuna, a resort town that lies at the foot of the active Arenal volcano, which looks like a miniature version of Mount Fuji in Japan, but which often comes alive at night with an impressive display of small incandescent eruptions.
La Fortuna is extremely family-friendly; this is the kind of destination where all-inclusive resorts and luxurious international hotel chains abound, but you can also find country lodges, bed and breakfast inns, hostels, and mountain cabins.
The hospitality standards are pretty high in this part of Costa Rica, and the cuisine is of the highest quality. When you stay in La Fortuna, you simply must relax in the natural warm springs, and some of the most upscale hotels have them within their properties.
6. Papagayo Gulf
We left this destination for the end not because it is the most ritzy in Costa Rica; it is simply the best vacation spot in the Guanacaste province, and you should strongly consider making it your reason to stay in Costa Rica.
The Gulf of Papagayo is also a peninsula, and it is home to spectacular beaches that lie at the edge of a very large tropical dry forest and nature preserve.
It is in this pretty land where the most exclusive resorts in Costa Rica have been developed, and they are the kind of hotels where everything is taken care of for guests.
Without a doubt, the Gulf of Papagayo is the most attractive tourism destination in the Guanacaste province; to a certain extent, the great concentration of luxury resorts in this part of the country is what motivated the construction of the Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport in Liberia, which can be described as a boutique air terminal.
When you land here, you will likely see limousines and luxury SUVs waiting to pick up air travelers and whisk them off to the finest all-inclusive resorts in Central America.
Papagayo is the region with the most five-star resorts per square kilometer in Costa Rica. Your lodging choices start with adults-only hideaways to all-inclusive beach resorts for the entire family.
You can also book golf villas at exclusive country clubs where the fairways are on cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
While you can find boutique beach cottages, bed and breakfast inns, and small condominiums for long-term vacation rentals, you should not expect to find hostels or budget hotels in the Gulf of Papagayo.
When you choose Papagayo as the place where you will stay in Costa Rica, there is a strong possibility that you may not want to leave; in fact, quite a few wealthy foreigners and celebrities have secured real estate here over the last few years.
Some people say that Papagayo reminds them of high-end resort towns in Hawaii, but prettier and more laid-back.
This is the kind of place where hotel concierge staff will arrange for you to be taken to nearby wildlife preserves in Mercedes-Benz SUV, and where your snorkeling excursion starts aboard a luxury charter boat complete with a champagne toast and gourmet hors d’oeuvres.
As for dining and nightlife, you will be able to enjoy venues within easy walking distance of your hotel room if you stay at the right resort.
7. Playa Conchal
Be sure to pack thick-soled beach sandals and a bucket if Playa Conchal is where you choose to stay in Cista Rica. In a country filled with amazing beaches, Conchal takes the cake because it is blessed with a long stretch of sand completely covered with seashells.
Marine biologists often come here to study the gentle ocean current that has been depositing seashells here over millions of years, and one explanation is that the waters that surround this small bay are teeming with life.
If you are into scuba diving, Conchal is where you should stay in Costa Rica.
Conchal is very remote, but it is strategically located in the Gulf of Nicoya and not far from the Liberia airport.
The only lodging options in Conchal are a couple of luxury all-inclusive beach resorts, and they are worth every penny because they provide the kind of pampering we should all be able to experience at least once in our lives, and a couple budget options.
Next to Playa Conchal, in Playa Flamingo and Potrero, you will find more accommodation options.
8. Tamarindo
The Guanacaste province is home to Costa Rica’s most picturesque beaches, including Tamarindo, a coastal town blessed with a picturesque beach that includes an estuary, a rocky outcrop with a surf break, and a very long stretch of golden sand.
Tamarindo is one of the most developed beach towns of Costa Rica; some people label it as being too Americanized, but that would actually be Jaco Beach in Puntarenas, which we will describe below.
There is a high concentration of American and Canadian expats living in Tamarindo; as a result, this beach town has quite a few conveniences and suburban comforts that are not normally found in more remote coastal towns.
All in all, Tamarindo is a very convenient place to stay in Costa Rica even if you find it to be a bit expensive. It should be noted that proximity to the Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport is a major advantage.
As for accommodations, beachfront hotels dominated the landscape, but if you do not mind staying a few blocks away from the beach, luxurious resorts tend to be more reasonably priced.
If you stay here, you can also travel to nearby beach towns such as Playas del Coco, which are larger and more laid-back. Boat trips and catamaran tours are highly recommended.
9. Nosara
Here is another paradisiacal hidden beach in the Nicoya Peninsula; if you look at the map, it appears to be close to Santa Teresa, but traversing between the two would require horseback riding or even a helicopter.
You can fly into a local airport from San Jose on a sightseeing aircraft operated by Nature Air or Sansa, and this would make your stay in Costa Rica more memorable.
Nosara is a large beach town, but it is fairly spread out. The ideal vacations here are resort-intensive; you have specialty hotels that offer yoga, spa, and detoxification packages. There are only a few budget accommodations.
This place is excellent for anyone who wants to learn surfing or stand-up paddle boarding, and it is also ideal for family adventures.
10. Santa Teresa
A few years ago, this gorgeous beach town on the Nicoya Peninsula was mostly known to locals who did not visit often because it was not easy to reach.
Things have changed significantly for Santa Teresa since Hollywood celebrities started moving in and building hidden mansions in the forested hills overlooking the sea.
Once The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times started publishing articles about the burgeoning market for luxury real estate, the town opened up to tourists.
Santa Teresa is a collection of beaches where the mangrove and tropical dry forest run all the way to the shore.
Depending on the length of your stay in Costa Rica, you may be able to visit Playa Carmen, Playa Hermosa, and Santa Teresa over a few days, but you will want to make time for attractions such as a boat trip to Tortuga Island and snorkeling in the tide pools.
Here you can visit the Montezuma waterfall, the Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve and the Curu Wildlife Reserve.
You can find hostels and budget inns closer to Playa Carmen, but hidden luxury resorts with private access to the beach are on the northern end of town; these are extremely trendy and upscale hotels complete with concierge service.
11. Montezuma, bohemian surf town
Often referred to as the Puerto Viejo of the Pacific Coast, Montezuma is a bohemian surf town perfect for tourists who think Jaco and Tamarindo are too developed.
A small nightlife district in front of a pristine beach is the main draw of Montezuma, and this is where a few hostels, beach cottages, and budget hotels can be found.
Backpackers and surfers are more likely to enjoy Montezuma than families, but this beach town is a more affordable alternative to nearby Santa Teresa.
Many visual artists will tell you that Montezuma is their favorite place to stay in Costa Rica, and this is made evident when you visit the small town center, which is nicely decorated by local artisans.
A few art galleries, studios, and workshops have opened here over the last few years, and this has also attracted international chefs to Montezuma.
Interestingly, the similarities to Puerto Viejo extend to residential architecture styles because many properties feature Caribbean design.
If you stay here, be sure to visit the Romelia Wildlife Reserve and the local waterfall, which attracts many couples on their honeymoon visits.
During the two weeks before Easter Sunday, Montezuma gets overrun by local tourists and party-seekers; be sure to keep this in mind when you book your stay.
12. Puerto Jimenez
Located on the southern Pacific coast, Puerto Jimenez is an expat enclave and a somewhat hidden tourism destination with a lot to offer.
Puerto Jimenez is a small coastal town adjacent to Corcovado National Park, a massive rainforest that illustrates why Costa Rica is such an amazing destination for ecotourism.
Whereas the climate close to the beach is dry and crisp, Corcovado is extremely humid, and you should keep this in mind when booking accommodations.
In many tourism guidebooks, Puerto Jimenez is listed as an attraction that visitors should save for last; the basis of this recommendation is that it takes about seven hours to get here from San Jose, but you can also fly into the small regional airport on a short flight that takes less than an hour from just about anywhere in the country.
Renting a car in Puerto Jimenez used to be pretty adventurous, but now it is highly recommended because the roads around town are freshly paved.
If you make Puerto Jimenez your sole place to stay in Costa Rica, you will not be disappointed.
The hikes around Corcovado are amazing, but keep in mind that this is the rainforest, which means that you should not venture down unmarked paths unless you do so with local guides, who in turn do not go into the jungle without GPS, maps, trackers, communications devices, and emergency gear.
Along the coast, you can take advantage of sport fishing, whale and dolphin watching tours, day trips to archeological spots, horse riding, seafood restaurants, and beach relaxation.
In addition to beach cottages and bungalows, Puerto Jimenez offers a couple of hostels, numerous country lodges, and a few boutique hotels, many of which provide luxurious amenities.
You can expect to pay a bit more for beachfront locations and rooms with panoramic views of Corcovado.
If you’re looking for the best places to stay in Costa Rica, we hope this guide has helped pinpoint some options that might be right for you. We know how hard it is to choose the right place when you don’t know much about the area—that’s why we’ve compiled this list of our favorite places in Costa Rica and tried to give you an overview of what makes each one special.
We’re sure there are more than a few places we haven’t covered yet, but we hope this post at least gives you an idea of where to start!