Costa Rica Travel Guide: Start Here
Planning a Trip to Costa Rica? Start Here.
Our first trip to Costa Rica was supposed to be a 50th-birthday bucket-list adventure—a “one and done.” Or so we thought.
Turns out, Costa Rica had other plans. We loved it so much that just two months later, we were back for round two. And before we knew it, round three. That's right: three trips to Costa Rica in one year!
We've stayed in Airbnbs, hotels, five-star resorts, and family-owned haciendas, appreciating the different rhythm each one offered. Some days were packed with adventure and animals; others were about slowing down, eating great food, and doing absolutely nothing - usually involving a hammock - very intentionally.
This is where you'll find our best Costa Rica itineraries, planning advice, honest reviews, favorite places, and the things we learned by actually going.
Where Do You Want to Start?
Planning Your First Costa Rica Trip
New to Costa Rica? Start here. These are the posts I wish I'd had before our first trip. From figuring out where to go, when to visit, what to pack, and what actually needs to be planned ahead.
Start here if you're wondering how to turn all those Costa Rica possibilities into one manageable trip.
Don't want to follow our exact route? Here's how to build a Costa Rica trip that works for you.
The things we learned after actually getting there.
What to take care of before you leave—and what you don't need to overthink.
What earned its place in the suitcase after real Costa Rica trips.
We've experienced Costa Rica in both. Here's what was actually different.
Where We've Been
Three trips gave us the chance to experience very different parts of Costa Rica and very different kinds of vacations. Learn more about us here.
📍 La Fortuna → Manuel Antonio
📍 Monteverde → Playa Potrero/Flamingo + Neighboring Beaches → Playa Tamarindo/Sámara
📍 Los Sueños/Jacó Area → Uvita/Dominical/Sierpe
What Should We Actually Do?
There is no shortage of things to spend money on in Costa Rica. These are our honest experiences with the adventures, beaches, and local finds we tried ourselves.
Our honest adventure scorecard: what was worth the money, what we'd do once, and what we'd skip.
The beaches we explored—and why Sámara stole our hearts.
A little shopping, local flavor, and a slower side of Tamarindo.
A smooth boat ride & bumpy adventure.
How to pick between two amazing beach towns.
How Did We Afford Three Trips?
Three trips to Costa Rica in one year sounds a little crazy. We fell in love with the country - but we also made a plan. One of our biggest wins was figuring out how to get FIVE FREE nights at a FIVE-STAR hotel. Don't want to go the credit card points route? Check out our downloadable planning tool and other advice here.
The strategy that helped make another Costa Rica trip possible.
Costa Rica, Unfiltered.
No perfect-trip promises here. Just what we loved, what we'd skip, what surprised us, and what we've learned from going back again (and again).
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