At Tour Costa Rica, we understand how important your hotel choices are, which is why we’ve surveyed the country’s extensive lodging selection to recommend the best hotels in each area and price range. Most of the hotels listed here have fewer than 50 rooms, which means more personalized service. Many are ecolodges that not only provide exposure to nature, but also strive to have a positive impact on the environment and neighboring communities. Whether you stay in the city, the jungle, or on the beach, we can book you into comfortable hotels and lodges that offer the best rooms, service and location for the money.
Surrounded by forest-topped volcanoes and mountain ranges, the Central Valley sits at an altitude of 3,600 feet (1200 meters) above sea level, which gives it a pleasant, spring-like climate year round. It holds the Costa Rican capital and other major cities, the country’s principal museums and historic sites, and the farms that produce its best coffee. Most travelers who fly into San José spend at least their first and last nights in the Central Valley, but the region deserves more time, since it has national parks, cloud forests, waterfalls, volcanoes and historic towns. It’s also a short drive from the country’s best white water rafting rivers and other attractions.
Costa Rica’s lush and wild Caribbean Coast has palm-fringed beaches, jungle-lined waterways, vibrant coral reefs and colorful beach towns. The region holds two important national parks: Tortuguero, which protects a sea turtle nesting beach, and Cahuita, which holds a large coral reef, with vast swaths of coast rainforest in and outside of both those protected areas. The coast is virtually devoid of resorts and instead has dozens of small, owner-run lodges where thatched bungalows stand amidst lush foliage. It’s thus the perfect destination for nature lovers, or anyone who wants to stray from the crowd, stroll down an idyllic beach, snorkel over a reef awash with fish, or surf Caribbean swells.
Located just a few hours from San Jose by road, the Central Pacific has some of Costa Rica’s most popular beaches, impressive coastal scenery and an array of diversions that ranges from surfing to canopy tours. It’s an area where the mountains are especially close to the coast, and is markedly more humid than Guanacaste province, to the north, which gives the Central Pacific such splendid scenery as steep slopes draped with lush foliage towering over the restless sea. Just as impressive is the region’s selection of outdoor diversions available, which includes sport fishing, scuba diving, kayaking, bird watching, golf and horseback tours.
Its wet and rainy climate allows for greater biodiversity in the beaches and hills next to the coast, providing visitors with the opportunity to observe the transition from tropical wet forest to tropical forest to tropical dry forest. These various ecosystems are home to numerous plant and animal species that are protected in several wilderness areas.
Guanacaste harbors an important portion of the Costa Rican cultural and natural patrimony. Not in vain there are a significant number of protected areas, including coastal, mountainous, terrestrial, and aquatic ecosystems, where life develops with exuberance. This area is situated in the northern part of the country and covers the pacific coast of Costa Rica. The landscape of the coast is exceptional; there are beaches of white sands and a peaceful sea qualified by intense blue. It is one of the regions of greater development, based on hotels of high investment and possesses some of the best beaches on the Pacific Coast.
Monteverde Cloudforest was founded about 40 years ago by a small group of conservation-minded Quakers who were looking for a peaceful place to live. Monteverde undeniably leads us on the magical path of the natural, of all that the hand of the Creator gave us and that, in many cases, humanity has not known how to appreciate; where profound green makes us feel like we are in front of one of the most exotic and exuberant places we could visit. Its Cloud Forest Reserve is one of the most outstanding wild life sanctuaries in the tropics.
Costa Rica’s northern mountains and plains hold a mix of attractions that include luxuriant forests, breathtaking panoramas, spectacular waterfalls, hot springs, and the country’s most active volcano. The area is quite humid, staying green, and sometimes rainy, when the northwest plains are scorched and dry. It holds national parks and wildlife refuges with abundant wildlife, as well as the country’s most important private reserves: La Selva and Monteverde. It is consequently a great destination for nature lovers, but every traveler is impressed by its verdant landscapes, majestic volcano, and tranquil hot springs.
Exuberant, beautiful and off-the-beaten-track, Costa Rica’s Southern Pacific Region is a great destination for nature lovers and aficionados of various outdoor sports. The region holds vast swaths of jungle that are home to everything from spider monkeys to scarlet macaws, miles of pristine beaches and access to vibrant sea around Caño Island. The Osa Peninsula holds one of country’s wildest protected areas – Corcovado National Park – whereas towns of Drake Bay, Golfito and Dominical offer world-class scuba diving, sport fishing, or surfing.
