Costa Rica Getaway

After indefinitely rescheduling travel plans for years, like everyone else, my husband and I were itching to get on a plane and explore. We had fantasized about honeymooning in Costa Rica nearly ten years ago, but at the time we had an 8-month-old baby and both of us were in college. It would not have been the trip we were wanting had we gone then, but I’m so happy we got the opportunity to take a trip to Costa Rica this year. With childcare and dog boarding booked we planned as much as we could on our five day getaway. Keep reading to check out our itinerary and honest reviews of the places we stayed and the food we ate.

We chose to fly into San José and rent a car to road trip around the country. Our road trip took us from San José, across the Gulf of Nicoya aboard the Puntarenas/ Paquera ferry to Isla Chiquita, up to Buena Vista del Rincón, through La Fortuna, and to La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park before looping back to San José.

Day 1- San José

We chose to take an overnight flight which landed in San José in the afternoon. Customs took much longer than we expected, so by the time we had shuttled to the car rental terminal and finished our rental paperwork it was early evening. We had enough time to check into our hotel, grab a late dinner, and walk the Plaza de Cultura before turning in for the night.

While we were in San José we stayed at the Gran Hotel. The hotel serves an amazing breakfast every morning with a great mix of authentic Costa Rican dishes and traditional Western dishes. The hotel restaurant is also open for lunch and dinner, and there is a bar available to guests. The rooms are clean and comfortable, with complimentary bath robes and slippers available for your stay. It was a great place to rest before hitting the road.

Day 2- Paquera/ Puntarena Ferry to Isla Chiquita

Isla Chiquita was the highlight of our trip. It is an absolutely stunning glamping hotel. To get there we needed to board the Paquera/ Puntarenas ferry. Ferry tickets can be purchased ahead of time online. The site is in Spanish, but is fairly easy to follow. If you are traveling to Puntarenas you would select ‘PAQUERA A PUNTARENAS’. Next, choose your travel date, which will be listed in the dd/mm/yyyy format, and your travel time. Select your vehicle, ‘VEHÍCULO LIVIANO (AUTOMOVÍL)’ for any rental car, and the number of passengers traveling with you. You’ll be prompted to enter your personal information and then your payment information. The ride cost us $25 and was about an hour long. There is food sold on the ferry, we snacked on empanadas and enjoyed the view while we waited. From the ferry dock, you can take a water taxi to the island. Because we had a car we needed to drive to Isla Chiquita’s private parking 10 minutes from the ferry dock. I recommend wearing waterproof shoes or sandals and carrying light luggage. The boat picks you up directly from the beach, which requires wading into ankle deep water.

The island is small but gorgeous, surrounded by coconut palms and black sand. The resort staff is phenomenal. Every employee we came into contact with was so friendly and kind, making us feel so welcomed. At check-in, we received an absolutely delicious (non-alcoholic) drink and a golf cart ride up the hill to our tent. We were given a tour and the room included a mini fridge stocked with free drinks and snacks. The restaurant at the resort was delightful the entire stay. The traditional Costa Rican ceviche with plantain chips is a must-try. The bar serves happy hour drinks poolside in the afternoon and breakfast is served outdoors along the beach. The resort has kayaks and paddle boards available for use that are included in the stay. We chose to kayak around the island and then spent the afternoon relaxing oceanside in one of their many lounging pods. The resort hosts a handful of additional experiences as well. We chose to take a bioluminescent boat tour around the island at dusk. Costa Rica is one of the few places in the world where bioluminescent algae are active all year long. It is best to experience this after a full moon when the sky is dark. Because we were the only group to book the experience we got a personal tour. We had a full moon but were still able to see the algae glitter in the water. Our tour guides gave us some great history about the island and worked hard to show us different sea life in the water.

Day 3- Buena Vista Del Rincon Adventure Park

I was most excited to see Buena Vista del Rincon when I was planning our trip. Almost everything I saw online recommended adventuring along Monteverde and La Fortuna, but I could not pass up the jungle waterslide. The staff was so great in helping us plan our day to make sure we did all that we could with our limited time. We arrived at the resort shortly before check-in and grabbed lunch at the restaurant on site. Unfortunately, the food was only average and there are no other options close to the resort, The experiences did not disappoint however, and we were able to zip-line, walk the hanging bridges, ride the waterslide, and visit the hot springs all in one day.

I wish we had spent at least one more day at the resort because there was just so much to see and do. Because we arrived later in the day we were one of the last groups to go ziplining and got to experience a private tour. Our guides were friendly and shared so much knowledge about the rainforest, and Costa Rica in general. After we got through the 17 ziplining tracks we walked through the hanging bridges. There are 10 hanging bridges of varying heights on the trail, we were alone for nearly the whole walk and got to see monkeys and toucans in the canopy. We headed straight to the waterslide from the hanging bridges. The resort provides a helmet and inner tube for the ride, I recommend wearing swimwear with more coverage to avoid any scrapes or bumps. The water was cold but refreshing after walking through the rainforest. From the slide, we took a tractor ride to the hot springs. Again we were one of the last groups of the day, so we had only a few other people with us at the pools. The resort has a sauna, volcanic mud bowls, and outdoor showers to go through before soaking in the pools. There are five pools with varying temperatures. This was the best hot spring I’ve been to so far. The water was heated so well and the river nearby creates a very peaceful environment. I recommend bug spray, there are a lot of mosquitos around the water and our bites were irritating us for weeks after. The tractor ride back to our room gave us a perfect view of the sunset. We got through all the experiences with time to nap before dinner. The cabins were comfortable, with hammocks hanging on the patio. We ended the day swaying in the breeze listening to frogs croak.

Day 4- La Fortuna to La Paz Waterfall Gardens

Although beautiful, I feel like La Fortuna is overrated. We started the day hiking through an old lava flow of the Arenal Volcano. It does cost $15 per person to enter the park, the trail was easy but crowded. From there we headed to Tabacon Hot Springs. We read about this place in every blog, Instagram post, and Youtube video so we were really excited. Unfortunately, we were extremely disappointed by the entire experience. We chose to use a day pass for lunch and a soak. We had to park in a busy lot across the highway to access the resort. The day pass check-in process was confusing and seemed disorganized. The meal times are scheduled and although we arrived on time we were seated 30 minutes after our meal time, setting back our entire schedule. The food was delicious, but I also got food poisoning later that night. I know correlation does not mean causation but it can mean caution. When we finally changed over to soak in the hot springs, the hottest one we could find was lukewarm. It was raining while we were there, but a staff member told us the water should still be hot and to go as high as we could. No matter how high we went every pool felt the same lukewarm temperature. The resort is beautiful but it is also extremely crowded making the entire experience feel chaotic and unpleasant. In hind sight I wish we had skipped La Fortuna to spend the day at the La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park.

Because of our delay at Tabacon, we had less time than originally planned to walk through the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. As you step into the park you are greeted by a symphony of cascading waterfalls, lush rainforest, and diverse wildlife.
There are a handful of well-maintained trails, passing by five stunning waterfalls that plunge into the verdant canyon below. The gardens are home to a wide array of flora and fauna and also feature a butterfly observatory, hummingbird garden, serpentarium, and frog exhibit, providing educational experiences that highlight the incredible diversity of Costa Rica's wildlife. Overall, a visit to La Paz Waterfall Gardens is a soul-stirring adventure, allowing guests to connect with nature in a profound and meaningful way.

Day 5- San José

We checked into the Gran Hotel again for our last night in Costa Rica. We took advantage of late check-out and slept in a little later than usual before exploring more of the city. The hotel staff was really helpful; offering to hold our luggage after check out so we could participate in a walking tour of the city.

The hotel sits directly next to the National Theater of Costa Rica and is a short walk to the Central Market. There are a handful of museums downtown all within walking distance of the Gran Hotel including the Jade Museum, the National Museum of Costa Rica, and the Gold Museum. Downtown San José is a blend of European-influenced architecture and Costa Rican heritage, rich with history. I highly recommend the Free San José Walking Tour, local tour guides explain how the unique culture of the city was built while pointing out important landmarks. We started the tour at 9 am and finished in time to grab lunch and shop for souvenirs at the Central Market. We took time to visit the Basilica of the Angels before grabbing some snacks, trying Costa Rican McDonalds, and heading to the airport.