Along with booking flights to Costa Rica, choosing your lodging, activities, and transportation are the other primary details. Choosing the right lodging is no small detail, however, so let’s dive into your options so you can choose which is best for your trip.
This article will discuss different places you can stay in Costa Rica. We will even give you our opinions on what we like, but we know everyone has different needs when you want to vacation. Let’s be honest; we like the true nature of Costa Rica, and we will explain more below.
All-Inclusive Resorts
Check out the article we wrote and discussed the all-inclusive resorts in Costa Rica in our article, All-Inclusive Costa Rica Family Vacation Experiences: Authenticity vs. Resorts.
The bottom line is that these resorts need more essence and spirit of Costa Rica and give you a generic experience that you could have in many other places.
We understand the convenience of choosing this lodging but have many other options that allow you to keep the comfort without sacrificing the opportunity to experience Costa Rica’s authentic culture.
Lodges
This is one of our top recommendations, especially for family vacations! The lodges around Costa Rica can be incredible, ranging from places around the Arenal Volcano to Jaco to Monteverde. It all depends on what you are looking for since most lodges will not offer food; it depends on where you stay; make sure you check with the lodges. Sometimes lodges will have a couple of rooms together for a large family, which could be a cheaper way to stay in Costa Rica. If you are an active family or a couple, you may need a place to rest your tired head and a shower.
Hotels
Note: We highly recommend boutique hotels like the one shown below, in Turrialba.
There are plenty of hotels in Costa Rica, as we chatted about the all-inclusive, but let’s talk about the hotels around Costa Rica.
The hotels can range from a boutique hotel with 6 – 7 rooms, a pool, beachside, and a kitchen to a bigger hotel by the volcano with many hot springs pools, many rooms, breakfast included, and restaurants. What’s important when researching hotels in Costa Rica is figuring out what you are looking for when doing your research about hotels. So here are three questions to ask yourself:
- Do you want to eat out every meal? Or do you want to cook?
- Do you enjoy amenities like a pool, a fitness room, or a spa?
- Do you want a volcano, a rainforest, a cloud forest, or a beach?
Based on these questions, you will find many hotels designed, from boutique hotels to larger ones but not all-inclusive.
Bed & Breakfasts
Recommended option! Most bed and breakfasts in Costa Rica are small places run by Costa Rican families. They can be charming, giving you a taste of the authentic Costa Rican lifestyle and a closer look at Costa Rican culture. But one important thing to remember is that privacy and personal space are only sometimes there when you stay at a bed and breakfast.
So, if you like getting to know your hosts, talking to other guests, and sharing meals at the same table with everybody, then book a few nights at a bed and breakfast in Costa Rica. We have some of the best in the country within our network.
Treehouses
Recommended option! Are you looking for an off-the-beaten path of staying somewhere in Costa Rica? Look no further and check out the treehouses here. The treehouses are simple, but you only need a little after exploring the jungles or beaches.
First, you need a pillow to rest your head. It is a beautiful way to experience the country, sleeping with jungle or ocean sounds to wake you up or allow you to sleep peacefully.
Second, you need a shower after the activities you did while exploring this beautiful country, and those showers may be outside in the jungle.
So, a treehouse can definitely be a fun experience!
Cabinas & Hostels
Hostels are fundamental and cheap lodging options like anywhere else, where you will share much of your personal space and inevitably interact with many people worldwide. If you like hostels, don’t worry; you will find one in almost every popular destination in Costa Rica. However, the risks with hostels are similar to other developing countries.
Cabinas, on the other hand, are basic accommodations that you can find almost anywhere in Costa Rica. They are one of the preferred lodging options for Ticos because they are inexpensive, and they give Ticos some freedom to make them their own during their stay.
The thing to consider with cabinas is that they need to be more consistent with what you will get, and they may serve only some of your needs. They are all squarish rooms, usually separated from the other cabinas, with some basic beds and a basic bathroom. That’s where the consistency stops.
Some of them might have a kitchenette with minimum appliances and cutlery. Nothing fancy. So before you book one, look at the room or pictures of where you will stay to ensure you like it.
Using Sites like Airbnb and VRBO in Costa Rica
Apps like these are common when booking lodging for your vacation in the USA. But in Costa Rica, there are better options than this.
Nobody regulates the service these lodging websites give visitors except for the place’s owner and site. Sometimes those owners need help understanding the concept of quality service (or service at all).
For example, in Costa Rica, people often have a spare room, small apartment, or house that needs to be rented. Instead, they see it as an opportunity to rent it to tourists without understanding that visitors need and want more than a bed to spend the night.
You are looking for safety, comfort, and maybe some pampering. We suggest you take the more traditional route and choose reputable, well-established accommodations for your visit to Costa Rica.
This way, you can be confident you will enjoy your stay, and there will be no unpleasant surprises.
Our network of professional lodging accommodations is unmatched and sure to make your authentic, safe, smooth, and within (a reasonable) budget.
Our Suggestion for the Best Lodging Options in Costa Rica
Costa Rica has extraordinary bed and breakfasts, cabinas, lodges, and hotels. But unfortunately, those are the unique places that are hard to find in the sea of options that come up on Google when you are looking for lodging in Costa Rica, and this is when we remind you that to find those unique places, you need to rely on experts.
Unique, authentic lodging options in Costa Rica are those places that respect and protect nature and honor the culture of Costa Rica. They are the places that go the extra mile to ensure you have a wonderful time and experience faithful Costa Rica. That is what makes your Costa Rica vacation experience unique and memorable.
Contact us today as we help you build the best, most exciting, and safe place to rest your tired body and head!
John Rabenau has been working in the eco-tourism & adventure travel industry in Costa Rica since 2002. He has worked in a variety of capacities from Outdoor Educator & Principle Guide to Itinerary Design Manager & Business Owner for numerous organizations. He has grown Costa Rica Escapes into one of the most reputable Costa Rica travel agencies since its creation in 2006, hosting more than 5,000 people with custom vacation itineraries.