My family vacation experience to Costa Rica
On the tail end of the Covid-19 pandemic, my family and I headed to Costa Rica during spring break in April of 2022. It was one of the best vacations I’ve ever been on. Partly because we hadn’t really travelled for a few years due to the pandemic. The other part due to the gorgeous scenery, friendly and welcoming people and thrilling tours and adventures. In this post, I’m going to tell you all the great things to see and do if you ever decide to visit Costa Rica and experience Pura Vida for yourself!
Costa Rica is a large country with varied types of environments. You should pick the areas you want to see based on what you like to do. As a family with two active teen boys, we needed some adventure. I wanted to see the beautiful nature and wildlife and my husband wanted to see & do it all!
Usually, I relish the research involved with planning a vacation. I love to read all about a destination, the hotels, the food, the activities, etc. For this vacation, however, we didn’t have the time required to do all of that research on our own, so I called in a professional. We used Jordan Gill at Costa Rica Vacations.
All I had to do was tell her what activities I wanted to do, and she designed a perfect vacation for our family. It was such an easy process that took the stress out of planning the vacation. All the transportation, lodging, tours, etc. were arranged. All of our guides spoke English and we had someone in our corner to call in case of changes or problems (which there were none).
The ‘travelling’ part of travel is not so fun
Now, onto the details of the vacation! Flights were not a part of our travel package, we booked those on our own. The flight from my area to Costa Rica is about six hours. We had layovers in Fort Lauderdale, FL for both legs of our trip. When we deplaned in San Jose, Costa Rica, there was a very long line to get through immigration, customs & baggage claim. It was not very pleasant.
After we got through the line, our representative from Costa Rica Vacations was there to greet us and help us with our luggage, discuss currency exchanging and load our luggage on the transfer van which was equipped with air conditioning, Wi-Fi and complimentary drinks & snacks.
Our hotel was about an hour and forty-five minutes away from the airport. Our driver stopped when needed for the bathroom and then halfway there at a lovely restaurant with a great view and a quaint gift shop on premises. My adventurous eating son got to have an authentic Costa Rican meal with Gallo Pinto (rice & beans). My selective eater got to have shrimp alfredo, a staple from his American diet he was happy to eat. Due to my gluten intolerance, eating while travelling is a risky situation. However, the Costa Rican menu has plenty of naturally gluten free items to choose from and I was similarly pleased with my meal.
First stop: La Fortuna
After lunch, we drove through winding mountain roads at a very high elevation to reach our first of two hotels of the trip. Hotel Arenal Kioro Suites & Spa is a beautiful boutique hotel situated at the foot of the Arenal volcano. Every room has a view of the volcano and a hydromassage hot tub!
The room itself was massive! There were two queen beds with a half-wall behind them where there was a single bed on the other side. Our older teen got to have a small semi-private area all to himself and my younger son had a queen bed to himself. Not the norm for a hotel room! The room was clean (a must for me!!), well-appointed and you really couldn’t beat that volcano view. The hotel offers complimentary breakfast and has on-site hot springs as well as a free shuttle & entrance to the Titoku Hot Springs off-site.
Our first day was such a long travel day. When we arrived at the Arenal Kioro, we checked in, got changed and headed straight to the pool area for some relaxation. It was a little chilly by the time we got down there as it was later in the day by then. That didn’t stop the kids from diving in the pool! We had dinner at the hotel which has a very nice on-site restaurant.
Our next day started early with a complimentary hotel breakfast buffet. After that, we went on to explore the rainforest around the Arenal volcano at Sky Adventures. We walked over suspended bridges in the rainforest with a small group and a knowledgeable guide. After our rainforest walk, my husband and older son ziplined through the rainforest. They rode 7 cables that went up to 656ft in height and 2,460ft in length at speeds that go up to 43.5mph. How’s that for thrills?? My youngest and I enjoyed the calm tram ride up to the zipline, watched them take off and then happily enjoyed the scenery until they returned. We ate our complimentary lunch at the cafe afterward before boarding our transfer back to the hotel.
The following day we had asked our travel agent to leave open. We like to actually relax on vacation, so it was nice to be able to sleep in, leisurely have breakfast and then experience the beauty at the hotel. We swam in the hot springs and the pool, had lunch at the hotel and the boys played billiards in the game room.
Our evening plan was to head into the town of La Fortuna for dinner. However, something did not agree with my stomach. I ended up being very sick and my husband took the boys into town for dinner and ice cream. Meanwhile, I rested and recovered in the room. I was the only one that got sick, so I suspect I ate something containing gluten. As I said before, eating during my travels is always risky.
The good news is, I felt fine and was ready to go the next morning! It’s a good thing I was because this was our transfer day. We were leaving Arenal Kioro for our second destination. A six-hour drive from La Fortuna was our next hotel, Si Como No, located in Manuel Antonio.
Thanks to our wonderful travel agent, we had a fantastic private transfer via an air-conditioned, wi-fi enabled van. Our driver showed us many points of interest on our way and stopped a few times when my kids got carsick. He took us to scenic areas for photos, had us get around and walk across a bridge over a river filled with crocodiles, and stopped for bathroom breaks and lunch. He had infinite patience when we had to turn around due to a traffic accident and add significant time to the trip. I would say this was NOT my favorite day. We were so happy and thankful when we finally arrived at Si Como No.
Second Stop: Manuel Antonio
When we arrived at Si Como No, it was getting dark and starting to rain. We quickly checked in to our room via the extremely pleasant and helpful concierge. At Si Como No, you can communicate with the concierge via What’s App. You can text them at any time with any questions you have. I found that to be a nice perk.
Si Como No is a resort and wildlife refuge and is considered a ‘green’ hotel. Costa Ricans are very eco-friendly and advocate for the protection of the wild flora and fauna. At Si Como No, they consider themselves leaders in eco-tourism. You can feel good about staying at a hotel like Si Como No when you know they practice sustainable hospitality.
The rooms are situated amongst the lush rainforest so it’s not uncommon to spot some wildlife right outside your window. Unfortunately for us, our room was in the main building, farther away from the wild acres of land the resort is situated on. Our room here was also a lot smaller than our suite in Arenal. However, we had access to Manuel Antonio National Park and were within walking distance to restaurants and shops. The hotel grounds are beautiful, there are two bars and one restaurant on site and two pools–an adult only pool and a kid friendly pool with waterslide.
On our first full day in Manuel Antonio, we took an early morning tour of Manuel Antonio National Park. We had shared transportation with a few of the other hotels nearby. Once we arrived, the guides split us up into small groups. Our guide was very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. He walked us at a relaxed pace through the jungle. He thoroughly explained the plants and animals we saw along the way. My favorite were the monkeys and the sloths. The monkeys were VERY social. They were so close that I was afraid they would jump on us. The tour was three hours long, we hiked through the rainforest to a mangrove forest and on to the beach. In between the rainforest and the mangroves, we enjoyed a complimentary snack of fresh fruit and juice.
When we got to the beach, we had some time to change into our bathing suits and swim in the ocean. The beach was beautiful, but the waves were rough. My kids both got knocked around a bit by the water. It was one of the prettiest beaches I’ve been to. I do wish we had spent some more time there. We had about a half-hour stop at the beach before we moved on with the tour.
Once we changed back into our hiking clothes, we headed back out into the rainforest for some more animal spotting. There were howler monkeys making their signature noises, a sloth mom and baby high up in the trees, many lizards and colorful birds. This was exactly what I wanted to encounter while in Costa Rica. It was such an experience to be in a rainforest surrounded by all of these exotic creatures. I would recommend the Manuel Antonio National Park to anyone. It is a breathtaking place full of natural beauty.
After our tour, we spent some much-needed relaxation time by the pool. For dinner, we walked a short distance from the hotel to El Avion, a restaurant famed for its sunset views and having a bar located inside a cargo plane. It was quite busy when we arrived. The service was slow and not very welcoming. The food was mediocre and overpriced. The restaurant itself was really cool and it would be amazing to watch the sunset on the second floor, the view from there is quite nice. The cargo plane bar was interesting, and you could sit in the cockpit for a photo. You can’t judge a place from one experience, so I think I’d give this place another try at sunset. Or maybe just hang out in the plane for drinks and some photo ops?
The following day we had scheduled a Damas Island kayaking tour with Tucanes Tours. Again, we were paired with an exceptionally knowledgeable guide. He led us along the natural canals under a verdant forest canopy through the Costa Rican mangrove ecosystem. We saw monkeys, crabs, lizards & birds along the way. The mangroves and forest canopy provided shade as we kayaked through the canals. The guide moved at a moderate pace and stopped a number of times along the way to educate us on the ecosystem and any creatures we encountered. After the tour, we were taken to a spot for lunch which was included in the tour price.
The following day we had not scheduled any activities with the travel agent. We all relished the extra sleep and not having a set schedule for the day. We decided to take a trip to the beach in the morning. Though the hotel provides a free shuttle to and from the beach, we took a taxi so as not to waste time waiting at the hotel. The beach was beautiful and there were lots of vendors selling food, clothing, jewelry and souvenirs. We were able to rent a couple of chairs and an umbrella for two hours at a reasonable price. The kids got some slushies on the beach, and we swam in the warm water. We took the shuttle back to the hotel and spent the rest of our afternoon at the pool.
While at the pool, we decided that we needed another activity to round out our day. We picked a nighttime rainforest tour at the wildlife refuge across from the hotel which is also part of the Si Como No property. My husband was able to book it directly with the hotel concierge.
As luck would have it, it started to rain at the time of our tour. We waited in the hotel lobby for the rain to slow, and when it did, we began the tour. It never stopped raining for the duration of our rainforest hike, but we had our ponchos on, and the forest canopy helped to shield us. Our guide passed out flashlights and told us the ground rules of the tour. He asked us to stay on the path behind him at all times and to not put our hands on the railings. Bullet ants are often crawling on the railings and a bite from one is quite painful. He didn’t need to tell me twice. There was no way I was touching the railings!
This tour was one of my favorites. I know my kids really liked it. It wasn’t hot, our guide was great, and I think there was something thrilling about being out in the jungle in the dark and the rain. We saw a lot of interesting lizards, reptiles, insects and the famous green tree frog!
All good things must come to an end and that includes amazing family vacations. The next day was our travel day home. Another three-hour ride to the airport, a layover in Ft. Lauderdale and then onto our final destination–HOME. Our vacation to Costa Rica was an amazing experience. I would recommend vacationing there to anyone. Overall, I’m so glad we went, and I have many happy memories of our time spent in Costa Rica.
Final Thoughts
Costa Rica is a great vacation for families with older children. Due to the extensive travelling time, I would not recommend it to parents of young children. I’m sure there are areas in Costa Rica that you could fly into and stay the whole time. But there are easier places to travel to if all you want to do is lay by a pretty beach.
A travel agent was key for this vacation. Because there were many tours, two hotels and lots of travelling between places, it was great to have someone else figure it out. They vet their tour operators and drivers, so you know you’re getting quality people. If I had to book all of that myself, I can’t imagine how long it would have taken me.
Costa Rica is safe. There were times when we walked down the streets during the day and at night and I never once felt unsafe. We stopped on the side of the road near a woman’s garage when my son was getting carsick. The woman came out of the garage to check on him and gave him some chocolate. She was a doctor and thought that some sugar might help. These are the kind of people we encountered there.
All the hotel workers, drivers, tour guides, etc. were grateful for our tourism and treated us like family. They were friendly in the most genuine way. Not like in the way it can feel sometimes where the staff is smiling but you feel like they will talk trash on you when you walk away.
Costa Rica is very big on eco-tourism and protecting the natural environment. It was so nice to see how much care they take in protecting their land and wildlife.
Most people spoke English and the dollar is accepted in many places. However, converting dollars to colons was very easy. My husband walked to an ATM in town and had no trouble getting the cash we needed.
If you want to experience different type ecosystems from beaches & rainforests to mangroves & volcanoes, Costa Rica is for you! Along with the beautiful scenery, wildlife abounds. Sloths, monkeys, toucans, anteaters, parrots, frogs, iguanas and so many more. It’s a nature-lover’s paradise!
Adventure seekers will have plenty to do in Costa Rica. Zip-lining, kayaking, hiking, white water rafting, rappelling down waterfalls, ATV tours and so much more.
Those who want to relax will have plenty of opportunity to do just that. Beautiful beaches, hot springs and pools can be found in Costa Rica. Pick a hotel with a spa, both of mine had one though I did not take advantage of them.
Get in touch below if you want to know more about our wonderful vacation to Costa Rica!
Activity/Tour Links
These links are provided by Get Your Guide. I am one of their affiliate partners, so I earn a small commission if tours are booked through my link. I have read reviews and selected tours to recommend that are highly rated and similar to what my family experienced while in Costa Rica.
La Fortuna: Waterfall, Arenal Volcano and Hot Springs Tour
This first tour is similar to our suspension bridge rainforest tour in La Fortuna but with more bells & whistles. At around $85 per person, it includes hotel transfers, a tour guide to take you hiking to the La Fortuna waterfall and over lava fields followed by lunch at an aboriginal village. Once fed & rested, more hiking to the foot of the Arenal volcano through the rainforest where you will hopefully spot monkeys, sloths & coati. The tour ends with a relaxing soak and cocktail at the hot springs. Sounds like a great day to me!
Manuel Antonio or Quepos: Manuel Antonio National Park Tour
This tour of Manuel Antonio National Park is a three-hour guided hike through the park with a knowledgeable guide. It’s around $45 per person and includes hotel transfers and a snack. It does NOT include admission to the park. The benefit of going with a nature guide, is that they are experts at spying animals that you would otherwise miss. They also carry large telescopes used to spot animals, such as sloths, high up in the forest canopy. The guides do a neat trick with the telescopes where they use your phone to take a picture or even a video through the telescope to get close-up nature shots. Below is an example of one of mine, a toucan that looks like he was right in front of us. In reality, he was perched high above on a tree branch and our guide took this photo through his telescope.
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