It’s time to make a beeline for Costa Rica’s miles of beach and acres of untouched rain forest, whether you enjoy adventure, the outdoors, or simply observing wildlife in its natural home. These are the best hotels in Costa Rica right now, from high jungle lodges to surfer-chic beachfront resorts—and they’re all just a few hours from the United States.
Table of Contents
Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica
When Four Seasons opens a property in Costa Rica’s earthy, nature-loving country, you can expect casual luxury. Guests are treated to top-notch service and some of the greatest hotel views in the game, courtesy to its hilltop elevation overlooking the Gulf of Papagayo and Culebra Bay, in keeping with the Four Seasons experience. It’s time to choose your own adventure after relaxing into your terraced room, suite, or villa with own infinity pool (honestly, any one of the 175 rooms will suffice). Play a round of golf on the 18-hole course on the property, go horseback riding, have a bamboo massage in the spa, or relax by one of the four pools with cooled towels delivered right to your lounger.
Oxygen Jungle Villas
The adults-only Oxygen Jungle Villas are ideal for adventurers looking for a more intimate, boutique hotel experience. Each of the 12 Balinese-style villas in Uvita, Costa Rica’s southwestern region, is completely encased in glass, giving you the feeling of living in the wild, especially when howler monkeys serve as your morning alarm clock. Uvita provides a wide range of outdoor activities, from hiking to whale watching to scuba diving, in addition to relaxing in your canopied bed. The opportunity to unplug, however, may be the most luxurious activity of all: the lack of phones and room service, as well as the calm infinity pool surrounded by Buddha statues, all help you tap into your inner Zen.
The Springs Resort & Spa at Arenal
The Springs Resort & Spa at Arenal may have hosted a “Bachelor” episode and a very public Bey and Jay couple’s retreat, but it still seems like a find. That’s possibly due to the fact that getting here (which requires an hour-long ride on an unpaved road or a helicopter flight in) is an adventure in and of itself, or the fact that the property’s volcano-facing hillside setting looks (and feels) like it’s miles away from civilization. The thermal hot springs pools, as the name implies, are the main attraction here, and there are 28 of them, all feeding into one another as they cascade down towards Club Rio, the resort’s outdoor adventure center where you can go river tubing, horseback riding, or visit the wildlife preserve to see sloths and toucans. The food and views at Las Ventanas, an international fine dining restaurant, are fantastic, but it’s just as easy to stay in your guest room, which features cathedral ceilings, local furniture, and wide terraces with hammocks and dead-on volcano views.
You May also like: Top Cheapest Hotels In Dubai
Casa Chameleon Hotel at Las Catalinas
The newest Casa Chameleon property is all about the breathtaking views of the Guanacaste coast (especially from the saltwater pool, one of the best in all of Costa Rica). From the morning chia bowls and oats to the reused teak wood across the property, this adults-only resort is all about wellness and sustainability. The hotel’s 21 minimalist villas, each with its own zero-edge pool, are ideal for those seeking privacy. Catch a spectacular sunset during dinner at the open-air terrace restaurant after mountain biking the miles of surrounding trails or surfing the swells.
Gaia Hotel and Reserve
The sleek and modern Gaia Hotel and Reserve in the Manuel Antonio rain forest can be paradise at a variety of pricing points, with a variety of rooms and villa options. The property’s multi-tiered pool and swim-up bar (where you can order a coconut margarita or three) as well as its wellness program, which includes everything from yoga to healthy dining at La Luna, are two of the property’s strongest assets. Local items like as coconut, coffee, and sugar are also integrated into numerous treatments at the Terra Spa. Don’t miss a visit to nearby Manuel Antonio National Park, where miles of sandy beaches extend and the forest is teeming with wildlife such as sloths and many monkey species.
El Mangroove, Autograph Collection
El Mangroove, on Papagayo Bay’s Playa Panama, is a good bet if you want to get to the beach as soon as possible. It was only 20 minutes from Liberia airport. This is boho-chic at its best, with colorful hanging chairs and quirky local art: think 85 rustic-cool suites, a long 130-foot pool, and great beachfront, with the ocean just a short walk away. The property’s upscale Makoko provides elevated meat- and seafood-centric dishes like 24-hour marinated flank steak and roasted king sea bass, while Matiss delivers comfort cuisine favorites like burgers and ceviche alongside inventive drinks created by a master mixologist.
Andaz Papagayo Resort
At Andaz’s first Latin American resort on the Peninsula Papagayo, where guests are serenaded by howler monkeys every night at dusk, there’s no mistake you’re in the forest. When designing this modern, eco-chic residence that takes elements from the surrounding environment, local architect Ronald Zurcher took “pura vida”—a popular Costa Rican slogan and life motto—to heart. The 153 rooms, three restaurants, and two infinity pools are all nestled on 28 gorgeous coastal acres and include a mix of contemporary and organic features (think tons of wood and woven textiles).
Florblanca
Florblanca is unlike other Costa Rican estates, which have a jungle setting set back from the coast. Its 11 earth-toned, stand-alone villas are located directly on Santa Teresa Beach, one of the country’s most popular surfing areas, on the Nicoya Peninsula. It’s all about living the high-class surfer lifestyle: relaxing in hammocks on the beach, sipping cocktails beside the free-form pool, resting in your canopied bed. While Florblanca exudes rustic elegance, it remains committed to healthy living, from daily yoga and pilates classes to Nectar’s clean cuisine based on local products.
Villas Kura Design
Kura Design Villas is the Apple of the hotel industry. This six-bungalow micro property in Uvita overlooks the Bahia Balena coastline and is stylish, modern, and sexy, making it feel more like a fancy home decked out in teak wood and plenty of glass. A modern saltwater infinity pool with an underwater sound system, tropical cuisine with ingredients sourced from the property’s organic garden, and the quiet Spa Sha are just a few of the highlights. JS Try the house drink, which is created with passion fruit, coconut crème, mint, and Cacique, a sugar cane liquor made locally.
You May also like:
Best hotels in Vancouver Canada