Costa Rica - Places to Stay

Travel

Hotels of Costa Rica

Your Home Away From Home

From all-inclusive luxury resorts to backpacker hostels, Costa Rica has accommodations to suit every taste and budget. Travelers will find friendly staff and modern amenities such as wireless Internet in many hotels throughout the country.

Towns such as La Fortuna (near Arenal Volcano) and Jaco have experienced a recent boom in development and are brimming with a variety of new hostels and hotels.

Other popular destinations like Tamarindo, Dominical and Quepos and Manuel Antonio offer visitors everything from simple cabins to posh resorts. Travelers can enjoy the cozy charm of a bed and breakfast or a family-run hotel in the smaller towns of Cahuita, Samara and Drake Bay.

Inside Places to Stay

Vacation Rentals by Destination

Airport Hotels

Hotels Close to San Jose

The Juan Santamaria international airport is actually located in Alajuela, not San Jose. Just five minutes from the aiport, Alajuela has an array of hotels and tourist amenities and is a great travel base for many Central Valley destinations. Read more about Alajuela.

Another convenient assortment of hotels is located on the San Jose side of the airport in Cuidad Cariari (just 7 km from the airport), where several four and five star resorts may be found. Here guests are close enough to San Jose to enjoy all of its amenities, while far enough away to avoid most of the inner city traffic and crowds.

Historic downtown San Jose hotels offer an insight into Costa Rica's culture and are within thirty minutes of the airport. Many have elaborate gardens and are convenient to San Jose's attractions.

Insider's Tips

Reservations are a must, especially in the high season (December through April). If booking a trip during Christmas or Easter week, travelers should reserve rooms three to six months in advance.

Many websites have online reservation forms and provide fast (if not instant) booking confirmation. Visitors who prefer spontaneous travel should plan their trips during the low season (late May through November) when walk-in accommodations are easier to come by. Travelers are advised to reconfirm hotel reservations prior to arrival to avoid any unnecessary confusion.

A Word of Advice: Many of the smaller hotels do not have central water heaters, but offer hot water showers via electric shower heads. Temperature is controlled by adjusting the volume of water. Read more about showers in Costa Rica.