My Travel Guide to Costa Rica

Hello country number twenty seven!

I was supposed to come to Costa Rica with the Costa Rica Tourism Board back in October 2020, then it was rescheduled to January 2021, that date was cancelled last minute and finally, we touched down in San Jose, Costa Rica on November 11th, 2021. Travel has been really unpredictable the past couple years, especially travelling internationally. But I made it. I made it to the land of "Pura Vida".

This trip was hosted by the Costa Rica Tourism Board, however this is my very honest opinion and review of the places I stayed and activities I did in this trip. I did not receive any compensation for this hosted trip and therefore I wasn’t required to post or film, however I chose to do so. 

To get to San Jose from Vancouver at the time I travelled, the flights with Air Canada took me first to Toronto, then a direct flight from Toronto to Costa Rica. I’m sure as travel gets more popular, more flight options will be added in the coming months. Currently to board your flight to Costa Rica, you do need to fill out an online health declaration or a "Pase de Salud", which needs to be completed within 72 hours of entering Costa Rica (click here for link to the official declaration website). This service on the Costa Rica Government’s website is free. If you visit a website that wants to charge you to fill out this form, you aren’t on the correct website. You do need to be fully vaccinated or show proof of travel insurance that covers for Covid-19 in case you do catch it while in Costa Rica. They are checking for the QR code and pass to board your flight to Costa Rica and once in Costa Rica I was asked for it at immigration. I saved the full screen shot of the QR code onto my phone in my favourites for ease.

As of January 8, 2022; hotels, restaurants, bars, casinos, shops, museums, art and dance academies, gyms, resorts, and adventure tourism will only admit people fully vaccinated with the country-approved vaccines (Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, and Janssen). Proof of vaccination will be verified using a QR code (attached to the Health Pass/Pase de Salud) or the printed vaccination certificate. This requirement applies to everyone 12 years of age and older. Essential services such as supermarkets and pharmacies will not require proof of vaccination.

Day 1 - Arrival into San Jose

We touched down slightly behind schedule as we had some delays leaving Toronto. We arrived at the San Jose International Airport at 12:46pm. After we went through customs (which unfortunately took over two and a half hours, so pack your patience) and collected our luggage we met with our group leader Ronald. There were approximately 46 travel advisors invited to attend this familiarization tour, however once at the airport we were broken into smaller groups of 8-10 travel advisors and we were on totally different tour itineraries (also to not overcrowd the different areas and we could stay at boutique hotel properties). Ronald would be leading us around Costa Rica for the week, guiding us on our journey to share the best aspects of Pura Vida, however he not only shared "the light of Costa Rica", but also shared with us some of the "shadows", more on this later. The weather was very wet when we got out of the airport, like downpour of rain, oh how I missed the tropics. November is the "start" of the "dry season" in Costa Rica, the rain didn't last long. Once we finally boarded our transfer, we headed to our hotel for the next two nights, Grano de Oro Hotel.

Hotel Grano de Oro in San Jose, Costa Rica

We arrived to the Grano de Oro Hotel with a refreshing welcome drink and our rooms ready for us to check in. I was assigned a lovely Garden View Suite with a small terrace and fountain.

My room at the Grano de Oro Hotel in San Jose

It was lovely. Before our site inspection, we met with the General Manager, Marco and he officially welcomed us with a “Tico Sour”, a twist on a Pisco Sour but instead made with Costa Rica's Guaro liquor. He then gave us some history of the hotel and the original historical house. Grano de Oro Hotel was a private family residence belonging to the Pozuelo family, built at the turn of the 20th century. The hallways are lined with old photographs of Costa Rica in the time period the house was built, which I found to be really interesting. It’s a five star boutique hotel located in San Jose, Costa Rica. It has a historic hotel feel and has 40 rooms. The hotel is now owned by a Canadian family, who also donate the proceeds from the onsite restaurant (which the food is amazing) to a local women’s shelter.

Grano de Oro Hotel in San Jose, Costa Rica

The hotel also features a small gym and two rooftop whirlpools/hot tubs to relax and enjoy after a busy day exploring. The restaurant serves European and Costa Rican cuisine and is on the upscale side. Many say that the Grano de Oro Restaurant is the best restaurant in San Jose.

After we settled in and completed our site inspection of the hotel, we headed out for a driving tour of San Jose and ate at Cafe Mundo, which I highly recommend.

Day 2 - Costa Rica Tourism Board Trade Show, Hacienda Alsacia

I headed down for breakfast at 6:45am as we had to be on our transfer to the Costa Rica Travel Trade Show at 7:30am. Breakfast at the Grano de Oro Hotel is served in the restaurant and was served a la carte. I had the “Tico Breakfast” which was scrambled eggs, beans with rice, tortillas, local cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream and plantains.

"Tico Breakfast" at Grano de Oro Hotel

Afterwards it was time to head to the Hilton DoubleTree Cariari for the trade show. The trade show lasted for about six hours and unfortunately ran quite overtime. I still very much enjoyed it as we met various tourism suppliers and hotels. It feels good to be doing in person events again. I did feel very safe as all our presentations were done behind plexiglass (a plastic barrier).

After the trade show our group was transferred to Hacienda Alsacia (which I was extremely excited to visit, as it’s the only coffee farm that Starbucks owns).

Starbucks Coffee Farm, Hacienda Alsacia

Starbucks Coffee Farm, Hacienda Alsacia

We started off with a very late lunch (we all had a chicken pesto sandwich with a "dragon fruit mango refresher") then we were given a tour of the coffee farm. We had the most stunning sunset over the coffee plantation as we started our tour.

Sunset at Starbucks Coffee Farm, Hacienda Alsacia

It was so interesting to learn how Starbucks is leading the way in sustainability and their research. It’s great to know that they pay a fair wage and support the families of the staff with child care, etc. It was also interesting to learn how they are reusing water and limiting their waste. 

Starbucks Coffee Farm, Hacienda Alsacia

Starbucks Coffee Farm, Hacienda Alsacia

Afterwards we headed back to San Jose, I decided to skip dinner as we had a very late lunch at Hacienda Alsacia and relaxed in Grano de Oro’s hot tub for a while before getting caught up on a few emails before bed.

You can check out my YouTube video on my travel day to Costa Rica and my visit to Starbucks Coffee Farm, Hacienda Alsacia here:

Day 3 - Travelling to Monteverde

It was another early start as we had a big travel day ahead of us. I packed up, brought my luggage to the reception desk and headed to breakfast. I had the Tico Breakfast again with a mango juice. We then boarded our mini bus for Grecia, our first stop of the day to stretch our legs. Grecia had a beautiful centre square with a church.

After a bit of a break, we continued on to Sarchi which is a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site for Intangible Goods. Here in Sarchi they are known for the ox carts, which are a national symbol of Costa Rica. We stopped in at Fabrica de Carretas Eloy Alfaro, an ox cart factory in Sarchi.

Colourful oxcarts in Sarchi, Costa Rica

They have a selection of beautiful hand made and hand painted souvenirs and also a mix of the typical Costa Rica souvenirs (aka “Made in China” stuff). The tour was interesting, all the machinery is still operated by a water wheel which was really neat to see. We then were able to see one of the artists at work, painting some glassware.

Colourful oxcarts in Sarchi, Costa Rica

After some time to peruse the gift shop, we headed to El Jardin for a Costa Rica lunch. I had a heart of palm casserole, chicken with beans and rice, a beef taquitos and a mango juice. The meals at these types of restaurants are very local and reasonable, my meal would have costed about $6-7 USD or around $10 Canadian Dollars. After lunch we had a "tailgate" outside, our group had an Imperiale beer and continued on to Monteverde.

On our way to Monteverde we stopped along the road to see a group of Howler Monkeys in a tree and a bit further up the road for some amazing views of the Nicoya Peninsula in the distance.

Two "Howler Monkeys", the one on the left is a baby.

View towards the Nicoya Peninsula

It was quite an elevation gain, Monteverde sits at around 4,662 feet (1,440 m) above sea level. Once we arrived at our hotel, El Establo Mountain Hotel in Monteverde, we had the most incredible sunset and a visit from a very curious Coati.

A very curious "coati"

Sunset in Monteverde, Costa Rica

We had dinner at the restaurant on the hotel's property, which was right across from our hotel block as we were in the “500’s”. Dinner was good. I had the Argentinian Steak followed by a “milk sponge cake” for dessert. The El Establo Mountain Hotel is a bit dated unfortunately. This hotel has so much potential. In my room (room 518), the blinds are very strange and don’t meet up so there is about an inch and a half gap in the center of the window. I actually caught someone looking into my room (from another tour group) which was a bit off putting. They need to install proper curtains that can close. The rooms also have no heating or air conditioning and smelled very stuffy. The glass panels open in the main hotel area and have screens, however the open glass panels in the bathroom have no screens, so with even keeping the bathroom door closed, my room was constantly full of little bugs. The wifi in my room didn’t work, when it did work it was very frustratingly slow. The furnishings are also a bit tired and the carpets need to be replaced. There is a mini fridge, Nespresso machine and “safe” (which is a safe box with a key, if you lose the key we were warned there would be a $35 USD charge). Again the location is stunning, but the rooms need to be upgraded in my opinion. 

Here is my YouTube video for our travel day through Sarchi to Monteverde, Costa Rica:

Day 4 - Adventures in Monteverde

We had a somewhat early start to the day, we headed down to breakfast at 6:30am. Breakfast was at the restaurant at the entrance to El Establo Hotel in Monteverde, at the bottom of the hill. The breakfast was a somewhat served buffet (they served you the hot items however you served yourself the cold items such as fruit, pastries and cold cuts) and was quite basic. Something didn’t agree with me and my stomach was unfortunately a bit off for the rest of the day. We then made our way to the Extremo Adventure Park.

Monteverde Extremo Park is a very active zip lining experience. The tour I did was their “Canopy Tour”. It was a series of zip lines, two of which can be done in the “Superman” position (head first and feet behind you) and a “Tarzan Swing”. I did all the ziplines in the traditional seated position as I wanted to film the tour.

Ziplining at Monteverde Extremo Park

There was quite a bit of hiking between the zip lines at times. With the altitude (we were at over 7,000 ft (2,134 m) above sea level at one point, the hiking was a bit more challenging, especially as I live at sea level. There are other zipline companies in Monteverde that you start at the top and biplane down such as Sky Adventures, they have an aerial tram that takes you to the top of the mountain and you zipline down. My adventure with Monteverde Extremo Park was still great and I really enjoyed it. After our tour we had lunch at the restaurant. I had the beef “fajitas” with rice, beans and salad. Funny enough it didn’t come with tortillas, but its was still good. We had the opportunity to see a Scarlet Macaw and a South American Golden Macaw in one of the trees.

We then headed back into Monteverde (Santa Elena) for a site inspection of the Poco a Poco Hotel. It’s a solid four star property in Monteverde at does have air-conditioning in some of their rooms. They also have a beautiful garden, pool, whirlpool, sunken fire pit and they are building a yoga area.

A refreshing welcome drink at Poco a Poco Hotel in Monteverde, Costa Rica

After the site inspection my stomach really didn’t feel any better so I did skip out on the walk in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Bio-reserve. We were driving right by our hotel so I did ask to be dropped off. One of the other people in my group decided to do the same. El Establo Mountain Hotel does have a shuttle serve for guests as it is situated on quite a steep hill. Once back in my room, I took something for my stomach and felt better within minutes. I then decided to try out the pool that was just below our hotel room block. The pool area was lovely. I really liked the suspended lounge chairs. This is also where there is a very small outdoor gym. The hotel is missing a public hot tub area, the only hot tub is located in the spa apparently and you can only use it if you have a treatment booked. The pool itself was very cold, we were warned that they only had it heated to a couple degrees above the ambient temperature, so it was only around 26C (about 78F), which to me was definitely on the cooler side. The pool was also full of bugs, which made for a very quick dip.

Pool at El Establo Mountain Hotel

I headed back up to my room and was looking forward to a nice warm shower as there wasn’t anyone back from their tours except a couple of us I believe. Unfortunately, I ran out of hot water in the shower after about two minutes, with shampoo still in my hair. This was very annoying as I know I was really the only one in our room block at the time, so it didn’t make sense. Also, each room had a large soaker tub, so again, it was a very frustrating situation to have run out of hot water in such a short amount of time. After waiting fifteen minutes in hopes the hot water would arrive, I quickly rinsed my hair in the lukewarm water and gave up, thank goodness for leave in conditioner. I then had a much needed nap after the busy morning we had. When I woke up it was time to start getting ready for dinner as we were heading back to the Poco a Poco Hotel and eating at their restaurant called Otocuma. The food was so good! I had the "Tomatoes with Fresh Local Mozzarella" to start which was so delicious, followed by the "Grilled Beef Tenderloin" for my main course.

We were then invited to eat dessert down at the sunken fire pit, so we relaxed there and all got to know each other in our group a bit more.

After a few hours had passed, we unfortunately had to say goodbye to the Poco a Poco Hotel and head back for our own hotel to go to bed. Monteverde is a great place if you’re interested in adventure and nature. In the Monteverde area you can do zip lining, mountain biking, hiking, nature walks, “night walks” (a walk to see all the creepy crawlies and animals who are nocturnal at night), waterfalls and hanging bridges.

Watch my highlights of my ziplining experience at Monteverde Extremo Park here on YouTube:

Day 5 - Travel to Isla Chiquita

I woke up at 5:00am, as we had to be packed and ready to go by 6:25am. We were heading to Isla Chiquita today on the Nicoya Peninsula and we had to catch a ferry to get there. We made a stop in Santa Elena for a few people to use the ATM, so I used the opportunity to take some photos and videos of the town. It really reminded me of Bali. Some of the little cafes here are really good and very cute. The Treehouse Restaurant is really highly recommended. The other cafes I would recommend in Santa Elena are Zuccaro Coffee and Bakery, The Open Kitchen and Cafe Monteverde. There is also a chocolate shop called Coco Cafe and Restaurant that you can visit.

Once we were all back on board the bus, we started our journey towards Puntarenas. The roads in Costa Rica are a bit hit and miss. I was told the roads were terrible, however the roads we travelled on were not that bad, however they all had spots were you did need to be careful for sure (potholes, gravel sections, etc). Now that I’ve seen and travelled on the Costa Rica roads, I would feel very confident renting a car and driving around the country myself (more on renting a car down below under my “Costa Rica Travel Tips”). Once we arrived to the ferry, we boarded the “Tambor II” for the Nicoya Peninsula.

At the time of my visit (in November 2021), you did have to pre-purchase ferry tickets on the ferry's website. For a car and driver it costs around $25 USD and for a single walk on passenger it costs about $1.50 USD.

The ferry crossing from Puntarenas to Paquera takes about 70 minutes and is quite scenic.

We then drove about 45 minutes to Tango Mar Beach Resort, a hotel near Tambor. It is a family run hotel with some beautiful rooms right on the ocean. We were welcomed by a lovely drink and some stunning ocean views below.

The owner has really put her heart and soul into the property and it shows. The pool area is lovely. I would recommend having your own car when visiting, as there are minimal activities on the property (they don’t really have a daily program, just paid day tours that did look quite nice). As we were finishing up our lunch we were visited by a family of “White-Faced Capuchins”, which are a medium sized monkey. They were so cute and full of personality! After enjoying photographing the monkeys for a bit, we did a site inspection of the Tango Mar property and we were able to see a few of the different room categories.

We then headed back towards the ferry at Paquera to Isla Chiquita. If you come to Isla Chiquita there are a few ways to get there. You can hire a private boat from Puntarenas (which takes about 45 minutes), if you take the ferry to Paquera, you can take an included water taxi to Isla Chiquita from the ferry which take s about 10 minutes, or if you have a vehicle, you can park at their “parking area” (you take a direct left after departing the ferry down the first gravel road you see, it’s about two kilometres (or 1.25 miles) down this road) and take the water taxi from there which takes about five minutes. As we were crossing we had the most amazing sunset as we arrive to Isla Chiquita.

Once we were shuttled over to the Island on a traditional Costa Rican boat, we washed our hands and were welcomed with a very refreshing welcome drink of mint and lime juice, which was very nice, it almost tasted like a fresh mojito. I took some more footage of the sunset, it was just so spectacular. After the sun went down, we were officially welcomed by Jason, the General Manager of Isla Chiquita, who then gave us a tour of our tents and how to lock up the tent so the critters couldn’t get in (raccoons and monkeys typically try to break in for the mini bar items).

I was in tent number three, which was closer to the bottom. I had a peek a boo view of the ocean and the remnants of the sunset.

We had time to freshen up a bit, have a shower and get a little settled before our hosted dinner at “Harry’s Restaurant”. I had the bruschetta with guacamole as an “amuse bouche”, followed by a garden salad as my appetizer. I had the chicken with "Caribbean rice and vegetables and it was so good. For dessert I had a coconut, chocolate brownie with artisanal ice cream made right here at Isla Chiquita. It was then time to call it a night, so I headed back to my tent and went to bed.

Day 6 - Glamping in Costa Rica and Bio Luminescence Tour

We got to “sleep in a bit”, however I still woke up very early to the sounds of the birds. The bed was extremely comfortable and it did cool down overnight to a comfortable temperature with the fans running. I took this time to get some photos and videos of room in the daylight and to catch up on writing this blog. The tents are really well appointed. The tents have either two queen size beds or a king bed (with a "day bed" which can sleep another person).

The tents also have a Nespresso machine, fridge with mini bar setup, safe, two umbrellas, two yoga mats, a full bathroom with two sinks, amazing bath amenities, shower with a rainfall showerhead and an actual toilet (also, tip about Costa Rica, most toilets around the country you can't flush anything including toilet paper down them, always put the toilet paper in the wastebasket beside).

They also offer a golf cart "shuttle" service as the hike up to the tents can be a bit much for some, this is a great service, especially when checking in and out with luggage. My tent was relatively near the bottom, so I only used it during our "site inspection" of the property. There isn't a television in the room, however you don't miss it. The wifi was great, even in my tent, I did watch some YouTube and had no issues with buffering, etc.

There are also ceiling fans in the tent as well as a standing fan, which was more than sufficient to keep me cool at night and during the day. The coffee in the tent is included, however the mini bar in my tent category was not. Due to the fact that the racoons and monkeys can unzip the tent, they have a system that you lock your tent with a “carabiner clip” to keep the wildlife from entering your tent during the day and at night to take your goodies. I headed down to the "lobby" area to take some photos and videos of the beach and pool areas. Isla Chiquita has first come, first serve beach loungers, hammocks and cabanas. I absolutely loved this area and really wish we had more time to enjoy it, however I'll definitely be back!

It was then time for breakfast followed by our PCR Covid tests to get back into Canada. The tests were a bit on the pricier side if I'll be honest, however they did come to us here at Isla Chiquita, so it was very convenient. Our price was $155 USD for a PCR test each, however this could be a different price than typical due to us being a group. Some of the other groups had different testing costs as they were in less remote areas. I'll go into testing a bit more later. After our tests, we did a bit of a site inspection and learned more about what Isla Chiquita Glamping had to offer. There are hiking and walking trails around the island, a yoga pavilion, an outdoor, secluded spa which has a stunning view over the water and of course their beach areas.

They do have two restaurants onsite and the food here at Isla Chiquita is so delicious. They were also very accommodating to my dietary needs and allergies. The food portions are also huge, most of the time, we couldn't finish our meals as they were so big, but it's great value. The fresh juices and hand-crafted cocktails were also delicious. I highly recommend staying at Isla Chiquita, if you'd like more information on how to book this property, you can contact me by clicking here. After our site inspection of Isla Chiquita, we then headed out on their private boat for a tour of the islands around Isla Chiquita including a visit to Isla Tortuga, a popular snorkeling and beach spot. Along the way there, Christian our guide on the boat, pointed out the tuna that were jumping out of the water and hunting. So we stopped for him to try to fish some out of the water. The boat we were on can be rented from Isla Chiquita for guided fishing charters (they also have a "local" style boat for a more traditional fishing tour), half day or full day snorkeling/boat tours and private boat transfers to and from Puntarenas. It's a beautiful boat, with an air conditioned seating area underneath with comfortable seating. All of us however preferred sitting out on deck, enjoying the sunshine. We arrived at a rock near Isla Tortuga for snorkeling, however the visibility in the water wasn't great. Apparently as we were still close to rainy season this was the reason why the water wasn't very clear, in mid-December into January the water around these areas get very clear, however it also depends on how many other boats with tours are in the area.

We then went to one of the more quieter beaches near Isla Tortuga and had it all to ourselves.

It was then time to head back to Isla Chiquita, so we got back onboard the boat and they took us to view "Rainbow Rock" and Curu Wildlife Refuge (which apparently is an amazing place to see Scarlet Macaws, monkeys, many other animals and birds).

Once back at Isla Chiquita we had a group lunch at Donde Tía Nora Restaurant. I had the "tropical ceviche" for a starter, "chicken tacos" for my main and again I had the "coconut brownie" for dessert.

I then when back up to my tent, showered and washed my hair. The hot water for the tents is all solar hot water! During the day they also draw power from solar panels on the property (they do have power from the mainland as a back up). It's such a sustainable little resort, I love it. I then relaxed in my tent, took some content photos and reviewed some of the photos that I took to post to my instagram. Afterwards, I got changed and ready for our Bioluminescence tour and headed down to the main area for sunset.

Sunsets here are absolutely stunning.

It was then time to gather and head off on our "Bioluminescence tour". We all put on life jackets and headed to the dock and boarded one of the boats. Christian was our guide again and explained what Bioluminescence was and how it occurs. We went to the other side of the island to a cove where we were able to see the Bioluminescence, however it was extremely faint, the water basically "sparkled" a bit blue when we put our hands in it. The best time to see the Bioluminescence is during the new moon or on a very cloudy night. You really need no moonlight coming through or it will be very hard to see. Unfortunately as we were almost at a full moon we barely saw it and none of my cameras could catch the bright blue glow. We did the tour with Isla Chiquita, however there is another tour you can do near Curu Wildlife Reserve which actually lets you off onto the beach to really see the Bioluminescence crash against the shoreline (I'm personally going to try this one next time). Our tour continued with seeing some of the fish illuminated in the water including a "puffer fish" and a few "needle fish". The tour was about an hour in length and I did find it very interesting. I learned a lot about the local sea life here around Isla Chiquita.

Once back at Isla Chiquita it was time for dinner again outside, under the stars at Donde Tía Nora Restaurant. I had the amuse bouche of a heart of palm with salad, followed by grilled tomatoes with mozzarella cheese and herbs as my appetizer. My main course was grilled chicken "puttanesca" and turned potatoes. The food here at Isla Chiquita is AMAZING. They can cater to many different types of dietary requirements (with advance notice), and I was blown away by the quality of food. The portion sizes were actually a bit large for my liking, but it's great value for the money. For dessert I had the coconut chocolate brownie again, however this time I had the homemade coconut ice cream on top. It was the best.

During dinner I did get my results that my Covid test came back "negative"! Always the best test to "fail". It was unfortunately time for bed afterwards, so I headed back to my tent, got ready for bed and watched some YouTube before officially calling it a night.

Watch the next part of my Costa Rica Travel Series featuring Isla Chiquita here:

Day 7 - Leaving Isla Chiquita, Travelling to Puntarenas and Los Suenos

The next morning I woke up early to a thunderstorm. It was so soothing and relaxing hearing the rain on the tent and the thunder in the distance. I enjoyed coffee on my deck then rolled out one of the yoga mats, did some yoga, journaling and meditation to start the day in a much needed way.

I had another wonderful shower and started to pack up as we were leaving this morning for our last night at the Marriott Los Suenos. After I was all packed, I said "good bye" to my tent and headed down to meet everyone for breakfast. For breakfast I had fresh fruit with a drizzle of yogurt to start, followed by a fresh baked bun with guava jam (so good) and a traditional "Tico" breakfast of pico de gallo, sour cream, beans with rice, scrambled eggs and tortillas with local cheese.

After breakfast, we said farewell to Isla Chiquita and took the included water taxi over to their parking area, where we boarded our bus.

We then drove back over to the ferry from Paquera to Puntarenas. It was a smooth crossing, I chose to sit inside this crossing in the air conditioned comfort and work a bit on this blog post. This ferry boat seemed to have better air conditioning inside than the last one. Once in Puntarenas we boarded our bus again and made our way to the Fiesta Resort for a site inspection and lunch. The Fiesta Resort is a three star resort in my experience and right on the water. To be honest the resort is in a dire need of a major overhaul (they are doing some upgrades by the looks of things). If you're looking for a very cheap getaway, this could be the resort for you, however most of the rooms that we saw were quite musty and not in the best condition. After our visit to the Fiesta Resort, we went to the Doka Tarcoles Crocodile River Cruise and got to experience this great tour! The tour was just over an hour long, however we got to see some HUGE crocodiles up close, like, REALLY up close and even saw one catch a bird mid flight (unfortunately I'll never forget that crunch).

It was like a safari and highly recommend it. In addition to seeing some of the crocodiles, we were able to see so many species of birds. If you're a birder, I wasn't and was still so into photographing the different types, you'll really love this experience.

Afterwards, the rain started really coming down and we made our way back to the bus and to our final destination of the night, the Marriott Los Suenos. The Marriott Los Suenos is beautiful.

We were welcomed with a refreshing welcome drink as we were checked in. I was assigned an Ocean View King with Balcony. All rooms are really well equipped with a closet, robes, safe, Nespresso machine, mini fridge, desk area, sitting area and hammock right in the room. The hammock is a sustainability partnership with a women's weaving program in Mexico which was a great touch.

In my room category I also had a table and chairs set out on my balcony and another hammock overlooking the extensive pool area and ocean in the distance. I had a lovely welcome note and sweets platter from the General Manager of the hotel, Florencia. It was time to do a quick outfit change and head downstairs to the "Hacienda Kitchen" restaurant for a lovely dinner served "family style". It was all the "Chef's choice" and it was an amazing spread!

It was such a nice way to end our time here in Costa Rica and I am so very grateful. After dinner, I headed back upstairs and had an early night, it was a busy day of travelling.

Day 8 - Marriott Los Suenos and My Travel Day Home

I slept so good. The beds that Marriott uses are so comfortable. I did wake up early to create some content, but also to relax, enjoy my coffee and meditate out in the hammock on my balcony. We really unfortunately didn't have enough time here, however I'll be back for sure. I had my shower, got ready and packed up for the last time. I dropped my luggage with the bell desk and checked out. We then all met up for our last breakfast at Hacienda Kitchen. Hacienda Kitchen has an amazing breakfast buffet in the mornings. It is all served, you simply let them know what you would like and someone will serve it to you.

The food was so fresh and tasted really good. Afterwards we did a site inspection of the Marriott Los Suenos and I was able to see a couple more room categories, including one of the brand new "Swim Up King Rooms".

We also did a quick tour around the gold course to try one last time to see a sloth. We got to see some iguanas, however we didn't get to see a sloth this trip. Guess I'll be coming back to Costa Rica again one day! We sadly had to board our bus for the last time and start our way back towards the San Jose International Airport for our flight back to Toronto (then onwards to Vancouver). From Marriott Los Suenos to the San Jose International Airport it did take about an hour and a half using the new toll highway. This was also on a Thursday and apparently on the weekends it can be a lot busier. So give yourself more time as needed.

Once at the airport, we said our "good byes" to Ronald and Aiden our driver. Ronald, our guide for the week was so amazing. He was so honest and educated us on the "lights and shadows" of Costa Rica. I will be booking him for my clients who are looking for a guided experience of Costa Rica in the future. He also does active tours, such as biking tours of Costa Rica as well.

Watch the last part of my Costa Rica video series on YouTube here:

Costa Rica Travel Tips:

Best Time to Visit Costa Rica

You can visit Costa Rica year rounds, however keep in mind there is a "Dry Season" and a "Rainy Season". Typically the dry season is from mid-November to April and the rainy season is from May to November. It also depends where in Costa Rica you are visiting as there are so many micro-climates within the country. On my trip for instance, it was very warm in San Jose and on the Nicoya Peninsula, however I did need a wrap or my jacket in Monteverde as we were quite high up.

Renting a Car in Costa Rica

Renting a car can be very frustrating if you're not prepared. Some people see a great deal online, book the car, only to find out at pickup there is an extra insurance charge and a pretty hefty deposit they take on your credit card (sometimes car rental companies block a deposit of $2000-$5000 USD, depending on the type of vehicle rented, on your credit card). So it's really important to hire a travel advisor such as myself to help you clarify things or really look into the terms and conditions of the rental car company you're planning on booking through. Some companies will accept the extra insurance through your credit card, however you need to bring proof from the credit card that you're covered and you'll still have a damage deposit "block" on your credit card. If you take the full insurance through the car rental company, some companies take a smaller damage deposit ($250 to $750 USD, again depending on the type of vehicle rented and the rental company used). Gas stations in Costa Rica are also "full service", meaning someone will fill your gas tank for you with gas/petrol/diesel.

Currency

The currency in Costa Rica is the Costa Rican Colon. Most places however charge in US Dollars, which as a Canadian I was a bit frustrated by. If you use US Dollars to purchase something, you will typically get your change back in Costa Rican Colons, not USD. It is worth having some Colons if you are renting a car, especially for the toll roads, etc. At the time of this blog's publishing date it was about $1 USD to 650 Costa Rican Colons or $1 CDN to 500 Costa Rican Colons.

Toilets

Yes, "toilets" is a Costa Rica travel tip. In most toilets around the country you can't flush anything including toilet paper down them, always put the toilet paper in the wastebasket beside. In most places, you will see this reminder, but just a heads up that this is something to watch for when you visit Costa Rica.

Safety

Costa Rica is generally a pretty safe country, however as with any country you visit, you should be aware of petty crime (pickpockets, cell phone thefts, etc) in busy areas such as the Central Market in San Jose, local and regional bus stops, airports, beaches, etc. There have also been reports of traffic police pulling people over for bribes.

Solo Travel

I did travel on this particular trip to Costa Rica with a FAM tour group, however I typically travel as a solo female. I would feel quite safe travelling around Costa Rica as a solo female and plan to do so on my next trip there. That being said, I don't typically stay in hostels or Airbnb's, but opt to stay in higher rated hotel accommodations. I also don't go to clubs or bars at night, unless I'm travelling with close friends.

Language

The primary language in Costa Rica spoken is Spanish, however most tourism businesses (hotels, restaurants, car rentals, transfer services, attractions and day tours) typically speak English as well. It is worth practicing some basic Spanish while in Costa Rica, even just to be polite.

Covid Protocols in Costa Rica

I felt very safe while travelling in Costa Rica. Currently at the time of my trip, we did have to wear masks inside businesses and restaurants (until you were seated). As of January 8, 2022; hotels, restaurants, bars, casinos, shops, museums, art and dance academies, gyms, resorts, and adventure tourism will only admit people fully vaccinated with the country-approved vaccines (Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, and Janssen). Proof of vaccination will be verified using a QR code (attached to the Health Pass/Pase de Salud) or the printed vaccination certificate. This requirement applies to everyone 12 years of age and older. Essential services such as supermarkets and pharmacies will not require proof of vaccination.

As mentioned earlier in this guide, currently to board your flight to Costa Rica, you do need to fill out an online health declaration or a "Pase de Salud", which needs to be completed within 72 hours of entering Costa Rica (click here for link to the official declaration website). This service on the Costa Rica Government’s website is free. If you visit a website that wants to charge you to fill out this form, you aren’t on the correct website. You do need to be fully vaccinated or show proof of travel insurance that covers for Covid-19 in case you do catch it while in Costa Rica. They are checking for the QR code and pass to board your flight to Costa Rica and once in Costa Rica I was asked for it at immigration. I saved the full screen shot of the QR code onto my phone in my favourites for ease.

Covid Testing in Costa Rica

There are many options for testing in Costa Rica available. Please be sure to check what type of test you need to re-enter your country of origin and what time frame you need to be tested within. Most hotels and resorts in Costa Rica can arrange testing for you, either directly at the property or at a recommended testing site nearby. I'm going to be trying a few home testing kits that I can bring along with me when I travel for future trips. With the home testing kits they're available in both antigen or as a LAMP-PCR, you simply do a tele-health appointment from where you are, upload your results and your certificate is emailed to you. This way you just need access to wi-fi for the test and is usually a more affordable option.

Things to Pack for Costa Rica

Some items I suggest to bring to Costa Rica are:

• Bug spray (dengue fever and zika virus are very much a thing in Costa Rica)

• Rain coat/weatherproof jacket (if you're planning on visiting the mountains or in rainy season, something that is very useful)

• Snorkeling gear (I'm a bit of a germaphobe, so this is just a personal preference)

• Water shoes (if you plan on visiting some of the hot springs or go canyoning, water shoes can make things a bit more comfortable for you)

• Reef safe sunscreen (it's just the right thing to use and start purchasing if you already don't for sustainability purposes)

• Travel insurance (not really a thing to pack, but more of a strong suggestion to make sure you are covered in case of any emergencies)

In Conclusion...

I have full intentions and plans to go back to Costa Rica. To be honest, I wasn't sure if I would like it, but I loved my visit to Costa Rica. There are so many other places I'd now love to see including more of San Jose (to check out the markets and some of the other areas during the day), more of the Nicoya Peninsula (Montezuma, Mal Pais, Santa Teresa), more to the south along the Pacific Coast to the area around Manuel Antonio National Park, some of the northern areas around Arenal for the hot springs and finally, Guanacaste. I'll be updating this blog post again on my next visit, which I really hope won't be too far away.

Thank you again so much to the Costa Rican Tourism Board and their partners in Canada for hosting me. It was truly an epic experience.

Safe Travels,

Ariane

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