Trip Report: Our Family Adventure to a Costa Rican Paradise

Planning the Trip

I have a whole post about how we planned the trip HERE.

Flights

We flew Southwest Airlines Denver to Houston, and Houston to San Jose, Costa Rica. We did the same route on the way back. There are daily flights out of Miami and Houston. There were a couple direct flights each week Denver to San Jose, but unfortunately those dates didn’t work with our timeline. We love Southwest Airlines. We used their Southwest Airlines Credit Card to get a Companion Pass, so we only needed to pay for 4 tickets for our family of 5. I’m seriously considering doing another companion pass run this year, which would bring our tickets needed down to 3 per trip.

Miles Per Person – 50,000

Cost Per Person – $100 (including the companion)

Avianca Life Miles had a better rate for miles per ticket, at 21,000 each way, but with the companion pass this became a wash. Also, I struggle with the Avianca Website and I might have just booked Southwest to avoid the hassle, since it wasn’t a huge difference. United tickets were pricing at about 60,000 points per ticket.

Hotels

Courtyard San Jose Airport Alajuela

The Courtyard San Jose Airport Alajuela is a great spot to stop after flying in to Costa Rica. A lot of the flights land late, and this is an easy hop from the airport on the Marriott shuttle. You can get on the Fairfield shuttle or the courtyard shuttle, and both will drop you off. They trade off showing up on the airport curb, every 15-30 minutes. We used 12,000 Marriott points per night to stay here on either end of our trip.

The hotel itself is lovely, it was cool, clean, and the restaurant food was delicious. Our kids also thoroughly enjoyed the pool. The staff at this Courtyard were all exceptionally friendly and accommodating. From the front desk staff, to the restaurant to the housekeeping, they all had a smile on their face. For platinum and titanium members, they set out a small snack and drink in the evening around 5 in their makeshift lounge. They also have coffee and cocoa always available in this small lounge space.

In the morning, my husband rode the airport shuttle back and picked up our rental from Adobe Rent-a-Car. He did this in reverse the evening before our early morning departure and both times were fairly seamless.

Hotel Silencio Del Campo

In La Fortuna we stayed at Hotel Silencio Del Campo. I wrote a whole post about this hotel because it was amazing and I think every family should stay there. I cannot say enough great things about this place. Each family had their own little cabin, but think bougee cabin, not camping cabin. They had an onsite farm, hot springs, and breakfast included. It is also about as close as you can get to the Arenal Volcano, and we could see the clouds roll in and out over the volcano. We used our cash back from the AMEX Blue Cash Preferred card to pay ourselves the approx. $230/night for this hotel.

That said, Tabacon Thermal Resort and Spa is now able to be booked with Hyatt points in the La Fortuna Area if you are looking for a straight points redemption. Still, maybe you could stay here one night, because it is just exquisite.

Rental Car vs. Shuttles

Costa Rica gets a really bad wrap for rental cars, and honestly, a lot of it is for good reason. There is a mandatory insurance fee in Costa Rica. This is not one that you can waive, you must pay it. Many rental car companies will not include this in their pricing quotes online, so when people show up in country they are met with a hefty additional bill. This is precisely why we rented with Adobe Rent-A-Car. They are a locally owned company who gave you the whole price up front, and many Costa Rican bloggers have discount codes as well.

All in all, this was the largest expense of our trip at $900 for a week long rental car.

If you don’t want to drive in a “rules optional” driving culture, your other choices are the bus, which is a minimal fee, but takes much more up front planning, or Tourist Shuttles.

These shuttles are everywhere, and generally everywhere you stay will have some recommendations for locals who drive them. It is a law for children to have car seats in Costa Rica, but none of the shuttles we utilized provided them, so beware of that, if that makes you nervous. Most of these shuttles were about $120-$150 per trip. For shorter trips they will often stay with you, as it doesn’t make sense to drop you off for an hour and come back. My best advice here is to text through WhatsApp and agree on a set price. This allows you to factor in tip and be confident in what you will pay.

Activities

Tortuga Island with Bahia Rica Tours

Tortuga Island was the dreamiest dream of a day in Costa Rica. It kind of came about last minute, and I am so happy we did it. Honestly Bahia Rica Tours made this trip wonderful for everyone in our group, and we highly recommend them for any tour you are looking at.

We were picked up in Puntarenas in the morning by our guide with a boat that easily fit 11 of us (5 kids, 6 adults). Our first stop of the morning happened quickly as we spotted dolphins coming out of the port. I will never get tired of seeing dolphins. They were beautiful. We carried on to search an island popular with monkeys, but they were hiding while we were there. The morning was spent bopping between the small islands there before settling in a small cove, where many of our group swam up to, what seemed like a private beach. It was an easy swim, and there was lots to see in this little alcove.

As our group arrived back at the boat, another boat pulled up alongside us. They collect scallops and oysters, and prepare them fresh for the tour boats. It was the coolest thing to watch, and they were tasty (or so I heard….stupid shellfish allergy).

Next stop was snorkeling. All of my kids got in the water, yes, even the 2 year old. The guide had us bring bread in the water and then release it, and the fish all swarmed it. It was pretty cool to watch. The current was strong, so we weren’t able to stay in the water snorkeling for long, but I was so proud of my kiddos for trying it out!

Tortuga Island was the main attraction of the day. This was a happening place, but at the same time did not feel too crowded. They had a nice roped off swimming area, a souvenir shop, and places to buy coconut waters, and drinks. Bahia Rica had their own little section with swings and picnic tables, under a nice shaded awning where our guides made us a delicious lunch.

After swimming and shopping and eating, we said goodbye to Tortuga Island, and headed back for shore. This was cited by everyone as a highlight of the trip and I cannot recommend it enough.

Fishing with Bahia Rica Tours

Many in our group spent one or two days out on the water with Bahia Rica for near shore and/or deep sea fishing. They caught a number of fish each time, and were even able to bring back some Tuna to cook up at the Airbnb. Thomas and his guys worked hard to get on top of fish and he was a great guide.

Ziplines with Arenal Ecoglide

Everyone in our family went on the ziplines with Arenal Ecoglide and had a blast! I had heard this company recommended by Pura Vida Moms, because they take young children and consistently replace their equipment to make sure it is safe. Two of us aren’t big fans of heights and we always felt safe and had an absolute blast. These guys definitely know what they are doing, and give great instructions. The sights are also unmatched. You are flying through the canopy of the Arenal Volcano and there just isn’t anything I could compare it to. If you are on the fence, book it!

Sloth Watching Trail

This trail was a last minute addition when we found extra time in our day and it was great addition. If you want to see sloths in the wild, this is the spot for you. These guys really try to let the sloths live normal lives, with minimal interference. There are two trail options, the guided option or the self-guided. We had the guide and I would 100 percent use him again because he had a huge spotting scope, but also knowledge of where the various wildlife, not just sloths, would be found around the park. That being said, if you needed to save some money, you could definitely buy the self guided tour and just watch for where people are congregating in the park to spot the sloths. Although we probably went too late, and it was really warm, this was another once in a lifetime experience I’m glad we didn’t miss. We spotted not only sloths but a poison dart frog, boa constrictor, and Toucans.

Crocodile Bridge – Tarcoles

This is such a fun stop with the kids. You aren’t close to the crocodiles, but you could see a ton of them. If you are brave enough to fly your drone down there, this could be a really cool shot. The boys thought it was awesome.

Carara National Park

The Home of the Red Macaw, where we saw…..0 Red Macaws. Thankfully our tour bus driver knew a place nearby where they like to hang out and he brought us there after our failed viewing experience in the park. Get yourself a good driver who can take you to this beach in Tarcoles because it was magical watching these birds fly together. Fun Fact: They Mate for Life.

Tips and Tricks

Cash is King. While there where several places that would accept cards, and even some American dollars, most places on the whole wanted to be paid in Colones. Be prepared and exchange these with your bank ahead of time for a variety of bills.

Driving Rules are the Same as the US. Kind of. Be prepared for US Driving rules with a fair amount of bobbing and weaving. If you get car sick, Dramamine will be your friend on the back roads.

Phones. T-mobile phones worked great for texting and data abroad. I think Verizon requires an extra advanced payment up front. There are also sim cards for purchase at the airport and the Walmart near the Courtyard Hotel.

Lemonade, isn’t lemonade. They make their lemonade with something called Yerba Buena. It’s interesting, totally try it once if you’re into new things, but maybe don’t order it for your kids. I’ve heard you could have a kid get sick in the middle of the restaurant after chugging one of these….could happen….

Conclusion

Costa Rica is beautiful and awe-inspiring. Interested in hacking your way there with your family? Start HERE. While I was intimidated by the thought of taking my family and navigating the country I am so glad we did it. I ate nearly every different kind of local food, and my kids did great at trying new things. We also saw so many animals and beautiful ecosystems we never would have otherwise experienced.