Costa Rica has been building hotels constantly for over a decade and they are still not enough. This is especially true for good quality hotels and for some areas where tourism simply keeps growing, like Arenal Volcano or the beaches in Guanacaste.
The “dry season”, between December and April is always busy with Christmas and Easter weeks being the highest peaks, when every hotel room is reserved months in advance. We suggest to plan early and to be open to our recommendations in case the hotel or lodge of your choice is fully booked already.
The majority of the accommodations in the country are in small hotels, 40 rooms or less with many boutique hotels and eco-lodges. There are hotels virtually everywhere: in the cities and towns, next to volcanoes, in the rainforest, at the beaches, in the mountains.
Here are some broad descriptions of what to expect:
- Hotels and Resorts in Costa Rica
Costa Rica hotels are rated using the star system of 0 to 5 stars. The majority of the accommodations fall in the 3 and 4 star categories. These are hotels that have all the services you’d expect from a similar quality establishment in the USA or Europe. Most of them have:
- English speaking staff at the front desk
- Money Exchange service
- Air conditioning and TV
- Private bathrooms with hot water
- Credit cards are accepted
Outside of San Jose the hotels are usually built in an open plan, with plenty of green space and gardens. Bungalow style accommodations are common in the beach areas and in the jungle too. In San José you will find the usual city building hotels.
- Jungle Lodges and Eco Lodges
Since most visitors to Costa Rica are here to experience the wildlife, the rainforest and somehow participate in some conservation initiative, eco-lodges and other environment friendly hotels are becoming more popular.
Built at the edge or sometimes deep in the rain or cloud forest, these places focus on sustainability and appreciation of nature, the forest and wildlife. Many of them have beautiful architecture and the services are not at all rustic or poor. They usually don’t have TV and A/C, but still many of the best accommodations in the country fit in this category.
- Bed and Breakfasts
There are many excellent B and B’s in Costa Rica, and many of them offer really charming, stylish accommodations and great value. Most of them are in the suburbs of San José and many others in the mountains or on the beach. The more personal service and attention make this a great choice if you look for an experience beyond the resort and the tours.
In the afternoons, after school, they use some of our computers to learn basic English and play games to develop their math and logical thinking...
