DIY Costa Rica: booking hotels for the budget-conscious family

If Costa Rica is on your bucket list, but just thinking about planning your trip feels overwhelming – we’ve got you. Costa Rica is, hands down, *THE* most traveler-friendly country we have ever visited. (And one of the most family-friendly, too.) Costa Rica is welcoming. It is accessible. It *gets* tourism. There are many great tour companies and agents that can help you plan an amazing trip to Costa Rica (a highly recommended company we hear about time and again is Anywhere.com). But there is something to be said for getting to explore the country on your own, taking your time to enjoy the adventures, explore hidden gems, and soak in the Pura Vida vibes. Planning (and executing) your vision of Costa Rica is half the fun!

In this series DYI Costa Rica, we have put together a collection of articles to help you plan your own Costa Rica adventure the trip of a lifetime.

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I find booking hotels the most daunting part of travel planning. There are *just so many options*.

Similarly, hotel recommendations is a tricky thing to write about, because preferences are so varied for every traveler. Especially for a country like Costa Rica, where tourism is so established there are hotels for every budget and every taste everywhere you go. It is impossible to review them all, even if you live there! However, if you are planning a trip to Costa Rica, we have some helpful suggestions on booking hotels to enhance your travels, while remaining budget friendly and family friendly. This piece is part tips and part hotel review, so you can get a sense of what may or may not work for you.

Practical tip: scope out hotels *last* in your planning process

The easiest way to narrow down your options is not to even look at hotels until you have sketched out your itinerary. Where do you want to go? What to do want to do? By the time you get around to booking hotels, it won’t feel as overwhelming. (Of course, if you come across a hotel you just *have* to book, a hotel that *is* the experience – you must go ahead and book that right away. ;))

If you have a list of things you hope to do at every location, it will help determine what you need in hotel amenities. For example, we usually prefer hotels with pools. However, during our 3 night stay in Arenal, we knew we wanted to visit the hot springs. And between all the waterfalls and rivers you can swim in, it wasn’t at all necessary to have a pool.

Practical tip #2: consider spending several days at an all-inclusive resort

This might seem counter-intuitive given I just recommended planning your itinerary first and worrying about hotels later. But we suggest giving serious consideration to leaving a few days in your itinerary to chill at an all inclusive resort. If you want to spend some time “beaching”, you might as well be at a resort! While we would not recommend making your *entire* trip to Costa Rica an all-inclusive vacation, many all-inclusives in Costa Rica quote a daily rate. This gives you a few days where you don’t have to plan anything. You don’t have to worry about feeding your kids all the time. You can just relax and enjoy the pools and the beach.

While Costa Rica has many high end all-inclusive resorts, you can also find a number of mid-range all-inclusives as well. This can actually be a very budget-friendly option. In fact, we paid *less* for our all-inclusive stay at Barcelo Tambor than we did for some of the other hotels in Costa Rica! And this ended up being Big S and Lil S’s favourite beach in the entire country! (For our full review, be sure to check our post here.)

Practical tip #3: does the hotel serve breakfast?

Hotels that offer breakfasts is always a nice perk, but it is especially nice in Costa Rica. Many of Costa Rica’s attractions open *very* early in the morning, sometimes 6-7am or even earlier! If you have booked an early-ish slot for a hike or a tour, it’s convenient not to have to stop for breakfast.

Hotels with breakfasts included in the price is also a good way to budget for food on your trip.

Practical tip #4: mix and match hotels with different budgets

Overall, we are budget travellers. But we also like comfort and it’s always nice to feel pampered here and there. We usually try to mix “hostels” (hostels in quotations because we are a family of 4 and usually not staying in full-out hostels) and airbnbs with boutique hotels. Hostels are cheaper and save you money, and the kids feel like they are really on an adventure. Airbnbs are generally also cheaper and offer more space and family-friendly amenities. Boutique hotels are a treat.

What is “worth” the cost for a higher end hotel is different for everyone. For some, it might be hotels with excellent dining. For others, it might a luxurious contemporary room. In Costa Rica, you can also pay for special experiences, such a staying in a “treehouse“, or an “igloo” (although as a Canadian, the words “igloo” and “beach” just do not compute together.) For us, a beautiful sunset over the cloud forest is definitely worth a million dollars. (Not *literally*, but we will fork out for a stunning view.)

Practical tip #5: compare prices and reviews across various websites

Many hotels and airBNBs will have listings on different websites. This is a good chance for you to compare prices. But it also lets you access more reviews, and see more photos to help determine if this hotel is right for you.

As Canadians, we typically cross-reference Expedia.ca, Booking.com, airbnb.ca. Don’t forget to check out the hotel website as well. Sometimes, you can sign up for free to become a member and receive a discount. (It doesn’t commit you to anything besides receiving the occasional promotional email, which you can choose to unsubscribe.)

Practical tip #6: you don’t need to find the perfect hotel

Don’t stress too much about picking out the “perfect” hotel. Especially in Costa Rica, you will find a slew of comparable hotels offering similar amenities at every destination. You can easily spend hours debating the details. The reality is, you won’t know exactly what you’re in for until you get there. And you will never know if another hotel may have been an even better option. As long as your hotel delivers on all its promised amenities, this is a win. Enjoy what it does have to offer. On the off chance it isn’t what you expected, keep in mind you’ll only be there for a couple of days before you move on.

“Kid friendly” hotel considerations

Hotels just out of the town centre

If you have a car, we feel the most family-friendly hotels are almost out of the downtown core. The surroundings are quieter, especially for kids who sleep earlier, need to nap, or are sensitive to noise at night. Hotels away from downtown also see less traffic, and have more space for kids to run around and play. They typically have a more laid-back, relaxed vibe.

Generally, you don’t want to be more than 5-10 minutes away from town, though. (Which is doable almost anywhere in Costa Rica.) Any further, and it becomes a hassle to get into town, whether to sightsee, eat at restaurants, or shop for groceries and souvenirs.

Hotels with large grounds and lots of green space

Staying somewhere where the kids can *move* is so important. We always want plenty of downtime at the hotel when traveling, so kids can burn off steam and just play, and adults can relax and recharge. Activities on property are good too, but sometimes it’s nice for the kids just to be able to free play.

There are so many hotels in Costa Rica with lots of green space. Many have access to gardens, fruit trees, and animals directly on property. Our kids definitely loved the hotels as much as they loved the attractions in Costa Rica.

POOL

Hotels with pools are a huge bonus. Pools give kids and parents another way to play *and* relax, especially in a tropical destination like Costa Rica. If our hotel has a nice pool, we always carve out time on our trip just to have a pool day.

However, like we alluded to before, because Costa Rica offers a whole host of water activities, you might not actually care to have a pool at some locations. We also found Monteverde was so high up in the mountains, it never felt hot enough for us to want to swim.

Animals

Seeing animals on property was one of the highlights of our trip. We recommend picking hotels frequented by animals – reviews will usually rave about the animals on site.

Kitchen

We found that most hotels in Costa Rica include a little kitchen area, with a fridge, microwave, sink, plates/utensils. It’s very useful having access to a kitchen when traveling with kids, because kids – at least our kids – are hungry all the time. We almost always had leftovers on hand we could quickly heat up, and stopped for groceries at every destination for quick meals and snacks. There is a ton of fresh fruit in Costa Rica our kids kept wanting to try (including coconuts right off the trees).

Laundry machine

We *always* choose a hotel with a laundry machine +/- dryer (usually an airbnb) at least once per trip. We pack light, so the kids really only have clothes for 7-10 days at a time. Even if you do pack a lot, Costa Rica has lots of opportunity for kids to get muddy, wet, and dirty.

Not as many hotels in Costa Rica have dryers. You may need to be prepared to dry your clothes on a clothesline.

Our Costa Rica hotel experiences

San Jose – Hotel Mango

We chose Hotel Mango solely for the convenience of being a 5 minutes drive from the airport (you can see the runways from the hotel). It was also a 5 minute walk from the car rental agency. We flew in late at night the day of our arrival, and left early in the morning the day of departure, and did not plan to see much more of San Jose.

Cost: $142 CAD / night (family of 4) – 1 night at the beginning and end of our trip. Booked through Expedia

Pros: This budget hotel (or maybe “motel” by North American standards) met all of our needs. The beds were comfortable. There was a pool, and the kids loved the hammock chairs. Best of all, hot breakfast (traditional and North American options) was included. There is also a pizzeria to grab a quick dinner. The large mango tree on site was a huge hit with the kids. The staff even helped them pick a mango from the tree to have for dessert.

Cons: The hotel is by a busy thoroughfare road, and planes fly almost overhead, so it can get loud at times. Also, keep in mind while the hotel suggests a “$3 USD” taxi fare from the airport, it is unlikely you will be find one willing to take you such a short distance. Be prepared to pay $8 – 10 USD. (The hotel does have a shuttle to take you to the airport.)

Tortuguero – Caribbean View

This was the most “hostel” like hotel of our trip. We chose it as it was right off the beach, which the kids LOVED. The rooms, while basic, are spacious – our room had 2 single-over-double bunk beds, so we had our pick of where to sleep! There is also a well equipped kitchen.

Cost: $193 CAD/ 2 nights – this is true hostel prices… basically $25 CAD per person per night! Booked through booking.com

Pros: We absolutely loved the hammock area right by the beach, where we could relax, read a book, and listen to the waves. The beach itself, while you can’t swim, was the longest and most beautiful stretch of beach we encountered in Costa Rica. The almond trees right in front of the hotel meant we were constantly getting animal visitors, especially parrots! We were able to reserve our animal and National Park tours directly through the hotel, and this was very easy to do.

Cons: This hotel is not easy to find from the main Tortuguero docks in town. It’s about a 10 minute walk, which is not insignificant when you’re wheeling around your luggage with kids in tow and don’t really know where you’re going. (For our departure, we requested the boat to pick us up from a residential dock just behind the hotel. I am not sure whether it is possible to request this for arrival, as the boat skippers speak very little English.) There are many staff in Tortuguero, even in tourism, that speak limited English. When checking in, both the staff and I had to bust out of phone translators to communicate information about next day’s tours.

This hotel is certainly not the most convenient. But it was our most “adventurous” (and a throwback to our child-free travel days. :P) *For options that are more family friendly, be sure to check out our 2 Days in Tortuguero itinerary post.

Arenal – Las Pavitas Cottages

I came across a travel blog that recommended these humble cottages as an option, and we totally fell in love with the location. Las Pavitas is a cluster of cottages at the top of a steep hill. It offers incredible views of Arenal volcano on a clear day. We had a spacious living room and kitchen, 2 bedrooms, and lots of green space for the kids to run around. The location is around 20 minutes outside of La Fortuna, and conveniently between the town and many of Arenal’s attractions (Tabacon, Arenal Volcano, Mistico Hanging Bridges).

Cost: $300 USD for 3 nights (totally worth it for how much space we had). Booked through booking.com

Pros: This little airbnb felt like a getaway. While basic, we loved having our own rooms. It was quiet and peaceful. We loved just sitting on the patio admiring the greenery and eating snacks, watching vultures swooping overhead. We also made use of the laundry machine here. The host’s grandmother made us a full Costa Rican breakfast one day. The same family also owns Jalapas restaurant just a stone’s throw away, which was the best meal we had in Costa Rica.

Cons: Getting here. Las Pavitas is just a couple kilometres up from the Springs Resort, but the road past the Resort is an unpaved, uphill drive that was always a bit nerve-wracking, even with a 4×4. It is also not the easiest to find, as there are multiple Las Pavitas properties scattered in the area.

Monteverde – Flor de Bromelia

This was our favourite stay in Costa Rica. We could not get over the views of the mountains, and you can see all the way to the coast. The hotel has a rustic vibe, although you are paying boutique prices – but it was worth it for the tranquility, the scenery, and the animals we saw every day. It is around 5 minutes by car from the main town of Santa Elena. For our full review, be sure to check our our hotel spotlight on Flor de Bromelia.

Cost: $917 CAD for 3 nights. Booked through Expedia.

Pros: We hung out at this hotel everyday. Although there is no pool, there is so much enclosed green space and so many animals on site daily, including capuchin monkeys, coatis, and agoutis. The staff at this hotel were so lovely, and even took the kids out to look for animals. The hotel also provided an excellent hot breakfast every morning. But it was the views that really stole the show. We caught sunset from our balcony every day, and it was relaxing just to watch the clouds of the famous “cloud forests” float by.

Cons: this hotel is obviously quite a bit more expensive than our previous ones – definitely a splurge. And as we mentioned, you are not paying for a luxury room. This is very much a rustic, escape-to-nature kind of vibe.

Paquera – Barcelo Tambor, all inclusive

While we had mixed feelings about this mid-range resort, the kids absolutely loved it. This was the most swimmable beach we encountered anywhere in Costa Rica, and our kids were out there from morning to evening. And it was a nice change of pace to just “beach”, and not have to worry about planning an itinerary or figuring out where to eat.

Cost: $ 1070 CAD / 3 nights. Booked through the Barcelo Tambor website. (I signed up to become a Barcelo member several years ago, and booked through a birthday discount.)

Pros: As we mentioned, the beach was really the highlight of our stay here. Our kids borrowed boogie boards, and I’ve quite literally never seen them that gleeful. The water was calm enough I didn’t have to worry about the kids being swept out in the undertow, but still enough waves to boogie board. We also loved the parrots constantly swooping through the palm trees overhead. The pools were nice as well – while not huge, they never felt overcrowded.

Cons: the food. I know, not really what you want to hear at an all inclusive, but the food here is really average. There is a good selection, and lots of food, but nothing memorable, even at the speciality steakhouse we ate at one evening. (The resort had a great smoothie bar though, and it was nice to have drink options that were non alcoholic.)

Manuel Antonio – Costa Verde

Costa Verde feels like a resort with boutique vibes. Quaint little villas sprawled across the Manuel Antonio hillside, with several pools and beautiful gardens. There are even units here *in* old defunct planes. There are several restaurants nearby, including the infamous El Avion and El Wagon pizzeria, all owned by the same people. Costa Verde is a 5 minute drive down to the beach, and 10 minutes away from the National Park.

Cost: $529 CAD for 2 nights. Booked through the Costa Verde hotel website.

Pros: The pool here was definitely a highlight. There is a pool per “neighbourhood”, surrounded by greenery and most times we had ours to ourselves. It felt like swimming in the jungle. There are often playful spider monkey running about or agoutis rustling in the gardens. We ate at El Avion and El Wagon, and Anaconda for breakfast, All the restaurants were delicious, with lovely ocean views. (Be sure to watch out for sneaky monkeys). There is also a mini “zip-line coaster” down the street, which the kids loved.

Cons: Not much to complain about here. It maybe felt a little “touristy”, but so does much of Manuel Antonio. This was a great stay for a pretty decent price, and a good way to end our Costa Rica trip!