2025 – Costa Rica Trip Recap

Costa Rica was incredible.

This post is just for you. It’s all of the details with none of the polish (or fluff).

How long was the trip? Where did I go?

This trip was about 10 days.

• La Fortuna – 5 nights because we got a 5th night free, but also because friends told us they wished they’d spent more time here. There is a lot to do in La Fortuna.
• Monteverde- 2 nights. It was enough, but a 3rd night wouldn’t have been bad either.
• Papagayo Beach – 4 nights. This was at the new Waldorf Astoria property. It had only been open 3 days when we arrived (not intentionally). So, it was pretty incredible.

La Fortuna

• Excellent birding, sloth tours, etc
• Lots of adventure activities: ziplines, canyoneering, white water rafting, etc.
• The hot springs are really fun. I stayed at Tabacon, so I went there. But there are free hot springs nearby if you don’t want to pay for it (it’s not cheap)
• The town of La Fortuna is pretty touristy. So, it’s busy and parking can be hard. It’s popular for a reason, though, so it wasn’t a problem.

Monteverde

• So many cool birds. I saw so many hummingbirds!
• This is a great place to be outside and enjoy nature
• Smaller and more laid back than La Fortuna. This made it my favorite place to be.

Papagayo

• The property made this really nice.
• Some good tours, but any attractions are kind of a long drive away from the beach.
• Excellent for relaxing and time in the sun!

Tours and Guides You Should Go With

First, none of these are affiliates. I just had a good time, and I want you to have a good time too.

• La Fortuna – For birding tours, nature tours, or night tours. This guy was incredible. There is a WhatsApp and an email on his IG. WhatsApp was super easy.
• Monteverde- One of the best tour guides I’ve ever met. Seriously, top 2 (and I’ve done A LOT of tours). We first had 2 tours with him, but we changed our plans and planned a third tour with him. After 15 minutes of day one, I knew it was going to be incredible. If you plan to be in Monteverde at all, this is your guy.
• Papagayo – La Leona waterfall was recommended, and it was truly incredible. It was such a fun day. Lots of tour companies do it, but this group has earned its rating. No notes. It was amazing.

Getting Around Costa Rica

You can do this trip using transfers if you don’t want to drive. But driving wasn’t bad, so it’s 100% doable in a rental car.

If you’re going from La Fortuna to Monteverde (or vice versa), you will want 4-wheel drive. That road is gravel and full of potholes. But, otherwise easy to navigate.

Google Maps worked well. Just download the maps so you have them offline, since service is spotty at best in between cities.

We read about and then ran into people who had terrible rental car experiences. Everything from charging for insurance, even though the credit card coverage met the requirements, to the car not starting. Both are good ways to cause stress that I didn’t have to deal with.

We went with Vamos after seeing them on Reddit. We had a very smooth experience, and the car was great. So, I’d recommend working with them.

Where I Stayed

This was an anniversary trip, so we splurged. I had a lot of Hilton points and some free night certificates we were using. There are tons of good options. Air BnBs are good here too.

• La Fortuna- Tabacon Thermal Resort and Spa
  • It was a great deal with points. The breakfast was so good. I loved being able to use the hot springs every night instead of paying to spend a long day there. Comfortable rooms. Great service.
• Monteverde- Senda Monteverde
  • Excellent gluten-free options
  • They have gardens around the property, so you can see birds as you walk around.
  • Connected to a nature reserve and you get free entry. We saw a ton of cool birds and only had an hour or so to spend there.
  • The room was great. Excellent service. The staff here was so kind!
• Papagayo – The Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique
  • This was the true splurge of the anniversary trip. There are lots of properties around this part of the country. But, if you’re looking to use some Hilton points, it was incredible!
  • Top tier service, great rooms, the pools are so nice, and the gym was great.
  • They did really well with gluten-free options at each of the restaurants on site.
  • Service you’d expect from a Waldorf- 10/10

Gluten-Free in Costa Rica

It was easy to be gluten-free in Costa Rica. I found lots of good options and restaurants that understood the difference between gluten-free and what I needed as a Celiac.

I came home with snacks, so that’s a true sign of a great gluten-free trip.

This is my Find Me Gluten Free collection. I reviewed every restaurant I ate at on the app.

If you don’t want to eat out, look on Airbnb. There were lots available. I was planning to stay in Airbnbs to have a kitchen until I found some points deals and decided to splurge on an anniversary trip.

Is Costa Rica Expensive?

It wasn’t expensive, but it wasn’t as cheap as other places I’ve been in Central and South America. They have a stronger economy, so their currency has gained strength. But it wasn’t outrageous or anything.

I did notice that portion sizes were super big at restaurants. We didn’t go hungry

Would I go back?

Yes! It’s already on the list to go back and explore the other side of the country. There are so many amazing national parks that we didn’t get to see. The people were great, it was easy to get around, and it was just a truly beautiful country.