Two-week Intiniary: Days 10-14

Day 10-12 drive to Jaco beach (North back the way you went) pay for surf lessons from one of the hotels there. I have never stayed a single night at Jaco Beach but I have gone there for the day and surfed there. Not exactly in Jaco Beach, but in the area. A quick search of google and you can find a lot of options for Jaco. there is also a Best Western in Jaco that I have heard is nice.


Day 13 - Drive back to San Jose - about 3 hours. Pass the day in San Jose - if you missed central market - this would be a good time to go and pick up souvineers.

Day 14 - Fly home.

What about the Atlantic Coast

I am less familiar with the atlantic coast, but I  have been to the Atlantic Coast a few times. It is not that far from San Jose and you could make a good 6 day trip out of Limon, Cauhita and Puerto Viejo.

We drove to Limon, but we did not stop in this town and then drove onto Cahuita.  The drive was very nice... I do not recall exactly how long it took us to get there, but it was about 2 hours


Cahuita is very small, but we had a nice relaxing time there. There is a protected national park that runs South from Cahuita and we stayed in a hotel at the entrance of the park. I have since heard that this hotel was torn down due to it being in a protected beach zone.

We then spent an evening in Puerto Viejo, which I enjoyed the most. It has a more laid back and rustic feel then the Pacific Coast with a strong Carribean vibe. I saw several hotels that looked promising, but did not visit any.

I just want to go to the Beach

Another option if you just want to go to a resort or to the beach is to go to a resort. I have stayed in three in the area, Hilton Double Tree in Puntareanas (Formerly La Fiesta). I was there last, it is my current favorite, it is also all inclusive. The beach itself leaves a lot to be desired, but the resort is great, food is good lots of activities, a little casino, a night club. The pools were amazing.

FOAM PARTY AT LA FIESTA - July 2010

 Another option is the Marriott Los Suenos resort. I have been once about three years ago. It was not all inclusive, but it was beautiful. It was very new at the time and has a golf course. However, at least when I was there, there was absolutely zero to do except for lay by the pool, work out in the gym, or play golf. So in the evening there was nothing to do, they did not even have music in the bar. We were very bored there. The third resort is Tambor, which is you can only reach by taking the ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera and then driving about 20 minutes down the coast. I have stayed there few times. It is nice, but getting a little dated, also all inclusive. Food is ok, facilities are nice, pool is nice. Beach is pretty good. Some activities onsite. There is a nearby golf course.

There are several resorts in Guanacaste (about 4-5 hour drive northwest of San Jose, I have not stayed in any I am crazy about, but I have also not stayed in any expensive ones. There is a resort called La Conchal, which is beautiful, but also very huge, I have been to the beach which is made up of tiny white sea shells, almost no sand (beaches are open to public in Costa Rica). There is also a Four Seasons Resort in the Papagayo area, have not been, but passed by it in a boat, looks incredible.