66 Best Hotels in Costa Rica

Situated on 3 acres with private nature trails, these completely updated casita duplexes with large windows, separate bedrooms, porches, and luxe linens are lovely, but it's the top-notch service that sets Senda apart. The parklike setting is made even better by views of the Gulf of Nicoya at the top of the property. Check out their complimentary cooking and yoga classes. The property is wheelchair accessible.

With its own adventure park, hot-springs complex, and activities for all ages, this resort caters to both hotel guests and the outside public with day passes to its massive grounds. Near-perfect volcano views from individual balconies, a 14,000-square-foot spa, and rustically elegant rooms all contribute to a sense of well-being at this luxurious and remote retreat. The sky is the limit in furnishings (and price) as you work your way up to the suites and villas—additional rooms, arched sky-lighted ceilings, and hot tubs are among the amenities. Even the standard rooms have surround-sound speaker systems and huge balconies facing the volcano. Below the property is Club Río, an outdoor adventure park with kayaking, horseback riding, rock climbing, rappelling, hiking, and a wildlife preserve for rescued animals. Visitors are transported up and down the hill by shuttle bus, and many of the hot-spring pools are surrounded by the kind of artificial rocks and boulders you see in amusement parks.

At one of Central America's most relaxing and romantic resorts, it's the hot springs and lovely spa, coupled with attractive rooms, that customarily draw happy guests inland from the ocean. Most rooms have a terrace, all with either volcano or garden views. Luxurious touches include nightly turndown service, bathrobes, a minibar, a movie library, and free access to the hotel's hot springs (day passes for nonguests cost $89). Updated rooms provide respite after a day's adventuring. As the most romantic and beautifully designed hot-spring facility in the area, the 20 pools tend to get crowded with outside visitors. For a break from the public, hotel guests have access to the Shangri-La Gardens, an exclusive adults-only hideaway. The hot springs and spa are actually 300 meters east of the hotel; you can either walk from your room or take the complimentary shuttle.

These modern 1,000-square-foot villas, on the rainforested peak overlooking Costa Ballena and the "whale tail," feel lavish and luxurious; each has indoor and outdoor showers and large soaking tub, private terraces with infinity plunge pool, posh beds, and heavenly views. If you ever leave your room, you can join the other guests at the hotel pool and lounge, restaurant, well-maintained hiking trails on 12 acres, or jungle yoga shala. Unlike some other boutique hotels in the area, this one welcomes children.

Incorporating Costa Rican culture at every turn, this convivial, unique member of the W chain leaves no detail overlooked, from the "forest" of guanacaste trees at the pool and restaurant, to the "pineapple" elevator tower. The circular parking area is shaped like a bull ring, a traditional Guanacasteco pastime. The bright and splashy decor, including at the three dining options, takes its cue from the oxcart, another customary Costa Rican emblem. There are two massive pools; one in the main dining area with a pool deck and one at the beach club, which leads to turquoise waters lapping onto a sugar sand beach, plus a more private pool in the cushy spa. The rooms are inviting, with sumptuous bedding, bars made of real surfboards, and colossal bathrooms; most units have ocean views. The immense suites will blow you away with private pools, one-and-a-half baths, foosball tables, and mini kegs of Heineken in the minibar. Parents will love the (free) kids' club—the only one in the W Hotel chain.

This vast all-inclusive property is set on 2,400 acres with nearly every vacation wish granted, from lagoon-style pools and a picture-perfect beach to eight restaurants and a championship golf course. In the labyrinthine guest village, the ocean tends to disappear and the only views are of lush gardens and other buildings exactly like yours. The split-level Spanish colonial–style villas have huge marble bathrooms and sophisticated sitting rooms equipped with plasma TVs. The Royal Beach rooms are even posher, closer to the beach, and have their own shared pool and a private concierge. There's a kids' club, babysitting service, and a section of suites dedicated to families. The resort also has the largest—and perhaps warmest—pool in Central America. Grown-ups can amuse themselves sailing, snorkeling, kayaking, playing tennis, or rejuvenating at the spa. Restaurants range from Asian fusion to Italian (dinner reservations required). If you're into the beach, try to get booked into Bungalow 1, 2, or 3.