97 Best Hotels in Costa Rica

Opened in 2022, this beachfront hotel gave Samara the boutique boost it needed with a courtyard setting offering a bit of intimacy, yet close enough to the Costa Rican action. After a day in the surf, the outdoor shower and small pool are a great way to wash away the salt, or you can lounge in the sand on the private day beds. In bustling Samara, the security and parking are a welcomed bonus, as is the large breakfast included in the reasonable room rate. Although basic, most rooms have a/c and Wi-Fi, and even a full kitchen when booking one of the two apartments.

A few blocks from the beach, this family-focused property boasts three swimming pools, equipped kitchens, and comfortable rooms of varying size and style. Bright, pastel-hued standard rooms have two queen-size beds and most have kitchenettes; top-floor rooms have a small living room with checkered sofas and a double bed; the cozy split-level rooms with kitchenettes and stone walls are reminiscent of European bed-and-breakfasts. The Dutch owner is dedicated to cleanliness and provides lots of amenities, such as poolside grills, a kids' game room, a large open-air reading lounge, and inexpensive tours. If you don't mind the climb, request an upstairs room with a balcony overlooking the pool.

Built around a tropical garden, this pretty collection of bungalows is clean and comfortable, making this laid-back spot a great option for families. There are orthopedic mattresses, air-conditioning, and ceiling fans, with screened windows if you prefer fresh air at night. Some rooms are rather dark, but the patios with hammocks and the lovely pool offer bright alternatives by day. This is one of the few hotels built around a tropical garden; guests are welcome to pick bananas poolside. Their popular bar Monkey La-La has a happy hour from 4 to 6, and live music on Monday and Saturday. 

Simple but spacious rooms are a short walk from the beach and are surrounded by green lawns bordered on two sides by the tall trees of Manuel Antonio National Park. It's worth splurging for Unit 31, a large room with a Jacuzzi. A small blue-tile pool and patio have a pleasant adjacent bar area. Directly behind are private walking trails within the hotel's reserve, and a large, open-air restaurant specializing in seafood dishes, particularly local tuna.

Pastel-color, round cabinas are sprinkled across sunny lawns strewn with tropical plants at this gorgeous oceanfront place with a huge round pool. Each bungalow has curvy tile bathrooms plus built-in, molded-concrete sofas with soft cushions that can double as extra beds. There's no air-conditioning in three of the rooms, but conical thatch roofs keep the cabinas cool. The larger suite-bungalows do have air-conditioning, as well as a king-size bed and two singles, plus a refrigerators, coffeemaker, and a large wooden deck with hammocks. Ocean tidal pools, swimming holes, and rock reefs provide plenty of opportunities for lazy afternoon exploration. This is great for surfers, with a surf shop and good break right in front of the hotel. The round restaurant serves typical food with a few Continental dishes under a giant thatch roof. Hotel staff can arrange canopy and horseback tours. Surf packages are also available. During rainy season, it is highly recommended to have 4WD to reach this property.

A largely American clientele looking for all the downtown hubbub enjoys the medium-price business-class accommodations here. The presidente referred to here is John F. Kennedy, who walked by during his 1963 visit as the hotel was under construction. Each of the comfortable rooms has one double and one single bed. The rooftop terrace, Azotea Calle 7, serves as a calm oasis and a great place to stop by for a drink. The Presidente has spearheaded efforts to encourage other San José lodgings to follow its lead in reducing their environmental footprint—not bad for a hotel located smack-dab in the center of the city.

This country inn a few miles outside of Turrialba offers peace and quiet, a rural feel, and friendly owners and staff. The gardens and pool are terrific places to kick back and relax after a day of sightseeing. Each room comes with private terrace, mini-refrigerator, hardwood floors, and two queen-size beds. The two superior rooms are brighter than the standard ones and a better bet when available. One room is fully wheelchair accessible.

You'd never expect to find such a quiet, homey oasis smack-dab in the middle of a suburban business neighborhood, but here it is. The hotel's buildings date from 2008, but they are constructed in the style of typical 19th-century Costa Rican coffee-plantation houses. The structures surround a garden courtyard where breakfast is served. Standard rooms and suites are bright and cheery, with tiled floors and king- or queen-size beds, and the suites have kitchenettes with refrigerators and microwaves for not much more money. Breakfast is not included in the suite price however. Santa Ana is warm enough that you'll appreciate the pool and air-conditioning here, too. Special rates are available for long-term stays.

This small bay-side hotel overlooking the beach and almost hidden behind flowering hedges is the most comfortable and reasonably priced place to stay in the village of Drake. There are economic rooms—all featuring a/c and private baths with hot showers—that open onto an elevated, shared terrace with bay views and breezes. But there's a price for those views: 185 steps to climb. All the rooms have tiled floors. Guests get to leave their artistic signatures on painted driftwood mobiles that decorate the open-air restaurant where breakfast (included) and day-long meals are served. The on-site diving operation is well run, so the lodge is often filled with groups of divers swapping diving tales around the bar.

Four octagonal wood bungalows are scattered around the secluded wooded property, with its wonderfully cool surroundings (no air-conditioning is needed). Half of each structure is given over to the room itself with screen door, large windows, ceiling fan, and bright bathrooms with basin sinks. A comfy porch with a hammock for relaxing takes up the other half. In the center of it all sits a pleasant thatch-roof lounge area, and the sounds of monkeys, toucans, and iguanas can be heard throughout the property.

This sophisticated lodging offers dark-wood queen or king rooms in units scattered around a coffee plantation. Junior suites are the best value; they’re more spacious than standard rooms and come with a kitchenette, but don't cost much more. The ample master suites are more expansive still and come with a fireplace. Although affiliated with the restaurant of the same name, the hotel is secluded from the weekend dining crowds.

Papito's raised cabins extend back into the property's wooded grounds and are furnished with whimsical, bright, tropical-blue-and-zebra-stripe prints. Breakfast, with an extra cost of $8, is served at the table on your own porch, which also has a hammock or swing chair. Pamper yourself at the small on-site spa. You'll get a small discount on the room rate if you pay in cash, and you can find a lot of online-only specials, too.

Nicely decorated cottages are scattered around 25 acres on Arenal's northeast shore at the point where the volcano begins to disappear from sight, but the lake views (and the sunsets) remain as spectacular as ever. Split-level cottages are extremely cozy, with sunken living rooms and dining areas separated from two bedrooms on the top level. Bathrooms feature fine details such as Italian tiles and ceilings made from almond wood. Every cottage has two rooms, Wi-Fi, satellite TV, a safe, and king-size beds. A three-bedroom villa is available for extended stays. An infinity pool and enormous Jacuzzi overlook emerald valleys where sheep and cows graze by day. The on-site bistro specializes in European cuisine. As befits such a secluded place, bird-watching opportunities abound.

This cluster of bungalows, nestled on the edge of the national park and also just a short walk from the beach, is as close as you'll get to sleeping in the park. The palm-thatched terraces face the small pool and lush greenery of the rainforest, which is regularly animated by troops of squirrel monkeys and other animals. The main building holds three spacious apartments and a fully equipped casita on the second floor with two bedrooms and two baths. Complimentary breakfast and thin-crust pizza are served in a small restaurant. If space is available, last-minute discounts are generally offered for spontaneous travelers.

Several bright, airy, homey cottages and suites scatter around a garden property here and make a great base for exploring the area or staying that first or last night in Costa Rica. It’s a mix of suites and a large apartment—attached to the main building—and two cottages here. All are decorated in bright tropical pastels, and while most of the units are blissfully peaceful, the El Nido does get noise from the nearby busy road. The attentive owners are on-site to tend to your needs. Grecia lies the same distance from the international airport as you would be if you were staying in San José. It’s just in the opposite direction.

It might come as a surprise to find such attractive and comfortable rooms, with nice appointments and high ceilings, in so remote a place, but the lack of pretense and laid-back atmosphere fit right into the surroundings on the east side of the reserve. The lodge has a variety of meal options; most guests opt for taking all meals here, since there are few other restaurants in town. Two- and three-day packages are available for anglers and nonanglers alike. Bird-watching and boat tours of the wetlands are the most popular activities. If you want to catch a glimpse of monkeys, request a far-end room facing the forest. A snazzy pool makes the perfect escape from the heat here.

Less than a five-minute saunter to the sea, this Spanish colonial adults-only hotel has clean, modern rooms that surround a pool. There's a beer garden and restaurant, yoga classes, and activities like movie night, so there are plenty of opportunities to make friends. The rooms are a bit bare-bones, but there is good Wi-Fi and air conditioning.

Though still within sight of the Puerto Viejo–Manzanillo road, this French-owned place delivers a get-away-from-it-all nature experience within the confines of the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge at a fraction of the cost of other Costa Rican eco-lodges. It's so cool and shady here that the ceiling fans were never installed, as no one ever needed them. Cozy wood cabins are simply furnished with two beds and mosquito netting and have colorful spreads and drapes. The houses here can be rented by the week or month too. Personal touches, such as breakfast brought to the porch of your cabin, are standard. The bungalows are joined by a kitchen and are ideal for renting by a group or family. The folks here frequently offer last-minute online-only packages. Rates include free use of bikes, subject to availability.

A paradise for resplendent quetzals, this rustic but comfortable lodge is amid cloud-enshrouded mountains and valleys with 16 km (10 miles) of hiking and birding trails through ancient oak forests dripping with moss and epiphytes. Cozy bungalows, each set in splendid isolation, have picture windows and modern bathrooms and some have hot tubs and king-size beds, dehumidifiers, and TVs. Nighttime temperatures drop into the 40s at this high altitude (about 8,700 feet) and you'll be happy for the electric heaters and hot-water showers. The main lodge has a large fireplace and an observation gallery abuzz with brilliant hummingbirds that aren't the least bit fazed by onlookers. Meals are simple but hearty, and an espresso machine guarantees excellent coffee. A bird-photography shelter is equipped with battery-charging stations and natural backdrops and feeders to attract photogenic birds ($10).

Extremely well-informed, helpful owners and proximity to the airport (15 minutes) make this a good place to begin and end a trip, and thanks to its location on a ridge north of town, several of its rooms have views of Poás Volcano. All of them offer tranquility and abundant birdsong. The two rooms in the main house have the best views, but casitas (little houses) scattered around the large garden offer more privacy. These bright and cheery bungalows have small terraces with chairs where guests, typically well traveled, lounge. Continental breakfasts and delicious dinners (by reservation) are served on a covered terrace behind the house. Ask about their books-for-schools program.

The most comfortable way to experience the birds and wildlife of the Tempisque wetlands is to roost at this eco-boutique hotel, a luxurious version of a traditional hacienda, set in a private reserve directly across from Palo Verde National Park. Rooms and suites in the handsome, modern ranch are startlingly modern, combining a stark, Mondrian palette of red, black, and cream with an interesting mix of contemporary furniture, antiques, local collectibles, and large-scale wildlife paintings. You can take a guided tour along earthen dikes through a spectacular wetland, teeming with raptors and aquatic birds, along with crocodiles, wild boar, and deer (included with the price of the room). Beds and linens are top drawer, and bathrooms are spacious and sleek, with vessel sinks and rainforest shower heads. All rooms have air-conditioning and huge picture windows with screens, and most have private decks. There's a large deck with a curvaceous pool featuring a mosaic of a jabirú, the red-necked stork that serious birders hope to see here. Staff are a little shy but very accommodating. Meals, included in the rate along with the wetlands tour, aim at sophistication but aren't quite there yet. The feast for your eyes is the main event here; be sure to bring binoculars and cameras.

In one of the most beautiful mountain settings imaginable, this yoga-centric riverside lodge, reminiscent of a Himalayan temple, is pure pleasure, from the lush flower gardens to the sophisticated room design to the open-air yoga studio within sound of the rushing river. The two-story lodge has six double rooms with two single beds each and modern bathrooms; five suites and casitas offer more privacy and self-catering facilities. Breakfast is included and dinner is by reservation. You can order a packed lunch or be on your own for lunch. You can soak in the swimming pool and hot tub or cool off in a natural river pool.

Tranquil, comfortable, and nicely priced, this small hotel and spa a short walk from the beach is consistently the best deal in Malpaís. Red-tile-roof bungalows here are simple yet tasteful, with high wooden ceilings, large bathrooms, lots of windows, front terraces, Wi-Fi, and air-conditioning. Some bungalows, arranged in a semicircle around the large amoeba-shape pool and gardens, have views of the sea and the jungle. Two smaller rooms are a bargain, or there's a kitchen-equipped studio that sleeps four. The reasonably priced Italian restaurant in front of the property is open for breakfast and dinner and serves more than two-dozen types of pizza (you can also design your own) plus tapas. There are also fresh fish dishes with a selection of sauces, and tasty pasta offerings such as farfalle with fish and shrimp curry sauce. There's a pleasant yoga deck and best of all, the hotel fronts a paved road, so there are no clouds of dust to contend with, and you can actually hear birds singing.

One of the few hotels right on the beach, this small inn has lofty, breezy bungalows with air-conditioned bedrooms perfect for folks who love the open air and looking down on the beach action. Guests climb up wood stairs to the separate "tree house" cabins, each set on tree-trunk pillars with hammocks slung between at ground level, plus a table and two beach chairs and a barbecue grill set out on small patches of grass. Each cabina has a kitchenette, ceiling fan, and unscreened wall-size window to let in as much sea air as possible. Mosquito nets over the beds protect from any unwanted visitors at night. Two ground-floor cabinas by the pool and Jacuzzi have air-conditioning. There's a bar by the pool and breakfast is served at nearby tables shaded by a thatched roof. There's safe parking for six cars.

Within the Centro Neotrópico Sarapiquís, an environmental educational center and garden, you can stay the night inside indigenous-inspired circular palenque (huts) with thatched roofs. The eco-friendly buildings reflect the center's commitment to sustainability, and for a fee guests have access to a botanical garden, forest preserve, and other facilities and nature-themed activities. Rooms are well sized and decorated with pre-Columbian-style art and wrought-iron furniture. Air-conditioning is an option here for an extra cost.

Even if you’ve had your fill of flights to Costa Rica, this boutique hotel housed inside a refurbished airplane is one experience you’ll be bragging about for years. Modern and sleek, the stark-white main cabin has two queen beds with a bathroom that would make designer Philippe Starck proud. The retired Allegro aircraft features a private terrace with access to Ricar2 Restaurant and a large swimming pool. Perks like Wi-Fi, TV, and a/c will make you feel right at home. The bad news is that your “hotel” is parked beside the busy road near Dominical. The good news is that epic waves are just five minutes away.

Located 25 km (15½ miles) northeast of La Cruz, this remote eco-estate is made up of four hillside bungalows with stunning volcano views and a backdrop of Lake Nicaragua. Built on stilts, each wooden bungalow on this working organic farm has a private balcony where early risers are greeted by hummingbirds, toucans, and monkeys. Owners Adrien and Fahimeh make you feel like part of the family. Rattan furnishings decorate spacious rooms, complete with wooden showers, quality linens, and organic soaps. All bungalows have either two or three bedrooms and can accommodate between five and seven people. Guests are welcome to experience life on the farm during one of their workshops, ranging from milking cows to tilling fields. Despite the bumpy road, half the fun is getting here since the owners will gladly transport guests in a 4WD vehicle, on horseback, or in an oxcart from La Cruz free of charge. A variety of unique tours and activities are offered including archery, night hikes, a hike to waterfalls, and more. Considering the remote location and delicious food, it's a good idea to request the full-board option, with breakfast, lunch, a three-course dinner, and half-day activity with a nature guide for $99 per person per day.

Set in a riotous garden filled with fuchsias, hydrangeas, and hummingbirds, Trogón Lodge is more picturesque hideaway than hiking-heavy destination. It has comfortable wooden cabins with white-tile bathrooms with rain shower heads and beds topped with snow-white duvets, flannel sheets, and rafts of plumped-up pillows; electric heaters and extra blankets also guard against the chilly mountain nights. One superior suite perched in solitary splendor has a king-size bed and a whirlpool tub with a panoramic view. Excellent meals featuring fresh trout are served at tree-trunk tables in a cozy restaurant with a wood stove, and a bar and dining terrace gaze out over the trout ponds and the river. Quetzal-watching along 3 km (1.8 miles) of trails, and waterfall hikes are some of the diversions.