250 Best Hotels in Costa Rica

Location, views, and the all-inclusive price make this the best family deal in Drake Bay, with kid-friendly grounds, lots of flat, open space for romping, plus a refreshing saltwater swimming pool and rocky tidal pools to explore. The neat wooden cabins, which have modern tile bathrooms and hot showers, are lined up camp-style, spread out over landscaped grounds with mature trees, an ornamental fish pond, and fruit trees that attract birds and monkeys. Each building has three attractive rooms that come with firm queen-size beds, supported by wooden bedposts carved in animal shapes. Every room has air-conditioning and screened windows letting in cool ocean breezes. All but one of the cabins are easily accessible on foot or by wheelchair. The "honeymoon" cottage is perched on a ridge overlooking the ocean. Meals are satisfying and delicious, featuring poultry, eggs, and pork from the owners' nearby mountain farm, fresh fish and seafood, creative salads and pastas, and homemade breads and cakes. The bar serves free snacks at sunset, and there is always coffee, tea, and snacks available in the dining room. Laundry service is included—a real plus in this humid climate. Kayaks are at your disposal for exploring the river. Most guests come to see the rainforest, but you can also opt for scuba diving, sportfishing, and dolphin- and whale-watching tours. There are several packages, with the most basic including meals, laundry, tours, and transportation from Drake.

With one of the most spectacular ocean views on the Costa Ballena, this modern "castle" is a luxury boutique hotel with nine ultrachic guest quarters with private terraces. Along with a million-dollar view of a shimmering infinity pool melding into the ocean from the lounge terrace, there are exquisite design touches everywhere in this modern, honey-colored castle. Three palatial suites have huge contemporary bathrooms, king-size poster beds, and a tasteful smattering of one-of-a-kind side tables, chairs, bibelots, and art. Smaller double rooms sport the same design touches, three with ocean views and one tucked away in the hotel garden. "Spa Suites" 8 and 9 have ocean views, Jacuzzi tubs, and more privacy than the other suites. The restaurant is breezy by day and romantic at night. Keep binoculars handy since the birding in and around the hotel is excellent. Early in the morning and at sunset, pairs of scarlet macaws perform a fly-past.

Barefoot luxury abounds at this hip boutique hotel where an airy courtyard leads to a 45-meter pool lined with beach bungalows and modern rooms. Architect Ronald Zürcher integrated stone, sugarcane, and towering guanacaste trees into the design. Any trees removed during construction were repurposed into bedroom furniture such as tree-stump tables and wood-frame mirrors. Unique L-shaped rooms open into enclosed patios, meaning you’re greeted by a hammock and sunshine on your way to the bedroom. Offering mangrove or garden views, rooms have walk-in closets, minibars, Wi-Fi, touch-screen phones (like internal iPads), and thoughtful touches like dominoes, a deck of cards, and Rubik’s Cubes. Only two corner suites have ocean views, but the five poolside cabanas—equipped with TVs and draped in linen—are just a stone’s throw from the sand. Although popular with young couples, the hotel is still child-friendly with a kids’ club, water sports, beach cruisers, and surf lessons. The casual beachfront restaurant has a sandy floor and a DJ spinning chill-out music, while the more formal restaurant borders the pool and dishes up some of the finest cuisine in the region. If your schedule allows, book a room between September and November, when rates drop by nearly 50%.

This quiet hotel bills itself as a "country hotel," but El Rodeo's proximity to the airport and major business parks draws guests, too. Spacious rooms, most with polished hardwood floors, high ceilings, and narrow balconies, overlook small gardens and rooms in the adjacent building. An open-air lounge on the second floor has a pool table and wicker furniture. The café serves breakfast each morning. Large, wooden El Rodeo Steakhouse Restaurant in front of the hotel is quite popular with Ticos, who pack it on weekends. Decorated with saddles, steer skulls, and other ranching paraphernalia, the restaurant serves an array of grilled meats, from the Argentine churrasco to T-bones, as well as several fish and shrimp dishes.

A charming family tends to guests at this peaceful, bohemian Shangri-La just 10 minutes down the mountain from—and a noticeable few degrees warmer than—Santa Elena. Two fully furnished ojoche-wood cabins with kitchens, skylights, and patios with hammocks are perched on the mountainside of this nearly 30-acre farm. The smaller cabin sleeps two, while the three-story larger cabin sleeps four. Every vantage point in the cabins—the living area, the bed, the desk, the shower, and even the toilet—has stupendous views. The property has horseback riding, a stone-wall pool, and a Finnish sauna. Optional meals are prepared by a neighboring Costa Rican family and can be taken in the main house or brought to your cabin. Although cabins are affordable, be sure to factor in $10 taxi rides to Santa Elena and $15 entrées if you're dining in. If arriving by car, there are no signs for the hotel so look for the yellow painted rocks and sun logo.

This well-managed ecolodge in a 35-acre nature preserve bordering Piedras Blancas National Park is run by Austrians who have successfully instilled some sense of Teutonic order in the jungle. The rustic cabins have two tidy rooms (can be rented separately) with tile floors, reading lamps, and airy, private bathrooms with plenty of hot water. The rooms are a little dark, but are brightened by colorful, appliqué curtains and woven-cotton bedspreads made by Guaymí and Boruca artisans. A saltwater swimming pool is cool and refreshing, and fragrant white ginger and ylang-ylang encircle a pond. Another nearby pond has a lookout for bird-watchers and is home to contented, well-fed caimans. Local guides lead visitors along thrilling trails to the waterfalls and deep into primary forest. The dining room, lighted by romantically flickering candles, serves huge portions of wholesome and delicious local food. For families or foursomes, there is a fully equipped Jungle Villa with two bedrooms with forest views.

Situated next to the Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, a forest of tall trees towers around these modern, cozy accommodations that exhibit photo-friendly tableaux of plush, textured furnishings; outside the rooms, semiprivate, palm frond-concealed terraces gaze upon a fashionable pool, where guests spread out atop shaded daybeds, relaxing to chill beats and the calls of birds. Fourteen air-conditioned and sumptuously furnished—woven rugs, wicker lanterns, and copious pillows—rooms range from standard and deluxe to suites or a two-bedroom villa. The restaurant is immaculate, serving a menu of carefully prepared, generously portioned Costa Rican cuisine under massive straw light fixtures intermingled with luscious ferns in an open-air rancho. The bar pours fine wines or inventive, tropical cocktails that can be enjoyed poolside or with dinner. The service is attentive and professional, and can help with planning tours or activities.

This lively hotel-bar-restaurant has been a Nosara fixture for more than 35 years and has a revived chic, modern aesthetic that took it up a notch in 2018. There's a small childrens' pool, a large saltwater pool, and a Jacuzzi for adults. The upscale, cool surfer vibe continues into the spacious and airy rooms, featuring tropical wood furniture and large bathrooms with indoor and outdoor rain showers. The restaurant also serves meals throughout the day, from breakfast onward.

If fresh mountain air appeals to you, this upscale mountain retreat has comfortable rooms, a first-class restaurant, and spacious, glassed-in sitting areas to enjoy unbeatable volcano and valley views by day and blazing fireplaces by night. The large standard rooms are furnished with a tasteful mix of antiques and folk art, and upstairs rooms have private balconies. The new suites, in a separate two-story building, have kitchenettes and flat-screen satellite TV. Goats, chickens, and ducks on the property help supply the kitchen, which prepares a mix of creative, light tropical cuisine and heartier dishes, including duck stew and seared duck breasts. Cooking classes can be arranged with a local Costa Rican chef. Outside, there are sunny sitting areas in the garden and a path lined with orchids.

One of the best values in the Rincón area for hair-raising adventure and nature tours, this hotel also gets top billing for its comfortable rooms, excellent restaurant, and friendly service. The 3,706-acre working ranch is famous for its horses—more than 100 of them. Rugged ranch hands swagger around, giving the place a real cowboy flavor. Guachipelín is also famous for its wildlife and the nature trails that wind throughout this vast, partially forested property; they lead to several scenic waterfalls, hot springs, and mud baths. Older rooms are comfortable and homey, with screened windows to let in cool mountain air. Try to get a room between Nos. 32 and 39, all of which have volcano views from their front terrace. The newer rooms (Nos. 32 and up) are larger and very elegantly furnished, arranged around a garden with towering trees and a gaggle of geese. All rooms have air-conditioning, but you rarely need it here. Avoid Rooms 24 to 31, right beside the corral, unless you enjoy the aroma of horses. Rooms 10 to 23 are closest to the pool. Hearty buffet and à la carte meals feature authentic touches, such as hand-rolled breakfast tortillas made on the spot, and beef and dairy products fresh from the hacienda's own herd. The pleasant open-air restaurant has valley views by day, and a marimba band plays softly at dinner. The hotel's spa offers an array of treatments, from mud wraps to massages.

The tiled-roof, terra-cotta dwellings and immaculate gardens of this once-abandoned colonial farm have been restored to reflect its Spanish architectural origins, while the hotel’s interiors, art, and overall character incorporate pre-Colombian indigenous history and the modern-day local Tico community. Alongside this exquisite historic hotel are two newly opened glamping tents, fully equipped in function and style, and hidden within the tropical rainforest for a private experience, and a standalone stone cottage whose Moorish-style exterior looks more at home in Morocco than the jungles of Costa Rica. The hotel grounds also include a pool with lounge chairs and a private rancho for dining. The hotel works hard to convey a distinct identity by incorporating the cultures that have played a role in the region's history and daily tours are thoughtful and thorough. The cacao tour shares the chocolate-making process while also telling the story of the indigenous people. Birdwatching tours, which take place on the two miles of trails surrounding the property, are conducted with an experienced nature guide who is skilled in locating many of the 400 species of birds found in Sarapiquí. The service is very personalized—it is not uncommon to interact with the owner and become friendly with the hospitable staff. The restaurant is a focus, serving a menu of decedent Caribbean specialties, and a dinner here is not to be missed.

A longtime favorite for first- and last-night stays, this chain hotel lets you ease into and out of Costa Rica in familiar surroundings. You can't get any closer to the airport: it's just across the highway. (Crossing the busy highway on foot would be impossible, though.) All the U.S.-style amenities for which the chain is known are yours here, including its sumptuous hot breakfasts. Rooms are bright and airy, with the same furnishings you'd find at any outlet of a Hampton Inn back home.

Set in the rainforest, these marvelous, secluded casitas have elegant furnishings, sizable bathrooms with private garden showers, and terraces that entice you to spend time in nature. There are hot tubs and a massive pool, a gracious dining area and bar, and beautiful grounds with lots of ponds where you may discover exotic rainforest frogs (and possibly the snakes who feed on them).

Comfortable and convenient, especially if you're catching an early-morning flight or you need a break from driving before heading south to the beach, this five-story contemporary Hilton has all the mod cons, including Wi-Fi, HDTVs, microwaves, and refrigerators. Best of all are the beds with pressure-adjustable mattresses. There is also a large swimming pool, gym, laundry facilities, and a free business center. Their main restaurant serves an eclectic menu of watermelon gazpacho, tuna tartare with cassava chips, bourbon pork ribs, chicken in mango sauce, and typical casados to remind you that you're in Costa Rica. With all the international flights in and out of Liberia, the hotel can quickly fill its 169 rooms in high season, which means you're likely to hear English and conversations about golf near the bar. The hotel has embraced energy conservation and earned three leaves on the national sustainability scale. There are eight accessible rooms available.

The best bargain in town, this long-established family hotel offers two-bedroom garden villas surrounding a central pool, as well as a two-story annex with 16 spacious rooms. The annex sits in a quiet corner of the large, lush garden; its no-frills rooms have two double beds, small refrigerators, cable TV, and air-conditioning. Two ground-floor rooms are wheelchair accessible. If you're willing to cook for yourself, the pleasantly furnished villas can accommodate up to six. Be prepared for the sound of kids playing in the pool and garden. The walk to the beach is about five minutes, and there are nearby restaurants and a supermarket. The entire property is gated, including an enclosed parking lot, adding an element of security.

The view from this hotel perched on a hillside above Santa Ana is impressive, but so is the building itself with its blend of colonial and modern style—think archways, hardwoods, and leather. Guest rooms are spacious, with handcrafted furniture and bathrooms with hand-painted tiles; ask for one on the fourth or fifth floor to take advantage of the view. The restaurant, La Luz, has plenty of windows for admiring the distant hills and the pool and gardens below. The eclectic and unusual menu includes rack of lamb with organic coffee sauce and Caribbean-style sea bass with coconut-milk sauce.

Several 1940s-era houses with extensive gardens and lively common areas—visitors swap travel advice here—make up this family-run lodging. Each room is different; some have private gardens or small sitting rooms. The garden rooms are not that much more expensive than the standard ones and are worth the splurge. The complimentary breakfast buffet is an amazing spread of eggs, pastries, tropical fruit, and good Costa Rican coffee served on a marvelous palm-shaded garden patio. And this property is very eco-friendly, a rarity in the heart of the city. It uses solar panels for heating hot water, and it composts and recycles. Luxurious it is not, but this is deservedly one of San José's most popular budget lodgings; reserve well in advance during the high season. To be on the safe side, confirm your reservation 48 hours before you arrive and on the day of your arrival, giving an estimated arrival time. You'll get a small discount if you pay in cash.

With eight ultraspacious, deluxe rooms with two queen beds, and five beautiful bungalows boasting high, sloping cane ceilings, handsome contemporary furniture, and sleek marble bathrooms, there's something for everyone on this chic compound, half a block off one of Tamarindo's main drags. Stone pathways lead to each unit, fronted by a private porch, hammock, table, and chairs.  All accommodations include flat-screen TVs, hair dryers, coffeemakers, and mini-refrigerators. There's a small pool and two pleasant cabanas with natural slate floors that keep you cool on hot days, and the pool bar shakes up some serious martinis. Amiable owner Richard Resnick is usually around to fill you in on the local scene.

You'll find all the standard amenities of a medium-price business-class hotel here, but leisure travelers also enjoy using the Balmoral as their San José base. You're just as likely to hear Japanese spoken in the lobby as you are Spanish and English; the place is quite popular with Asian visitors. The hotel's bright, airy restaurant, El Patio, dishes up Costa Rican specialties amid two floors of greenery. The Balmoral offers many Web-only discounts.

After a day on the beach, it's refreshing to retreat to this small hotel buried in a dense, cool garden on a breezy hill overlooking Sámara. There are two swimming pools and a cool whirlpool. Friendly German owners Manfred and Michaela run a tight ship, keeping the garden moisture out of the large, bright rooms housed in the original two-story white-stucco building. A two-story building with its own pool is a little quieter, set in a lush garden traversed by a natural stream. The upper rooms have private balconies. The best room is the separate "honeymoon" cottage. Breakfast (not included) comes with ocean views. The beach is a 5-minute walk through town. Everything considered, this place is a hard-to-beat bargain.

Budget travelers who don't need amenities will love this rustic two-story wooden hotel's affordable price and seafront location, if not its no-frills but adequate A-frame rooms. You won't find much in the way of decor, but you will find hot water, Wi-Fi, and air-conditioning (in most). Be prepared for noise: kids playing, roosters crowing, dogs barking, and motors revving. Ask for one of the two larger rooms above the reception area; they have hardwood floors and TVs, and share a veranda with unobstructed sea views. Budget rooms do not have air-conditioning or TVs, so book accordingly. It's not for everyone, but you can't beat the price for seaside rooms. Breakfast (not included) is served at their beachfront restaurant which specializes in tapas and Asian dishes.

At the eastern edge of the estuary in the Palm Beach Estates gated community, this pleasant hotel (the name means "Happy Happy") has its own landing for ferrying guests and restaurant patrons the 1 km (½ mile) to and from Tamarindo. The hotel forms a 45-degree angle to the curvy pool bordered by a garden. Decorated with native art and pottery, rooms have king-size beds and high ceilings, and open onto a portico with wicker rocking chairs. They don't offer a lot of privacy, but the rooms, painted in brilliant colors, have orthopedic mattresses, cable TVs, coffeemakers, mini-refrigerators, and other upscale amenities. Included in the rate is a made-to-order breakfast ranging from French toast and banana pancakes to eggs Benedict and custom omelets. They can arrange a two-hour boat tour of the estuary, or rentals of nearby houses. The menu at the alfresco Great Waltini's Restaurant & Bar reads like that of a U.S.-style eatery: seafood enchiladas, peel-and-eat shrimp, pork chop, filet mignon, and New York strip steak. They have good fresh seafood specials. Save room for the homemade tres leches dessert or the Philly-style cheesecake. The bar is very popular, especially during U.S. football broadcasts.

Facing the beach, this small, pleasant, well-tended hotel is one of Sámara's best values. The bright, tidy rooms have dark-wood furniture, white walls, and ceramic floors. Eleven of the rooms have air-conditioning and private bath; six lack air-conditioning and share baths, but they also share a common balcony with an ocean view, and sea breezes help to cool them. The premium room is No. 19, with a private balcony overlooking the beach, air-conditioning, and a small fridge. The hotel has a giant cold-water whirlpool shaded by a vine-enlaced tree in a small garden. There's a small, pleasant bar and breakfast area, and a huge mural featuring a quetzal. Limited private parking is available and the beach is just across the road.

Their motto, "still more monkeys than people" is not an understatement, as you're likely to see howler and white-faced monkeys on the forest trails surrounding these varied accommodations (including four converted from airplanes). The property feels stuck in the 1980s but has plenty of lodging types to choose from. All units have kitchenettes, room-front parking, and ocean or garden views. The 20 adults-only studios in Costa Verde II are spacious, with large balconies; those in the other buildings are smaller, but all have standard amenities like flat-screen TVs and air-conditioning. Fully equipped apartments are great for families, and the cheaper "efficiencies" near the road are sightly dated but seem to get the most "monkey business," with troops swinging by your patio or jumping on the rooftops. The hotel has four themed restaurants in Manuel Antonio; El Wagon and El Avion are your best options. If you want to skip the hike to the beach, there are three swimming pools where you can cool off closer to "home." Book a room away from the road if you're a light sleeper.

With an excellent restaurant, a lush garden, a pretty infinity pool, and exceptional service, this elegant hotel is a heavenly spot for those who like to indulge themselves. The original 16 rooms have elegant, dark-wood furniture, comfortable beds topped with plush linens, and subtle angelic touches. Other luxuries include coffeemakers, soaking tubs, and spectacular stained-glass windows. Six Jungle Rooms are smaller and darker, but cheaper and very comfortable, with pickled-wood walls, antiqued armoires, and balconies facing the forest or garden. The romantic, high-ceilinged terrace restaurant, aglow in shades of royal blue and gold, has a very sophisticated menu; the tender osso buco is cooked to perfection, and the menu is completely gluten-free. The breakfast is also excellent.

Under the shade of tropical fruit trees, white bungalows of high-quality wood each contain two bright, sparkling rooms with terra-cotta tile floors and front patios that open onto a central swimming pool. Rooms have either a king or two double beds, a private bath with hot water, ceiling fans, air-conditioning, and lagoon views. All are welcome here, though this lodge is best known for bird-watching and fishing tours, equipment, boat rental, and the nearby lake filled with tarpon and bass. The restaurant is organic-focused with a menu heavy on Costa Rican fare; sweet pineapples, juicy mangoes, tart mamones, and other produce from the lodge's orchard end up on your breakfast plate. Due to the long trek to get here—not to mention all the intriguing wildlife—it's recommended guests stay at least two nights.

On a precipitous ridge, this modest wooden lodge is an affordable and comfortable launching pad for a hike up Chirripó, or a pleasant spot to relax and breathe in fresh mountain air and scenery and watch birds. Along with budget rooms with private bath above the restaurant, there are private, comfortable cabins scattered around a pool, all with gorgeous views of the mountains. The lodge's spartan but fresh rooms above the restaurant can accommodate up to four. The lodge is named for a twisted-wood pelican—one of dozens of idiosyncratic sculptures carved out of tree roots that now reside in a rustic museum on the property. The owners are eco-conscious, and they are part of the consortium that can arrange everything for a climb up Chirripó, from park reservations to transportation to porters to lodging. 

Adjoining 1926 and 1933 houses fuse to create the cozy Barrio Amón experience at bargain prices. That said, the Dunn Inn is immensely popular, so reserve well in advance. Pinewood dominates in one section; brick in the other. Sun-filled rooms bear indigenous Bribri names. One room has a balcony, and a few do not have street-facing windows but look onto an interior courtyard. All have terra-cotta floors and little touches such as fresh flowers. The delightful, skylight-covered central patio serves as a bar and breakfast room.

Spread across a hill a few blocks from the beach, this hotel has refreshed rooms and villas with ocean, pool, and garden views. True to its name, rooms with a/c are scattered around a lush garden populated with bright-red ginger flowers and faux-stone indigenous sculptures. Teak paneling and furniture, stained-glass pictorial panels, and terraces with hammocks give this hotel style as well as comfort. If you don't mind the climb, ask for an upper room and you'll get a better view. There's no formal breakfast, but coffee, tea, fruit, and cookies are laid out in the reception area each morning. There's also Wi-Fi throughout the hotel.

From the villas to the farm to the on-site hot springs, kids and adults alike are enthralled by this peaceful property. The lush and lovely well-kept grounds have volcano views and include an agua fria (cold water) pool for splashing around as well as multiple tranquil hot springs to relax. There is a spa, bar, and restaurant. The farm-fresh eggs (you can collect them yourself) make for a hearty and delicious breakfast.