130 Best Hotels in Costa Rica

Our favorite of the capital's many apartotels (part apartment house, part hotel) sits on a quiet, out-of-the-way street north of La Sabana Park. Bright, cheery suites have equipped kitchens and one or two bedrooms. Rates include a big buffet breakfast. Cristina has a devoted return clientele made up primarily of business travelers and medical tourists, Costa Rica's growing tourism segment.

For serenity and mountain greenery, you can't beat this lodge in a secluded valley with panoramic views and the opportunity to see hummingbirds and some of the 200-plus highland bird species on the lodge's list, including the resplendent quetzal. Accommodations are in three wooden cabins, where each room has its own private veranda and tile bathroom with skylight. Try to get room 1 for the best views. In addition, there are two spacious junior suites with fireplaces, kitchenettes, sunken whirlpool baths with views, and king-size beds. Now open to the public, the hotel's Los Colibríes Restaurant, serves tico and international cuisine.

This sustainability-focused lodging complex set within a large swath of undeveloped rainforest contains six spacious and wildly different houses, all at ground level and each creatively conceived to incorporate the surrounding nature and upcycled materials. The newest option, The School Bus, is a house ingeniously built out of an old yellow school bus. The largest is the spectacular Beach Suite, with three bedrooms and domed, sky-lighted bathrooms, and there's the marvelous open-air two-story Tree House. The Beach, Crystal, and Garden Houses are slightly more modest, but, here, that term is relative. Prices skew higher here than other Puerto Viejo lodgings, but the ample size of the houses allows you to split the space among a group, making the per-person price not so alarming. The hotel also has been awarded five leaves (the highest rating) from Costa Rica Tourism Board’s Certification of Sustainable Tourism Program.

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.

The basic rooms here have stunning views of the Gulf of Nicoya as well as hardwood floors, firm beds, and powerful, hot showers. Rooms are spartan but cozy, and there's a two-bedroom cabin with a full kitchen that sleeps five. The inn is quite far from the Monteverde Reserve entrance, but is within Valle Escondido, a 28-acre private preserve to which guests have full access. A taxi into town costs about $5 one way. There is direct access to 5 km (3 miles) of trails from the hotel in its own reserve, where night tours are offered at 5:30. For wildlife, isolation, and great rates, this property is a good bet.

Although most travelers visit this out-of-the-way spot for its famed French restaurant by the same name, Deevena is equally gaining renown for its hospitable staff and elegant rooms that surround a pool. Under exposed-beam ceilings, king-size beds rest on polished cement floors with L-shape lounges large enough for two extra beds on request. Double glass doors open onto front patios with Adirondack chairs overlooking a saltwater pool. Outdoor showers add a touch of luxury, as do the welcome cocktails, in-room massages (by reservation), and gourmet meals prepared by chef Patrick Jamon. Rates are reasonable, and service is outstanding at this family-run hotel named for the child the owners have sponsored for years. Rooms are void of TVs, so bring a book and prepare to unplug.

Although the handsome garden restaurant is the main attraction at this elegant hotel, the spacious rooms and well-equipped villas are quite comfortable, too, and the hotel is about a block from the beach. Rooms have beamed ceilings, terra-cotta floors, comfortable mattresses, and tropical color schemes. The smaller Standard rooms around the small pool are a good deal, and they open onto small terraces with chairs. The larger Superiors above the restaurant sleep more people, but if you need more room, you're better off springing for a one- or two-bedroom suite in the buildings across the street. They have kitchenettes, large balconies or terraces, and are steps from a larger pool. The restaurant has excellent food, including filet mignon with a brandy-and-peppercorn sauce, perfectly cooked mahimahi, and garlicky butterfly shrimp. Service is polished but the atmosphere is not stuffy, especially when there's live music in high season.

On a hillside about 3 km (2 miles) from the beach, these terraced, privately owned Mediterranean-style villas have impressive views and offer one and two bedrooms, kitchens, and (in most) large balconies with hammocks. Villas on the upper levels have ocean views, and those on the lower level overlook the jungle, where you may spot monkeys, iguanas, and an array of birds. Avoid Units 1 and 2, which face a walll, and request No. 6 or 8 for the best views. Narrow walkways wind through this tranquil property's lush grounds to the villas and blue-tile pool. A restaurant by the pool offers breakfast.

This three-star affordable resort hotel, with two pools and tennis courts is upriver from Dominical Beach on exquisitely landscaped grounds filled with orchids, bougainvillea, and hibiscus. It's especially popular with families, with mini golf and four family rooms with kitchens and two double bedrooms. The bigger junior suites have king-size beds and cable TV. Every room has a/c, a private porch, a mini-refrigerator, and a sink. Plants and elegant table settings fill the thatched-roof Crocodile Grill restaurant, notable for its excellent seafood at reasonable prices. A huge, luxurious pool has a swim-up bar and handsome teak pool furniture. Day passes, including lunch, are available to non-hotel guests for $27 per day.

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.