Accommodations

There are many wonderful hotels and lodges to choose from in Costa Rica. MARIAH suggests the accommodations that best fit your interests, needs, and budget from a wide variety of unique offerings. Following are just a few of our preferred choices. We have organized them by regional destination. Other recommendations may be made by our expert planners as we design your specific itinerary.

San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica Hotel Grano de Oro, located in San Jose, is a charming turn of the century mansion with all of the amenities expected in a fine hotel. This 36 room facility offers two suites with jacuzzi bath and many rooms with private gardens. The impeccable service and intimate patio dining areas certainly make the Grano de Oro the hidden treasure of San Jose and one of our personal favorites. Le Bergerac Hotel is a renowned, small luxury hotel with wonderful tropical gardens, and highly recommended by Fodors and all leading travel publications. Created in the style of a French Inn, it remains an oasis of tranquility in the heart of the select Los Yoses area of San Jose. A very popular feature at Le Bergerac is that many of the rooms provide private and secluded garden patios in which you may relax and refresh both mind and spirit. All rooms have custom made furniture, delightful décor and private bathrooms. Breakfast, which is included in the room rates, is served either on the open air patio or in the garden restaurant. Bougainvillea Hotel, just 15 minutes from San José and the International Airport, is set amidst the coffee farms of Santo Domingo de Heredia. The grounds are dominated by tall trees and brightened by plentiful flowers. The Hotel Bougainvillea is an excellent choice if you are looking for a reasonably priced hotel in a quiet residential neighborhood not far from downtown. A swimming pool makes it a great place for families with children. Xandari Plantation consists of 19 spacious villas on a 40 acre coffee and fruit plantation overlooking Costa Rica's Central Valley. The villas, private terraces, furniture and gardens are designed with great attention to detail, and each villa is adorned with original works of art. All villas have a private view terrace, a walled-in sun area, a bar kitchen, and either a king bed or two full beds. This is a very romantic getaway to begin or end your visit to Costa Rica. Finca Rosa Blanca, located 15 minutes from the airport on the outskirts of San Jose 4000 feet above sea level, is an architecturally stunning Bed and Breakfast Inn offering spectacular views of the volcanoes, the cloud forest, coffee plantations, and the central valley of Costa Rica. As written up in Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report, the owner-hosts Glenn and Teri Jampol "make you feel like a special guest in a winsome private home. The inn is renowned for it's fine cuisine, attention to detail, and personal attention to the guests with a ratio of 1 staff person for every 2 guests. There are only 6 unique guest rooms and 2 2-bedroom villas along with an extraordinary hillside swimming pool, game room and library. Staying here is a recommended treat on the day of your arrival or departure, especially if you have extra time to enjoy it.    Monteverde Cloud Forest Fonda Vela Hotel has nine buildings nestled in the landscaped property, designed with natural lighting, privacy and warmth. All have large windows with views of the forest allowing the outside beauty to be a part of a cozy interior. There are 20 junior suites with a small refrigerator, table, king and queen-size beds, and a comfortable sofa. All rooms have telephones and most of the rooms are wheelchair accessible. On the 35-acre property, you will find lush forests and verdant pastures that are excellent for birding and hiking. In this tranquil setting, you may see parrots and emerald toucans that come to feed in the fruiting trees, occasionally. A 15-minute walk away is the world famous 10,500-hectare Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. The Santa Elena Reserve is a short drive away where you may observe the Arenal Volcano on a clear day. Monteverde Lodge is located in the Tilarán Mountain Range at 4,600 ft. above sea level on the edge of the world's best-known mid-elevation cloud forest. The rooms at the Lodge are designed to put you "in the forest" while protecting you from the mist and strong wind so characteristic of the area. All are spacious with solar heated hot water private baths. In the gardens you will find ferns and bromeliads, a running stream, pond and small waterfall providing a habitat for riverine birds and a host of reptiles and amphibians. Carefully placed benches provide a comfortable place, offer privacy and/or panoramic vistas to observe the wildlife, read, write, or just wile away the hours.    Arenal Volcano Arenal Observatory Lodge, located 1.6 miles south of the Arenal Volcano and separated from it by a deep valley, the Observatory provides a safe ringside seat to both scientists and visitors alike. The Observatory features standard, dormitory style rooms or newer Smithsonian rooms with large windows looking out at the volcano, a restaurant, a library of articles, displays and photographs of Arenal to augment visitors understanding of the volcano. From the Observatory visitors can also enjoy views of nearby Lake Arenal, which is the largest freshwater lake in Costa Rica.    Tortuguero National Park, Caribbean Coast Mawamba Lodge is located on the spit of land which has the canal on one side and the beach/ocean on the other, so you have the advantage of being able to walk to the beach. This is a rustic, but comfortable lodge with large swimming pool and beautifully landscaped grounds to make you stay enjoyable.    Guanacaste Northern Pacific Coast Costa Rica's largest peninsula offers some of the best hotels and beaches in the country. Have a perfect ending to your vacation on one of the famous beaches along the pacific coast of the peninsula. Some of our favorites are: Capitan Suizo Hotel is stretched along the wide golden expanse of Playa Tamarindo in the center of Costa Rica's famed Pacific beached. With twenty-two rooms and eight bungalows set amidst the riotous color of tropical gardens, Capitán Suizo offers the ideal beach retreat. The centerpiece if Capitán Suizo is a large free-form swimming pool surrounded by glorious gardens. A sanctuary of nature, bands of Howler Monkeys are frequent visitors and a variety of birds will share the breakfast buffet. Punta Islita Hotel offers a unique romantic getaway or travel escape. You will always find a perfect place, nook, or cove for fine dining, relaxation, adventure, sports, cultural exploration, and beach activities. Private outdoor Jacuzzis and Plunge Pools, fresh tropical flower sculptures, and cozy hammocks make this hotel a luxury destination. All accommodations offer spectacular ocean vistas, impressive architecture, and a cozy sense of familiarity and privacy. Sugar Beach Hotel is a small, attractive hotel located in rambling grounds above Playa Pan de Azucar. The small white-sand beach is 2 or 3 km north of Potrero and is the last beach reachable by road. This is a long-established hotel with excellent service and the rooms have been recently upgraded. The 32 rooms spread out on the 24 acre beach front property where only monkeys, iguanas, coatis, and raccoons share the beach. The rooms are spacious and comfortable and offer privacy, large patios, air conditioning, ceiling fans, satellite television, telephones, hot water and refrigerator. This is an excellent, moderately priced hotel for those wishing to "really" get away from it all.    Central Pacific Coast -Manuel Antonio Beach Villas Si Como No is a small hotel built next to the jungle, on the hill (as most of the hotels in Manuel Antonio are) overlooking the beaches and the ocean. The hotel is terraced, with each room having its own veranda that looks out into the jungle and the ocean. There is a pool, Jacuzzi and water slide, theater, and inside/outside bar & grill. A buffet breakfast is included and children under 12 years of age are free. Costa Verde Hotel is located on a coastal rainforest bluff 300 yards from the beach and overlooking Manuel Antonio National Park. The Hotel Costa Verde features two cliff side pools with sundecks and spacious rooms and balconies, all offering a bird's-eye view of the Park's coastline plus rainforest canopy vistas dotted with native birds and monkeys. The spacious studio rooms have 2 queen size beds, refrigerator, stove, table and chairs, making this an excellent stop for families. Makanda Hotel is 12 acres of sanctuary, 100 meters above the ocean. All of Makanda's Villas and Studios have been carefully placed in the botanical rainforest gardens with spectacular views of the sixty mile coastline. This is the ideal location for adult visitors wishing to experience Costa Rica's natural splendor and variety while enjoying the comforts of first-class jungle lodging. Makanda's 10 studios or villas are all open air design enhancing the views while taking advantage of the Pacific breezes. This is an excellent destination for a wedding, honeymoon, or a romantic getaway. Children under 16 are not allowed. Tulemar Villas and Bungalows is an excellent destination for families with younger children because of it's secluded beach located in a protected bay a short walk from your accommodation. You will be able to take advantage of the various water activities that the hotel offers, without having to worry about dangerous undertows or riptides. Kayaks and snorkeling equipment are for your exclusive use. The hotel itself includes spacious 645 sq. foot octagonal bungalows equipped with a kitchenette, mini bar, living room with sofa-beds, air conditioning, master bedroom with two queen size beds, television and VCR. The newer Villas offer the option of 1 or 2 bedrooms surrounded by breath-taking panoramic views of the verdant jungle terrain and the majestic Pacific Ocean.    Corcovado National Park, Pacific Coast Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge is accessible only by air and/or ocean. Built by an American naturalist with twenty years of local experience, this unique lodge offers accommodations constructed in harmony with the landscape and the environment. Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge offers the closest accommodations to Corcovado National Park. Artfully-appointed individual bungalows offer tiled floors, hot showers and ceiling fans. The lodge is supplied with mountain spring water, and is surrounded by virgin rainforest. Electricity is provided 24 hours a day by hydro-electric and solar systems. The beach in front is half-kilometer long, and the lodge is the closest lodge to Cano Island Biological Reserve for scuba diving and snorkeling. The scarlet macaws, toucans, hummingbirds, and white-faced monkeys are among the wildlife you'll see. You'll hear the howler monkey, and if you are lucky, you'll see them on a hike. The cuisine at Casa Corcovado is healthy and abundant. Lapa Rios Jungle Lodge, on the tip of the Osa Peninsula, borders Corcovado National Park and looks out at the spectacular vistas of the Pacific Ocean and the Golfo Dulce. The lodge is built on three connecting ridges, 350 feet above the sea, catching the cooling tropical breezes. The main lodge, housing the restaurant and bar, soars 50 feet into the air and is built entirely of local, natural materials. The lodge is located within a large rainforest reserve on 1000 acres of rainforest next to Corcovado, the region National Geographic has called the most biologically intense place on earth. The 14 palm-thatched bungalows have a sea vista and are surrounded by forests. Each bungalow has a private deck, patio garden and outdoor shower. Interior shower baths are tiled and double washbasins are set in cristobal wood, matching the polished floors. Queen size beds are draped with mosquito netting. At Lapa Rios you will enjoy delicious home-cooked meals and many different types of fresh fruit beverages.    Southern Pacific Coast Tiskita Jungle Lodge is a family-run Lodge, priding itself on traditional Costa Rican hospitality and personal service designed to make your visit happy, relaxing, and simply unforgettable. Tiskita's 11 charming cottages spread throughout the grounds for maximum privacy. Cabins have twin beds, private baths, spectacular ocean views, and verandahs with hammocks. There is also a swimming pool that has an incredible view of the ocean. The original farmhouse serves as the main lodge and dining room an informal general area for meeting and relaxing with other guests. Delicious home-cooked meals are served family style. Tiskita is the perfect place to relax and get away from it all! A private airstrip makes this isolated private reserve very accessible, with a 60-minute flight from San Jose.