Costa Rica
Notes from Sammi.
Number of nights - 11
Time of year - February 2025
Type of trip - Family Travel / Outdoor Adventure / Beach
Itinerary
6 nights in La Fortuna
5 nights in Tamarindo
La Fortuna.
We spent the first week at Los Lagos, a hotel featuring water slides, pool and hot springs. While the hotel was a bit dated, it offered an amazing location right at the base of the volcano, complete with a fantastic lookout point. We opted for the superior room to enjoy extra space, which included a small living room, a pull-out couch, and two queen beds. The room was great, especially since it was in a separate, individual unit. It also came with air conditioning, which was a nice bonus.
The hotel is located on a hill, so getting back to the room meant a bit of a walk uphill. The hot springs were a perfect 100°F, and the water slides were fast and exciting, providing plenty of fun for the kids.
Each morning, we enjoyed a breakfast buffet which was included and made it easy to grab a quick bite before our busy days. The pools featured a swim-up bar and several hot springs scattered around the area. We had animals visit us around the property which included a Coati, iguana, and many lizards. The location was a 5 to 10 minute drive to the town of La Fortuna.
“Our trip was filled with outdoor adventures, allowing us to explore the incredible rainforest and encounter amazing wildlife. One of the highlights was ziplining, where we got unforgettable views of Arenal Volcano.”
Tamarindo.
We left La Fortuna and made the 3.5-hour drive to Tamarindo, where we rented an amazing home. We heard the town was busy so we decided on a place 15 minutes outside of the busy area which had a private pool. This place was great and we had many animals visit us here including 10 monkeys with babies, giant grasshoppers, and a tarantula!
Transportation
We rented a car from Adobe but there were many options near the Liberia airport. The car rental did need to have insurance coverage, which was a mandatory requirement for the country. We also upgraded the insurance because we heard the roads were difficult to drive on and not always well-maintained. We rented the car and drove from Liberia airport to La Fortuna which was not recommended to drive at night due to many curves, slow driving, and steep drop cliffs. The roads were highway driving until we got closer to Lake Arenal, which then turned into narrow, curvy roads with one-way bridges. The driving is slow, and people will pass you so we just took our time and it was a long curvy ride. GPS was very accurate both google maps and Waze. There were some dirt roads but for the most part, it was paved roads. If driving makes you uncomfortable, many private shuttle services are available to drive to and from the airport and for activities.
Other Trip Notes.
Our trip was filled with outdoor adventures, allowing us to explore the incredible rainforest and encounter amazing wildlife. One of the highlights was ziplining, where we got unforgettable views of Arenal Volcano.
In La Fortuna, we also visited a sloth sanctuary, where we had the chance to see both two-toed and three-toed sloths up close. I’d definitely recommend booking guided hikes. Without a guide, we would’ve missed so many incredible sightings. For instance, our guide pointed out a viper snake resting on a leaf right next to us, something we never would've spotted on our own!
The bugs weren’t too bad, but we made sure to use a lot of bug spray, especially in the La Fortuna area. We did experience daily rain, but it was part of the adventure. We made sure to pack the essentials for our hikes: closed-toed shoes, pants, ponchos, water, and bug spray. Some of the highlights included walking on the hanging bridges and hiking to Rio Celeste. We saw a variety of animals along the way, from monkeys and toucans to frogs and tapirs.
Tamarindo was more of a relaxing beach vacation, with temperatures reaching 95 degrees. While it rained daily in La Fortuna, we had clear skies the entire time in Tamarindo. There are so many beautiful beaches to explore along this part of the coast. We had a great time playing in the waves and enjoying beachside dinners in Playa Tamarindo. One of the highlights was a catamaran sunset tour, which also included snorkeling. However, I wouldn’t recommend snorkeling, as the visibility was poor, and we couldn’t see much.
We also went on a fishing trip, where we caught tuna and had the unique experience of filleting and eating it right on the boat. Our children, ages 8 and 10, loved seeing all the wildlife during our trip.