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Why Costa Rica?
Pros:
- Proximity: we could fly Alaska Airlines out of PDX and have a brief stop at LAX without changing terminals, super easy! Total travel time was about 7-8 hours. They fly to Liberia and San Jose and there were multiple day options.
- Only a two hour time difference
- Weather: There was no rain in January, their summer season is our winter and vice versa.
- Affordability: There were plenty of VRBO options so we could use a kitchen. Eating out, grocery shopping, and drinks reasonably priced. Also many free activities like beaches, wildlife sightings, volunteering etc.
Cons:
- Rental Car Expenses: With a baby we wanted to have the flexibility and ease of a car instead of taking shuttles or buses to our different locations. You are required to get insurance and a four wheel drive is necessary which makes it more expensive.
- Weather: It was a dry 85-90s which took a while for A to get used to, since we live in Portland she isn’t a huge fan of the hot weather and restaurants for the most part didn’t have air conditioning.
Logistics
Currency: Colones (many places will take dollars but you get the best rate using colones)
Language: Spanish, but you can get away with speaking English. It’s always appreciated to learn some basic phrases in the local language.
Dangers: Never leave any items in your car unattended, petty theft is rampant. In San Jose, Jaco, and other commonly touristed places watch for pick pocketing as well. Some less trafficked beaches especially near deltas and rivers get crocodiles. If you go to less trafficked rainforest areas (like Corcovado or Caribbean side) familiarize yourself with the wildlife or, better to bring a guide. If trying to conceive or are pregnant, Costa Rica has a few cases of Zika. As always, respect the ocean.
Research: I enjoyed the Lonely Planet Costa Rica Guide and joined facebook groups “Expats in Costa Rica” to answer my more specific questions.
Food: Costa Rican restaurants are called Sodas and have tasty affordable meals. You should definitely try the casada: a plate full of beans, rice, side salad and your meat of choice and the Gallo Pinto which is the leftover mixed beans, rice, and sauce usually eaten for breakfast. The best meats are the fresh fish or pork. Steak is made from grass fed Costa Rican cows that are lean and buff which makes it tough and jerky-like which is different than what many gringos are used to, although it’s very healthy. Markets for groceries are called “Super (name of owner)” which we found amusing like “Super Mario” and “Super Wendy.” Local fruits include mango, papaya, coconut, granadilla, guava, mamones (spanish limes), guanabana and tamarind. Fruits are sold at the grocery stores, farmers markets, and sometimes at the side of the road and make a quick and easy smoothie breakfast if your vacation rental has a blender.
Beverages: You must try a refresco which is a fruit smoothie with water or milk. For the drinkers, Guaro is their local spirit made with sugar cane and there’s a variety of local beers and a small microbrewery scene. Imperial is the most popular local beer and Bavarian and Pilsen are also common.
Water: The tap water is safe to drink, however those with weaker stomachs will probably want to buy water. Since we were making formula and I had a negative reaction to the water we opted to buy water but it will not give you “Montezuma’s Revenge.”
Activities: Costa Rica is a “adventure for everyone” kind of destination. There are plenty of beaches for the sun-worshipers, the swimmers, the surfers, and also for those who just want to take part in the sunset and scenery. All kinds of water sports including scuba diving, snorkeling, jet skiing and parasailing are available. There are no shortage of zip line and adventure parks, as well as canopy tours where people can view the wildlife of the rainforest up above. For the animal lovers there are volunteer opportunities at rescues, animal parks, and candid wildlife appearances. There are volcanoes to traverse, and the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea bordering Costa Rica offering different scenic experiences. The best areas for nightlife are Tamarindo, Jaco, and San Jose.
Itinerary: Arrive in Liberia, 6 nights in Matapalo; 4 nights in Nosara, 5 nights in Jaco, 4 nights in Dominical, 1 night next to San Jose Airport. Three weeks total
Baby Specific Advice
Babysitting: I cannot appreciate Sunshine Babysitting enough, we had Stephanie as our nanny and set everything up with Yury the owner who was super professional and flexible. Stephanie traveled and stayed with us in Jaco and Dominical and she was awesome! They are based out of Matapalo/Tamarindo area in Guanacaste so they can do day babysitting there and travel to your location and stay with you if it’s farther.
Baby Equipment Rentals: Tico Friends
Packing: Swimways infant float, Think Baby sunscreen, Babyganics bug repellent wipes, sterilizing microwavable bags, Skip Hop portable changer, portable masher, Baby Delight beach chair, Lotus Travel Crib
Trip Notes: A enjoyed the pool and the ocean but found the beach to be pretty hot when she wasn’t in the water, and not all of them had a sufficient amount of shade so I recommend bringing either an umbrella or a baby beach tent of some kind. Her carrier got too hot for her to enjoy walks that were too long but the areas outside the beach were stroller friendly and some restaurants had highchairs.
Check out the below map with our route and all the attractions and restaurants we enjoyed
Matapalo/Upper Guanacaste Peninsula
We stayed in a vacation rental in a sleepy town called Matapalo, a short drive to some amazing beaches. Our favorite place in the area was Potrero, but we also enjoyed Playa Hermosa, Las Catalinas (black sand beach and biking), Playa Minas, Playa Flamingo, and Playa Conchal. We found Tamarindo to be touristy and crowded although the beach did look awesome for surfers. It seemed like a cool place for younger people due to the variety of food, shopping and bar options. It would also be easy to shuttle and is walkable, so there are definitely pros for people who enjoy night life, surfing, and having options! We loved the local beach hidden gem Playa Minas, which you must have a four wheel drive to reach. Potrero was the most baby friendly destination and we saw lots of families there.
Must Do: Sunset at Playa Flamingo
Avoid: We didn’t care for Playa del Coco, the beach wasn’t very nice and there was tons of construction, although there is supposed to be a sizable expat population. We preferred Playa Hermosa which was a bit further north. It was also kinda touristy but the beach was true to its name, a laid back large beautiful white sand beach.
Nosara
I saw a lot of recommendations to visit Nosara, which was can best be described as a jungle oasis. We found it to be a bit similar to Portland: very yoga and fitness friendly, organic/vegan/health stores abundant, lots of gringos, and not authentically Costa Rica but very “pura vida.” It was also very pricey. There was an awesome family friendly beach Playa Pelada where A dipped her feet into the ocean for the first time and Playa Guiones was beautiful and looked like a great place to surf. You’ll need a 4WD to explore this place as the roads are undeveloped and very rough. We noticed a lot of the locals chose to ride on ATVs instead of cars or bikes. There were plenty of food options in the town center and everywhere we ate was delicious.
To do: Visit one of Nosara’s beaches. These beaches made Nosara the rich tourist playground it is today for a reason!
Avoid: Massive potholes, not driving with a 4WD or visiting during rainy season where lots of roads are apparently washed away.
Jaco
Jaco was very different from Nosara, if Nosara is the jungle oasis Jaco is the beach city. We stayed at the south end of Playa Jaco at a vacation rental just steps to the beach with a surf rental (Playa Jaco is good for beginning surfers) and it was quite convenient with the little one. It was a good location to take day trips from and had plenty of eating options, but tourists should take caution of the downtown strip that’s full of bars, clubs, and apparently prostitution which makes it a popular “Bachelor/ette party location” for locals and party people. It’s easy to avoid if you’re not interested, and Jaco has plenty else to do. We found a Jaco city walk which had a huge playground, splash pads, restaurants, a brewery, and shops. Crocodile bridge is a must see stop outside Jaco to view crocodiles from a safe distance. We also went to the Carara National Park, it’s $60 to use a guide but that will guarantee sloth and monkey sightings otherwise bring binoculars! It’s one of the top bird watching spots in Central America and we saw tons of macaws and the occasional coati. Playa Hermosa a bit south of Jaco is one of the top surfing spots in the country, but for experts only. It was fun to watch people attempt to surf and not many could do it!
To do: Watch the sunset on the south side of Jaco beach, see surfers hit big waves at Play Hermosa.
Avoid: The beach late at night, and leaving your items unattended. Playa Herradura area a little north is a wealthy expat/tourist mall but there’s not much to do out there unless you boat/yacht.
Dominical
The best was truly saved for last, as we found Dominical to be our favorite stop of the trip. There was so much nature and lots to do nearby, since we were farther from major cities we saw monkeys swinging in the trees outside our vacation rental. We saw plenty of babies and toddlers at family friendly Manuel Antonio Park, and while sloths were hard to see monkeys are virtually guaranteed since tourists have been (illegally) feeding them. One day we hiked 5 miles round trip to Nahuyaca waterfall (hint: keep driving down the hill to a parking lot and don’t park at the tourist center where you pay- it’s an extra mile hike with no shade!) and it was a moderately intense hike in the 90 degree weather with the reward being a dip in the water swimming under the waterfall! We really enjoyed the food and organic grocery stores in this area that had lots of options for gluten and lactose free people. The beaches were also pretty nice, Playa Dominical is world renowned for surfing, Dominicalito is a more laid back swimming beach, and Uvita is a long white sand whale’s tale shaped beach at Marino Ballena National Park, a must see when in the area.
To Do: Have a delicious meal and taste beer at the fun and family friendly Fuego Brew Co when you’re done with a long day of hiking or swimming.
Avoid: Even though there are lots of wild monkeys, coatis, and racoons around here please avoid feeding them. Not only is it illegal but it also is dangerous to both the wildlife AND humans. Let’s admire them from afar.
