Who is this trip great for?:
Families
Romance/Couples
Girls' Trip
Health and Wellness
Itinerary
San Jose
La Paz
Arenal
I have a special place in my heart for Costa Rica. Much like Vietnam, Thailand, and Mexico, you can have vastly different trips in Costa Rica every time you go, depending on the region you visit.
Although I've been to Costa Rica three times previously, this was the first time I dedicated an entire trip to staying inland, in the rainforest.
Southwest and United both have direct flights to San Jose, the capital city, but they aren't every day. We flew through Houston to San Jose and arrived in the evening, which made for a long day. If I have the choice next time, I would choose to fly the direct route. You can also fly into Liberia airport, which we did on the way home for a direct flight. Liberia and San Jose are about equidistant from Nayara.
San Jose
Since most flights arrive into San Jose at night, I recommend not trying to drive too far on arrival, and staying within the city before tackling the roads. Driving in Costa Rica can be wild. The street signs and names rarely line up with what Google or Apple Maps say they should be called, and turn signals and traffic laws are more a suggestion than an accepted practice. Additionally, streets in certain areas can be windy, unpaved, and not illuminated.
Although many of my travel clients stay at the Intercontinental near the airport, I decided to stay more in the heart of the city this time in order to experience the hustle and bustle before heading to the jungle. We passed our first night at the Gran Hotel San Jose, a Hilton Curio property next to a museum. While the area gave us some pause upon arrival, the next day brought exactly the kind of experience we were hoping for - tons of shops and an easily-walkable Central Market filled with tiny Sodas, or local restaurants, and local shops selling everything from parakeets to fresh fish. The Gran Hotel rooms were lovely, and the staff was very kind and understanding upon our arrival.
After snagging a few souvenirs and a $4 breakfast at Tala, an excellent Soda (typical cafe) in the Central Market, we made our way up into the mountains to La Paz.
La Paz Waterfall Gardens
La Paz Waterfall Gardens is a private animal sanctuary, hotel, and waterfall viewing retreat at the base of Poas Volcano, about an hour and a half drive from San Jose.
We stayed at the Peace Lodge, where our room felt like we were floating in the clouds. Mist scudded through the trees and rain storms came and went as we watched from our balcony. Our room, an Artisan Room, contained a cozy fireplace with a bench for cuddling, as well as a jacuzzi bath on the balcony and a shower that resembled a waterfall cave.
The animal sanctuary is one of the locations where the Costa Rican government places animals that have been rescued from illegal individual ownership. Once an animal has been raised in captivity, it is not likely to survive in the world, and so is taken care of by the capable staff at La Paz.
We saw ocelots, sloths, jaguars, mountain lions, and a host of colorful toucans and snakes. The butterfly pavilion is where they raise florescent blue butterflies that will land on your nose!
Helpful Tips: There are a lot of stairs to the waterfalls and back up. This trail is not for anyone with mobility concerns or heart issues. We booked a private tour of the animal sanctuary with one of the zoo keepers, and he was amazing! It was well worth $65 for the two of us.
Nayara Tented Camp
We then traveled 2.5 hours to La Fortuna, near Arenal volcano, where we stayed at the fabulous Nayara Tented Camp.
I have been coveting a stay here since I saw the proposal for the tents by Luxury Frontiers back in 2016. They are the architects behind Kings' Pool in Botswana, Four Seasons' new camp outside of Punta Mita (Niviva), and the tents at Amangiri in Utah.
Nayara consists of three hotels, all next to each other: Nayara Gardens, Nayara Springs, and Nayara Tented Camp.
Nayara Gardens was the original property, with the smallest rooms and lowest price point. I would say this is the most family-friendly of the hotels, although for some reason they only allow a maximum 2 adults and 1 child in each room. If you have a family of four, you'll be better suited staying up top at Nayara Tented Camp, where you can fit two adults and two kids in a room.
Nayara Springs is the adults-only hotel. Each room has a heated plunge pool that is more like a private hot spring. The views are predominantly of the surrounding rainforest. Decor in these rooms is colorful, with warm woods.
Nayara Tented Camp is the newest addition to the property. The tents/rooms are the largest of the three options, and include two small day couches that can sleep small children. For older kids, there are family units with a connecting room that has twin beds. The tents are spectacular, with outdoor rain showers, soaking tubs, and private hot pools on the balcony. I spent a large amount of time in the hammock on the porch, watching the rain.
After seeing all options, I would say that the Tented Camp is definitely worth the higher price point, but Nayara Gardens was a lovely alternative for a night and enables you to still have access to the facilities at the Tented Camp.
As a Virtuoso property, Nayara Tented Camp welcomed us with a bottle of sparkling wine, a credit of $100 during our stay, and late checkout. If you book your stay through me by emailing AnneMarie@TafariTravel.com, I will ensure you also receive these perks.
Dining
There are several restaurants throughout the property, and we only ate one meal in town because we had so many options close at hand. All were solid choices, though Asia Luna and the tasting menu at Amor Loco were our favorites. We loved drinks at Henry's Bar, listening to live music at Ayla in the evenings. The musician at Amor Loco was also excellent. Each breakfast was served at Ayla or in our room.
Breakfast is included (yes, even room service), as well as laundry, which was a major bonus.
Activities
We were channeling our inner sloths during this stay, and really just wanted to relax, work remotely, and get some writing done, so we didn't venture out for any activities. We did enjoy a spa treatment and yoga.
There are included activities at each of the properties every day, such a talk about sloths and a "frog walk," but note that you do need to sign up in advance for them. There is also yoga every morning, but it was very crowded.
We spent most of our time bouncing from the incredible thermal hot pools to the various pools.
Kids are allowed at the Tented Camp pool and the thermal pools, but not the Nayara Springs adult pools.
The service everywhere was impeccable. Staff remembered our names and anticipated our needs. Housekeeping was done while we ate breakfast, and never interrupted our stay.
Helpful Tips:
Again, lots of walking up hills around this property! You can call a golf cart to transport you from place to place, but we enjoyed walking.
Take a photo of the map the first day and use that to navigate - it's like a maze. The QR code map had trouble loading for me, so I mostly just used the photo I took of the map on check in to find my way around.
Arrive early for yoga - it fills up.
It rained a lot during our stay, but the hot pools were lovely in the rain.
The pools in the rooms are heated by thermal hot springs, but you can ask the front desk to turn off the hot water for a cold pool.
Other Costa Rica Itineraries
The coast in Guancaste, particularly the Four Seasons Peninsula Papagayo, offers a lovely beach experience. For a less pricey option, there's the Andaz in that area or the Mangroove Hotel.
Farther down the coast, check out Tamarindo, Nosara, Samara, and Santa Teresa.
To Book
We had a fantastic experience, and are already plotting when we can get back to Costa Rica. If you'd like to book a similar adventure, please reach out to me at AnneMarie@TafariTravel.com
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