Costa Rica is known for its beautiful beaches, lush rainforests, diverse mountainous regions peppered with volcanoes and an abundance of outdoor activities. With non-stop flights from multiple U.S. cities, getting to this small country in Central America is easy.
With AAA recently launching its Diamonds Program in Costa Rica, there’s no better time than now to plan a trip to this wonderful country with the trust of AAA Inspector-reviewed destinations.
One of the top areas to stay in Costa Rica is the newly minted AAA Four Diamond Los Sueños Marriot Ocean Resort. Nestled in between mountains and picturesque Herradura Bay on the west coast of Costa Rica, Los Sueños is 90 minutes from San Jose’s Juan Santamaria International Airport (Book a shuttle directly from San Jose to the resort). The resort has a championship golf course, a world-class international marina and a quaint marina village with restaurants and shops. You’ll likely see some wildlife during your stay. We spotted a sloth, toucans and iguanas multiple times, for instance. I recommended renting a golf cart during your stay, it’s the easiest way to get around the resort. There is a Marriott property inside the gated resort if a hotel is your preferred accommodation. If you want to stay in a condo, villa or eco-conscious home, HRG Properties and Rentals has a variety of options for various budgets.
I pre-booked all of our excursions with HRG Properties and Rentals owned by my friend Michael Hardy, an expat who moved from San Antonio, Texas to Costa Rica in 1997. Speaking of, you’ll likely run into some expats while you’re on vacation in Costa Rica as it's one of those destinations where it’s common for vacationers to catch the expat bug. Costa Rica has good roads if you want to rent a car, but I typically like to leave the driving to a local when I travel abroad. If you’re heading to Los Sueños or the lively beach town of Jacó, here are six things to do during your Costa Rican vacation.
1. Get Wild at an Adventure Park in the Jungle
If you’re craving a jungle adventure, Vista Los Sueños Adventure Park has adrenaline-packed experiences including ATVing, ziplining, horseback riding, extreme canyoning and even a Tarzan swing. We did the Jungle and River ATV Adventure with Waterfalls on our first day. Our guide Danny, Coach and Phen drove single ATVs while Wendy and I decided to do a side-by-side. We went in and out of the forest crossing creeks, following creek beds and revving it in the mud before driving up to a spot for a wonderful vista view. From there we went deep into the rainforest where the tree canopy virtually covered the sky just before we got to a waterfall stop. We walked about 500 meters to the refreshing falls and series of swimming holes. After about 20 minutes, we got back on our vehicles and finished our fun two-hour adventure that was filled with a lot of laughs. This is a wet, muggy, and wild time in the jungle. Don’t forget insect repellent for this one and wear a swimsuit so you can take a dip at the waterfall.
2. Reeling in a Billfish
If you dream of hooking a sailfish or marlin on the line, go on a deep-sea fishing excursion with Maverick Costa Rica Sportfish Charters. Costa Rica is known as the “Billfish Capital of the World”. This fishing hot spot has one of the largest concentrations of big Pacific sailfish on earth. Billfish season peaks mid-December through the end of April. People come from all over to go sport fishing in the waters teeming with big game including roosterfish over 50 pounds, dorado averaging 40 pounds and yellowfin tuna close to 300 pounds. But it’s called fishing and not catching for a reason!
The day I went out, we didn’t have any luck reeling in a big one, but it was a great day out on the water and we spotted numerous dolphins and turtles. The other three days someone went fishing were a lot more successful, including Coach and Phen reeling in a couple of marlins and roosterfish.Since fishing is wildly popular, book a boat or excursion ahead of time. The captains and crews are phenomenal and work hard to make sure you have a great time catching what you’re hoping to reel in. A fishing license is required. They’re $15 per person (cash only) if you buy at the Maverick Costa Rica Center. You can also purchase online ahead of time. If you’re an early riser and avid angler, head over to Tanner’s Tackle in Ocean Plaza just outside of Los Sueños. The owner is from Fort Lauderdale and usually opens the shop about 5:15 a.m. Boat captains usually get there about 5:30 a.m. to shoot the breeze while drinking coffee before heading out to get their boats ready for the day. It’s worth going into the shop just to see the extensive array of lures.
3. Eat at the Beach
Playa Herradura is named for the horseshoe shape of its picturesque bay. It’s easily accessible from Los Sueños or Jacó. The bay’s relatively calm waters make it a wonderful swimmable beach and a favorite of locals. In the evenings, the village is the perfect place to dine with your toes in the sand and listening to the melody of the ocean waves while watching a colorful sunset. On our first night we went to Coco’s Beachfront Seafood and Grill for dinner with live music.The ceviche and fish tacos are delicious. We ate at Restaurante El Pelícano Restaurante for lunch the other day. The coconut shrimp and lobster tacos are musts at El Pelícano. We went back to have them cook some fresh red snapper Coach caught. They served it family-style doing the red snapper three different ways and with multiple sides for a memorable dinner at the beach.
We tried a few other nearby restaurants with Fish and Cheeses being our favorite. This authentic Italian gourmet market and restaurant is in Ocean Plaza. We dined in for pasta one night and got pizza to go another.
For an authentic Costa Rican breakfast, or típico desayuno, head over to Soda Kathia between Los Sueños and Playa Herradura. The typical breakfast is pinto gallo. The Costa Rican rice and beans are served with grilled sweet plantains, eggs, sour cream, and tortillas. Soda Kathia is a locals’ favorite. Inside Los Sueños, Dolce Vita Coffee and Sweets is great for breakfast, pastries and specialty coffees, especially before a day of fishing. Their ice cream is a sweet treats on a hot afternoon or for dessert after dinner. We tried a couple of the restaurants at the Marriott inside Los Sueños including 18 & Green for a casual steakhouse with seafood options and lunch outside at Zoe with views of the pool area and Herradura Bay. For a fun happy hour or if you’re craving a burger, stop in The Hook Up. The lively sports bar and family-friendly restaurant overlooks the marina.
4. Spend the Day on an Island
Our favorite excursion of our vacation was the day trip to Isla Tortuga with Costa Cat Cruises owned by expats and brothers Jim and Joe Kitchell. We left the marina around 7:30 a.m. on the Costa Cat, a 54’ catamaran and headed for the uninhabited, idyllic island. The bilingual crew is phenomenal from the moment of serving a light breakfast as you board until it’s time to disembark back in Los Sueños. A couple of the crew members helped us spot dolphins on the hour and 15-minute ride to Tortuga Island. The turquoise water and beach were so inviting as we pulled up to this tropical paradise. We quickly found our chairs and headed for a swim before snorkeling amongst vibrant schools of fish. The buffet-style lunch hit the spot. With a full belly, I retreated under an umbrella and nodded off for a few moments lulled by the sounds of the ocean before rallying for more rum punch and fun in the water with the rest of my crew. While on Tortuga Island you can also go on a banana boat ride and eco-hike.We returned to Los Sueños a little before 4 p.m. after a day filled with fun in the sun.
5. See Monkeys on a Boat Tour
If you want to see wildlife, take the boat mangrove tour at Monkey Mangrove Chino Tour. It’s about an hour from Los Sueños. While Coach and Phen were fishing, Wendy and I got the VIP treatment and had a boat tour to ourselves. Our guide Andres was able to spot all sorts of wildlife including a sloth within our first couple of minutes. As we meandered through the mangrove, we saw families of monkeys swinging from branches. We even spotted a Jesus Christ lizard, named that because it runs on water, and a river otter. Both Andres and our boat driver got excited when we saw the otter because they said its unusual to see one. On the way back, Andres clapped his hands, and the insects on top of the water jumped. It's wild to see, and of course, we clapped our hands to see if we could make the insects jump too.
6. Sunset Happy Hour
Villa Caletas Hotel has one of the best sunset views in Costa Rica. You can make a reservation for dinner or do what we did and head to the Anfiteatro Bar. It’s about a 20-minute drive from Los Sueños to Villa Caletas. The mountain road gets very narrow as you get close to the boutique hotel, and I was glad we had a driver. We got there about an hour before sunset and were able to snag a great table at the top of the Greek-inspired amphitheater overlooking the Pacific Ocean and rainforest.As we sipped our first cocktails the crowd grew and the bar quickly filled up. The rows in the amphitheater also filled with eager sunset watchers. As the sun dipped beyond the horizon, painting the sky in tangerine orange and cotton candy pink watercolors, the crowd oohed and aahed during a spectacular sunset happy hour.
Best of the Rest of Costa Rica: Exhilarating Biking Experience to Hanging Bridges
This was my second trip to Costa Rica, and it won’t be the last, partly because I want to ride at Buen Camino Bike Park. Rob and Lynne Baer, owners of The Pad in Silverthorne, Colorado, opened their second property shortly after my Los Sueños trip. The 128-hectare mountain bike park has rainforest trails for all levels. Buen Camino is 45 minutes from Los Sueños and day passes are available. If you want to stay where you ride, Buen Camino is a short drive from the airport and is a great way to spend your first or last night in Costa Rica.I also want to spend a couple of nights at Rios Lodge for an authentic remote eco-lodge experience along the Pacuare River. From my first trip to Costa Rica several years ago, I recommend doing at least a day trip to Manuel Antonio National Park. Its beach often makes the most beautiful beaches in the world lists and the abundance of flora and fauna in the rainforest is incredible.
Northern Costa Rica is outstanding too. Learn to surf in Tamarindo. Head to Arenal Volcano and go on a guided tour at Místico Arenal Hanging Bridges. On our tour, my cousin and I saw sloths, a two-head viper, and a blue jean frog. The red frog with blue legs is also known as the strawberry poison arrow frog.
If you take a vacation to Costa Rica, you’ll like be a repeat visitor to this country filled with friendly people, delicious food, wild adventures, and breathtaking landscapes.
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