Costa Rica map

Costa Rica Coast-to-Coast

Table of Contents

COVID-19 was still disrupting travel plans and causing stress so we decided to return to a country we’ve been to before — and enjoyed — that was open to travelers. We were able to go as planned, and it was less stressful since we were somewhat familiar!

We visited two places we’ve been to before and enjoyed and experienced a couple of new locations. We may have found our ideal Costa Rica itinerary: wildlife viewing sandwiched in between beach time. And we have two candidates for go-to beach destinations: Cahuita and Samara.

  • 27 days
  • 2022 Winter

Food and Beverage $30 per day*

Average per person per day. We ate one meal out most days and bought breakfast from bakeries or supermarkets.

Lodging $55-$103 per night

Most lodgings ranged from $73-92. Arenal was the least expensive and Monteverde the most expensive.

Transportation $414 per person

Cost includes shuttles to get from place to place and the odd taxi when it was too far to walk.

Entertainment $242 per person

Entertainment includes hot springs, a guided cloud forest visit, hanging bridges, and a rental car for sightseeing.

* In US dollars at time of trip

Days 1-6: Cahuita

Planned Activities

  • Hiking in the national park
  • Visiting local wildlife places
  • Checking out nearby beaches

Actual Activities

  • Hiking in the national park
  • Hanging out at the beach

The Plan: We haven’t been to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica yet. Cahuita sounds like a good base for us for exploring the southern part of the coast.

The Reality: We didn’t get around to exploring the coast further south because we were enjoying Cahuita. The national park had interesting hiking and Playa Negra was good for walking. And we saw wildlife right on the hotel grounds.

Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!

Fly from home

Shuttle from San Jose

Interbus in our favorite shuttle company in Costa Rica.

Stay at Adventure Inn

THE place to stay near the airport in San Jose. Our third (and fourth) time here.

Stay at Playa Negra Guesthouse

A beautiful spot in Cahuita with lush, private grounds and wildlife without leaving the hotel!

Get around by walking

Days 7-8: Arenal

Planned Activities

  • Visiting hot springs

Actual Activities

  • Visiting hot springs

The Plan: This will be our third trip to Costa Rica and we haven’t been to Arenal yet because it sounded too touristy for us. However, it breaks up the long trip to Monteverde and we’d like to try out the hot springs.

The Reality: We came here for the hot springs and that’s what we did!

Related Posts

Shuttle from Cahuita

Interbus in our favorite shuttle company in Costa Rica.

Stay at Hotel Bijagua

A comfortable, well-priced option in a convenient location.

Get around by walking

Days 9-11: Santa Elena

Planned Activities

  • Cloud forest reserve tour
  • Cloud forest hiking
  • Ziplining and hanging bridges?

Actual Activities

  • Cloud forest reserve tour
  • Cloud forest hiking
  • Hanging bridges

The Plan: This will be our second time visiting Monteverde. We’d like to revisit the cloud forest we enjoyed so much and might just go ziplining again or if not, at least the hanging bridges we enjoyed.

The Reality: We skipped the ziplining this time. The rest of our stay was similar to our first time here.

Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!

Shuttle from Arenal

We took the shuttle-boat-shuttle across Lake Arenal.

Stay at Arco Iris Lodge

Close to everything in Santa Elena yet a quiet world all its own.

Get around by walking

And by local shuttles to the reserve and park.

Days 12-15: Playa Grande

Planned Activities

  • Hanging out at the beach
  • Turtle nesting tour?

Actual Activities

  • Driving the coast
  • Hanging out at the pool
  • Walking on the beach

The Plan: We’re still looking for that perfect beach location in this hemisphere. We plan to use the rental car to explore a bit of the Nicoya peninsula while we’re here.

The Reality: Playa Grande is a little small for our ideal location and based on our drive up the coast, nowhere else in that area is either. We did enjoy our four days there.

Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!

Shuttle from Santa Elena

We booked with Shuttle Bus CR which specializes in transportation to and from the Monteverde area.

Stay at Hotel Catarana

Lovely boutique hotel with a fantastic onsite restaurant.

Get around by rental car

We rented with Adobe through Mytanfeet and got a discount. (And it's a great site for Costa Rica info beyond that!)

Days 16-19: Montezuma

Planned Activities

  • Hanging out at the beach

Actual Activities

  • Hanging out at the beach and at the pool

The Plan: This will be our second time visiting Montezuma. Last time we stayed in the hills outside of town. This time we’ll be in town which will be more convenient for getting to the beach and any other activities.

The Reality: We didn’t have any activities planned and ended up not doing any, other than walking over to Playa Las Manchas, which we enjoyed on our last visit here. Staying in the village was a lot more convenient to shops and restaurants.

Related Posts

Shuttle from Playa Grande

We used Tropical Tours shuttles to get there.

Stay at Hotel El Jardin

A tropical oasis on the edge of Montezuma.

Get around by walking

Days 20-27: Samara

Planned Activities

  • Hanging out at the beach

Actual Activities

  • Hanging out at the pool
  • Walking on the beach

The Plan: Check out another beach location to see if it’s THE place for us. I looked at Sámara for our previous two visits to Costa Rica. Now it’s time to see how we like it.

The Reality: We liked Sámara a lot. We didn’t do a lot other than walk on the beach and hang out by the pool, but we were content with that.

Related Posts

Shuttle from Montezuma

We used Tropical Tours shuttles to get there.

Stay at Entre Dos Aguas

A laid back spot right as you enter Playa Sámara. Easy walk to town and beach.

Get around by walking

Resources

book cover

We used Costa Rica: The Complete Guide (Kindle version) as our primary resource. It had a wealth of information about activities, culture, and dining, and a separate web reference for lodgings. Highly recommended.