January 11, 2025, 6:48 PM (GMT-5). Here I am, sitting in our cozy living room, brimming with excitement as I begin drafting the blog post about our recent adventure in Costa Rica. But then, out of nowhere, I’m hit by a wave of gratitude, realizing just how blessed I am. Taking a vacation to Costa Rica while being a temporary resident of Ecuador? That’s basically the ultimate expression of what I love most in life: exploring every corner of the world and diving headfirst into different cultures.
Libia and I had been dreaming of traveling to Costa Rica for quite some time, and finally, at the start of December, we decided to turn that dream into reality. We booked the trip to spend Christmas and New Year’s Eve in what we hoped would be a slice of Central American paradise, inspired by the glowing recommendations of others who couldn’t hide their excitement about Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is known for its rainforests, active volcanoes, and beaches on both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. Home to 5% of the world’s biodiversity, it’s a haven for wildlife like sloths and toucans. The country’s 5 million residents, often called „Ticos,“ are generally celebrated for their friendliness and their pura vida lifestyle—a philosophy of enjoying life’s simple pleasures. With no army and a strong focus on sustainability, Costa Rica supposed to be one of the happiest nations in the world. Since we had just two weeks and didn’t want to be on the move every day, we decided to focus on exploring the northwest of San José. As a result, we skipped Costa Rica’s Caribbean coastline, which is definitely worth a visit as well.
Our journey kicked off on December 21st. First, we hopped on a bus from Cuenca to Guayaquil, where we boarded a plane to Bogotá. After a quick layover in Colombia’s capital, we headed to San José—the capital of Costa Rica, our first stop, and, most importantly, the favorite Latin American metropolis of our neighbor David, an US citizen with Norwegian roots. (Don’t worry, we’ll dive into David and his fascinating city rankings later!)
The next morning, we woke up in our highly recommended Airbnb, greeted by a stunning view that only heightened our excitement to explore San José. The Airbnb was located in Curidabat, a small suburb of the city, which kept the price affordable while still offering easy access to everything San José has to offer.
After a quick 10-minute drive straight into the heart of San José’s downtown, we followed all the recommendations from our Google search on “What to do in San José in one day.” We visited the main artisan market, the Teatro Nacional Costa Rica, the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, the Catedral Metropolitana, and Plaza de la Cultura. Along the way, we worked up an appetite and set off in search of a great place for lunch. A couple of kilometers outside downtown, we found Restaurante Grano de Oro, a Latin-French fusion spot that’s definitely worth a visit if you’re in San José. After refueling, we were ready to continue our sightseeing.
David, we need to talk! Our 14-kilometer walk through San José didn’t exactly convince us why this city should be anyone’s favorite Latin American metropolis! Not wanting to judge too quickly, Libia and I brainstormed what could possibly make it a favorite spot for someone. Could it be…
…the overwhelming density of fast food restaurants, especially KFC? I swear, San José might just be the city with the most KFCs per square kilometer in the world!
…the easy access to drugs, which seems to have led to an unfortunate increase in homeless people filling the streets?
…or perhaps the sky-high cost of living, making it feel like you’re always wondering where to spend your money?
We’re curious, David—what makes it attractive to you? No worries, we’ll invite you over to chat about it! Anyway, after checking out some of the „attractions,“ Libia and I decided to hit the hair salon for a fresh cut, grab some groceries, and enjoy a cozy dinner with that amazing view from our Airbnb—definitely the highlight of San José!
Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t pointless to visit San José. I’m always interested in exploring a city, especially when it’s the capital of a country, to get a real feel for it. Honestly, I think I just had high expectations, which led to a bit of disappointment. I wouldn’t say you should avoid San José altogether, but definitely ask yourself if it’s a place you really want to visit, especially since Costa Rica has so much more to offer. From our perspective, just don’t expect anything too special in San José and don’t stay longer then one day.
You might think Costa Rica is a modern and developed country—especially considering that with just over $600, it has the highest average per capita income in all of Latin America. We thought the same and assumed it wouldn’t be a big deal to travel around by bus instead of renting a car. That was until we tried organizing our trip to La Fortuna. It turned into a bit of a headache to get the right information—even though we can communicate in Spanish with the locals. We eventually made our way to a bus terminal in downtown San José, only to realize there was no counter to buy tickets or get information. The security guard told us we’d have to wait until the barrier opened, after which we could enter the bus park and ask the drivers where they were headed. After much confusion, we finally had the right information and were on our way—though we did have to change buses once before reaching La Fortuna after 8 hours. From there, it was just a 40-minute Uber ride to Essence Arenal Spa & Bio Farm in El Castillo, right in front of Laguna de Arenal and Arenal Volcano.
On the bus, we struck up a conversation with a Dutch couple, and they mentioned that it had been raining for days in the volcano area. Of course, we could have just checked the weather forecast, but they told us they were part of a group chat with all the Dutch people in Costa Rica, where they share information, recommendations, and help each other out. Hearing that made me feel like a total travel amateur—something I never would have considered myself before!
So, guess what? It’s December 24th—Christmas Eve. We’re on our holiday to spend Christmas in the sun, at an amazing remote yoga retreat, waking up to the sound of… heavy rain. Definitely not what I’d consider the dry season!
During breakfast, we made some adjustments to our day plan and decided to treat ourselves to an amazing massage. As we suspected, just as we finished our massage, the rain stopped, so we headed out for a hike to the nearby lake. Though the rain had cleared, it was still cloudy, so we couldn’t see the volcano and opted to go to a restaurant for lunch. We could only imagine what an incredible view of the Arenal Volcano this place must have on sunny days. From one whiskey sour to another margarita, the clouds slowly started to break apart. After days of rain in the area and no blue sky in sight, we were beyond excited to finally catch a glimpse of the volcano on Christmas Eve. It truly made our day! With big smiles, we returned to the hotel for some spa time, soaking in the jacuzzi with a view of the lake and unwinding in the sauna. Afterward, we had an incredible vegetarian Christmas dinner. Oh, and fun fact—the hotel runs its own farm, so most of the ingredients for the dinner were homegrown, making it even more special for us.
We kicked off the next morning with a refreshing yoga session before heading to our next destination: Tamarindo, our first stop on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. Still recovering from the long bus ride from San José to La Fortuna, we decided to treat ourselves to a private taxi, which the hotel arranged for us. It turned out to be a fantastic decision, as we arrived at our hotel after just 4 hours of smooth driving. Honestly, I don’t even want to imagine doing that journey by bus!
In Tamarindo, we stayed at the Best Western Vista Villas Hotel, which was definitely fancy… maybe ten years ago. Nowadays, it felt like they were cutting costs and trying to squeeze out as much money as possible. We checked into Room 502, unpacked a bit, and then explored the hotel facilities. I turned to Libia and said, „I think we got the worst room in the hotel.“ The room didn’t even have a proper window—just a peephole as part of the second entrance for disabled guests. It also had no space to move around. So, off we went to the reception to ask for an upgrade. Second try: Room 302. And that’s when our time in Tamarindo truly began. We upgraded to not just a hotel room, but a hotel apartment with a spacious living and kitchen area, and more importantly, a huge, comfy balcony with a stunning sea view – an amazing start to 5 days in Tamarindo.
Tamarindo is a very hip place, much more lively than El Castillo, our previous location. It’s full of great restaurants, shopping options, and tourists from all over the world. This is the kind of place where people come to surf day after day. During our time there, we, of course, enjoyed the amazing Tamarindo beach, did some shopping, and even rented a car to cruise around and explore nearby spots. So we went on a day trip to explore different beaches: El Conchal, Playa Flamingo and Las Catalinas. We just made it to Las Catalinas when it was dark already, but it seemd to be a very different and great village. Playa Flamingo did not attract us a lot but El Conchal made it on my top 5 List of beaches that i did see so far. We had a great time hear, enjoying the white sand, the tourquise water, playing frisbee and even a beach massage. Highly recommended to visit El Conchal!
On another day tour, we visited the Rincon de la Vieja National Park, where you can hike to waterfalls for a swim or witness live volcanic activity. We opted for the latter. Luckily, the rain stopped just as we began our hike, and it was incredible to experience an active volcano up close, with the dust and mud adding to the dramatic natural spectacle.
After the hike, we headed to the famous Río Celeste Hot Springs, one of the most popular hot spring spots in Costa Rica. Over the next few hours, we enjoyed all 9 different hot spring pools, each nestled in nature, creating a truly special experience.
After a fantastic time in Tamarindo, we continued our Costa Rican adventure at another stunning location: Playa Tambor. When we arrived at the hotel, we were speechless at how beautiful it was—it truly looked like paradise. We highly recommend a stay at the Tambor Tropical Beach Resort. Playa Tambor is a very small, peaceful spot, perfect for unwinding. The beach isn’t the best, with a lot of sea grass, but the whole environment is simply amazing.
The day after our arrival was December 31st—New Year’s Eve and the last day of 2024. It seemed like the perfect day to start with a beach run and support the hotel’s foundation, which helps breed baby turtles. We didn’t expect it, but we were so grateful to have the opportunity to be there when volunteers took the baby turtles out of their nest. We then headed to the beach to release the little creatures into the vastness of the Pacific. It was definitely one of our highlights, watching them wake up, feeling the vibrations of the ocean, and instinctively finding their way to their new home. We cheered them on as they “raced” to the water—such a special moment!
As it’s a small town, there weren’t many options to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Just around the corner, the locals—who seemed like they were all there—were celebrating in the village bar, blasting Latin music at an ear-piercing volume. We opted for a calmer approach, enjoying a nice dinner at the hotel. Since the bar closed around 10:30 pm, instead of staying up for the countdown, we decided to take a nap until the fireworks began. From our balcony, we watched a 12-minute, small-town Costa Rican fireworks display—our unique way of ringing in the new year. Happy 2025!
In the days leading up to our return to Ecuador, we mostly relaxed by the pool and on the beach, enjoying some light exercise and fun activities like horse riding, kayaking, and stand-up paddleboarding. It was the perfect way to recharge before diving back into our everyday lives.
Playa Tambor was the perfect way to close our two-week adventure in Costa Rica. While it’s a beautiful country, from everything we experienced, it didn’t feel exceptionally unique compared to other stunning Latin American countries—like Ecuador. That said, we truly appreciated the opportunity to discover Costa Rica in such a beautiful way. Anyone considering a trip to Costa Rica won’t be making a wrong decision—it’s a place you’ll surely enjoy. Pura Vida!
