Hi Friends! We had such an amazing time in Costa Rica a couple weeks ago and I wanted to share our experiences to help you plan your next trip to this beautiful country.

First, the trip didn’t start off as planned: When I logged into the Alaska Airlines app at 12pm the day before our trip to check in, I learned that our flight had been moved up to 7am!!! Somehow, we didn’t receive any notifications about this so I spent quite a bit of time on the phone with customer service and even resorted to Googling the VP of customer service and emailing them (I did receive follow up 🙌🏾). On top of that, I had to board Violet a day early, which made me sad (and cost me more money). But after that was sorted out, everything was fine… ish…

We landed at SJO at 8pm local time and it took us about 20 min to find the ride share pickup point and another 20 min to lock in a driver. Turns out ride share services actually aren’t allowed at the airport so there’s no designated pickup point, but the best spot is on the upper level at Departures. Once our driver did arrive, one of us had to sit in the front seat to look less conspicuous. Then we were on our way to our first stay: Hotel Isla Verde.

This hotel was only about a 15 min drive from the airport, had a modern interior, and free breakfast from 6am to 10am. We selected a deluxe room which was quite spacious and had two interior-facing floor-to-ceiling window panels which let in a lot of natural light during the day. We arrived at the hotel at around 10pm so our dining options were limited. We were also pretty hungry so we wanted something quick. We noticed there was a McDonald’s about a block away and—since the concierge recommended not walking at night—opted to order through UberEats. Now judge us all you want for going to another country and getting McDonald’s but the menu is usually slightly different and the quality tends to be better than what’s offered in the US. Anyway, so much for quick. Start to finish, the entire process took about 2 hours. First, the map showed that the driver had passed us and was continuing in the wrong direction. Then, when I tried to contact her, I got no response. Then, when I resorted to contacting customer service, I was only given a credit rather than a refund. Lastly, when I finally heard back from the driver, she said that the restaurant “ran out of meat”!?!?! Very suspicious. Needless to say, when the food arrived, it was cold. Here’s what I ordered:

• 1 Pollo McCrispy® (fried chicken drumstick) — Very good despite being cold, though I wish it were crispier, 9/10
• McCombo® Triple con Bacon (triple bacon cheeseburger) — Dry, it only came with one slice of cheese and not enough sauce, 5/10
• Cheddar bacon fries — It’s difficult to give an honest rating considering how freezing cold they were, but there definitely wasn’t enough cheese. Probably would’ve been okay if they were hot, 7/10
• Strawberry McShake® — Despite being a bit to liquidy, still pretty good, 10/10

The next morning, we helped ourselves to the complimentary breakfast which included fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, bread, Gallo Pinto (rice and black beans), scrambled eggs, a sort of red salsa served hot, juices, coffee, and tea. Then we headed out to pick up our rental car, get groceries at Walmart, and exchange some cash before we headed to Jacó.

A few notes about exchanging money in Costa Rica:

1. The bank lines are long
2. When you walk into the bank, you may be asked to take a specific seat, which indicates your place in line. As the line moves, you will shift to the next seat
3. Any bills you’re exchanging must not be torn. Otherwise, you won’t be given the full exchange value
4. Most places take credit cards and a 10% gratuity is often built into the restaurant check so you really only need to exchange $50-$100 for an entire week. Many places will also take US dollars

Now, off to Jacó…

We couldn’t have picked a better location for our stay in Jacó. Tour shuttles picked us up directly from our stay rather than us having to go to the meeting point. It was an oceanfront unit with an unobstructed beach view. And most importantly, it was walkable to all the bars and restaurants on the main strip in Jaco. Speaking of “strip,” at night Jaco turns into a little Vegas with people dressed for the club and carrying their open cocktails, which is allowed (Not to mention the very obvious escorts and the men selling weed and cocaine on the street. 😬 Wouldn’t recommend this town it for kids). Here’s were we stayed (Locate it on Google Maps)

That first night, we ate at RHYTHMOS. I’ll spare the niceties and just say, you can skip this place. The food, drinks, and overall experience wasn’t necessarily BAD (although the ceviche was sweet as was the meat on the nachos… in addition to them being cold), but there are definitely much better restaurants in the area.

Day 2 in Jaco…

We decided to book this 3-Hour ATV Jungle Waterfall Adventure and it was great! It was the perfect length, it was affordable, and our tour guide Jordan was super friendly and knowledgeable about the area. One our way back down the mountain, we asked if we could stop at Rancho Shadday aka Soda Doña Marta and he happily obliged. (NOTE: the tour used to have a partnership with this restaurant but they have a falling out so best to ask your tour guide about stopping right before you start your return trip down the mountain) We had two margaritas and split a cheese and a beef empanada and a casado (a platter with rice, black beans, plantains, salad, a tortilla, and your choice of protein). The empanada “dough” reminded me of deep fried tamal masa and they used ground beef instead of shredded, which I love. Everything was delicious! Pair all of that with the view and it was an incredible experience.

Dinner that night was at a restaurant that’s name I can’t remember and of course isn’t on Google Maps. But, it’s located across the creek from Tacos Locos. It was DELICIOUS! I ordered a Bloody Mary, which was lighter and less pulpy than one you’d get in the US. It’s possible that they use fresh tomato juice. We also split the pasta carbonara, the ravioli, and a pizza (carbs on carbs on carbs). The flavors were perfect and the pizza was thin crust; my favorite. 10/10, would visit again.

Day 3 in Jaco…

We kept hearing about how beautiful Isla Tortuga was so we had to see it for ourselves and booked this Isla Tortuga from Jacó with Lunch and transportation tour. Start to finish, the tour was approximately 10 hours including transportation. The driver picked us up at 7am and drove us to El Jardin to meet the rest of the tour group on a larger bus, Then the bus took us to a dock where we got on a boat that took us to the island where we arrived at about 9/9:30am. A couple notes about Isla Tortuga:

1. There are beach chairs and umbrellas that you can rent, but certain sections are reserved for different tours
2. There are a couple of bars on the island where you can order simple cocktails. We got coco locos (served in a fresh coconut) and quite possibly the best margaritas we’ve ever had (made with limónes mandarinas (Costa Rican limes that are orange on the inside 🤯)
3. There is a gift shop on the island where you can buy a wifi card for about $2 to access the internet
4. There are bathrooms, but there is a $1 fee because they are chemical toilets that are serviced every time they’re used
5. You may see some collared peccary and wild peacocks so be ready
6. When you return to the dock, there are showers where you can rinse off and change. You can’t get on the bus with wet clothes

Tonight for dinner, we opted for a steakhouse, El Novillo Alegre – Jaco.

• Tuna tartare — We actually loved that it didn’t come with chips; it made for a much lighter appetizer. Though, it could’ve used a light sauce for just a sprinkle of salt. 9/10
• Empanadas — These were traditional Argentine-style empanadas so they were on the smaller side and were baked. The were delicious and the sauce that was served with it just took it to the next level. 10/10
• Medium rare 200 gram beef tenderloin steak — Hands down, the best steak I’ve ever had and it appeared to only be seasoned with rock salt. I ordered with a side of potatoes, which were good but not too memorable next to the amazing steak. 10/10
• Beef milanesa — Breading was just simple breadcrumb so it wasn’t as crispy as what we’re used to. Not bad, but wouldn’t order again. 6/10

Day 4 in Jacó was a chill one…

The day started with in-home massages on our balcony from Jaco Beach Massage. They were incredibly affordable at $120 for a couple’s massage and both massage therapists were very good. We agreed that these were the best massages we’ve ever gotten. Then, after a nap and a shower, we walked to Gaia Natural Food for açaí bowls. They were good but a little too runny for our taste and there wasn’t as much peanut butter as we would have liked. Next, we decided to stop by Pachi’s Pan for coffee, pastries, and people watching on their balcony. I got a chai latte and a churro. I wouldn’t order the chai again; I think they may have put espresso in it. But the churro I would definitely order again; it was the perfect sweetness and it was filled with dulce de leche!

After coffee, we wandered around town for a bit and decided to go to Rancho Tangerí for drinks and light lunch. That’s another place you can skip. Really the only thing it has going for it is the beach view and the occasional iguana appearance. The drinks were overly sweet and didn’t seem to have much alcohol at all and the food lacked flavor.

Day 4 in Jacó (our last day) was another chill one:

1. Lunch at Public House — The patties and toppings (especially the bacon) were good, but the buns were way too dense. 8/10. I also had the spiciest spicy margarita ever, which was a bit too spicy for me. 5/10
2. Relaxing at the pool before heading to our next stay
   • Side note: There were a surprising number of retirees at the pool enjoying their own version of spring break. They were shouting chants, blasting pop music, and blending frozen cocktails in their BlendJets 🤣

Our next stop was a much quieter 1-night stay at Akua Suites in Tarcoles (Airbnb link). This beautiful suite offered a distant ocean view and the appearance and feel of being remote, while only being a 5 min drive into town. The property is surrounded by lush forest, which brought beautiful birds, butterflies, and cute little geckos. Unfortunately, it also came with many unfathomably large ants so we didn’t want to leave our shoes or suitcases on the floor. I think the property should invest in some eco-friendly bug repellent. Overall, it was a perfect way to round out the vacation.

Though our trip wasn’t quite over. Since our flight was at 1am the next morning, we decided to head back to San Jose and book one more night Hotel Isla Verde. On our way back into the city, we stopped at the Crocodile Bridge for a couple of photos and milkshakes at Pops.

Once back in the city, we decided to try Caffé Negroni, a restaurant we’d spotted before we left for Jacó. Everything about this place was 10/10! The instagrammable decor, the extensive cocktail menu, the Italian-centered cuisine. Everything was 🧑‍🍳😙🤌! Here’s what we had:

• Aperol Spritz
• Whiskey Sour
• Aviation
• Beef carpaccio
• Fresh burrata
• Spinach and ricotta ravioli
• Diavolo pizza

Overall, a fantastic vacation! Though there were two stops that we didn’t have time to make: (1) seeing a volcano like Volcán Arenal, Volcán Barva, or Volcán Viejo, and (2) visiting Parque Nacional Miguel Antonio. If you happen to check these off your list during your trip, please share! Thanks so much for reading!