Costa Rica — Rainforest, Volcanoes & Pacific Coast 🌴
Pura vida in its purest form: cloud forests and an active volcano inland, biodiverse national parks meeting the Pacific along the coast, and a genuinely warm, laid-back way of doing luxury. Hand-picked stays across the country's best regions — every link takes you straight to Trip.com to check live prices and book.
🏨 Where to Stay
- Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — the only Forbes Five-Star resort in Central America, on its own private peninsula in Guanacaste with two beaches, an Arnold Palmer golf course and ten consecutive years of five-star ratings. The country's grandest address.
- Gaia Hotel & Reserve — hidden gem, adults-only — a 22-room eco-boutique hotel on a hilltop above Manuel Antonio, named World's Leading Green Hotel 2025. Guests get access to the hotel's own 12-hectare nature reserve and its scarlet macaw reintroduction programme, with 360-degree jungle and coastline views from the pool.
- Nayara Gardens — smart pick — Trip.com's #6 premium hotel in Costa Rica, a family-friendly luxury hideaway in the rainforest at the foot of Arenal Volcano, with private outdoor jacuzzis on every casita terrace and resident sloths in the grounds.
- The Westin Golf Resort & Spa, Playa Conchal — family-friendly, all-inclusive — Trip.com's #2 premium hotel in Guanacaste, spread across 2,400 acres beside the crushed-shell sands of Playa Conchal, with a championship golf course, a Kids Club and nine restaurants.
- Los Sueños Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort — attainable pick — a beachfront resort on Herradura Bay's Green Coast, closer to San José than the Guanacaste resorts, with a black-sand beach, championship golf and easy access to Carara National Park — a genuinely well-priced base for a first trip.
✈️ Flights
- Flights to San José (SJO) — no direct route from Manchester; fly one-stop with KLM via Amsterdam, Air France via Paris, or Lufthansa via Frankfurt (around 14.5 hours total) into Juan Santamaría International Airport.
🎟️ Experiences
- Manuel Antonio National Park — Costa Rica's smallest national park but one of its most biodiverse, where rainforest trails lead straight onto postcard-perfect beaches. Home to sloths, capuchin and squirrel monkeys, and over 180 species of birds, all easily spotted on an early-morning guided walk.
🚗 Car Hire & Transfers