Upgrade your Costa Rican vacation with a stay at one of these five luxury hotels
Get the best of both worlds: adventure and nature by day and gourmet meals, spa treatments, and a king-size bed with your own personal view by night. Each of these private slices of paradise has been vetted by luxury custom-vacation specialist company Journese.
Arenal
From your private terrace or one of eighteen mineral hot springs pools at The Springs Resort & Spa, take in Arenal Volcano and the Arenal Valley 1,000 feet below. The 165-acre property has four restaurants, a spa, horseback riding trails, whitewater kayaking, and a wildlife preserve.
Guanacaste
The brand-new oceanfront Andaz Papagayo resort and spa is made up of domed wooden “cocoons” housing 153 rooms and suites, some with private plunge pools and floor-to-ceiling views of Culebra Bay.
Monteverde
Backed by protected cloud forest preserves, the 150-acre El Establo Mountain Hotel has two restaurants, two indoor pools, an on-site spa, and 155 rooms, including some two-story open-plan suites with private balconies and whirlpool baths with mountain views.
Puntarenas
Wake up with the wildlife of Manuel Antonio at your doorstep at the adults-only GAIA Hotel & Reserve, whose rooms, pools, spa, and restaurants overlook the Pacific Ocean. The ultimate option? The 1,100-square-foot Gaia Suite, with 15-foot ceilings and a private plunge pool and garden.
San José
Within the La Paz Waterfall Gardens wildlife refuge, Peace Lodge is a tropical oasis just outside the city. Huge, wood-beamed rooms have rainforest views, up to three stone fireplaces, handmade canopy beds, and whirlpool baths—in some cases on a balcony under the cloud forest canopy.
