The Best Hotels in Costa Rica

Whether you are a surfer, yogi or beach lover, the Harmony Hotel is ideally located near the popular Playa Guiones in Nosara, known for its great waves and abundance of yoga studios (including one on-site). Wander down the beach path to this delightful, environmentally hotel with a farm-to-table restaurant, serving organic Costa Rican fusion fare. There is also a juice bar and wellness center on the property. This is truly a place that you won’t want to leave.

For beachfront luxury, look no further than Arenas del Mar, a carbon-neutral hotel that is nestled within the world famous Manuel Antonio National Park. Winner of the Five Sustainability Leaf Award, eco-friendly practices are central to the hotel’s ethos – there are no single-use plastics on-site, they organize bi-monthly litter cleans and use solar energy to heat their water. Each of the 37 luxury suites has king-size beds, organic toiletries and rainfall shower heads. Alongside two sustainable restaurants, they also host Costa Rican street food nights, beachside barbecues and tortilla-making classes.

Further up the coast from Nosara, you’ll find another legendary surf spot – Playa Grande – where two Californians set up the RipJack Inn. Since 2002, it’s grown to become a 21-room boutique hotel with two swimming pools, a yoga shala plus a treetop restaurant, serving casual fare such as fish tacos and Costa Rican casado. The local area is packed with adventurous activities – from zip-lining, horseback riding, sport fishing and scuba diving. The staff will make you feel like family right away, which is probably one of the reasons why so many guests continue to return to the RipJack Inn year after year.

Fancy camping? Almonds and Corals Hotel is a luxury boutique hotel, made from tents raised up on platforms from the rainforest floor. These aren’t any tents – inside you’ll find full hardwood floors, giant wooden beds and living rooms. This fabulously unusual hotel is located within the Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, a photographer’s and nature lover’s utopia. The hotel has Jacuzzis, a fabulous restaurant, a bar that whips up smile-inducing tropical cocktails and a golden-sand beach just around the corner.