4 Days in Costa Rica for $400!

Pura Vida! Costa Rica is such a beautiful country! From the lush green mountains, scenic views, waterfalls, private beaches, and food you'll never want to leave. It is truly a rainforest oasis.

Another epic trip in the books guys! This time to Guanacaste, Costa Rica. An absolutely breathtaking experience from the service to the excursions to the resort. Just perfect! See my trip highlights, tips, and photos below:

Accommodations:

Andaz Costa Rica Papagayo Peninsula

*Booked through my Hyatt colleague perks. I used 3 free nights. Average rate is $600+*

Not a Hyatt employee? Sign up for a World of Hyatt membership! Points add up and can get you frees stays too!

Andaz Fun facts:

• When staying on the Papagayo peninsula you can visit any of the other resorts to dine. There's the Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, and a marina that offers stunning views and great dining options.

• The Andaz Beach house is available to hotel guest and can be accessed by a short 10 minute boat ride or a cool VW shuttle.

Andaz C.R. offers complimentary activities like kayaking, paddle boarding, beach games, and electric bikes! The resort also offers a variety of classes focusing on wellness, beach sports, culture, and much more. Prices vary depending on the class, but range from $10-40. Take a look at some of the classes they offer below:

• Mixology class

• Barista class

• Canvas/ Pottery class

• Nature Tour

• Snorkeling/Diving

• Water Bike Tour

• Cooking class (They have an empanada making class that looks super fun! Unfortunately, the class time clashed with an excursions we already had booked so be sure to check out their class calendar when planning your itinerary)

Excursions:

There are tons of amazing excursions Costa Rica has to offer, but keep in mind the country is quite big and can take hours to get around. Since we were only in Costa Rica for 4 days, we didn't want to spend too much time driving around so our activities were pretty much based on distance. Both of our excursions were 1-1.5 hours from the resort and we had amazing experiences at both!

La Leona waterfall

$40pp - Booked on www.leonawatwaterfall.com

1 hour drive from Andaz Costa Rica

Booked private tour and took about 2.5-3 hours down and back. Our guide Randall was amazing! He took tons of photos/videos of us along the way, kept us safe on the steep hill and slippery rocks and showed us some off the beaten path routes!

Vandara Hot Springs & Adventures

$69pp - Booked via https://vandara.travel

75 minute drive from Andaz Costa Rica

All inclusive day pass includes access to the entire resort, activities and lunch. Drinks and spa massages are additional but very responsibly priced. We spent $8 for alcoholic beverages. Our day pass included:

• Volcanic mud bath

• 8 super scenic Zip lines

• Horseback riding

• Natural Hot Springs (with a swim up bar, my fave!)

• Beautiful Waterfalls

• Coffee Tours & Tastings

• A 1313 ft. Water slide

Flight Details/ Airport:

Liberia (LIR) airport - about a 30 min drive to the Papagayo peninsula

Flew via Delta Airlines nonstop from Atlanta. About a 3.5 hour flight.

*booked via Delta Skymiles Account. Used 29,000 skymiles to book RT flight & only paid $72 total for international taxes and fees*

No COVID protocols as of April 2022 are required for entry to Costa Rica. I traveled in May 2022, so be sure to check often. You can find the most up to date COVID protocols on ....

Keep in mind, you will still need a COVID test to re-enter the US regardless of vaccination status. We did COVID test on site at Andaz for $70 and had our results back within 8 hours.

Transportation:

We booked a rental car through Avis (quick 5min shuttle from the main airport terminal)

In total it cost $200 for 4 days inclusive of all taxes, fees & insurance, which is mandatory in the country. If you book through a third party such as Expedia or Booking make sure you don’t buy the insurance they offer on those sites. It will appear cheaper, but once you arrive in the country they charge $15 per day to use the third party company instead of theirs. We used a little over half a tank of gas and spent about $30 filling it up before returning.

We found driving in Costa Rica to be very easy and safe. Roads were pretty good and always came with a view. We used Waze for directions which worked even once we left wifi (as long as you start the drive while still you're connected. You can also use your data if you're a real G, but I don't want that expense so wifi it is :)

We had a standard sedan, but if you plan to go off-roading or off the main roads, I would definitely recommend a 4 wheel drive as the side roads can be rocky and very hilly.

Kare Tips:

• Bring repellent!!!! I literally left with over 45 bites!

• Eat at local restaurants! We literally ate for so cheap off the resort. $5 for an entire meal! Café Tio Leo offers great local dishes and even a coffee tour!

• We didn't make it here, but here are some other places I looked into. If you are planning Costa Rica, visit Mystico Arenal Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna, and Tabacon!