Find your
Pura Vida stay
A graphic guide to where to sleep, filtered by the kind of trip you came for. Rainforest, reef, volcano and surf.
Destinations worth the trip
What kind of trip is it?
Pick the stay type that matches your trip — the guide filters every stay by it.
Adults-only
Grown-up, couples-friendly stays with no kids around.
Adventure
Basecamps for zip-lines, rafting, canopy tours and hikes.
All-inclusive
Full-board resorts where meals and activities are covered.
Beach resort
Full-service seaside resorts with pools and beach access.
Beachfront
This selection gathers 25 beachfront stays in Costa Rica on three coasts: the southern Nicoya Peninsula around Santa Teresa and Playa Coyote, the Guanacaste bays from Playa Hermosa to Potrero, and the south Caribbean near Puerto Viejo, plus Manuel Antonio, Quepos and Drake Bay. They average 8.84 out of 10 across 8,039 reviews. I would choose the coast by the month and by what you want from the water, then the hotel. One rule first: under Law 6043 of 1977, the first 50 metres above the high-tide line are a public zone where no concession is granted, so no hotel owns the sand in front of it. Santa Teresa has the most stays here, 6, with an average of 9.33. Casa Cecilia Beach Front (9.4, 217 reviews) and Hotel Santa Teresa by the Beach (9.2, 378) have the most feedback, Villas Santa Teresa scores 9.6 and Hotel Nantipa completes the town. Blue Mist Hotel and Vista del Alma Boutique take adults only, which makes Santa Teresa my pick for couples who surf. Santa Teresa runs into Mal País to the south, and there is no public transport between them and Playa Coyote, so treat each as its own base. Further north up the coast, towards Sámara, Playa Coyote is the quiet choice, with four stays and the best average of the towns here with more than one, 9.4: Salvatierra Beachfront Hotel (9.8, 104 reviews), Makanas Beach Bungalows (9.2, 111), Totobe Resort and a beachfront studio. I would pick it for long empty sand, and only with a car: going from the southern to the northern end of the beach means a 5 km drive inland via San Francisco de Coyote. Most Costa Rican beaches have no lifeguard, so learn to spot a rip current, a darker channel of water where waves do not break, before the first swim. In Guanacaste, Hotel El Velero (8.7, 1,008 reviews) is the most reviewed Pacific stay on this page, on Playa Hermosa, with Hotel Bosque del Mar and Hotel La Gaviota Tropical (9.0) nearby. Coco's two, Hotel M&M Beach House (8.2, 874 reviews) and Café de Playa, average 7.7, the lowest of the towns here, level with Hotel Brasilito. Azura Beach Resort (8.0, 628 reviews) in Corozalito and Bahia del Sol (8.3) in Potrero complete the coast. The dry season, roughly December to April, brings steady sun; the green season, May to November, is wetter, never a reason to skip it. On the south Caribbean, Hotel Banana Azul (9.0, 1,551 reviews), the most reviewed stay on this page, and Perla Negra Beachfront (7.6) are at Hone Creek, near Puerto Viejo. Playa 506 Beachfront Hostel (8.8, 893 reviews) and Agapi Beachfront Hostel Boutique (8.2) sit by Playa Cocles, for a lively beach more than a quiet night. The Caribbean has no dry season as sharp as the Pacific's, so rain can fall there in any month. Up the coast, the Kelly Creek entrance of Cahuita National Park works by donation; its reef has lost several coral species, so snorkel on a guided boat trip and never touch the coral. Three stays stand alone. Arenas Del Mar Beachfront and Rainforest Resort (9.6, 659 reviews) is in Manuel Antonio, and Buena Vista Plus (9.1) in Quepos, the gateway town to the national park. Copa De Arbol Beach and Rainforest Resort (9.6, 118 reviews) is on Drake Bay, where most stays are reached by boat from Sierpe, for travellers ready to leave the roads behind for a few nights. Jacó, Nosara, Cahuita and Manzanillo also have beachfront hotels, which are not part of this selection. I would keep beachfront nights for the end of a circuit and avoid arriving after dark in the rain.
Boutique
Small, design-led hotels with personality and intimate scale.