9.2
Costa Rica · €€€€
Pacuare Lodge
Arrive by raft, sleep above the river, leave the generator behind
Own transferSustainableVery quietSmall and personalPrivate pool
Costa Rica · 2 hotels
Costa Rica
Where the lodge matters more than the hotel
Best months
SeasonDecember to April is dry on the Pacific side, the Caribbean coast has its own calmer window in September and October, and the green season from May to November brings afternoon rain and emptier lodges.
AirportsSan José (SJO) is the main gateway with direct flights from Europe, and Liberia (LIR) in Guanacaste is the better choice for the Pacific beaches of the north.
Costa Rica built its reputation on small lodges rather than grand hotels, and that is still where the country is strongest. The Osa Peninsula and the Caribbean coast around Puerto Viejo are known for rainforest lodges reached by boat or dirt track; Guanacaste's Pacific bays for beachfront resorts with golf and family programmes; the cloud forests of Monteverde and the slopes of Arenal for quiet houses where the view is the point. Sustainability here is not a marketing line but a certification most serious owners hold, and many properties run on their own hydro or solar power.
The dry season from December to April suits Guanacaste best, while the Caribbean side is driest in September and October, when the rest of the country is wet. Insiders fly into Liberia rather than San José for the north, hire a driver instead of a car for the Osa, and book lodges with their own naturalist guides.
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