From the misty volcanic canopies of La Fortuna to the sun-soaked beaches of Tamarindo, our 10-day Costa Rica family trip was one we’ll never forget. Spoiler alert: WE LOVED IT. Take me back.
Traveling as a group of eight (four boys, my husband, my mom, and my brother) meant we needed the perfect balance of adventure, comfort, and budget — and because we love free travel, a lot of credit card points.
If you’re planning a Costa Rica itinerary with kids, want to save money on flights and hotels, or just want the best excursions in La Fortuna and Tamarindo, this guide covers exactly what worked for us.
The Flights
There are two major airports in Costa Rica to choose from: San Jose (SJO) and Liberia (LIR). Costa Rica flights can get expensive quickly, but using points made a huge difference for us. If you are not using points, set google flight alerts so you can track pricing and they will email any price changes right to your inbox for free!
If you are using points, my favorite way ( and the way I found these flights!) is using a points search site, my 2 favorites are point.me and seats.aero. These sites save me HOURS because it provides a list of options for points use from multiple airlines and credit cards in one search. We transferred Capital One points directly to Avianca to book our outgoing flights (here’s the card we used that can get you up to 9 flights like this + $300 toward your rental car!) Then we transferred BILT points to Alaska and booked our American Airlines flights home. This card is awesome because it earns points on your rent and mortgage! Here’s a link to it if you want to jump on the mortgage earning free travel train.
We flew into San José (SJO) and out of Liberia (LIR), which saved both money and driving time since we explored multiple areas of Costa Rica.
- Arrival: DFW → SJO (Avianca via El Salvador)
9,000 Capital One miles + $48 per person - Departure: LIR → DFW (American Airlines)
12.5K Alaska miles + $68 per person
👉 Want to learn how we book flights like this?
Renting a Car in Costa Rica Info
Renting a car in Costa Rica is not as straightforward as other destinations. It can be super confusing, there are lots of local rental places and it’s hard to know what is safe and a good option without getting a bad deal.
Specific Costa Rican insurance is mandatory, even if you already have coverage through your credit card or through your own car insurance—this is where many travelers get confused.
We used Budget Costa Rica and had a super smooth experience. Important tip: You will almost certainly need or want 4X4…the roads all over are dirt and gnarly. Fun, but gnarly. We got a brand new SUV with 4X4 with everything we needed. Their pricing shows the required insurance options as you check out, which avoided any surprises at pickup. It was late evening when we arrived and was still a fast pick up experience which is usually where car rental experiences are frustrating. You can book a Budget Car here!
Pro tip: Always record a video of your car before leaving the lot. Take pics. Before and after.
The First 5 Days: La Fortuna
Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa
This was an incredible experience and we LOVED it! We arrived late on Day 1, and they immediately took us by golf cart to our room and had chocolate-covered strawberries waiting for us. We booked two double queen rooms because we had 8 people. The rooms were beautiful and just what we needed as a home base in La Fortuna.
Fun fact: I used credit card points to book this for $0 out of pocket. No kidding. It was 105,000 Hilton points per night, but we get the 5th night free just by holding this card. We opened this card to earn enough points for 2 nights + a 5th night free, free breakfast, early check in and late checkout…did you hear that though? THREE FREE NIGHTS. This would’ve been over $2300+.
If you’re not into points and miles, you can book it in cash here—it’s still worth every penny.
The morning of day two, we woke up to Arenal volcano views and an incredible breakfast buffet. This breakfast spread was free because we hold the card I mentioned before. This grants us status which comes with free breakfasts at Hiltons all over the world, upgrades, late check out and credits to spend each year at Hilton properties. We shuttled over to the hot springs for the hotel guest only hours from 8am-10am and it was incredible. We felt like we were the only ones there. We found so many coves and nooks to explore: there was cold plunges, waterfalls, and the temperatures were perfection.
When we had our fill of hot spring fun, we rinsed off in their locker rooms and headed out to what might be a top 5 excursions we have ever done: waterfall rappelling and canyoning. Who knew?! We LOVED this sooo much—honestly one of the best things we’ve done in any country, and we’re still talking about it. You can book it here! We had the best guides and felt adventurous and safe at the same time. Very Indiana Jones. They were sooo good with my kids, it was so beautiful and exciting.
We ended the day with a nature night walk right in La Fortuna, where we saw all kinds of animals, frogs, monkeys, snakes and creatures we had only ever seen on National Geographic. They gave each of us a flashlight and told us when to turn it off and on and where to point it to see all the life that comes out at night in a rainforest. They also helped us take pictures and went at our pace. Again, SO good with my kids who can be feral. This was super unique and my kids LOVED it, you can book it here!
Day 3, we grabbed breakfast at the incredible free (!) buffet at Tabacón and then headed to the Mistico Hanging Bridges for a guided tour. Book it here! We had the most fantastic guide, Jose Raul, I would try to request him. We saw monkeys, amazing volcano views and all kinds of creatures while walking across hanging bridges way up in the rainforest canopy. Sooo cool. It was a very chill excursion and it was nice to balance out the exhausting adventures with some mellow exploring.
After that, we grabbed lunch at Monkey’s Soda right in La Fortuna. ( In Costa Rica the little mom and pop restaurants all along the roads are called “sodas” and make classic Costa Rican food and more. Super fun to try all kinds of authentic food. After that we headed to a chocolate and farm tour! Book it here! It was so cool to see how chocolate is made—from growing and harvesting cacao pod all the way to the final product and even make some of our own from scratch. We ground the cacao, added sugar, vanilla and other things to make it less bitter and then toppings. Soooo fun! We ended the night with some heavenly soaks in the Tabacón hot springs. Sometimes when the days get long now that we’re home, I close my eyes and go back here mentally.
Day 4, we loaded up on our free breakfast again before heading to explore the Rio Celeste and go on a tubing adventure. Book it here! The color of the water was unreal—a bright Caribbean turquoise caused by natural volcanic chemical reactions. The guides were fantastic and made us feel safe while still having so much fun. They connected our tubes to each other so we rode the rapids all together in a long chain. We had a guide the whole time navigating our route and they stopped any time the kids wanted to jump off a cliff or swim in a peaceful swimming hole. We ate lunch right next door at another local Soda who has a lunch buffet everyday. Super convenient after our tiring fun morning.
We wrapped up the day back at the Tabacón hot springs for a final evening soak and swim after an incredible dinner at Travesía. Definitely recommend this restaurant, it was so good!
Day 5 we checked out of the dreamy Tabacón Resort and drove a couple hours to the La Leona waterfall hike trailhead. We LOVED this. Book it here! This was such a unique and adventurous experience, there were ropes and support along the way, but it still felt wild and exciting. The guides were great and we hiked through a canyon with a shallow stream, keeping our eye peeled for monkeys. We made it to the incredible falls and they gave us life jackets and let us swim around explore with the loud roaring of the water crashing around us. The color of the water looked fake it was such an incredible blue. The waterfalls were powerful, and the vibrant colored water was absolutely stunning. I feel like for 5 days in La Fortuna I just kept saying, “this is so much fun!”
Top Recommendations in La Fortuna
We had the MOST fun in the La Fortuna area. We will never forget these experiences and highly recommend the following links if you want to get off the beaten path, explore beyond the resort, and support local guides and try fun local foods. We can’t wait to go back!
The Hot Springs:
Exclusive guest access from 8–10 AM meant we had the rivers and rock climbing areas almost to ourselves. They were sooo beautiful—pictures honestly don’t do them justice.
Book your Tabacón hot springs experience here
Excursions:
Rio Celeste Tubing: Floating on bright turquoise volcanic water.
Book the Rio Celeste tubing experience here
Chocolate Tour: This was a huge hit. We learned the entire process from cacao pod to finished chocolate (including making white chocolate from scratch). The farm tour and sugarcane juice tasting while the chocolate cooled were the perfect ending.
Book the chocolate tour here
Mistico Hanging Bridges: We saw monkeys and even vipers with our guide, Jose Raul.
Book the Mistico Hanging Bridges tour here
Nature Night Walk: Seeing tree frogs and snakes in the dark felt like a real-life National Geographic episode.
Book the night walk experience here
Waterfall Rappelling and Canyoning: My 7-year-old and my mom both loved this. You end by rappelling down a 200 ft waterfall!
Book the canyoning experience here
La Leona Waterfall Hike: We had SO much fun hiking up the creamy turquoise waters until we reached the famous waterfall and swam underneath the best we could with such a crazy current. Book this waterfall hike here
Top Restaurant Recommendations in La Fortuna:
Travesía
Mary’s BBQ Smokehouse
Mexikah
Monkey’s Soda
The Second 5 Days: The Beach (Tamarindo & Playa Conchal)
For the second half of the trip, we headed to the coast for some sun and surf. We stayed near the Playa Conchal area and passed through Liberia on the way to do a Walmart run for groceries. It was not your typical Walmart, but it got the job done.
Definitely go in with a list—it’s a verrrry basic Walmart, and knowing even a bit of Spanish is helpful. We still ended up buying plenty of the wrong items, ha!
Our “Awesome with Quirks” Jungle Airbnb
We stayed in the jungle between Tamarindo and Playa Conchal in the quirkiest Airbnb…sometimes when I remember the stay I laugh, sometimes I cringe and sometimes I think, “that was awesome.” View the Airbnb here. When I go back, I would 100% stay here instead, it looks perfect now having been to the area. Why? Closer to the beach, better conditions, pool, perfect kitchen and outdoor eating area. Tamarindo was so cute and we ended up there almost everyday which was a 25+ min 4 wheel drive from or Airbnb, I would much prefer to be closer but still removed next time.
Airbnb details: it was a rustic, “real” Costa Rica experience, to say the least. The total was $1,600 for 5 nights, but I was able to erase this purchase with 160K Capital One miles—making this part of the trip $0 as well.
Here’s my favorite card to use for free Airbnb or VRBO stays and opening it would earn at least $750 toward an Airbnb!
The Pros
Sleeps 8, amazing super deep pool, huge deck with monkey views, hammocks, and free laundry service (yes, they do it for you). The bedrooms had ice-cold AC, which was a lifesaver.
The rooms were basic, but the sheets were clean. There was parking for 2 cars, plenty of space, beach towels provided, and we loved the outdoor shower. We were also just a short drive from multiple beaches—and we loved exploring all of them.
The Cons:
The open-air kitchen meant a lot of ants, and I mean LOTS. I live in Texas. We have bugs, ok? This was next level, we had to get bug spray. Also, it was suuuper hot while cooking. The kitchen was listed as “fully stocked” but it was basic camping level pots, pans and utensils. The power and water would shut off randomly, and the “walk” to the beach was dusty, so we ended up driving instead. Sooo there were a few things that made this more like glamping.
There were also ants in the bathrooms. The pool is shared with other villas, though we only saw one or two other families.
Verdict:
If you love rustic adventure and hammocks, you’ll love it. If you hate lighting stoves with a lighter and seeing ants everywhere…stay here instead:)
Here’s What We Did:
Day 1: La Muda Surf School
We loved this mom and pop setup right on Tamarindo Beach. They provided rash guards, boards and plenty of instruction and practice with the coaches. They guarantee you’ll stand up or your money back—and it actually works. All my boys were up on their boards within the hour.
Book your surf lesson here
Day 2 Skyline Canopy Zipline Tour:
This was my wild boys heaven. High-speed zip lines, a gigantic Tarzan swing, and even a freefall drop. We spent hours exploring with guides and my whole family said it was by far the best ropes course and zipline adventure we’ve ever done. There were monkeys up in the trees with us and ice cream at the end, sooo fun!
Book the zipline tour here
Day 2 Skyline ATV Tour:
This was an add-on to the zipline tour with Skyline and we loved it! It was a 1.5-hour ATV tour around the area and it was so wild and fun—but super safe. We had a guide the whole time while we blazed through jungle trails, countryside paths, and splashed through puddles the whole way. We stopped at a local store for snacks which was fun to see all the different foods Costa Ricans snack on and get a mid-trip treat. My 16-year-old driving me around was honestly his highlight of the trip.
Book the ATV tour here
Day 3 Verdiazul Turtle Release:
WE GOT TO RELEASE A BABY TURTLE. What?! This was a core memory. For around $15, you get to release a hatchling into the ocean. This is south of Tamarindo and a tiny non profit operation. You can join their WhatsApp group—they post updates when there are hatchlings, and releases usually happen around 5 PM. Get there early!
You can ask for their whats app group and details in their Instagram DM’s here:
https://www.instagram.com/verdiazulcr
Day 4 we spent relaxing, sleeping in, exploring beaches and souvenir shopping. We made good food and swam in the pool. We loved exploring the little Playa Conchal beach close by and slowing down after so much adventure! Day 5 we packed up and sadly headed to the airport, returned our car to Budget Rent A Car which was seamless and headed home waving “bye”see you later” to Costa Rica. We WILL be back. We loved it soooo much, there is so much to explore!
Fave Beaches
Playa Grande: Our favorite spot for bodyboarding
Playa Mina: The most secluded, with pinkish sand
Playa Tamarindo: Perfect for beginner surfing and sunset views
Shop our favorite durable bodyboards here
What We Ate
Since we stopped at Walmart in Liberia on the way in, we cooked most of our dinners at the house to save money. That said, these two spots are absolute must-visits:
Witches Rock:
Located right by the surf school. My kids claimed it was the “best burger ever,” and honestly… I get it. It was super good and we were right on Tamarindo beach. The ceviche is also top-tier.
Little Lucha Taqueria:
Located right near Liberia airport. It’s run by people from Texas (they even have Dr Pepper!), and it was the perfect final meal before flying home.
Costa Rica Packing List Ideas
I made a whole page with my Costa Rica Must Haves here! All our shoes, gear, water toys and more I bundled together for you! Do not downplay good footwear, quick dry clothing, sunscreen and binoculars! All our faves we brought with us are in the list, enjoy! Have the best time in Costa Rica! Come message me on instagram and tell me all about your trip!