Costa Rica - Where, Nuggets & $$$
All about our trip
Where we went and why
I plan my trips very minutely. What I hate the absolute worst when I’m travelling with my family is three expectant faces looking at me and going ‘what are we doing, where are we going, what are we eating, what’s next’ and me scrambling to do research while trying to relax.
I plan in advance. I can then keep it loose if I need to and simply pull up options. I keep track of everything using Wanderlog for the overall trip structure, and Google Maps for restaurants. We didn’t book anything in advance except accommodation and our car rental.
There is only one direct flight to Costa Rica from Montreal in the summer and it is to the airport in the north part of the country. I wanted a mix of holiday over 15 days, while also keeping in mind roads are long and pretty brutal (windy, narrow bridges, unpaved terrible roads…)
We decided to split our time. The first half was in La Fortuna which is kind of the Banff of Costa Rica. Our time here was mostly activity based visiting chocolate factories, hiking volcanoes, zip lining, etc.
The second half was at Playa Guiones, Nosara. I really debated this second location but in the end I thought the higher waves would be more interesting for my boys age 10 & 13. If I had toddlers, I’d probably choose Samara (where we visited for the day).
Random Costa Rica Facts
Here are just a few nuggets I picked up a long the way.
-There is a lot of online chatter about driving in Costa Rica. I just assumed it was due to traffic, but oh no my friends - it’s the roads. They can be very windy with no shoulder and there are often bridges which narrow into one lane. The worst are the unpaved roads with massive potholes everywhere. Don’t drive at night.
-Kids under 12 (I believe it’s 140cm) need a booster seat.
-Reddit is full of surprise charges when renting with US car rental agencies. We rented with a local company using My Tan Feet (and Reddit) as our guide. No surprises and it wasn’t too expensive. We had a print out from our credit card insurance showing we didn’t have to buy physical damage insurance.
-You can drink the water everywhere. We did and were never sick. It also means you can safely eat fruits and veg plus drinks. This is pretty major.
-We went in July and we were lucky at the beach but it rained probably 80% of the time when we were in the interior. Bring rain jackets and some sort of waterproofing for your backpack (I brought a packable waterproof backpack). I went so far as to buy a waterproof camera. My iPhone got water in it multiple times and would barely charge by the end.
-If you are going to Playa Guiones bring a beach shade. There is NO shade (rentals or natural) and it’s hot. We used a tent shelter shade thing that you could pack up pretty small and we weren’t alone.
Costs
Costa Rica is not cheap, but it is not as outrageous as some online would lead to believe. I definitely think we are used to higher grocery prices here in Montreal.
Here are some sample costs (these are from regular grocery stores):
3 pack paper towels - $2.70
3 gala apples - $4.66 (my son chose these and were probably a little pricey - later we got other apples)
1 avocado - $4.63 (yes, this is expensive)
2 sweet pepper - $2.97
1 large tomato - $1.38
10 pack small tortillas - $3.92
Pineapple - $4.17 ( just bought a peeled pineapple in Montreal and it was $4.99)
sandwich bread (square loaf) - $5.02
5 bananas - $0.70
2L Milk - $3.90
Dozen eggs - $5.40
Restaurant meals varied wildly. Even roadside restaurants could be on the expensive side or less expensive. All prices are for four people and we often drank juices.
Sodas (local Costa Rican restaurants) ranged from $55 - $81 for 4 people
Regular restaurants were from $75 - $155
The most expensive part of our trip was definitely the excursions in La Fortuna.
A few examples are show below. These are all for four people.
Chocolate Tour - $200
Baldi Hot Springs (incl buffet lunch) - $375
Entrance to La Fortuna Waterfall - $115
Everything is basically private so even for a hike you are paying an entrance fee.
Overall we loved Costa Rica and are looking forward to going back. The less commercial scene is definitely our vibe and it felt very adventurous - much more so than I was expecting (which is more my vibe!)
More travel tips, especially for this with younger kids, can be found here.
If you’ve travelled anywhere this summer, near or far, and want to share - please get in touch! I offer photographic compensation. I have especially had requests for trips within driving distance.
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Michelle Little is a photographer who specializes in family, maternity, newborn, headshots and boudoir. I offer studio, in-home and outdoor photography. You can see her website here and get in touch here.
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