Central America: Cost Rica (CR)
Currency: Costa Rican Colones – 1 US Dollar = 540.27091 Costa Rican Colones
Language: Spanish / English
Is it possible to spend a weekend in Costa Rica, let’s find out!
Depart from Los Angeles on Delta’s red-eye flight, DL1974, to SJO non-stop (5 hours 41 minutes).
Friday: Arrive at San Jose’s Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) early in the morning at around 6:30 AM. Allow for an hour to clear customs..
Notify the car rental company that you’re waiting for the shuttle to the rental location.
Car rental company: Adobe Rent a Car – After reading countless reviews on car rental companies, policies, pricing, and stories, we recommend Adobe Rent a Car. It took 45 minutes to rent the car. Use your credit card insurance through American Express and print out the policy to show the agent assisting you. (Renting a car in a foreign can be quite scary) $45 USD / day
Destination: La Fortuna de San Carlos, also known as La Fortuna. This small town is 2.5-3.5 hours from the airport in the capital city of San Jose. Due to traffic, winding roads, and single lanes, it took us 2 hours and 44 minutes to cover the 65-mile drive.
La Fortuna is situated at the base of the dormant Arenal Volcano, which hasn’t erupted since 1968.
Lodging: We rented a small mini cabin located on a property just outside the main road through Airbnb. The cabin had all the essentials, was clean, had air conditioning, and a hammock. The cost was $70/night, and check-in and check-out were seamless.
The property has a common dinning area where you can cook or simply hangout. It also features a private swimming pool and a jacuzzi.
Day 1: Check into the property, grab lunch at one of the local restaurants down the street from our property.
Visit Fortuna Waterfall, which is just a short 10-minute drive from the city center. The cost to enter the waterfall at the time was $18 USD. The hike to the waterfall takes about 15 minutes down a set of pathways and stairs. The water is cold, but refreshing in the hot and humid weather..
Explored a local coffeeshop: Metropoli Coffee or now Cafe Metropoli (Sloffee). Met the owners Josue and Esteban of this cool place, as we discussed coffee, and the process of growing coffee, life in Costa Rica, business, and their brand. Check them out, since following their instagram account, they have moved locations.
Dinner: We went to Pizzeria Vagabondo, which had good reviews. Many places in town close early, so it was one of the few choices left. The pizza was amazing, and the wood fire oven made a difference! Dinner for two cost roughly $60, which included two pizzas, drinks, and dessert.
*local restaurants or food stalls are called SODA – SODA’s are more on the budget friendly side.
Day 2: We slept in a little before heading for breakfast within walking distance of our Airbnb.
Breakfast: We chose La Choza del Sabor, which is known for its typical (tipico) Costa Rican breakfast, also called “ticos” breakfast. Breakfast included eggs, sweet plantains, cheese, Gallo Pinto (mixed beans and rice), toast, and coffee.
Activity: Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges – We made the 10-mile drive to Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges, which took us about 30 minutes due to heavy rain and our frequent stops to take photos of the volcano. We paid an entrance fee of $26 USD and decided to explore the park on our own. During our 2-hour visit, we spotted birds, wild monkeys, and various insects. We also purchased ponchos for $7 USD to stay dry in the rain.
Activity 2: We drove aimlessly towards Nuevo Arenal and stumbled upon a sign advertising views and camping. We followed a single road up a hill and discovered a farm with cows, a residential home, and some benches and tables overlooking Lake Arenal. Despite the overcast weather, we paid $5 to enter the property and bought some drinks (soda and chips). I flew my drone for about 15 minutes, but had to bring it back due to strong winds.
Activity 3: For our last activity, we searched for the free hot springs called Rio Chollin near Tabacon. We spotted people parking on the side of the road in beach attire and followed suit. After paying $5 for parking, we walked down a minute-long trail to the hot springs. Although the hot springs were busy, we still enjoyed the experience of soaking and relaxing with locals and foreigners.
Day 3: We checked out of our Airbnb at 6:30 AM and drove to San Jose, arriving around 9:20 AM. We found parking and visited the National Theater of Costa Rica, taking some photos and then walking around in search of coffee and pastries.
Afterward, we returned our rental car to Adobe Rent a Car, which offered a courtesy shuttle back to the airport SJO. We had to wait in line to check in for our Volaris flight as mobile check-in was not available. With time to spare, we cleared customs and headed to our next destination. Stay tuned for more updates!
Traveling with Dimas 