Península de Nicoya
The cheapest accommodations in town, these simple cabinas are lined up in a lovely palm-grove garden. Look for the signs at the main intersection near…
Must-see hotels in Costa Rica
The Road to Chirripó
At the southern end of the San Gerardo road, rustic wood bungalows offer views of the flower-filled gardens or verdant mountains from their front porches…
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
A contemporary hostel with clean, airy doubles and dorms, the latter with lockers and bunk-side reading lamps. There's also a shared open-air kitchen and…
Monteverde & Santa Elena
If you want to base yourself a bit out of town, this motel with a shared kitchen is a true bargain. It's simple, clean, and the grounds are filled with…
Arenal & Northern Lowlands
This friendly family-run option gets good reviews for attentive staff, spotless rooms and above-average local food. It’s near the main highway, just four…
Biolley
This hotel consists of a loose cluster of eight wooden cabins – from snug doubles to cabins suitable for families and groups. The restaurant serves…
Tortuguero Village
This beachfront option is super quiet, thanks to its prime location at the edge of town and next to the national park. Perks include comfortable beds, hot…
Península de Nicoya
Sugar's Monkey might have an odd name, but there's nothing wrong with owner Enrico's attention to detail. The wood-paneled rooms are dark, but you can get…
Península de Nicoya
With its stucco arches and landscaped garden around a pool, this hotel gets points for design. Carved wooden doors open into small tiled rooms with rattan…
Central Valley & Highlands
A bit of a walk from the action, this spotless no-frills, family-run place has basic, brightly painted rooms with TVs and hot-water showers. Those who…
The Road to Chirripó
Near the soccer field, this colorful hostel gives guests a space to cook and socialize, as well as basic but clean rooms and dorms to lay their weary…
Península de Nicoya
Nine cabinas are set back from the road, strewn across the forested lawn. Basic but clean, they have TVs, air-con, and fresh coats of paint. The swimming…
Puerto Limón
About 3km northwest of Limón, on the inland side of the road, these cozy pink bungalows are decorated with lace curtains and bamboo furniture. The small…
Península de Nicoya
A good budget option, this peach-tinted hotel is 50m west of the Plaza de Los Mangos. It isn't all that inspiring from the outside, but the rooms are…
Cahuita
Down a gravel driveway near the national park's northern edge, this no-frills guesthouse has eight basic rooms and cabinas with access to a shared kitchen…
Central Valley & Highlands
Casa Marta has a dozen clean, whitewashed rooms with polished-wood ceilings. It’s located 800m south of the highway, near the bullring. Breakfast includes…
Central Valley & Highlands
This business hotel on a quiet street has 12 bright, clean and businesslike tiled rooms with dated decor, wi-fi, safes, cable TV and private bathrooms…
Península de Nicoya
These two fully furnished apartments with modern kitchens and air-con don't have a ton of personality, but they are only steps from the beach. Inquire for…
Puntarenas
This is the best option near the bus station – a spotless little joint of tiled rooms overseen with a hawkish eye by the cantankerous Joyce. Fairly…
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
Clean, basic, pleasant cabinas in a quiet locale east of town have tile floors, mosquito nets and hammocks, and a communal lounge area shaded by an almond…
To Corcovado via Puerto Jiménez
Fronting Playa Blanca, this friendly place has simple wooden cabins. Mural-painted walls and floors brighten up the otherwise dark accommodations.
Parque Nacional Corcovado
Basic campsite with cold-water showers and potable water.
Parque Nacional Corcovado
Basic campsite with potable water and cold showers.
Central Valley & Highlands
Reached by a tortuous, rugged road (4WD recommended) off the main road (Ruta 417) to Volcán Turrialba, this working sheep and cattle ranch 14km northwest…
Liberia
The largest hotel in Liberia feels like a cross between a dude ranch and a North American chain hotel. Rooms have comfortable furnishings and tile floors,…
Playas del Coco
Relaxed and relaxing, this motel-style inn has cell-like but immaculate tiled rooms in a shady longhouse. Showers are cold and decor is nonexistent. On…
Cahuita
This long-standing place has three rustic hammock-equipped cabins tucked into a peaceful backyard garden at Playa Negra's northern end. The spacious,…
Arenal & Around
As cheap as they come, rooms are tiny and cleanish. If you can get one of the rooms toward the back, this is a decent budget choice on the western side of…
Península de Nicoya
One block away from the beach, these seven cozy cabinas have whitewashed rooms with metal furnishings and hot-water bathrooms. Two newer apartments are…
Northwestern Costa Rica
Make reservations in advance to stay in basic to grim eight-bed dorms with electricity but cold showers. Researchers get priority, but there’s…
Playa Tamarindo
A hip hostel with an international crowd. The main building has clean rooms, funky art on the walls and groovy furniture in the common area (plus a bar…
Playa Sámara
This sprawling place has a wide variety of rooms and apartments with widely varying standards. In the best of them, look for mango-painted walls, high…
Southern Caribbean
Opposite Playa Cocles are these 12 clean, simple cabinas with tile floors and queen beds; some have air-con (phone in advance to check prices and…
Mal País & Santa Teresa
Simple and sweet, Rumbo has four clean, tile apartments with kitchenettes and balconies with hammocks. They're not fancy, but they have everything you…
Arenal & Northern Lowlands
The newer rooms here are set in a somewhat strange, ghost-town motel that’s right down the road from the boat dock. There are older but still comfortable…
Caribbean Coast
This well-tended motel-like structure near the center of town offers 22 clean rooms with hot water, and a small attached restaurant serving breakfast and…
Península de Nicoya
This place is not the worst place to spend the night, especially if you arrive on a late ferry. There's a swimming pool for a cooling dip, a decent…
Cahuita
The hotel-style rooms here are large and bare, with dowdy brown curtains and industrial tile floors, but you still might be tempted by the prime location…
Southern Costa Rica & Península de Osa
This Zancudo cheapie proves that Costa Rica is still a friend to backpackers, while providing a fun gathering spot for travelers from the far reaches of…
Southern Caribbean
This spotless, no-frills guesthouse is the place to crash before or after an early or late Panamanian border crossing. There are 17 simple, brightly…
