Costa Rica is a natural paradise, complete with volcanoes, rainforest, waterfalls, wildlife and beaches. Start your Costa Rica family holiday by travelling into the steaming jungle and explore the waterways of Tortuguero by boat, in search of monkeys, toucans and other colourful birds. Visit the Sloth Sanctuary and meet some of its famous inhabitants, stars of their own Animal Planet TV show. Enjoy a night walk in the rainforest, try white water rafting (optional) and splash around in thermal pools at a waterpark near Arenal Volcano. There's beach time too as we head to both Cahuita on the Caribbean coast and Manuel Antonio on the Pacific, where jungle cascades down to white sandy beaches.

For this Costa Rican adventure, we’ve picked family-friendly hotels and lodges, all of which have swimming pools. Below are the accommodations we typically use.



San José: Country Inn & Suites (nights 1-2 and 14)







Just 10 to 15 minutes’ drive from the airport, this Country Inn & Suites is the ideal place to begin and end our adventure. The rooms are comfortable with a modern international hotel style and there’s even two swimming pools for a post-flight dip.



Tortuguero: Evergreen Lodge (nights 3-4)







Within Tortuguero National Park, this 66-room resort provides an away-from-it-all experience within the jungle. There’s a turtle-shaped swimming pool (this is green turtle country after all) and dining rooms where you can tuck into Caribbean cuisine with views of a tranquil waterway. Residents you might spot include sloths, toucans and iguanas, and we stay in rustic wooden bungalows with comfortable beds and ceiling fans.



Cahuita: Atlantida Lodge (nights 5-6)







It’s one of the simpler accommodations we use on this trip, but with a pool wrapped by tropical foliage and Playa Negra beach just a short walk away, one that your family is likely to enjoy. The bar knocks up a pretty great cocktail too.



Sarapiqui: El Bambu (nights 7-8)







This family-run hotel is surrounded by rainforest, where tropical birds flit between the green. Our families tend to gather by the pool, where there are sun loungers, tables and chairs. Or you may prefer to head to the restaurant, which serves Mediterranean and Costa Rican cuisines, including traditional chifrijo and ceviche.



Arenal: Arenal Montechiari Hotel (nights 9-10)







A short walk from downtown La Fortuna and with views of Arenal volcano, this hotel is in an ideal location. There are also tropical gardens full of plants and birds, plus a small swimming pool for a post-adventure splash. We stay in rustic and simple wooden lodges.



Dominical: Villas Rio Mar (nights 11-13)







In a rainforest setting, Villas Rio Mar combines Costa Rican wilderness with plenty of amenities. There’s a large palm tree-wrapped swimming pool, tropical gardens, and a rainforest trail to explore. Additionally, solar power runs the air conditioning in the bungalows, vegetables for the restaurant are grown in their greenhouse, and they run a monthly clean-up of Playa Dominical beach (which is just a 10-minute walk away).



Worth knowing



Where triple rooms are booked, these usually consist of one double and one single bed, so these rooms are suitable for two adults and one child. We generally don’t recommend three children in one triple room unless two of the children are comfortable sharing a double bed.

Some of the properties have ceiling fans rather than air conditioning. 

One or several of the named properties might be substituted for similar alternatives to secure hotel availability. Please discuss with your customer operations executive if you require more details regarding your specific departure date.