Is it possible for one destination to appeal to every type of traveler? Costa Rica—with its peerless natural beauty—comes pretty close. And the best hotels in Costa Rica work hard to highlight this bounty via design, programing, excursions, food, and advocacy. Whether you’re staying in the jungle, near a volcano, over bubbling hot springs, on mountain slopes, or along the ocean, Mother Nature comes first in Costa Rica. And everything else that a hotel wants to show off is thoughtfully and carefully layered on top.
Maybe the best way to pick the best hotel in Costa Rica is to first consider what kind of nature experience you want to have. Do you want a beach with a variety of surf breaks? Or do you want to be high in the sky—living your best life in a cloud forest? Or maybe you want to be next to a volcano where your private plunge pool is actually an extension of a mineral hot spring? See, not many travel destinations can offer this variety or this level of natural beauty; there’s a reason why it’s home to one of the world’s Blue Zones.
Vogue’s Guide to the Best Hotels in Costa:
- For an Intimate Stay: Casa Chameleon, Las Catalinas
- For a Luxury Hideaway: Hacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Resorts Collection
- For a Indulgent Beach Resort: Four Seasons Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica
- For a Blue Zone Destination: Silvestre, Nosara
- For a Surfing Getaway: Hotel Nantipa, a Tico Beach Experience
- For Immersive Wildlife: Lapa Rios Lodge
But we love that the best hotels in Costa Rica try to match nature’s gifts. These properties are beautifully-designed modern sanctuaries outfitted with thoughtful amenities, plush furnishings, stress-busting spas, and decadent restaurants and bars. Most of them are near water, but many of them still give you private plunge pools, because you know what? In Costa Rica’s finest hotels, you can have it all. Here are eight to book for your next trip.
Casa Chameleon, Las Catalinas
From its perch on a hilltop overlooking the car-free development of Las Catalinas, Casa Chameleon peeks out of lush tropical foliage like a hidden treasure. And with only 21 tropical-chic villas (each with a plunge pool), the level of intimacy it offers is unrivaled. The only thing better might be the unbelievable views you’ll get of the rainforest and the sea. The spectacular sunsets you’ll see from the cocktail lounge have lured even non-guests to the hotel, who come for the Sentido Norte Restaurant next door, one of the top culinary experiences in the region. When you’re ready to explore, the hotel can organize a litany of immersive excursions, from catamaran tours and surfing lessons to horseback riding to the foot of a volcano and zip-lining over the Costa Rican rainforest.
Amenities: Restaurant, bar, infinity pool, in-room spa treatments
Bonus Tip: For a special occasion or private dinner, book the brand-new Green House, an exclusive-use event space built into a stunning greenhouse.
Address: Playa Danta, Guanacaste
Hacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Resorts Collection
To really get the most out of your stay at this gorgeous resort, opt for the private air transfer from
San José—the hacienda has an airstrip. (Otherwise, you may have to put up with a long drive through winding mountain roads.) Taking the flight also gives the unique opportunity to see the stunning setting for this 50-room hideaway: all lush rolling hills, mysterious forests, and expansive farmlands. But given this tucked-away location, Hacienda AltaGracia does provide everything you could possibly need for an unforgettable vacation, starting with a dedicated staff member who will assist with every part of your stay, whether that’s to organize a BBQ in your casita, schedule a visit to the enclosed butterfly garden, or to book you into the spa for a wellness experience in partnership with The Well. Or maybe you want to take a river bath, go electronic mountain biking, or taste your way through the hacienda’s collection of dining venues. On this 18-acre estate, you won’t run out of things to do.
Amenities: Pool, restaurant, bar, spa
Bonus Tip: If you love coffee, you’ll want to get your fill: The property harvest and roast their own beans from 7,000 on-site coffee plants.
Address: Contiguo a la Escuela de Santa Teresa de Cajón, San José
Four Seasons Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica
Following a comprehensive makeover in fall 2023, Four Seasons Peninsula Papagayo—already one of Costa Rica’s most luxurious resorts, is grander than ever. Sitting on 45 acres of prime oceanfront real estate in the country’s northwestern pocket of Guanacaste, Four Seasons impresses with a limitless inventory of covetable features and amenities. We’ve already mentioned the location, but did you know that the resort is flanked by the Pacific Ocean on both sides? And as part of the renovation, it unveiled a new beach club last year where 181 rooms and suites are designed like tree houses with lots of natural materials like local wood and lava rock. There’s a tennis complex, golf course, surfing lessons, and much more if you want a more active stay. And, of course, the spa is divine if rest and relaxation is what you’re after. And when all of it gets you hungry, there are five restaurants and bars to slip into for a locally-inspired meal or cocktail.
Amenities: Restaurant, spa, wellness shala, golf course, beach club
Bonus Tip: Traveling with kids? The resort recently reimagined its Kids for All Seasons concept to be more immersive than ever.
Address: Peninsula Papagayo, Guanacaste
Nayara Springs
The Nayara family of hotels has remained among the country’s most desirable stays thanks to their thoughtful accommodations, engaging programing, and unbelievable settings. Nayara Springs—an intimate cluster of 35 villas tucked into the rainforest of Arenal National Park—could be the best of them all, especially if you’re in search of a romantic adults-only stay. Surrounded by tropical foliage with the peak of Arenal volcano in full view, the property is really all about celebrating that sense of place. Case in point: the hot springs flowing underground are fed into the plunge pools in every room, and the spa treatments are just as locally inspired and often call on the healing and skincare powers of coffee, chocolate, and volcanic mud. Bonus: there’s also an on-site sloth sanctuary that you can visit during your stay. Nayara planted over 1,000 Cecropia trees (the sloth’s main food source) to help lure many of the animals that now call the sanctuary home.
Amenities: Adults-only, swim-up bar, open-air spa, restaurants
Bonus Tip: Don’t rush through the spa experience. Each room has a private plunge pool, where you’re welcome to soak after your treatment.
Address: Arenal Volcano National Park, La Fortuna
Hotel Nantipa, a Tico Beach Experience
On the southwestern tip of Nicoya Peninsula's Pacific coast, Santa Teresa has a bit of a reputation not only as a surfer’s paradise but also as one of Costa Rica’s premier party districts. But that doesn’t mean it’s all hostels and sandy shacks here. Take Hotel Nantipa, for example. This design-forward beach property commits to the easy-breezy seaside energy of the energy while adding thoughtful luxury to the experience. There are three different accommodation categories: multi-room villas, two-floor bungalows, and expansive, light-bathed suites. Take your pick based on who you’re traveling with and what kind of trip you’re on. It also recently updated its Numú Wellness Center where you can sign up for all sorts of wellness and fitness sessions, from yoga to a surf-and-stretch class. The beach is right there so take advantage, but you may want to to make sure you’re at the bar for a sunset cocktail: rumor has it Gisele Bündchen, who has a place nearby, occasionally makes an appearance.
Amenities: Restaurant, spa, pool
Bonus Tip: Commit to the Pura Vida lifestyle by joining the daily 10-minute clean up spearheaded by the hotel to rid the beach of micro-plastic residue carried in by the tides.
Address: Santa Teresa, Nicoya Peninsula
Origins Luxury Lodge
In a gorgeous cloud forest in the north of the country, this newly opened 111-acre property transports you into a world of its own. Only a couple of years old (it opened in 2018), discerning travelers have fallen in love with its intimate, nature-first take on Costa Rican hospitality. The six circular lodges measure at over 1,075 square feet—larger than most city apartments—and come with outdoor plunge pools and fireplaces. But if you want more space, there’s also a three-bedroom villa for the taking. The lively mystique of your surroundings—the aroma of the ylang-ylang, the chirping of toucans, and the humidity of the rainforest—deliver a multi-sensory experience here that’s then amplified by creature comforts: world-class dining (chef Yann Berger, who cooked at Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe, prepares a different menu daily) as well as masterful wellness programs for a comprehensive stay.
Amenities: restaurant, pool, spa, yoga
Bonus Tip: For an after hours thrill, sign up for the nocturnal on-property nature walk where you’ll get acquainted with some of the local wildlife, from red-eyed frogs to sloths.
Address: Upala, Bijagua
Silvestre, Nosara
The charming coastal town of Nosara, known for its surf breaks, yoga communities, and status as one of world’s five Blue Zones, is one of Costa Rica’s mellower tourism hubs. (It’s a Blue Zone And a stay at Silvestre, which only opened in February, reinforces that laidback, easy-does-it pace. There are nine apartment-style residences (clock the washer-and-dryer set in every unit) designed to optimize your stay. Even better, every booking comes with complimentary airport transfer, daily breakfast (there is no restaurant otherwise), a fridge stocked with the necessities, and your very own custom designed surfboard to use during your trip. Meaning: as soon as you arrive, all you have to do is settle in and think about when you want hit the beach, which is a minute’s walk from the hotel. (Playa Guiones is a stunning four-mile stretch of sand!) For wellness enthusiasts, the best unit here might be the Tropical Garden Residence; it comes with its own barrel sauna and cold plunge.
Amenities: Infinity pool, bar, wellness studio, surf club
Bonus Tip: Silvestre introduced a speakers series that has already welcomed bestselling author Dan Buettner (from the Netflix docuseries Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones) to the property.
Address: Lot H1, Nosara
Lapa Rios Lodge
On the southern reaches of the Osa Peninsula, this eco lodge is known for the bright red (and vocal) macaws that you’ll often find flying right over the property. It makes perfect sense as Lapa Rios was first opened in 1993 by avid birdwatchers. At the time, it was considered one of the first eco lodges in the country; since then, this hotel has blossomed into one of Costa Rica’s most exquisite while still maintaining a decidedly nature-conscious footprint. The hotel is the steward of over 1,000 acres of precious lowland tropical rainforest so sustainability is key to its ethos. As a guest you’ll be treated to plenty of wildlife sightings—from the pool or your villa’s terrace, there could be monkeys, frogs, and more birds—and natural beauty as you trek to waterfalls or beaches. Make sure to leave plenty of time to enjoy the world that Lapa Rios, part of a collection of five properties under the Böëna Wilderness Lodges brand, created.
Amenities: restaurant, spa, pool, direct beach access
Editor’s Tip: There are plenty of nature excursions on offer here (bring binoculars!) but the most interesting could be the Local Medicine Tour, where you’ll learn about how local plants are/were used to treat maladies in the region.
Address: Osa Peninsula, Puntarenas