Costa Rica

Jaco, Costa Rica is a great destination that has something for everyone. Rather you are a thrill seeker or someone looking to relax. Costa Rica is sure to have something for you.

How to get there:

Jaco is located near the Central Pacific Region of Puntarenas. It is located about an hour and a half from the airport. If you are staying at a hotel you can easily arrange with the concierge to pick you up from the airport prior to your arrival. I personally recommend renting a car because of the rain showers and it also allows you to be on your own schedule.

Where to stay:

We arrived a day earlier than our hotel booking so we arranged for an Airbnb next to Playa Hermosa for one night. This is a good accommodation if you are looking for a an affordable place to stay and are not looking for other amenities.

Our hotel was Villa Caletas, this is a beautiful resort located in mountains, the views are amazing. The rooms have floor to ceiling windows with the most stunning ocean views. Many of the rooms have a private terrace with jacuzzi. The resort offers a shuttle that takes you to their private beach.

Zephyr Palace is their sister property, located a short walk from Villa Calletas. We loved these two properties so much that we considered having our wedding here. We went with a different venue but this was really a close call. If you are looking for a destination wedding location, I recommend checking out these resorts.

When to Visit:

Costa Rica’s dry/peak season is mid-December-April. Our visit was in July, we did get rain showers here and there but we still got to enjoy the sun.

Things to do:

Jaco’s volcanic-sand beaches are known for attracting experienced surfers. There are many tournaments held in Playa Hermosa. Surfing is one of the biggest things this area has to offer. Side note: The waves are wild. We saw at least two surfers get their board broken by the waves. Some surfers couldn’t even make their way into the ocean because the waves are so strong.

Excursions:

You can book different excursions such as ATV tours, zip lining, snorkling, catamaran cruises, sport fishing, just to name a few. We opted for a waterfall rappelling excrusion.

Neo Fauna:

Neo Fauna is a small animal sanctuary featuring exotic animals. If you would like to know more about the animals in the area I recommend checking this out. The staff is very friendly and knowledgable. We got to see really cool exotic species and even got to touch some of them.

Food:

Tacobar Jaco is a cool spot to grab a quick bite to eat.

The photo above is from a random dessert spot that we went to in Jaco. Since the town is small you really can’t miss it.

I wish I remembered the name of the restaurant (above). We had delicious food and cocktails. We were able to sit for a couple of hours and relax while we watched surfers near by.

Many people go to Villa Caletas restaurants to enjoy the sunset.

You really can’t go wrong with any restaurant when picking a spot to eat since their seafood is so fresh. I definitely recommend doing a little exploring of your own, you never know what you might find.

Overall Costa Rica surpassed our expectations. We got to relax and enjoy the exotic experiences it has to offer. I hope this has been helpful. I am happy to answer any questions you might have and open to topic suggestions if you would like to email me or comment below.

If you would like to check out other travel adventures click here. Happy travels!