THE BEST PLACES FOR FAMILIES TO STAY IN COSTA RICA

Planning a family holiday to COSTA RICA and wondering where to stay with your children? The following list of our favourite places to stay with kids includes cloud-forest hotels, organic coffee estates, and ecolodges in the heart of the jungle. Accommodation can fill up fast during school holidays, particularly if you’re looking for a family room, so make sure you book well in advance.

You can reserve all of our recommended places to stay in Costa Rica through Booking.com; clicking on the hotels’ name below will take you directly to their booking page, where you can fill in your dates and secure your stay. To find out more about why we’ve partnered with Booking.com, see here.

Nestled into the verdant hills overlooking the Valle Central, just 20 minutes’ drive from Juan Santamaría Airport, artsy XANDARI RESORT AND SPA is many families’ first impression of Costa Rica. And what a magnificent introduction it is. The striking adobe-style villas bear the creative hallmarks of their architect-artist owners – all curvy lines, eye-catching prints and fun, bold colours – and come in a range of sizes that can cater for families of up to six. Two-bedroom Star Villas, with a king-size and two double beds, are the most luxurious, although most families will find the better-value Prima Plus Villas spacious enough. All villas can take an extra bed ($28 per night). There are 26 villas in total, not that you’d ever know – they’re hidden throughout the hotel’s tropical gardens, the lush vegetation that shields them from each other adding an air of privacy. In fact, it’s Xandari’s grounds that make this such a great place for kids. Beyond the gardens lies a forest reserve of thick ferns and waterfalls (keep an eye out for hummingbirds and blue-crowned motmots on morning and afternoon walks here), while the main pool enjoys gorgeous views across the Valle Central; it’s open until 10pm, and at night you can see the lights of Alajuela twinkling down below. The terrace restaurant – which benefits from similar views – has a menu that features organic fruits and vegetables grown on site and is used to serving smaller portions for smaller appetites. Most people spend a single night here before heading to the first major stop on their itinerary, which is a shame. A stay here shouldn’t be rushed, and there are several worthwhile attractions nearby, including the historic Doka Estate, where you can take a coffee-tasting tour (they produce Café Tres Generaciones) and ox-cart rides around the grounds.

To reserve your stay at Xandari Resort and Spa, click here

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One of the most remote lodges in Costa Rica, TORTUGA LODGE & GARDENS slumbers alongside the river in Parque Nacional Tortuguero, just 30 miles shy of the Nicaraguan border. The national park runs along the northern Caribbean coast and is one of the most exciting places in the country for wildlife-watching, with lush rainforest fringing a network of canals and backwater lagoons. If you book one of the lodge’s Double Rooms with River View (the best option for families), you’ll be able to spot much of this from the comfort of your own balcony: – howler monkeys hollering from the trees, for starters, and fat green iguanas lounging along the waterfront. Spend your mornings at Tortuga taking guided boat tours – dawn is an amazing time to be on the river, as the jungle noisily stirs to life – and your afternoons hiking the park’s muddy trails or kayaking along the smaller side creeks. You should also make time to soak up the laidback vibe of pastel-painted Tortuguero Village, a ten-minute boat ride away (the lodge runs daily transfers). The simple but informative Sea Turtle Conservancy Visitor Centre here provides an insight into these beautiful but endangered creatures, which return to nest on the park’s beaches each year – turtle-watching tours are just $20 if you book a guide at the kiosk in the village, more (around $50) if you’re on an organised tour with the lodge. Getting to Tortuga is an adventure in itself. The road from the Valle Central winds first up through the Highlands and then down to the little town of La Pavona, on the Caribbean, where you switch to a boat (the only way in, other than by plane) to navigate the canals that lead into the park itself. Rates are full-board and include the boat transfer from La Pavona.

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One of Costa Rica’s original ecolodges, SELVA VERDE has been welcoming guests to its 500-acre rainforest reserve for over 30 years. Located in the humid Sarapiquí region, the lodge is surrounded by thick, dripping tropical forest and offers families the chance to immerse themselves in the jungle from the comfort of a cosy wooden cabin. Spacious Sarapiquí Rooms, set down by the river, can accommodate up to 5 or 6 people in two queen beds and a sofa bed and are linked to the main lodge by a covered walkway. Sarapiquí Rooms come with ceiling fans, so if you think you’ll need air-conditioning, opt for one of the Bungalows, further away from the lodge, on the other side of the Puerto Viejo–La Virgen road. The wildlife at Selva Verde is abundant, and you’d be unlucky not to see keel-billed toucans, white-faced capuchin monkeys and red-eyed treefrogs during a stay here, especially on the recommended guided walk in the lodge’s primary-rainforest reserve across the river (note that you can explore the less expansive secondary forest on the other side of the road on your own). Within a short drive of Selva Verde are La Selva Biological Research Station, an excellent place for birdwatching, and Tirimbina Nature Reserve, with 9km of trails and an interesting night walk. Adrenalin junkies can head to nearby La Virgen, for white-water rafting on the Class II/Class III rapids of the Río Sarapiquí. Rates at Selva Verde include a buffet breakfast of gallo pinto and tropical fruits. Dinners are either also a buffet or wood-fired pizzas; you’ll get more choice (and better value) at the restaurants in the nearby town of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí.

To reserve your stay at Selva Verde Lodge, click here

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Set on its own farm near La Fortuna, FINCA LUNA NEUVA LODGE is a happy balance of proximity and calm. You’re near enough to town to easily access the trails and activities focused around Volcán Arenal but far enough away to feel removed from the hubbub. And, truth be told, you may not want to leave the lodge at all. This is a magical place, with plenty to see and do within the grounds over a few days’ stay. Rooms in the main Casa Luna, and those in the round, adobe Casas de Burro, can sleep families of three in a double and a single. Larger groups can book the Family Double Room, which, despite the name, is actually a bungalow featuring three rooms with a large double bed and four singles. All accommodation is rustic but comfortable. Beyond the rooms, there’s a lovely swimming pool, a network of walking trails and a variety of on-site tours. You can’t really stay here without taking the morning tour of the organic farm, Luna Neuva’s raison d’être. The owners have been practicing regenerative agriculture, creating their own healthy ecosystem in the process, for nearly 30 years, and the staff are passionate about how they operate. A lot of what you see on the tour will pop up at breakfast and dinner time: rich cocoa drinks; farm-fresh milk, cheese and yogurt; a bounty of tropical fruits. Birding is excellent, too, particularly from the 35ft-high bamboo canopy tower, and the rich array of flowering plants at Luna Neuva attract some 20 different species of hummingbird alone. If you can tear yourself away, La Fortuna is a 25-minute drive, for walking in the foothills of Volcán Arenal and – a must while you’re here – taking a dip in the volcanic hot springs at EcoTermales or Tabacón.

To reserve your stay at Finca Luna Neuva Lodge, click here

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You can’t argue with the name. Set deep in the woods in the middle of Monteverde, CANOPY WONDERS is one of the most memorable places to stay in town – if not the whole of Costa Rica. The family-owned vacation home has been built on stilts, but the encroaching forest makes it feel like you’re staying in a low-level treehouse – the wrap-around balcony puts you right amongst the branches. It’s a big property, much bigger than it first seems, and is thoughtfully laid out. A large central living area leads, via separate hallways, to three queen bedrooms, each with its own bathroom and private balcony. The open-plan living room features a fully equipped kitchen, a dining area, and a lounge with satellite TV. The forest follows you indoors, too, as virtually everything inside the house – from the beds to the breakfast bar, and from the light fittings to the wash basins – has been beautifully crafted from salvaged lumber. Canopy Wonders is in the centre of Monteverde, so well placed for all the local attractions, but removed from the noise of the main road thanks to the long gravel driveway that leads to the house. You can wake up to the sound of birdsong and enjoy breakfast watching the resident agoutis at play just below you before spending the days exploring: Monteverde’s famous cloud-forest reserve is around 15 minutes’ drive away; the equally rewarding but less visited cloud-forest reserve in Santa Elena is about 20 minutes in the other direction.

To reserve your stay at Canopy Wonders, click here

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