Costa Rica already held a special place for us because we spent our honeymoon there. This time, we knew we wanted to bring the kids back and take them to Arenal, which was one of the places we really wanted them to experience.

From there, we wanted to explore more of the Pacific coast, especially areas we hadn’t visited before. Our daughter also loves surfing, so Nosara and Santa Teresa felt like natural additions to the trip.

The result was a really good mix of rainforest, adventure, surfing and beach time. We started around Arenal, spent the longest stretch of the trip in Nosara and then finished with a couple of nights in Santa Teresa before heading back toward San José for our flight home.

Here’s how we mapped out our 12 days in Costa Rica.

Getting to Costa Rica

We flew out of Orlando, so we drove down the day before our flight and stayed overnight near the airport. The next morning, we flew the direct flight into San José, Costa Rica, picked up our rental car and started the drive toward Arenal.

One thing we knew and planned for: driving distances in Costa Rica can be deceiving. A route that doesn’t look very far on a map can easily take several hours because of the winding roads, mountains and traffic. In fact, if you have motion sickness medicine to bring for the kids, I highly recommend it. We intentionally built our trip around longer stays in each destination so we weren’t packing up and driving every day.

Tip: You can see the La Paz Waterfall right from the road on your drive from San Jose to La Fortuna. We even pulled over and got a picture.

Stop #1: Arenal

3 nights | Lost Iguana Resort & Spa

Our first stop was the Arenal area, where we stayed at Lost Iguana Resort & Spa.

The hotel is a little farther outside of La Fortuna than some of the other places you can stay, so that is something to keep in mind if you want to be right in town. We really enjoyed the property though. Breakfast was fantastic, the pool had a swim-up bar, and there is an on-property hiking trail that we did one morning.

Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges is also basically right next door. We ended up skipping it, but it would be very easy to add if hanging bridges are high on your list.

The weather was definitely rainy while we were in La Fortuna, but the rain would come through and then move on pretty quickly. We got really lucky and had a completely clear view of Arenal Volcano at one point. People we met told us they had already been there for several days and still hadn’t seen the whole volcano, so we definitely appreciated our timing!

We did book a guided sloth tour through Sloth’s Territory while we were in the area. I definitely recommend going with a guide if seeing sloths is important to you. They blend into the trees incredibly well, and we would have missed so many without someone pointing them out.

For food, one of our favorite finds was Soda & Restaurante Rodriguez in La Fortuna. It was a fun little local spot that felt more off the beaten path and ended up being one of those places we were really glad we tried.

Tip: One thing that surprised us throughout Costa Rica was the price of food. We expected some of the tourist areas and restaurants to be more expensive, but even groceries at the local stores were pricier than we anticipated. It is definitely something I would factor into the budget when planning a trip.

Stop #2: Nosara

5 nights | Airbnb

From Arenal, we headed toward the Pacific coast for the longest stay of our trip: Nosara.

After a few adventure-heavy days, Nosara was where we could settle in a little more. We rented an Airbnb and stayed for five nights, which I loved because we didn’t feel like we needed to squeeze everything into a day or two.

Our daughter loves surfing, so spending a good chunk of the trip along this part of the coast was a big reason we chose Nosara.

There are plenty of activities around Nosara if you want them, but we purposely left more open space in this part of the itinerary. Some days were for activities and others were simply beach, pool and figuring out what sounded good that day.

Some of the things we did or had on our list included:

• Surfing
• ATV riding
• Fishing
• Horseback riding
• Beach time
• Sunset dinners

For one evening, we went to La Luna, which is right on the beach and such a pretty spot for dinner around sunset.

We also booked a fishing charter while we were there through Costa Catch. One practical tip: double-check payment requirements before your excursions. Our fishing charter required cash for the trip, plus additional cash for the tip, so it is worth planning ahead.

Nosara was probably the point in the trip where we appreciated our slower itinerary the most. When you’re somewhere like Costa Rica, it is really easy to feel like you should book something every day. But some of our favorite time was simply having nowhere we had to be.

Stop #3: Santa Teresa

2 nights | Hotel Tropico Latino

After Nosara, we continued down the Nicoya Peninsula to Santa Teresa and stayed at Hotel Tropico Latino.

We only had two nights here, so this was definitely more of a taste of Santa Teresa than a long stay, but we still packed in a couple of really fun adventures.

One of our favorite things we did was rent an ATV and drive across the peninsula to Montezuma Waterfall. The ride itself was half the fun. We took this really cool dirt-road route through the interior of the peninsula, which made getting there feel like an adventure on its own.

Once we arrived, we hiked down to Montezuma Waterfall. The hike can be challenging in spots, so wear good shoes and be prepared for uneven and slippery terrain. It was absolutely worth it though and ended up being one of the highlights of our time in Santa Teresa.

We also visited the Mal País tide pools, which the kids LOVED. There were all kinds of little pools and areas to explore among the rocks, and it felt completely different from a regular beach day.

The rocks can be very slippery, so definitely watch your footing and wear shoes that can handle getting wet.

Other than that, Santa Teresa was about enjoying the beach, exploring the area and slowing down before starting our trip back toward San José.

Taking the Ferry Back to the Mainland

Instead of driving all the way back around the peninsula, we took the ferry back to the mainland on our way toward San José.

This was actually a fun part of the trip in itself and helped break up the drive.

From there, we continued on to Villa San Ignacio, where we stayed for our final night before flying home.

One Last Night Near San José

1 night | Villa San Ignacio

Our flight home departed the next day, so spending the final night near San José made things much easier.

I would absolutely recommend doing this if your last destination is somewhere along the Pacific coast. I would not want to rely on Costa Rican drive times and try to make it all the way back to the airport the morning of a flight.

Our Costa Rica Itinerary at a Glance

Day 1: Fly Orlando → San José → La Paz Waterfall stop → Arenal
Days 2–3: Arenal / La Fortuna
Day 4: Drive Arenal → Nosara
Days 5–8: Nosara
Day 9: Drive Nosara → Santa Teresa
Day 10: Santa Teresa + Mal País tide pools
Day 11: Ferry to mainland → Villa San Ignacio
Day 12: Fly home

A Few Things I’d Keep in Mind When Planning a Similar Trip

The biggest thing I would recommend is not trying to see too much.

Costa Rica looks relatively small on a map, but getting between destinations takes time. Spending three nights in Arenal and then five nights in Nosara gave us enough time to actually enjoy each place instead of constantly moving.

I’d also plan for rain, especially around Arenal, without letting the forecast scare you. We had plenty of rain, but it usually moved through and didn’t ruin our plans. And if seeing the volcano is important to you, know that there is definitely some luck involved!

Bring good shoes if you plan to visit La Fortuna Waterfall or explore places like the Mal País tide pools. Both were worth doing, but neither is a flip-flop kind of excursion.

I’d also budget a little more for food than you might expect. Restaurant meals and even groceries were noticeably more expensive than we anticipated.

And finally, leave some blank space in the itinerary. There are endless tours and excursions you can book in Costa Rica, but you don’t need to fill every day.

For us, Arenal + Nosara + Santa Teresa was a really nice combination. We got the rainforest and adventure experience we wanted the kids to have, found new places along the Pacific coast, gave our daughter plenty of opportunities to surf and still had enough downtime for the trip to actually feel like a vacation.

It was also pretty special getting to come back to a country where our own story started as newlyweds, this time with the kids along for the adventure.