Costa Rica

THINGS TO DO

City tour: The best way to get to know San José — Chepe, in local slang — is to look beneath the surface. What better way than to have a local show you the city they know and love? Chepecletasis a tour group run by young folks born and raised in the city and are determined to shed the city’s unsavory reputation. Start your first day in San José with a bike or walking tour of the city center, and be sure to start tagging your Instagrams #YoAmoChepe.

Hiking: One thing not in any guidebooks is the fabulous hiking that lies just beyond city limits. In just a fifteen-minute Uber ride, you can escape the city and become transported to a Costa Rica that feels like it’s fifty years in the past. With small fincas giving way to fabulous views and clear, open skies, the moderate-to-challenging Pico Blanco and Tres Cruces hikes are fan favorites. Just be sure to look up the route in advance, as there are several trails to the top!

Museums: Two standouts here are the Jade Museum, which has a collection of thousands of pieces of jade carvings from across Central America, and the National Theatre, which houses elaborate paintings depicting Costa Rica’s vibrant history. Before you leave the theatre, be sure to stop at Alma de Caféfor some of the city’s best coffee — grown in Costa Rica, of course. 

Day trips: if you have a bit of time, there’s plenty to do just outside the city. Visit a volcano. Check out Costa Rica’s tallest waterfall. Pet a thousand dogs. Need we say more?

PLACES TO EAT

Ballin’ out? Just north of the Parque Sabana in the west of the city is the Park Café, a fabulous restaurant serving tapas-style fare, housed in a quirky antiques shop with an open-air garden. The Pulpo — served on a plate drizzled with sauce in the shape of an octopus — is highly recommended. Another standout is Silvestre, which serves a seven-course tasting menu with food representing each of Costa Rica’s seven provinces. Sit outside, under the living wall! If you find yourself in the city’s historical Barrio Amón (and you should, it’s gorgeous!) this restaurant is well worth the splurge.

On a budget? Costa Rica isn’t Latin America’s cheapest country, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t find low-cost eats. Brush up on your Spanish by asking your tour guide, hostel employee, or Uber driver, ¿Dónde está tu soda favorita? (Where is your favorite soda –local restaurant). Once you get there, try Gallo Pinto– rice and beans served with eggs, sour cream, and a slab of locally made cheese — or a Casado– rice and beans, a salad and your choice of chicken, beef or fish.

PLACES TO DRINK

Beer time: Stiefel in the city center and RePUBlica near Parque Sabana each do a great job of showing off Costa Rica’s burgeoning craft beer scene. 

Caffeine fix: As the capital of a country world-renowned for its coffee, San José does not disappoint when it comes to café. Trendy, Barrio Escalante serves up the majority of the city’s trendiest coffeeshops, including Kalú, Café del Barista, and the speakeasy-style Underground Brew. However, possibly the city’s coolest coffeeshop is cueropapel&tijera, a gorgeous indoor-outdoor space just north of Parque Sabana that also sells gorgeous handmade leather products. 

Perfect night: Grab a cheap glass of Yellowtail in the esoteric Talentum, a restaurant-cum-art gallery with a gorgeous garden. Pop across the street for your splurge night at Silvestre, then take a five-minute Uber to happening Barrio Escalante, where you’ll have your pick of San José’s trendiest bars and restaurant. Start with a Chelsea Handler-sized Gin and Tonic at Delirio House, knock back a beer, or five, at the Costa Rica Beer Factory or Lupulus, and end your night with a spicy Chiliguaro shot at Aguizotes.

PLACES TO STAY

Strongly recommend Selina hostels!

HIDDEN GEMS AND TIPS

Got a little money in your pocket? Have an extra night? Going on a honeymoon? The Rio Perdido is quite possibly the best hotel in all of Costa Rica. Located in the sunny savannah of Guanacaste near the Miravalles volcano, this hotel is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Eco-chic bungalows? Check. Swim-up bar? Check. Over 600 acres of land with well-marked hiking trails? Check. A naturally-heated thermal river and a baby Howler Monkey you can play with? Check. It’s only a couple hours from Liberia, and 100% worth it.

For a different side of Costa Rica, a trip to the Caribbean village of Cahuita is well worth the trek for culture seekers. With Costa Rica’s largest Afro-Latino population, the Limon province of Costa Rica has a different feel than the rest of the country. Cahuita is possibly the best place to experience Limon’s Caribbean flavor; they’ve got a gorgeous black-sand beach and a sloth sanctuary. Pro tip: ask for rice and beansat any neighborhood soda for a delicious take on the Central American staple, gently flavored with sweet coconut milk.

If you have a few spare hours on the way to Nosara, take a two-hour detour to visit Playa Conchal. Often called the best beach in Costa Rica, the pristine white-sand beach is well-known for the shells (conchales) that often wash ashore. Don’t take them — photos and memories are much better souvenirs than the endangered shells that give the beach its name.

A final hidden gem in Costa Rica’s northern Guanacaste province is the Llanos de Cortes Waterfall.Just a couple kilometers north of Bagaces, this massive waterfall offers a great break if you’re driving to the Nicoya peninsula from Arenal, San Jose or Monteverde. There are always locals offering tours to the top for a couple thousand colones– it’s well worth it, as you can jump off!