Best Hotels in Costa Rica

Book your next stay at one of these hotels—they’re the best in Costa Rica.

Just a few hours' flight from many U.S. cities, Costa Rica has become the go-to destination of many travelers. Whether you’re looking to be pampered by the beach or zipline through the rainforest, there’s a convenient hotel eager to cater to your needs.

You’ll find these top properties in many favorite Costa Rican spots. Just north of the Nicoya Peninsula, you can wind down after horseback riding and swimming in a luxurious guest room arrayed with indigenous stone and wood, geometric-pattern rugs, and Costa Rican art. Read on for more of Costa Rica’s best hotels, from San José to the Arenal Volcano, as selected by T+L readers in our annual World’s Best Awards survey.

Take Four Seasons pampering (chilled towels delivered to your pool chaise), cross it with the charm of location (just north of the Nicoya Peninsula, above the placid Gulf of Papagayo), and you'll see why guests return to this hilltop property year after year. The design here falls into the simple-but-luxurious category: bamboo and rattan, indigenous stone and wood, geometric-pattern rugs, and Costa Rican art. Activities exceed the average menu of options: guests can go horseback riding in nearby national parks; boost their energy with a body wrap using volcanic mud from the Osa Peninsula; spend the day at either of the resort’s two golden-sand beaches or three pools; sign up for a trip to Diria coffee plantation; follow a naturalist on a bird-watching expedition; and much, much more. At the end of the day, you'll be ready to fall back into one of 155 unfussy yet plush room, suite, or private residences, complete with verandas and deep marble soaking tubs.

This sprawling 310-room property—open since February 2009—distinguishes itself by straddling the line between major resort and remote wilderness lodge. The colonial-style building features breezy rooms with dark wood accents and capacious balconies with water views (pool and ocean). Though it's not all-inclusive, the Marriott has fully-realized facilities. You can opt to do nothing—lounge by the endless chain of pools, stroll on the volcanic beach, detoxify in the dry sauna—or go active and zip line through the rainforest canopy, spy monkeys on strenuous mountain hikes, plunge into nearby hot springs, or fish in the Pacific. There are five restaurants and grills; for a romantic evening, chef Erick Sala will serve you a five-course private dinner on Mansita Beach.

Golfers, sportfishers, and families looking for American-style services favor this sprawling, Spanish colonial–style resort perched midway between the ocean and the rainforest. Los Sueños Marriott has created a fantasy pool system of canals, bridges, islands, and swim-up bars, surrounded by lavish gardens, plentiful chaises, and attentive waiter service. Besides the 201 large guest rooms and suites, and widely varied activities and amenities, the resort’s full-service marina and its Ted Robinson–designed, championship golf course are the biggest draws for guests. Guides are available for canopy tours and nature walks in nearby national parks.

Magnificent views of Arenal Volcano can be enjoyed from every room at this luxury resort (one of many that surround the famous peak). A cluster of apparently characterless condos contain 53 surprisingly tasteful rooms, decorated with a mix of rattan furniture, terracotta floors, contemporary tropical fabrics, and colorful artwork (all outshone by breathtaking volcano views from the floor-to-ceiling windows). Every room has an indoor hot tub and balcony (or two). The on-site restaurant, with some of the best views on the property, specializes in grilled steaks and fresh-caught Pacific seafood. One drawback: since 2007, the volcano’s lava flow has shifted, and other hotels now have better views of spurting, glowing molten lava.

One of the 10 most active volcanoes in the world, Arenal produces intense geothermic energy in north central Costa Rica, feeding mineral springs throughout the region. Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort provides luxury access to the waters with a selection of plush rooms and suites, each furnished with handicrafts made by Costa Rican artisans. Although the concierge can arrange activities like nature tours, zip lining, and white-water rafting, it’s the adjacent thermal spa that is the main attraction. Local ingredients like volcanic mud, coffee, and coconut are used in a range of treatments from massages to exfoliations and wraps.

Spread over 2,400 verdant, landscaped acres, this resort is practically its own seaside village. The grounds include an 18-hole Robert Trent Jones II–designed golf course; tropical gardens; three pools (one adults-only, one kids-only, one huge and lagoon-like); tennis courts; a spa; and a secluded, white crushed-shell beach. Activities include photography classes, tango lessons, windsurfing, and fishing charters. Each of the 406 suites has a separate living area and a terrace, with contemporary, Balinese-influenced décor and garden-and-pool or golf-course views. With six restaurants (our favorites: Hoyo 19, with no-frills American bar-and-grill fare, and the Caribbean-themed Buccaneer; reservations required) and four bars to choose from, most guests don’t bother to venture off the property in the evenings.

The Costa Rica Marriott Hotel San José, located five minutes from Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), is situated in a 30-acre coffee plantation. A garden-flanked driveway and massive central fountain usher guests into the 16th-century, hacienda-style hotel. Colonial antiques and formal landscaped grounds may feel Old World, but the 299 guest rooms meet contemporary expectations with designer duvets, mini-bars, and international cable channels. Recreational offerings include two swimming pools, a driving range, and Kuo Spa, where treatments incorporate volcanic ash, coffee beans, and other natural Costa Rican products. There are three restaurants and a café, but an executive lounge is well stocked from 6 a.m. to midnight for continental breakfast, afternoon tea, and late-night snacks.