An Amazing Week In Costa Rica
In May 2019 my boyfriend and I spent a week in Costa Rica and we had the most amazing time there. This is my one week interinery for everything we did during our amazing week in Costa Rica.
Day 0 - Arriving in Costa Rica
We started our week in Costa Rica by flying into the San José (the capital city of Costa Rica) airport using Delta Airlines. For our night in San José we stayed at the Barceló San José which offered a free shuttle from the airport to the hotel. The driver waited for us outside the airport near the baggage claim and held up a sign with the hotel name on it. The driver also had a list of each hotel guest who was supposed to be on the shuttle. When we got to the shuttle, the driver had bottled water for everyone. It was about a 20 minute ride from the airport to the hotel and there was free WIFI inside the shuttle. The hotel was very nice with a large pool area, beautiful walking trails, a cozy bar/lounge area, an onsite Japaneese restaurant, and a large breakfast buffet.
Day 1 - Traveling to Playa Potrero
Before leaving San José we had breakfast at the hotel. The hotel breakfast was a large buffet style meal with great window views from the dining area. From San José we took the Interbus shared shuttle (booked through Tropical Tours Shuttles) to our hotel in Playa Potrero. We spent most of our week in Costa Rica in Playa Potrero, which is a small beach town located in the Guanacaste province right next to Playa Flamingo. The shuttle picked us up at 7:50 am right in front of the hotel. It was a nice clean van with air conditioning. Half way through our drive the shuttle stopped at their break area. The break area contained a few little places for food (including a Subway and Taco Bell), bathrooms, stores, and a souvenir shop. The shuttle stopped for 20 minutes which allowed everyone plenty of time to use the bathroom and get any food they wanted. During this stop I got a mango smoothie at the little cafe. The smoothies in Costa Rica are usually just blended fruit without ice which gives them a different texture compared to smoothies in the United States.
We arrived at our hotel at around 2pm. During our time in Playa Potrero we stayed at Bahia Del Sol. We had originally planned to stay in the standard room but, a few hours after we arrived we got a free upgrade to the deluxe superior room. The room was beautiful. All of the staff was very friendly and helpful. We were even offered a free mint smoothie at check-in. I think we choose to visit Costa Rica at the perfect time since it was never crowded at the hotel. We were usually the only ones in the pool or at the bar which was great. The pool area was really nice with shaded seating, tables, and the swim up bar. The hotel also had a great happy hour which we made sure to enjoy every night during our visit. The happy hour at Bahia Del Sol is every night from 5-6pm and offers 2 for 1 drinks. The hotel was also in a great location and within walking distance of many different restaurants and small stores. We went to the small grocery store nearby almost everyday to buy things such as fruit, ice cream, candy, and chips.
For our first day in Playa Potrero we had lunch at the Costa Rica Sailing Center which was located right across the street from our hotel. There were a lot of cute dogs to pet there. I got the club sandwich and Alex got the burger. The food was really good and all of the seats provided had a great view of the ocean. Most of the seats were also shaded which was very nice.
Later that evening we had dinner at El Castillo which was also located across the street from our hotel. For an appetizer we tried the fried mozzarella. It was just slices of mozzarella cheese breaded and fried and it was pretty good. For dinner I had the fried chicken sandwich and Alex had the meatball sub. We both enjoyed our food.
Day 2 - Exploring Playa Potrero
Our first full day in Playa Potrero, we walked to Soda Marcell. It took us about 15 minutes to walk to this restaurant. Even though it was very hot outside it was worth the walk because the food was great. I got the chicken rice and Alex got the shrimp rice. Both of our meals came with a salad and fries. We also ordered a beef empanada and a chicken empanada to try. Both of the empanadas were really tasty. After lunch we walked to a nearby plaza to have some ice cream at Heladeria Italiana. I had the cookies and creme and Alex got mint chocolate chip.
After spending the afternoon walking in the hot sun we decided to spend the rest of the day at the pool.
Day 3 - Adventure Park
Our third day in Costa Rica we went to Buena Vista Eco Adventure Park using Flamingo Adventures. It was about a 2 hour drive from our hotel. At Buena Vista we went zip-lining, water sliding through the rainforest, horseback riding, and swimming in the hot springs. Upon arrival at Buena Vista we were provided with a free mango smoothie and a locker with lock inside the changing rooms to keep our things in. The zipline course at Buena Vista has 7 lines so it lasted about an hour. After zip-lining we went down the rainforest water slide. We were able to go on the slide 3 times but since the water was quite cold we only went one time. A lunch was provided by Buena Vista which included spaghetti and some traditional Costa Rican food. Before eating lunch we also spent some time looking for souvenirs at the 2 gift shops. One of the gift shops sold coffee and was giving out free samples. When we were done with lunch we rode horses down to the hot springs. It was about a 30 minute ride. The hot springs area was very nice and had a seperate changing area and restaurant. There were multiple different pools with different water temperatures and depths. There was also a sauna room and pots of mud if you wanted to have a mud bath. Shortly after we were done with the hot springs it began to rain and we made our way back to the car. To get back to the original parking area we took a tractor trailer back to the top of the mountain. It took about 10 minutes. After a long day we chose to order room service. I got the chicken wrap and Alex got the shrimp pasta.
Day 4 - Bike Riding and Pool Day
Since we had a free day we decided to rent bikes from Flamingo Adventures. We rode our bikes to The Beach House and had a good lunch. I got the chicken tenders with fries and Alex got the beef and broccoli bowl. This was about a 10 minute bike ride from our hotel.
After having lunch we rode our bikes a little further into town. Since we did not really see any shops we turned around and went back to the hotel. It was very hot so we should have rode our bikes earlier in the day for a better experience.
Day 5 - Snorkeling and ATV Tour
For our last full day in Playa Potrero we planned a snorkeling at ATV tour with Flamingo Adventures. Before going on our tour we enjoyed a nice breakfast at the Main Street Cafe. At this little breakfast cafe you can choose any three breakfast items for only $5.
For our snorkeling and ATV tour the guide provided all of the equipment and cold bottles of water for us to drink. During this tour we rode the ATV to different beaches in the area where we could snorkel or swim. We visited Playa Danita and Playa Penca during our tour. With the ATVs we also went to a location called top of the hill where we were able to see all the beach areas from above. On the day we went there were big waves at the beach I was not able to snorkel. One thing to know about this tour is that life jackets are not provided and the snorkeling requires that you swim out to an area. I am not a good swimmer and would have needed a life jacket to safely get to the snorkeling area. After our tour, we ordered room service and spent the rest of the evening at the hotel.
Day 6 - Traveling Back To San José
Our last full day in Costa Rica was spent taking the shuttle back to San José. We arrived in the city at 2pm and we stayed at the Barceló San José again. At 4pm we attempted to explore the city of San José and took an Uber from the hotel. We got dropped off next to the National Museum of Costa Rica. I had wanted to visit this museum but it was closed by the time we got downtown. Luckily the museum was close to large shopping area. There were a lot of great stores to shop at, but there were no restaurants in this area except for fast food. We ended up eating at Burger King because we were very hungry and the other restaurants were a few blocks away. Shortly after we were done eating it began to rain, so we went back to the hotel instead of shopping. I think my time in San José would have been better if I had planned it out more. The museums I was interested in visiting were closed at the time and I had not looked into any nearby restaurants.
Day 7 - Going Home
Our last morning in Costa Rica we had breakfast at the hotel before taking the shuttle back to the airport. The airport was not as busy as we expected so we got through security quickly and had a long wait before boarding the plane.
Next Time I Visit Costa Rica
I had an amazing week in Costa Rica and I hope to go back again someday. I would definitely go back to Playa Potrero but I would also love to visit a different part of the country. What are your recommendations for the best places to visit in Costa Rica?