Luxury Hotels in Costa Rica

With a coast full of Pacific beach towns, nearby volcanoes and wildlife refuges, this region in Costa Rica’s northwest corner is as picture-perfect as your imagination. Accommodations here span the full spectrum from low-key beach villas to lavish resorts with every amenity. Some of the high-end, sustainably certified luxury properties in Guanacaste include:

JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa – This 310-room oceanfront resort on the Nicoya Peninsula sits on the edge of a 4,500-acre working ranch, more akin to a Spanish hacienda than a traditional resort. A private beach, a wellness spa with a tropical garden, and even horseback riding on the beach and on countryside trails connect you with nature throughout.

Stretching from Puntarenas to the region just south of Manuel Antonio, the Central Pacific area is easy to get to from San José and has a diverse range of activities – from the lively surf towns of Jacó and Playa Hermosa to the lush, biodiverse rainforest that meets the white-sand beach of Manuel Antonio National Park.

Parador Resort & Spa Hotel is considered one of the most prestigious hotels in Costa Rica, perched atop the Punta Quepos promontory, overlooking the sea, and surrounded by 12 acres of tropical rainforest and Manuel Antonio National Park. Look for wildlife on these very grounds, choose from five pools – both for families and exclusively for adults – and dine among seven unique restaurants.

Arenas del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort gives you direct access to two beaches and 11 acres of rainforest reserve. Relax in the heart of nature, join the in-house Naturalist Guide to look for monkeys and sloths, and dine on certified organic, dock-to-dish meals paired with biodynamic and organic wines.

In this wild, remote region of Costa Rica, you'll find ecolodges and villas that are naturally intertwined with the outdoors. Surfers come here to tackle the strong Pacific waves and anglers pursue world-class sportfishing. Ballena Marine National Park is a prime spot to watch humpback whales and dolphins, while Corcovado National Park is an ecological treasure trove of biodiversity.

On the Osa Peninsula, Lapa Ríos Hotel is set within a private nature reserve in a lowland tropical rainforest, looking 350 feet above where Golfo Dulce meets the Pacific Ocean. Walking paths and steps wind along the main lodge and bungalows that are made from sustainable materials, and the surrounding landscape is home to all four species of monkeys found in Costa Rica as well as scarlet macaws, toucans, sloths and frogs.

Overlooking a palm-fringed beach, SCP Corcovado Wilderness Lodge sits on 189 acres of rainforest, bordering Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula. Completely off the grid, the property is only accessible by boat and powered by renewable resources. From early morning bird-watching and nocturnal walks to tree climbs and whale watching, every iconic adventure is within reach.

Several high-end hotels can be found in San José, including Costa Rica Marriott Hotel Hacienda Belen, which puts you in close proximity to all the local sights as well as its own golf driving range and tennis court.

Real Intercontinental San José Costa Rica can be found in the new business district of Escazú, connected to the Multiplaza Escazú shopping center by a pedestrian skybridge. Five distinctive places to eat include upscale Japanese and a trattoria-inspired Italian restaurant.

Originally opened in 1930, Gran Hotel Costa Rica Curio by Hilton is a national historic-architectural monument, overlooking Plaza de la Cultura and next to the National Theater and the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum. Its signature fifth-floor lobby is wrapped in glass, with the Cultura 5 Restaurant & Piano Bar inside.