Who goes to Costa Rica anyway?
Post by Eric Pratum of Self-Promotion for Smart People and The Hotel Experience
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Well, if you live in the US, you probably want a cheap vacation in a warm, friendly country. When researching for this post, I searched Kayak.com to see how much it would cost to get to San Jose (Costa Rica’s largest city and capital) from several US cities. Most weeks until the end of this year, it’ll cost Americans roughly $500 to fly to Costa Rica. When you compare that to an average price to get to America’s favorite (Hawaii) of $400 and then factor in the exchange rate of one Costa Rican colon being worth 1/10th of a penny, which means cheap food and hotels, you will hopefully begin to see that you can make up that $100 difference pretty quickly.
Costa Rica has the whole range of hotel types. . . from hostels costing an average of $15/night to all-inclusives and five stars costing $400/night or more. Websites like MuchaCostaRica.com can help someone new to Costa Rica set up a trip in whatever price range is desired. Plus, many of them offer great help when it comes to getting rentals cars (or Jeeps as is common there) and when it comes to learning the local customs. [In the spirit of full disclosure, I have talked at length with the people of MuchaCostaRica as I was researching a trip there]
For those, who have been to tropical countries before, the hotels will come as no surprise. For those new to Costa Rica, prepare to experience unfamiliar architecture, building materials, and even continental breakfasts. ;-) Due to the warm, humid climate, Costa Rican hotels use significant amounts of tile on their floors, and the windows and doors are not fitted nearly as tightly as Americans and Europeans might be accustomed to. This is so that they can accommodate the expansions and contractions associated with the large temperature changes between daytime and nighttime. Beds are normally not nearly as fluffy as American beds, and the sheets are typically thin, but when you’re dealing with 90°F temperatures during the Winter, thick sheets are not very welcome as it is.
Common breakfasts included at hotels are strong espresso coffee drinks and a pastry of some sort. My recommendation is that you go with the free hotel breakfast if its available and just have two small lunches, buying tortas and what not from the street vendors the locals use. Some people will be worried about the cleanliness of such food, but honestly, there should be almost no concern. The vendors would not be in business for long if they started making the locals sick, and they are often extremely nice people, willing to give you advice on what to visit and how to get there if you can attempt even a little tourist Spanish.
When you plan your next trip to Costa Rica, remember to check back here for emerging trends and useful trips, and if you have the chance, shoot me a line through either Self-Promotion for Smart People, The Hotel Experience, or Twitter, and maybe, I’ll be able to connect you with a great hotel deal.
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costa rica
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hotels
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