Planning a family vacation to Costa Rica but are not sure yet where to stay? We hear you and have compiled a list of the best family hotels in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a wonderful place for families to experience a mountain of exciting activities.

Families find in Costa Rica an adventure paradise set in the most beautiful natural and safe environment. Costa Ricans (“Ticos”) are also very family-friendly so it’s no surprise Costa Rica hosts some of the top lodges for families in Latin America.

The country is also one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. There are five active volcanos in this small country. Some of the best hiking, bird-watching, and horseback riding in the world can be found here. Costa Rica provides the perfect combination of relaxation, adventure, culture, fine cuisine, and wildlife. 

Here is our List of the Best Family Hotels in Costa Rica:

See below for a map

Best Family Rainforest Hotels & Mountain Lodges in Costa Rica

1. Xandari Resort & Spa **** – Central Valley

We are starting off our list of best family hotels in Costa Rica with the Xandari Resort & Spa. Art and architecture are highlights of the Xandari experience in Costa Rica. 24 spacious villas nestled on a 40-acre plantation are surrounded by lush gardens, with terraces facing spectacular views of Costa Rica’s majestic Central Valley day and night. Each is a unique design, with tropical colors and contemporary design.

A private forest reserve with rivers, five natural waterfalls, and 2.5 miles of trails offers excellent hiking, birding, and communion with nature. Three pools, each with a unique view of coffee plantations, provide added incentive for a morning swim. A wide range of natural treatments is offered in private palapas at the Spa Village. Each is featuring a hot-tub overlooking forest and valleys at 3,900 ft.

Prima Plus Villa: Guests can enjoy an abundance of space and an idyllic garden in these villas. Each of the villas is a special treasure on its own. Two 68 m² villas on the East Hill offer a magnificent panorama view of the Central Valley. They feature a sleeping alcove with a King-size bed plus a sofa bed in the main area. The other two villas on the West Hill are 55 m² in size. Each villa features an impressive, colorful ambiance blended with a creative design. These villas offer two double beds and a sofa bed.

2. Arenal Springs Resort **** – La Fortuna

3. Volcano Lodge, Hotel & Thermal Experience ***(*) – La Fortuna

The thermal hot springs are an exclusive amenity just for hotel guests. As you soak in the mineral-rich thermal waters, you’ll relax amidst crashing waterfalls, lush tropical botanic gardens, and very few people. Or how about a “volcanic relaxation massage” at the resort’s Volcano Spa?.

Every guest room in the resort enjoys the seclusion of a private terrace with full or partial views of Arenal Volcano looming majestically above, the botanic gardens, or both. The breakfast is hearty and has a lot of options, including the typical Gallo Pinto (rice and black beans, served with plantains) and delicious coffee. The Surá Bar & Bistro has a daily 2-for-1 happy hour..

Famous for its volcanic hot springs, flowing waterfalls, and tropical rainforests, La Fortuna is abundant in flora and fauna, making each eco-adventure tour as interesting as it is fun. Whether it’s zip-lining, fast above the forest canopy, crossing the jungle treetops on a hanging bridge, swimming at the base of the majestic La Fortuna Waterfall, or horseback riding through the rainforest, there is a little something for every nature enthusiast. White water rafting, waterfall rappelling, canyoneering, are all on the menu too. At TropiQ Trips, we can organize any or all of the mentioned activities for you upfront!

Otherwise, the staff at the front desk is very helpful in organizing your activities and tours. A free shuttle into La Fortuna is provided several times a day.

Can you see why this resort is a must on our list of best family hotels in Costa Rica?

4. Monteverde Lodge & Gardens ***(*) – Monteverde

This lodge was built to be ecologically friendly: the lights are dim, the water is mainly heated by solar panels on the hotel roof, and there are no TVs or radios – but who needs these anyway with the cloud forest at one’s fingertips? The lodge has a very nice bar with a laid-back atmosphere where you can enjoy your favorite cocktail in the evening. And if you are a keen observer, you will certainly enjoy identifying the many birds and animals that visit the lodge gardens. The heated pool or the spa is nice for a refreshing swim or relaxing treatment after a day full of action. And from the viewpoint, you can enjoy nice views of the surroundings.

Forest View Downstairs: These pleasant accommodations have a nice table and two chairs near the window to look at the cloud forest and animals. They are equipped with either two double beds or one King-size bed and two of them are wheelchair accessible. If you are the nature-lover-observing type you may get to see monkeys on the trees right outside your window! The view is so beautiful that you could comfortably spend a couple of hours sitting by the window just relaxing.

5. Senda Monteverde **** – Monteverde

Senda Monteverde Hotel in Monteverde, Costa Rica, is the cozy mountain lodge you’ve been searching for on our list of best family hotels in Costa Rica. From the hotel, enjoy easy access to every Monteverde adventure you can think of. Not to mention complimentary hiking access to the neighboring Aguti Wildlife Reserve, all year round. Here, families can explore the cloud forest on several walking trails.

The luxury boutique hotel is hidden and private but within walking distance to Monteverde town. On purpose, the hotel abstained from TVs, so you can completely focus on enjoying nature. Nature conservation is a big issue, sustainability is practiced wherever possible.

The Senda Suite is the most private and spacious suite category. As its own stand-alone bungalow at 1321sq.ft, it’s perfect for families. It can accommodate up to 4 adults and 2 children and disposes of 2 bedrooms & 2 full bathrooms. Senda Suites have a spacious, open-air terrace with seating. From here you can enjoy a spectacular view of the Gulf of Nicoya.

In Monteverde, family vacations become adventures of a lifetime. Ziplining was invented here – so there’s no shortage of cloud forest thrills or wildlife encounters to be had. Adventure awaits!

Other activities for the whole family provided by the hotel include:

• Paper-making class, 7 Wonders of Wander, & a back-of-house sustainability tour
• The in-house guide makes hiking kid-friendly
• Tour planning service — activities the easy way
• Small-sized rubber boots & walking sticks for young hikers
• Hot cocoa & marshmallows by the fire pit
• Board games
• Cooking classes for young chefs

6. Dantica Cloud Forest Lodge *** – San Gerardo de Dota

Our list of best family hotels in Costa Rica continues: Dantica Cloud Forest Lodge is a home away from home. This environmentally friendly lodge with only 12 rooms offers plenty to do for kids and adults alike.

Situated in picturesque San Gerardo de Dota, Dantica Cloud Forest Lodge is a sustainable eco-lodge that provides adventure for guests while respecting the surrounding nature. The lodge offers several unique experiences, including a beautiful art gallery for indigenous art and handicrafts. It is as educational as it is beautiful.

Families can’t miss a visit to the lodge’s playground. Kids love visiting the open-air play space, complete with swings, monkey bars, a large trampoline, and climbing tires. The reception also keeps a collection of indoor toys for guests to use during their stay.

When you’re ready to grab a bite to eat, do it at Le Tapir, the resort’s on-site restaurant. Breakfast is included with your stay. The restaurant’s glass architecture provides the perfect spot to search for hummingbirds as you eat.

The Superior Bungalow is the best-suited room category for families. It is equipped with ecological ethanol chimneys and offers two bedrooms with a Queen-size bed each. One of the two bathrooms features a combined jacuzzi-shower. Both of the 4-Person Superior Bungalows are located close to the reception. From the private terrace, you can enjoy beautiful views.

Tours offered at this lodge include:

• Bird Watching
• Canopy Tours / Zip Line
• Family Friendly Tours
• Hiking
• Horseback Riding
• National Park / Reserve Tours
• Night Hikes
• Wildlife Viewing
• Yoga

MAP

OF THE BEST FAMILY HOTELS IN COSTA RICA

Best Family Beach Hotels in Costa Rica

7. Hotel Bosque del Mar ***(*) – Playa Hermosa

A large overflow pool and a well-groomed tropical garden complex create a wonderful environment for rest and relaxation. Located on the second floor of the main building, the bar Nya features a large terrace with a fantastic view of the ocean. A small spa offering massages nicely rounds off the countless facilities in this hotel.

The hotels Garden View and Ocean Front suites are best suited for small families. The comfortable and spacious suites offer either one or two queen-size beds in the bedroom and a sofa bed in the comfortable living room. All suites are a few steps away from the restaurant, the beach, and the swimming pool.

The hotel offers a great selection of tours and activities in the Guanacaste area. Nature-loving families will enjoy a visit to Rincon de la Vieja National Park. At over 34,000 acres, Rincón de la Vieja has room for two volcanoes, 32 rivers and streams, and an incredible variety of flora and fauna. Art lovers will want to check out Guaitil, famous for its pottery. Other options include catamaran tours or adventure activities such as diving or zipline tours.

Bosque del Mar is a unique beach hotel at Playa Hermosa and a perfect retreat for families who cherish exclusivity and nature.

8. Olas Verdes Boutique Hotel ***(*) – Nosara

Olas Verdes Hotel is proud to partner with Safari Surf School, which has been providing outstanding surf experiences since 1998. Safari provides fun, easy-going lessons with security and confidence delivered by highly qualified professional staff. Safari also runs special programs for kids and women only.

You will be staying in one of the 2-Bedroom Beach Apartments, which are two Luxury Suites next to each other and sharing the building access (levels one and two, no connecting door). That means each Beach Apartment has 2 living rooms, 2 bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms. Each bedroom has a queen-size bed and a single bed, closet, desk, safe box, large ceiling fan, and air conditioning. The total area is approximately 1,050 sq. feet.

9. Tango Mar Beachfront Boutique Hotels & Villas **** – Tambor

If you are looking for calmness, this is the place. Great location, beautiful views, and well-maintained grounds. There are plenty of things to see and do in the area. However, if you like it here, there are also lounge chairs and hammocks all around the resort where you can simply do nothing at all but wait for your drink. It’s really all up to you!

The exclusive, small boutique hotel Tango Mar is located on a 150-acre private beachfront reserve along the Nicoya Peninsula on the Pacific Coast. Due to its unique atmosphere with well-groomed gardens, exuberant jungle vegetation, and exotic birds and animals, you will encounter the perfect balance between nature and refinement. In the gourmet restaurant Cristóbal, you will be spoilt with local and international, carefully prepared dishes that will melt on your tongue while enjoying the marvelous ocean views.

In the spa and the beauty salon, you can enjoy relaxing, professional treatments. The rest of the day you can spend at the spring-fed swimming pool in the middle of the jungle gardens full of exotic plants and trees. The approx. 1-mile-long sand beach is an excellent option for some promenade around sunset. Over a coastal nature trail, you reach a nice waterfall, and in the hotel, a wide choice of tours and excursions is at your disposal.

How to get the Tango Mar:

Tango Mar is easily accessed by land or by air. If you are driving from the capital city of San Jose, a 2-hour drive will take you to the port of Puntarenas. Here you will board a ferry crossing the Gulf of Nicoya to the town of Paquera, taking about an hour. Once off the ferry in Paquera, a short 45-minute drive will get you to Tango Mar.

If you choose to arrive by air, a short 25-minute flight gets you from San Jose to the Tambor Airstrip, located less than 4 miles (6 kilometers) from the property.

***

Tango Mar is an ideal place that is both luxurious and quiet for beach holidays in a beautiful, exotic environment and is, without a doubt, one of the best family hotels in Costa Rica.

10. Si Como No Resort & Wildlife Refuge **** – Manuel Antonio

Located along Costa Rica’s Central Pacific coast, Si Como No is a uniquely special Manuel Antonio Resort and Wildlife Refuge that sits atop one of the most idyllic hillsides in Manuel Antonio. The resort’s lush jungle terraces and brilliantly vivid gardens overlook the sparkling ocean just above world-renown Manuel Antonio National Park. Its 58 rooms are literally contoured into the jungle hillside across the property’s ten acres.

Every day you will be greeted by toucans and hummingbirds buzzing by on their morning breakfast rounds. The staff is very friendly, hence, the name Si Como No (a fixed Spanish expression meaning: yes, of course, I’ll be glad to!). The property is extremely well-maintained and clean, and the grounds are simply stunning! There is even a movie lounge on the premises showing the latest movies.

The Deluxe Plus rooms are best suited for families. They are equipped with a king-size bed, a sitting area with a sofa bed, a spacious private bathroom, and there is no TV. Enjoy great views of the jungle coastline and the Pacific from your private balcony.

This is an eco-designed property, and the steps they are taking to reduce their carbon footprint are extraordinary and inspiring. The hotel’s profits go back to the community and are invested in education, perfectly matching the Costa Rican concept of Greentique Hotels.

An adult pool offers relaxation while your kids can enjoy the day at the children´s pool. At the bar, fabulous happy hour specials are served before your delicious dinner is prepared in one of the two restaurants. Go for a walk in the private wildlife refuge with the amphibian, or visit the butterfly garden and the crocodile lagoon.

Si Como No strikes the perfect balance of design and comforts the whole family will love. It connects you with the surrounding tropical forest of Manuel Antonio and the essence of the spirit of Costa Rica. A hotel that cannot be missed on our list of best family hotels in Costa Rica!

11. Laguna Lodge Tortuguero *** – Tortuguero

We are finishing off our list of best family hotels in Costa Rica with the Laguna Lodge. Laguna is an eco-touristic lodge, located in Tortuguero in the northern Caribbean of Costa Rica. The lodge is built on a narrow strip of land, 650 feet wide, between Tortuguero´s main lagoon and the Caribbean Sea. 

The area has amazing rivers, lakes, and wetlands that shelter a lush jungle of primary forests and exotic plants. There is also a huge variety of fauna the whole family will enjoy: monkeys, sloths, iguanas, caimans, crocodiles, 400 species of birds, and of course turtles. Tortuguero (Land of Turtles) is the place where one of the most amazing ceremonies of nature takes place: the spawning of the Green Sea Turtle. You’ll enjoy the lush biodiversity of flora and fauna in this ecosystem which is the most complex and dynamic of Tropical America.

Family-friendly activities include:

• Boat tour Tortuguero National Park
• Tortuguero Village visit (visit the school, churches, stores, community center, and recycling plant)
• A visit to the lodge’s own botanical garden
• Sea Turtle nesting tour (July-Oct)
• Hatching season beach walk (Sept-Nov)
• Kayak tour

Children are more than welcome at the lodge. Their staff is attentive, helpful, and always happy to attend to any need families and children might have.

It also has complete facilities: comfortable rooms, a restaurant, a bar, a shop, a sports area, and an amazing pool area. The latter is a delight at any time of the day but especially at dusk. With dim lighting, the atmosphere becomes magical accompanied by the first sounds of the night fauna.

The lodge is reachable by a combination of bus & boat or by plane.

*****

Conclusion:

This was just a small insight into the huge variety of accommodations Costa Rica has to offer for families. Costa Rica is a perfect destination for any kind of family vacation: self-drive tours, customized tours, and classic tours. We have got you covered.

We’d love to work with you and create a once-in-a-lifetime family vacation just for your family! You will find many of the above-mentioned best family hotels in Costa Rica in our family tours.

We can’t wait to hear from you! Also, let us know what other content you’d like, or if you have any questions at all!

Contact us today to help you organize your Costa Rica vacation: authentic and customized!