We visited Costa Rica on a guided tour offered by Gate 1 Travel. It was our first guided tour; otherwise, we usually plan all our trips ourselves. It was a great experience to sit back, relax and enjoy the journey without thinking about how to get there. We visited San Jose, Arenal, and Monteverde on this trip. All the hotels were included in our package. The tour guide helped us check-in, and the porters brought our luggage to our rooms. We were instructed to leave the bags outside the room at the designated time the following day, and the porters brought them to the bus. On subsequent days the tour guide distributed the room keys to all guests, and we didn’t have to get in line for check-in, and the porters brought the luggage to the room from the bus, and when we left, they brought the bags from the room to the bus. Click here to see our seven-day itinerary of Costa Rica.
Here are the details of the hotels we stayed in.
Crowne Plaza San Jose Corobici, San Jose
It was a 4* hotel in San Jose and a short walk from La Sabana Park. The hotel was modern and up to American standards. It was around 15 km from the airport and took about 30 minutes. Our airport transport was included, you can also take a taxi or arrange an airport transfer with the hotel to get here.
The rooms were clean and comfortable, conveniently located closer to the downtown.
It also had a casino, restaurants, swimming pools, and all the amenities. It also has an ATM on the property if you need cash.
Breakfast was included in our stay, and we had a variety of cold and hot foods. It also included an omelet station and a variety of bread and cookies. It also has some local Costa Rican food, including Rice, beans, Plantains, various juices, and more.
Tilajari Resort, Arenal
Tilajari Resort was around 13 miles from La Fortuna and 24 miles from Arenal Volcano National Park. Tropical gardens surrounded it with various flora and fauna. The hotel also offers many activities, including zip lining, ATV, horse riding, rafting, and more if you want to book through them.
Our room had views of the San Carlos River. The guide mentioned you could see a lot of iguanas lying on the grass on a sunny day.
This was our view of the San Carlos River during breakfast. Breakfast was included in our stay, and it has a variety of hot Costa Rican food, including Rice, beans, Chicken, Plantain, and more. It also has a variety of local fruits and juices. Type of bread and cookies were included, along with tea and coffee.
Many beautiful birds were sitting on a tree branch. It was fun to watch them while eating our breakfast.
The rooms were clean and comfortable; there was a nice sitting area with a covered porch outside the room with beautiful views.
El Establo Hotel, Monteverde
The hotel was located in Monteverde. It was a massive property with rooms arranged along the road up the mountain. The hotel provides a shuttle from the rooms to the reception and dining area. The hotel also offers some activities if you want to book through them.
The rooms were clean and comfortable, with all amenities.
We also had a patio outside our room and enjoyed the views in the morning and evening.
The views of the cloud forest were stunning from our patio.
We also enjoyed the sunset from the comfort of our room.
Breakfast was included in our stay and had a large selection to choose from.
We also saw some wildlife in front of our patio during our stay.
