I had really been wanting to take my kids on their first out of country experience. I wanted it to be tropical, easy to navigate and semi budget friendly. All of my trips are mostly budget friendly, but there are times where I may spurge here and there. Costa Rica had been on my bucket list for a while and from all my research and reading, it seemed to be the perfect country for our kids first visit.
There are so many wonderful options of towns and places to stay within the country that it can be overwhelming to map out your itinerary. However, being our first time as a family in Costa Rica, I had a few stipulations for our trip. There are only two airports in Costa Rica. San Jose which is the main airport and Liberia. Due to trying to keep this trip as budget friendly as possible, I opted to fly into San Jose. I snagged round trip airfare from Nashville, TN to San Jose for $450 per person. I always recommend viewing a few airports within proximity to where you live to help find the best deal. When you visit Costa Rica you either stay in the rain forest or the beach. We wanted to experience both, but we wanted to stay in one location so we opted for the surfing town of Jaco. We also didn’t want to rent a car being our first time so we did spend additional money on transportation and car services. I’m glad we did, but going again, I would opt for renting a car at your own pace and also to save money.
Jaco is known as a surfing town, but it is also one of the closets towns to the airport and is about a 2.5 hour drive. We loved the little town of Jaco for our first visit. The people were kind, friendly and almost everyone spoke English as well as accepted American money. That was another perk for visiting Costa Rica for our first time with kids. We didn’t want the stress of not understanding another language or worrying about currency. We chose Croc’s Resort and Casino https://www.crocsresortcasino.com/ for our first stay. This was a smaller resort that sat on the edge of Jaco. I loved the location and it wasn’t too big and the pool really sold us on this resort. Like I said, the resort was small so it only had one bar, three restaurants, a gift shop, and an amazingly beautiful pool. But what I loved the most was the price! We stayed in an ocean view for roughly $2,245 for 9 nights and 8 days.
The few things I did splurge on were excursions. Being our first time here, I wasn’t comfortable driving my family around and wasn’t familiar with the area so we did pay for excursions. You can book all of this directly through the resort. There are other companies around town that were cheaper for excursions, but we liked the convenience of having the hotel arrange it and being picked up from the resort.
Our first excursion was spent on a day trip to Manuel Antonio National Park which was about an hour and a half from Jaco. You can visit this park on your own and check it out at your own pace, but I highly recommend doing it with a tour guide. Our guide was able to spot so many animals that we wouldn’t have been able to see on our own. We saw many different kinds of animals including monkeys, sloths, beautiful birds and so much more. During the tour, you hike to the beautiful beach and have some free time to relax, swim or just soak in the beautiful park. However, watch your personal belongings or you just might find a monkey running off with it!
Our second excursion we chose during our trip which was my ABSOLUTE favorite was La Fortuna. This was a four hour drive from Jaco so we were up and on the road by 7:00am. La Fortuna is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful and it’s known for the Arenal Volcano. We did a few stops on the way and enjoyed breakfast and soaking in the country view of Costa Rica. We purchased a day pass at the Baldi Hot Springs and Resort https://www.baldihotsprings.cr/. I have never witnessed any place more beautiful than the hot springs surrounded by lush flowers and plants and a view of the volcano. We enjoyed a beautiful lunch buffet outdoors overlooking the volcano and spent the afternoon swimming and relaxing in the multiple hot springs. My only regret was not spending a few nights in this beautiful town.
We only chose two excursions due to my broken foot. Yes, I forgot to mention that little hiccup in our trip. A few weeks before we were set to leave for Costa Rica, I fell and broke my foot and was in a boot. I did the best I could, but unfortunately, our adventures were limited and we were unable to hike to waterfalls or do a lot of walking. I did walk two miles at the National Park in a boot and slightly over did it. Both of our excursions combined cost around $1,480 but that included transportation, food, entry into the park and the hot springs for two adults and two children. Obviously, you can do this cheaper and on your own, but we chose to splurge on guided tours.
A few things to note about Jaco and Costa Rica itself. Costa Rica is an adventurous country full of different climates and terrain. You have the beach and the rainforest. Plan for lots of humidity in Costa Rica and avoid the rainy season. We went during Spring Break of 2022. Different sides of the country experience rainy seasons at different times so ensure you check where you are staying. This country is not for those that want to spend their time laying on a beach all day. If you want to do that don’t spend your time or money in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is meant for exploring and adventure. Since we were with our kids and I had a broken foot we did spend a few days relaxing and lounging poolside, but don’t spend your whole time doing that. Costa Rica is a beautiful, safe and friendly country and the people are kind, humble and loving. Don’t shy away from exploring the towns and mingling with the locals.We also spent time exploring the town shopping, and trying new restaurants in Jaco. I enjoyed meeting locals and making friends with those at the resort.
We spent a total of $5,525 on this trip for airfare, lodging and excursions. This did not include food, tips and shopping. Overall we spent $8,000 including food, tips and shopping. Before you say that’s too much, I have broken down what we spent below. Keep in mind, we did stay 9 nights and 8 days and we splurged on excursions and food. We also did some shopping and tipped good for the services. It was my kids favorite experience thus far and they still talk about it months later, and you can’t put a price tag on that!
Costa Rica Vacation Budget
| Airfare – 4 tickets (United Airlines) | $1,800 |
| Croc’s Resort and Casino 9 nights | $2,245 |
| 2 All Day Excursions (Booked through Croc’s) | $1,480 |
| Food/tips | $2,000 |
| Spending/Shopping | $475.00 |
Your Journey Starts Here 