It’s hard to believe that until the 1980s the Central American country of Costa Rica was known only to a select group of foreigners: botanists and backpackers. In just two short decades, it’s grown up to be one of the region’s most thoughtfully developed nations, and now boasts a lively, diverse and thriving tourist infrastructure—now the backbone of the economy. Residents and visitors both are happy.
Costa Rica, which is bordered by Nicaragua and Panama, is not a bad place to laze around on the beach and swim in crystalline waters, but if you go only for that and never stray from your resort then you’ll surely miss out on its main attraction—the vast array of natural wonders. Yes, there are unspoiled beaches and groovy surfer towns, but inland is where you’ll find the most biodiversity in rainforests, on volcano slopes, and among the clouds (yes, clouds!) in Monteverde. The wildlife is just that, wild, and you’re almost certain to taste a bit of untouched paradise on earth. That is if you get out and around. Fortunately, in Costa Rica, it’s possible to do it all on a budget.
Costa Rica on the cheap
When you think about it, for a five-night vacation $369 is just a drop in the bucket, which is why we're pleased to tell you about Jet-a-way Holidays astoundingly affordable Costa Rica vacation, a special that's good for travel on select dates all the way through Nov 15, 2004. This diminuitive price tag includes round-trip airfare from Miami to San Jose (Tue., Wed., Thur. departures only), two nights at the Hotel Balmoral, a clean, comfortable property in the center of downtown San Jose, with breakfast, three nights at the beachside Las Tres Banderas with monkeys swinging outside your window (a little detail that may or may not prove to be charming). The hotel is also situated near the Manuel Antonio National Park, allowing you to get out and see all the nature you can. All airport transfers and transportation between locales is part of the deal too. Singles pay an extra $100, and supplements for other US departure cities, which are likely to fluctuate over the summer months, are as follows today:
- $35—Orlando
- $90—Washington D.C.
- $190—Boston/New York City
- $210—Los Angeles
- $220—Houston
- $300—Philadelphia
- $310—Atlanta
This $369 air-hotel Costa Rica vacation is priced per person based on double occupancy and subject to availability, i.e. the price will most certainly be higher for the remainder of the month and early April due to its popularity with spring breakers. To lock in this low price, the vacation must be booked by Apr. 30, 2004 by calling Jet-a-way Holidays at 877/289-1030.
A set of wheels when you need them
So many of the Costa Rica promotions we see include car rentals, in many cases four-wheel drive to make the most of solo sightseeing excursions by giving you a chance to off-road. The mega-holiday arm of Virgin Airlines, Virgin Vacations, is no exception. Until Mar. 16, it’s selling a smart Costa Rica package priced from $799 ($949 for singles), which includes just such a high-powered car rental. Once outside of city limits, Virgin Vacations provides you with a fixed route to follow, and you can motor to almost all of Costa Rica’s best highlights: the Orosi Valley, Lankester Gardens, the cloud forest region of Monteverde, the volcanic hot springs at Irazu, Santa Rosa National Park, and beaches galore. With a week’s vacation you’ll have more than enough time to poke around and see everything.
With the Virgin Vacations’ $799 base offer you get round-trip tickets from Dallas-Ft. Worth on United Airlines to San Jose, the Central American country’s capital city. There’s a “meet and greet” at the airport and transfers to your hotel of choice. With the fly-drive package your accommodations are spread out among four hotels: the modern San Bosco near the Arenal Volcano, the lushly landscaped Mar de Luz near Jaco Beach, where modern conveniences extend to in-room CNN, Hotel Edelweiss, a boutique hotel in the historic district of Barrio Otoya, and the sparse but pleasant Turrialco Mountain Lodge, which was founded in 1968 and one of the first properties in the region to open to tourists. It’s also surrounded by macadamia trees and coffee plantations. You can also upgrade for a few hundred dollars more, if you’d like a higher class of hotel. No matter where you bunk, however, breakfast is part of the deal. To head off any travelers getting lost, Virgin Vacations also throws in a map and area information kit for good measure.
As we mentioned, it’s possible to stay at spiffier properties, but to avoid confusion we’re only sharing the most affordable options available from different departure cities across the US. Here are some of the city supplements:
- $50: New York City, Newark
- $75: Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington Dulles, Baltimore, Buffalo, Norfolk (VA), Providence, Roanoke, Austin, El Paso, Houston, Little Rock, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Shreveport
- $100: Atlanta, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Savannah, Tampa, West Palm Beach
- $125: Birmingham, Chicago, Akron-Canton, Cedar Rapids, Charleston (SC), Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Grand Rapids, Greensboro, Louisville, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Knoxville, Nashville, Omaha, St. Louis, Wichita, Denver, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco, Albuquerque, Tulsa, Tucson, Phoenix, Manchester (NH), Portland (ME), Syracuse, Richmond, Detroit, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City
- $150: Billings, Boise, Jackson Hole, Portland, OR, Seattle, Spokane
The $799 price is good for travel between Apr. 1 - 30, May 1 - Jul. 5, and Aug. 14 - Oct. 31—some flexible windows that last well through the fall.
Virgin Vacations also has some stay-put beach lodging only specials priced from $649, which is good for travel from May 1-Jul. 5, 2004. Keep in mind that Virgin Vacations’ prices are per person based on double occupancy, and to secure any of these rates you must book your vacation online at: www.virginvacations.com.
A quick trip option
If you don’t have a full week to spare and are looking for a cheaper option for travel to Costa Rica, then you may be interested in the five-night vacation offered by the dependable if generically named Your Travel Service. Priced from $485 per person, it includes round-trip airfare from Miami and five night’s lodging with full “American” breakfasts daily at the amenity-flush La Condesa Resort & Villas. High above sea level with great views of the Central Valley, the hotel is close to shopping and has regular shuttles to downtown San Jose—30 minutes away. It’s a bit more for solo travelers—$725, and you’ll spend $50-60 each additional night (per double) if you want to spend a few more days soaking up Costa Rican culture. The tour company can price the vacation from any major US cities, and the offer is good for as long as supplies last. Here’s a sample:
$559—New York
$599—Houston
$639—Los Angeles
$659—Atlanta
$669—Chicago
Air-only specials
Just interested in getting there and want to book your hotel on your own? Well, you’re in luck because Your Travel Service also has steeply reduced airfare to Costa Rica at the moment, with the very best rates coming out of Miami at the steeply discounted price of $209 round-trip.
$249—Orlando
$399—Houston/Dallas
$399—New York
$439—Atlanta
$439—Baltimore
$439—Los Angeles
$459—Chicago
More information can be found online at: www.yourtravelservice.com. Or, you can call 888/877-9131 to make a reservation.
Finally for those from the Miami area only, Taca airlines is selling round-trip tickets to San Jose from just $178 round-trip for the period surrounding Easter (up to $280 at other times). Go to www.taca.com to learn more.
{Editor's Note: Have you ever been to Costa Rica? Do you have a money-saving hint, tip, or anecdote that would be helpful to other travelers? We'd love to hear it and possibly reprint it in our letters to the editor column. Simply to send a letter to our editors.}
