An Affordable, Romantic Costa Rica Retreat

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Dear Deal Detective:
I am planning to get married in Costa Rica in March. Wedding will be in San Jose. I am planning for guests to fly into San Jose, attend the wedding, and fly out of Liberia. My question is what is a good honeymoon package and location? And also, what kind of tourist package do you recommend for guests while in Costa Rica?
—jmichel

Dear jmichel,

Congratulations! Costa Rica will make a beautiful, romantic backdrop for your wedding and honeymoon. Coincidentally, it’s one of my favorite vacation spots, so I had a lot of fun finding suggestions for you. Fear not, my non-honeymooning readers: Several of these packages are available to anyone, not just those recently married.

Since Costa Rica is a popular honeymoon spot, there are lots of packages for honeymooners around the country. A honeymoon is the perfect opportunity to get off the beaten path and take advantage of Costa Rica’s remote destinations—areas with secluded beaches, luxurious accommodations, and few tourists, where you can be as relaxed or as active as you wish. Specifically, I recommend the Nicoya Peninsula or the Osa Peninsula.

Located in the Guanacaste province of the Nicoya Peninsula on Costa Rica’s Pacific side, Hotel Punta Islita’s Romantic Hideaway Package starts at $1,800 per couple for travel between September 1 and November 15, and includes four nights’ accommodations with daily breakfast, plus extras like a torch-lit dinner, one couples’ spa treatment, and horseback riding or a zip-line canopy tour.

Further south, in the peninsula’s Puntarenas province, Tango Mar resort is situated on a 150-acre private beachfront reserve. A four-night Honeymoon Package features beachfront suite accommodations with breakfast, as well as airport transfers, a welcome cocktail and in-room tropical flowers and fruit, two special dinners, a horseback riding tour, and complimentary use of the tennis courts for $1,120 per couple through December 19.

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The Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica’s southernmost point, is home to Corcovado National Park, which encompasses one of the world’s largest rainforests. For $1,174 per couple through September 15, Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge’s Paradise in the Rainforest package includes in-country flights from San Jose, four nights’ accommodations, and transfers, plus a welcome gift and flowers, a bottle of wine, breakfast in bed, all meals, a tour of Corcovado National Park and Cano Island, and use of the hotel’s hiking trails.

Parrot Bay Village’s Honeymoon package also includes four nights’ accommodations, airfare from San Jose, airport transfers, meals, and a bottle of wine, plus a half-day fishing trip, a sunset kayaking tour, and a couples’ massage for $1,995 per couple.

As for your wedding guests, Costa Rica is small and relatively easy to get around, whether independently or with a tour group, so it’s possible to visit several different areas in a short amount of time. Take a look at a tour-provider company such as Costa Rica Expeditions or Costa Rican Trails to get an idea of the daily and multi-day tour options available, many of which cater to specific interests such as adventure, beach, family, or nature. If your guests prefer to travel independently, I suggest they book a hotel or two and either rent a car or take an Interbus shuttle to get around. Most hotels are happy to set guests up with activities and drivers once they arrive.

Costa Rica experts, if you have any tips for our honeymooners and their guests, please feel free to add a comment below.

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All prices, dates, and booking details listed here were valid at the time of publication. Some information might have changed since that time.