Family Adventure in Northern Costa Rica

Costa Rica had been on our family list for a while, and this trip gave me the chance to experience two very different sides of the country: a week based in Las Catalinas on the Guanacaste coast, followed by three nights in the rainforest at Nayara Tented Camp in Arenal.

There were things I absolutely loved, a few things I’d do differently, and—most importantly as a travel advisor—I came home with a much better understanding of which experiences and properties I would recommend for different types of travelers.

Getting there

We flew nonstop from LAX into Liberia, landing around 5:30 p.m. From there, we had a private transfer directly to Las Catalinas.

For families traveling to Guanacaste, Liberia is incredibly convenient, and I would absolutely arrange private transportation rather than having clients rent a car unless they specifically want one. That became even more important when we later traveled inland to Arenal—the roads can be winding, routes aren’t always intuitive, and a good local driver makes a huge difference.

Las Catalinas

We spent our first portion of the trip in a three-bedroom, three-bath villa in Las Catalinas. It was two stories with a full kitchen, dining area, office off the primary bedroom, and a small private plunge pool.

One of the biggest wins for our family was the location. We were centrally located and could walk everywhere in this car-free town. The kids quickly became comfortable going back and forth to the villa on their own, which gave the whole trip a relaxed, almost neighborhood-like feeling.

There are restaurants, coffee shops, stores, a market, and plenty happening within the community. The kids especially loved the large soccer field, and having a little market nearby where we could grab coffee, snacks, or something quick before an activity was extremely convenient.

Las Catalinas

What I liked

The walkability and independence for kids were probably the biggest selling points. For a family that doesn’t want to get into a car every time someone wants a snack or the kids want to go somewhere, Las Catalinas works really well.

Our villa also included access to the beach club, which has three pools: a family pool, lap pool, and adults-only pool. We didn’t spend a tremendous amount of time there. The pools are relatively small—the lap pool is the largest—and seating could be limited. It was also extremely hot during our July visit, so we tended to gravitate toward activities rather than hanging around the pool.

Food

This was one of my less enthusiastic areas. There are plenty of dining options for the size of the community, but overall we found the food okay and fairly expensive. My favorite spot was actually the café inside the wellness center.

We also discovered excellent banana bread and good coffee at the outdoor/adventure rental shop, which surprisingly had a really nice selection of Patagonia and other outdoor brands.

The overall feel

Las Catalinas is beautiful, comfortable, and extremely easy—but it didn’t necessarily feel distinctly Costa Rican to me.

With its cobblestone streets and architecture, it has more of a European-inspired planned-village feeling than a traditional Central American town. That’s not necessarily a negative; it just matters when matching the destination to the traveler.

I would recommend it for families who value convenience, walkability, and a self-contained community, particularly if they want a villa rather than a traditional resort. For travelers whose priority is feeling immersed in local Costa Rican culture, I might choose somewhere else.

It’s also still growing considerably, so I expect the destination to feel quite different in a few years.

Activities from Las Catalinas

There is hiking and mountain biking right from the community, although in July it was simply too hot for us to be enthusiastic about either.

We attempted kayaking one day, but the waves were extremely rough. We struggled just getting the kayaks past the break, and unfortunately the assistance from the rental staff wasn’t particularly helpful. We eventually returned one of our kayaks and received a credit.

It’s a good reminder that ocean activities here are very dependent on conditions, particularly with younger children.

Catamaran day

Our group did a catamaran excursion, and this was a great day.

The snorkeling itself was just okay. The current was surprisingly strong, especially for the kids, so I wouldn’t sell this particular experience primarily for snorkeling.

But being out on the water, seeing the coastline, and spending the day together on the boat made it worthwhile. For families, I’d frame this as a fun boating day that includes snorkeling, rather than an exceptional snorkeling excursion.

Ziplining & white-water tubing

We also did a combination ziplining and white-water tubing excursion.

This one was definitely adventurous—possibly a little too adventurous for my kids at their current ages—but overall it was a good experience. Our guide was good, although parts of the excursion felt somewhat forced or tourist-oriented.

For the right family, though, this could be a blast. I would recommend it for confident, adventurous kids and parents who genuinely want some adrenaline, rather than assuming it’s an easy family outing.

Zip-lining adventure

One underrated Las Catalinas perk: The medical clinic

This is something I would absolutely mention to families.

There is a medical clinic right in town, and having it available was incredibly convenient. Before our winding drive to Arenal, I was able to quickly pick up anti-nausea medication.

When you’re traveling internationally with children, having easy access to basic medical care is one of those amenities you hope you don’t need—but really appreciate when you do.

Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique

While staying in Las Catalinas, we also spent a day at Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique, where I had the opportunity to tour the property and experience it as a guest for the day.

This is a much more traditional luxury resort experience than Las Catalinas, with significantly more pool space, multiple levels cascading down the hillside, and beautiful views toward the water. The resort is quite spread out and built into a steep hillside, though, which is something I would take into consideration for clients with mobility limitations.

The spa was the standout for me—beautifully designed, serene, and one of the spaces that really differentiates the property. There are also dedicated kids and teens clubs, making this a strong option for families who want resort amenities and programming rather than the independence and village atmosphere of Las Catalinas.

Waldorf Astoria Spa

The beach itself is fairly small but sits within a protected cove, so it feels relatively private. One thing I didn’t love was having outside vendors selling items immediately along the property line, which detracted slightly from the otherwise secluded feeling.

We had a good meal while we were there, and I was impressed by the variety of accommodations. The resort has 188 cliffside rooms, including 22 suites with private plunge pools, giving families and couples quite a few options depending on space and budget. The resort’s multi-level pools are also a major advantage over the smaller beach-club pools at Las Catalinas.

Overall, I’d position Waldorf Astoria as the better choice for travelers who want a full-service luxury resort with pools, spa, kids programming, and everything at their fingertips, while Las Catalinas is better suited to families who prioritize villa living, walkability, and independence.

Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique

Las Catalinas → Arenal

After our time on the coast, we drove a little over three hours inland toward Arenal and Nayara Tented Camp.

I strongly recommend doing this drive with a private driver. Our driver on the way to Arenal was fantastic. Local drivers know shortcuts and roads that aren’t necessarily obvious on a map, and it made the journey much easier.

We stopped at Café & Macademia overlooking the lake along the way and proceeded to order far too much food—but it was delicious and finally felt like the authentic Costa Rican food we’d been craving.

The latter portion of the drive gets very winding, so anyone prone to carsickness should plan accordingly. Thanks in part to our medical-clinic stop, everyone made it to Arenal without getting sick!

Nayara Tented Camp

And then we arrived at Nayara.

Nayara was everything I hoped it would be and more.

Our two-bedroom Grand Tent was breathtaking. The setting feels completely immersed in the jungle, and our private plunge pool appeared to hang right over the rainforest.

Interestingly, Nayara keeps the plunge pools quite hot because of the thermal-water benefits. I understand the concept, but in the already warm weather it was too hot for me (you can ask them to turn the temperature down, which we did). We ended up using the pool far less than I expected. That was one of my very few complaints.

Nayara Tented Camp Grand Tent Pool

The accommodations themselves were exceptional: gorgeous bedrooms and bathrooms, hammocks overlooking the jungle, a full kitchen, and a large dining table. When we arrived, there was a beautiful spread of meats, cheeses, and fresh fruit waiting for us. This is the kind of property where the room itself becomes part of the trip.

There is also a sweet natural playground for younger children and natural thermal baths on the property.

And then there were the sloths.

We spotted sloths on property more than once. The Nayara staff seem to double as unofficial wildlife trackers—they know exactly where to look and are genuinely excited to point things out.

For families, that was magical.

Spotting sloths at Nayara

Dining at Nayara

We ate at 2/3 on-property restaurants, Ayla and La Terrazza del Arenal, during our stay and enjoyed both. Overall, the food and hospitality were very good, and the entire property felt polished without losing its connection to the surrounding rainforest. The live music every night at both restaurants is an added bonus.

Exploring Arenal

We packed quite a bit into our three nights.

Night walk: Our nighttime nature walk turned into a real rainforest adventure. We saw lots of frogs—and a very venomous snake—before the skies completely opened and we were drenched in rain. It was memorable, to say the least.

One thing that consistently impressed me throughout Costa Rica was the quality of the naturalist guides. They weren’t simply pointing things out; they had a tremendous amount of knowledge about the flora, fauna, frogs, insects, and ecosystems. That added so much to the experience.

Hanging bridges: We also did a hanging-bridges walk through the rainforest. The walk was a little long for the kids, but I personally loved this experience. Being immersed in the jungle was exactly what I’d hoped for from Arenal. We saw more frogs and learned a tremendous amount from our guide.

For families, I would take the children’s ages and tolerance for longer walks into account before automatically including it.

Nayara Tented Camp

La Fortuna Waterfall

That same day, we visited the waterfall—which requires walking down approximately 500 steps.

It’s beautiful, but it was also crowded. There is an area near the bottom where you can get into the water, although there were plenty of other people doing the same thing.

And, of course, what goes down 500 steps must come back up 500 steps.

I’m glad we experienced it, but this isn’t something I would consider a must-do for every client. I’d recommend it primarily to travelers who really enjoy waterfalls and don’t mind the physical effort and crowds.

Tabacón Hot Springs

We also spent a day at Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa.

The natural setting is beautiful, but I found the experience a little cumbersome to navigate, and it can become crowded. It wasn’t quite as relaxing as I’d envisioned.

One important distinction for clients: guests staying at Tabacón receive unlimited access to the hot springs, while outside guests can purchase a limited-availability day pass. The resort currently offers a 10 a.m.–10 p.m. day pass either without meals or with a lunch/dinner option; pricing varies by date and availability rather than being presented as one fixed public rate. Children under six are complimentary.

The Tabacón hotel itself felt fairly basic to me compared with Nayara, so personally I would rather stay at Nayara and visit the springs than choose Tabacón solely for the accommodations. However, for someone whose number-one priority is unlimited, easy access to the thermal springs, staying at Tabacón has a real advantage.

Heading home

After three nights in Arenal, we made the drive back toward Liberia.

This drive reinforced my earlier point: the quality of your driver matters. The return trip felt much more winding and jerky than our drive into Arenal, despite traveling through the same general region.

Near the Liberia airport we stopped at a large souvenir/food complex called El Jardín Liberia. It’s just a few kilometers from the airport and has a restaurant serving traditional Costa Rican dishes, a café/coffee roaster, minimarket, and a huge selection of locally made souvenirs. This was actually a great final stop. The food was surprisingly good, and it’s an easy place to grab coffee, gifts, and Costa Rican souvenirs before flying home.

We flew home via Houston to San Diego, and after a week of moving around Costa Rica, I was extremely grateful we didn’t have to land at LAX and finish the trip with a drive back to San Diego.

My takeaways as a travel advisor

Costa Rica is a fantastic family destination—but I wouldn’t plan it as a one-size-fits-all itinerary.

The biggest lesson from this trip was how different the experiences can be within just a few hours of one another.

Las Catalinas worked because it was easy. We could walk everywhere, the kids had independence, we had a villa and kitchen, and there were enough restaurants and amenities around us that nobody needed much planning. I’d send families there who value ease, space, and walkability over cultural immersion.

Arenal was the highlight for me. It gave us the Costa Rica I had imagined: dense rainforest, wildlife, frogs, sloths, thermal water, waterfalls, and incredibly knowledgeable naturalist guides.

And Nayara Tented Camp was the standout property of the trip. For luxury families who want nature and adventure without sacrificing beautiful accommodations and service, I would confidently recommend it.

I’d also remember to build in downtime. Costa Rica makes it tempting to schedule ziplining, rafting, wildlife walks, waterfalls, hanging bridges, hot springs, and boats because there is so much to do. With kids, though, you don’t need to do all of it. A beautiful villa, a hammock overlooking the jungle, and the possibility of spotting a sloth outside your room can be an experience all by itself.

Utilizing the hammock at Nayara

Would I go back?

Absolutely.

But next time, I’d probably spend less time in one coastal location and more time exploring the country’s wilder, more distinctly Costa Rican side. And I’d definitely go back to Nayara.

That, to me, is the benefit of experiencing destinations firsthand: I don’t just come home knowing where to send someone. I come home knowing who I’d send there, how long I’d have them stay, what I’d skip, and what is actually worth making room for.

For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our Costa Rica page.