La Paz/San Jose – Day 1 of a 6-Day Trip in Costa Rica
Before arriving to Costa Rica, there was a full day of travel the day before. From my home city, there was no direct flight to Costa Rica and we had a layover in Mexico City. Flight time to Mexico City was about 5 hours, and then it was about another 2 hours to Costa Rica. Where the day becomes long is the layover – 6 hours in Mexico City! It was also a miserable 6 hours in Mexico City Airport as well because 1) we did not have enough time to leave and return to the airport to explore the city in the layover time frame and 2) the air conditioning in the airport was not functioning (maybe?) because the airport was so hot and humid! We had two meals in Mexico City Airport – one for lunch (right after landing) and one for dinner (right before leaving). For lunch, we went to a restaurant called Modelo Cocino Urbana. Avoid this restaurant! If you do go, be very careful what you order and say no to any “additions”. We did not pay attention to this and we ended up being charged much more than we had anticipated, nor was the food up to par on how much we paid!
For dinner, we went to Salute Food & Bar. We were more careful this time, but also noticed that the servers did not ask if we wanted “extras” and honestly, the food was much better than Modelo Cocino Urbana. This experience was definitely more positive.
And with that, we said Goodbye to Mexico – next stop Costa Rica! We arrived in Costa Rica around midnight. Took a taxi from the airport, got checked into our hotel and went to bed.
Day 1
La Paz/San Jose
We woke up around 8am on Day 1. It was already sunny and warm out. Here was what it looked like as soon as I stepped out of our room:
The hotel we stayed at had breakfast included, so I went to the dining area to order our food. There is a menu with options you can pick from. You can eat in the dining area or they can bring it to your room. The hotel we stayed at was called Hotel Posado El Quijote and it was at the top of a hill. As a result, there is a cool view of San Jose from the poolside. The hotel itself is cute. By the looks of it, it used to be a home that was converted to a hotel. The one complaint I have was that the water pressure was very weak, making showers annoying.
For breakfast, we selected the Gallos Pintos with fried eggs and Columbian Scrambled Eggs plates and had it brought to our rooms. Each breakfast came with orange juice, fruits, toast, and a slice of plantain. Coffee and tea is self-serve in the dining area.
After breakfast and lounging at the pool, we checked out and took a taxi to the car rental. Costa Rica is much easier to explore with a car, but it is possible to take public transit. In fact, I only had availability of the car the first and last day of this trip. He was in Costa Rica for school and would be staying with his classmates (along with the car), while I did a tour around Costa Rica solo without a car. Note there are extra charges that the car rental legally must add on that is not already included in the base price, so if you rented a car online, just know that the total price will be higher. Once the car rental was settled, we headed to La Paz Waterfalls Garden Nature Park.
La Paz Waterfalls Garden Nature Park is about an hour and 30 minute drive from San Jose. There are also tour options in case you do not have a car. La Paz Waterfalls Garden Nature Park is super pretty due to the lush greenery. It feels like you are right in the middle of the jungle. It has a hiking trails leading to 5 different waterfalls and animal sanctuaries (toucans, sloths, jaguars, monkeys, butterfly garden, etc!)! We spent almost 3 hours at the La Paz Waterfalls Garden Nature Park.
Next, we headed back to San Jose for a late lunch at Restaurante Nuestra Terra. I ordered a strawberry margarita and we shared a large mixed platter consisting of meats, fried foods (fries and plaintains), and sauces (salsa, guacomole, frijoles molidos, etc). It was good, but the meat was overcooked and tough and also so much fried food!
After all that food, we needed to walk around for a bit. So we wandered the San Jose streets and in particular, the Central Avenue area. It was very busy with locals.
At this point, this is when I split from the group to begin the solo part of my trip. I was dropped off at my hotel, La Sabana Hotel Suites Apartments in the La Sabana area. The hotel is near La Sabana Park and the National Stadium of Costa Rica. On the night I stayed there, the area was extremely busy as there was a concert going on at the stadium. I was still so full from the late lunch that I skipped dinner that night, but did pick up an Imperial Beer, a Costa Rican staple, from the convenience store. I sat by the pool for a bit before heading to my room for the night.
Atenas Side Trip
The rest of the group was staying at an airbnb in Atenas and I was also there for 2 nights. Atenas is a city west of San Jose and is about a 45 minute drive from San Jose. There is a good restaurant called El Jardin Restaurante in Atenas which has good food and overlooks the rainforest. We ordered the coconut shrimp and gallos pintos plate with chicken at the restaurant.
The airbnb had an outdoor pool with a lovely view of Atenas.
Complete Day 1 Itinerary
*Travel times may vary. Check Google Maps for most accurate travel details.
8:00am: Breakfast (likely included at the hotel). Relax at the pool (if they have one!).
9:00am: Visit La Paz Waterfalls Garden Nature Park (1 hour and 30 minute drive from San Jose).
12:00pm: Head back to San Jose and have lunch at Restaurante Nuestra Terra (1 hour and 30 minute drive from La Paz Waterfalls Garden Nature Park).
3:00pm: Explore San Jose. Visit Central Avenue.
5:00pm: Walk around La Sabana Park (if it is still bright out) (15 minute drive from Central Avenue).
6:00pm: Dinner near La Sabana Park.
6-Day Costa Rica Itinerary
Click “Download” below for an excel version of my 6-Day Costa Rica Itinerary. Feel free to use the excel file as a planning template for your own trip!
Costa Rica Links:
Travels with Carolyne 