Following last year’s campaign with Essential Costa Rica, we rewarded our top booking Tour Operator Partners with a FAM trip to experience the destination firsthand.
From soaking up its unique culture to sampling authentic Costa Rican coffee and experiencing (and perhaps braving!) some thrilling activities, it sounded like a trip of a lifetime.
Sophie Hollywood, Key Partnership Manager at Lime, and Samantha Fulton from Four Agency hosted the trip, alongside Hernán, the on-the-ground guide, and Edwin, the group’s driver.
Read on to discover what Sophie said about the trip...
Day one:
The FAM trip began at London Gatwick, where the entire group met and enjoyed breakfast together before boarding.
Once onboard, we were welcomed by crew member Paul, who was in charge of our section. I recognised him from our British Airways Showcase Day at Waterside. He will be retiring from British Airways after an incredible 30 years of service.
On arrival, we were greeted by Hernán and Edin from ICT (Instituto Costarricense de Turismo), who gave us a warm “Pura Vida” welcome and took us to our home for the night – Hotel Grano de Oro.
The hotel is a beautiful Victorian colonial-style property, with fantastic food and super-comfy beds. It made a perfect base after a long flight!
Day two:
We left Hotel Grano de Oro just after breakfast and set off on a scenic, winding journey towards Arenal/La Fortuna. Along the way, we made a detour to visit the world’s largest painted oxcart in Sarchí. The drive itself was unforgettable, taking us through a breath-taking cloud forest.
Our first stop was a site inspection at Chachagua Rainforest Hotel – though it was so much more than that. Not only did we spot our first sloths, but we were also treated to a delicious lunch in the hotel’s outdoor restaurant. Later, we completed a short hike alongside a waterfall to the outdoor kitchen, where we crushed sugarcane to make a local cocktail and ground coffee and chocolate by hand - both fascinating and great fun.
To top off the day, we had time to enjoy the resort’s hot spring pools and even try the 8ft drop slide into the river.
For the next two nights, we stayed at Arenal Manoa Hot Springs Resort in La Fortuna, where we enjoyed a lovely dinner.
Day three:
On the morning of day three, we headed to Sky Adventures to experience the gondola, hike the hanging bridges and enjoy lunch. The group didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see Costa Rica from a bird’s-eye view, so after taking photos at the iconic “Hand of Arenal”, we clipped in for an unforgettable ziplining experience.
We soared along seven high-flying cables, with the longest stretching over 750 metres (2,460 feet) and the highest reaching 200 metres, all at thrilling speeds of up to 70 km/h.
After all that adrenaline, we had worked up an appetite and enjoyed lunch at Sky Adventures’ on-site restaurant. Afterwards, we continued on to Don Juan Tours for a coffee tour and chocolate-making workshop. We got our hands dirty grinding and crafting our own chocolate from raw cacao. The plantation was also teeming with wildlife, so our sloth spotting continued.
That evening, we dined at a beautiful fine-dining restaurant in downtown La Fortuna, Don Rufino.
Day four:
Our transfer to El Lugar Resort in Sarapiquí was really special. Midway through the journey, our driver dropped us at a riverside dock, where we embarked on a two-hour guided nature cruise along the Sarapiquí River, arriving at the resort’s private landing. This was such a special experience – it was so peaceful and the birds and reptiles we saw along the way were plentiful.
El Lugar is a ranch-style resort set within the Sarapiquí countryside. The accommodation is arranged in neighbourhoods, or “barrios”, with many interconnecting rooms and several featuring private pools.
In the afternoon, we took part in a local palmito tour – a cultural experience focused on the traditional cultivation and harvesting of hearts of palm. During the tour, the owner, Maria, explained the process from plantation to plate. The experience included a live demonstration, followed by a delicious lunch.
In the evening, we attended a presentation from the Sarapiquí tourism authority, followed by a wonderful local dinner.
Day five:
The activity of the day was a 15 km white-water rafting adventure down the Sarapiquí River, and it was absolutely incredible. At the start, we were a buzzing mix of nerves and excitement, but everyone thoroughly enjoyed it – and no one fell in!
Halfway through, we stopped for fresh pineapple and watermelon and even jumped off a cliff into the river. I think we’d all happily have done the entire 15 km again, despite our aching arms.
In the afternoon, some of the group enjoyed horseback riding around the expansive El Lugar estate, whilst others took some leisure time by the infinity pool.
Day six:
This was mostly a travel day, as the journey from Sarapiquí to Manuel Antonio takes around six hours. We broke up the trip with lunch and a two-hour crocodile boat tour in Tarcoles, where we got up close to some enormous American crocodiles, along with a wide variety of birds, including herons, kingfishers, scarlet macaws, and other tropical species.
We arrived at Parador Nature Resort & Spa in the late afternoon, just in time to take in the breath-taking sunsets over the Pacific. That evening, we were treated to a private dining experience curated by Executive Chef Rodrigo Salazar.
The meal was an immersive six-course tasting menu with matched wine pairings. Each course had a theme, and the room was brought to life with projections to match the theme of the dish.
Day seven:
Early in the morning, we headed to Manuel Antonio National Park. Small in size but immense in beauty, the park blends lush tropical rainforest with scenic trails and some of the most stunning beaches in Costa Rica. It is renowned for its abundant wildlife, where visitors can commonly spot monkeys, sloths, iguanas, and a wide variety of tropical birds in their natural habitat.
After visiting the national park and enjoying a swim in the ocean, we made our way to Hotel San Bada for a site inspection and lunch in their rooftop restaurant, which offers 360-degree views of the ocean and rainforest.
After lunch, we visited a second property for a site inspection: the15-room Hotel Miamar, not yet open but due to launch imminently.
Our last activity of the day was kayaking at Damas Island. For 1.5 hours, we paddled through the calm mangrove waterways, surrounded by lush vegetation, spotting wildlife such as monkeys, sloths, iguanas, crabs, and a variety of tropical birds.
That evening, we enjoyed our final dinner at the hotel in their Galería restaurant, which was absolutely delicious.
Day eight:
On our final day, we woke up early, determined to squeeze in one last swim in the Pacific before leaving the hotel.
Hotel Parador has access to a secluded cove, reached via a steep, jungle-covered track. We enjoyed a refreshing swim, then returned to our rooms to get ready, finish packing, and have breakfast before setting off on our four-hour drive back to the airport.
Along the way, we made a quick pitstop in Jaco for ice cream and then in Tarcoles for lunch, arriving at SJO in the mid-afternoon.
And that's a wrap on an incredible FAM trip to Costa Rica! From the very start, it felt like a true “pinch-me” experience - it was my first time traveling to Latin America, and I had no idea what to expect, but Costa Rica completely stole my heart.
This tropical paradise lives up to its Pura Vida ethos and offers incredible diversity in both nature and culture.
The Costa Rican people are warm, kind, and rightly proud to share their beautiful country with visitors. The nation offers the perfect mix of adventure, relaxation, food, and wildlife – there really is something for every kind of traveller.
Has this trip left you feeling inspired? Keep an eye on our incentive page, where we’re always offering incredible prizes, including trips and FAM experiences!
