Where to stay in Costa Rica with kids
Written October 2026
Which part of Costa Rica to pick with kids, then which hotel: beach resorts with kids clubs, hot springs by the volcano, cloud forest and monkeys.
Pick the part of the country first, because that decides the trip. For a beach week with a kids club, stay in Guanacaste: Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo, Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort, The Westin Reserva Conchal or JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa. For a volcano and hot springs, La Fortuna, and The Springs Resort & Spa is the one built around kids. For monkeys and sloths with a beach nearby, Manuel Antonio, and Parador Nature Resort & Spa has the most for toddlers.
Costa Rica is a drive-heavy country, and the roads are slower than the map suggests. Two stops is plenty for most trips with kids, and one is often better. A week in one place beats three hotels in seven days.
Short on time? A beach week: Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo or The Westin Reserva Conchal. A first trip with a toddler: Parador Nature Resort & Spa. A volcano trip where kids can run: The Springs Resort & Spa.
How we picked
We kept to hotels that do something real for a family: a kids club, a suite with a separate bedroom, a kitchen, connecting rooms or a pool kids can use. Each place says who it doesn't suit.
Guanacaste beach resorts
The northwest is where the beach resorts are, and where the kids clubs are. Fly into Liberia: Peninsula Papagayo is roughly half an hour from the airport, Tamarindo about an hour and Playa Conchal within about ninety minutes. That makes it the easiest part of the country to do with a small child.
Kids spend the day at the pool and the beach, with a supervised club for ages 4 and up at the big resorts.
Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo
Peninsula Papagayo
Why we picked it: A kids club for ages 4 to 12 with its own shallow pool, plus residences with full kitchens for a longer stay.
The kids club at Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo takes ages 4 to 12 and has its own shallow pool and a playground. There are cribs, suites, and residences with full kitchens for a longer stay.
It doesn't suit a family that wants a lively village or restaurants outside the gates.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort
Peninsula Papagayo
Why we picked it: A two-bedroom pool suite with a kitchen that sleeps six, plus a daytime program for ages 4 to 11.
Andaz has a two-bedroom pool suite with a kitchen that sleeps six, and Cambi, a daytime activity program for ages 4 to 11. Cribs are available, and the resort has interconnecting rooms for families who want a door between them.
It's set in the jungle, not on flat beachfront. It doesn't suit anyone who wants to step from the room onto sand.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
The Westin Reserva Conchal
Playa Conchal
Why we picked it: A kids club for ages 4 and up and a suite with a bunk bed, so siblings share a room.
The Westin has a lagoon-style pool, a Kids Club for ages 4 and up, and a suite with a bunk bed so siblings share a room without a squeeze. Breakfast is served in a lounge. Playa Conchal itself is a beach of shell-fragment sand.
It's a large golf resort, and the grounds are big. It doesn't suit a family that wants a small, personal hotel.
- Suites
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Free breakfast
- Yes
JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa
Hacienda Pinilla
Why we picked it: A supervised kids club that runs daily for ages 4 to 12, in the Hacienda Pinilla area south of Tamarindo.
The Adventure Kids Club at JW Marriott runs daily and takes ages 4 to 12, supervised. The outdoor infinity pool is shaped like a lagoon, and there are suites.
It's in the Hacienda Pinilla area, a little south of Tamarindo. It doesn't suit a family that wants to walk to restaurants and shops.
- Suites
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
Les Voiles Blanches Luxury Lodge
Tamarindo
Why we picked it: The house-not-resort pick, with a two-bedroom villa and bungalows that have full kitchens and private pools.
The pick for a family that wants a house rather than a resort. Les Voiles Blanches has a two-bedroom villa and bungalows with full kitchens and private pools, on the inland side of Tamarindo.
It's inland and has no kids club, so the beach is a drive. It doesn't suit a family that wants the days organized for them.
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
Arenal and La Fortuna
A volcano, hot springs, hanging bridges and wildlife tours, all within a short drive of town. From the San José airport it's roughly three hours by road.
This is where the resorts have slides, game rooms and hot spring pools, so a day can stay at the hotel.
The Springs Resort & Spa
La Fortuna
Why we picked it: Built for kids who need to move: a water slide, mini golf, a game room and a two-bedroom family suite.
The one built for kids who need to move. The Springs Resort & Spa has a family suite with two bedrooms, hot spring pools, a water slide called the Monkey Slide, mini golf and a game room for rainy days. There's a fridge in the suite.
It's a big property, on about 165 acres. It doesn't suit a family after a quiet, small place.
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes, heated
- Free breakfast
- No
Arenal Springs Resort & Spa
La Fortuna
Why we picked it: A smaller step down from The Springs, with a cold pool beside the playground and two-bedroom ground-floor suites.
Arenal Springs Resort & Spa has thermal and cold pools, with the cold pool right beside the playground, a game room and ground-floor suites with two bedrooms. Breakfast is included.
It's about ten minutes from La Fortuna town. It's a smaller step down from The Springs. It doesn't suit kids who want a big water slide.
- Suites
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes, heated
- Free breakfast
- Yes
Nayara Tented Camp
La Fortuna
Why we picked it: The Family Tent is two connected tents with its own thermal plunge pool, so a family of up to six fits.
The Family Tent at Nayara Tented Camp is about 266 square meters, with a king, two queens, a daybed and its own thermal plunge pool. It's two connected tents, so it fits a family of up to six. Cribs, breakfast and on-site laundry are covered.
No kids program is listed. It doesn't suit a family that wants other kids around to play with.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Free breakfast
- Yes
- Laundry
- Yes
Nayara Gardens
La Fortuna
Why we picked it: Rainforest casitas with private plunge pools and seven hot spring pools, with a cot and highchair for a toddler.
Rainforest casitas with private plunge pools, seven mineral hot spring pools and breakfast included. Nayara Gardens provides a cot and a highchair, so it works for a toddler.
It doesn't have connecting rooms, so a family of five or six is better at the Family Tent next door at Nayara Tented Camp. It also doesn't suit a family that wants a kids club.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Connecting rooms
- No
- Pool
- Yes, heated
- Free breakfast
- Yes
Hotel Villas Vilma
La Fortuna
Why we picked it: The small option in town: eight rooms, a pool, and a quadruple room with a fridge and a terrace.
A small garden hotel with eight rooms, a pool and a covered jacuzzi. The quadruple room has a fridge and a terrace, which is what most families need from it.
It's the small option in town. No kids program is listed. It doesn't suit a family that wants activities on site.
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
Monteverde
Cloud forest, hanging bridges and a lot of mist. Monteverde is about three and a half hours from San José by road, and from La Fortuna the drive takes about the same, on slow mountain roads. A jeep, boat and jeep transfer across Lake Arenal is the usual alternative, and it takes about as long.
It's cooler up here than on the coast. This is a place for short walks, a canopy walk and looking for birds, so it suits kids who like to look closely. It's a stop for one or two nights.
Monteverde Lodge
Monteverde
Why we picked it: The cloud forest stop, with a heated pool for after a damp day and a ground-floor room for two adults and two kids.
Monteverde Lodge has a heated outdoor pool, short walks in its own forest and a ground-floor room for two adults and two kids with a hammock terrace. After a cool, damp day in the forest, the warm pool is the draw.
It's a lodge and not a resort, and no kids program is listed. It doesn't suit a family with a toddler who needs a playground.
- Pool
- Yes, heated
Manuel Antonio
Monkeys and sloths in the national park, with beaches at the end of shaded trails. It's roughly three hours from San José by road, and the hotels sit up on a ridge above the sea, so you'll go down to the beach by shuttle or car.
It's the part to pick for kids who want to see animals.
Parador Nature Resort & Spa
Manuel Antonio
Why we picked it: The most for a toddler in Manuel Antonio, with a toddler playroom and a shaded pool with a water feature.
The most for a toddler in Manuel Antonio. Parador Nature Resort & Spa has a toddler playroom, a shaded pool with a water feature and mini golf, plus rooms with two queen beds and a three-bedroom suite. Breakfast is included.
It sits on a headland with rainforest around it. It doesn't suit a family that wants to walk to the beach.
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Free breakfast
- Yes
Tulemar Resort
Manuel Antonio
Why we picked it: Bungalows and villas with kitchenettes and four pools, with a private beach reached by a shuttle inside the resort.
Bungalows and villas with kitchenettes, four pools and a private beach reached by a shuttle that runs within the resort. Laundry is on site, which helps on a long stay.
No kids club is listed. It doesn't suit a family that wants one.
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Laundry
- Yes
Hotel Costa Verde
Manuel Antonio
Why we picked it: The self-catering option in Manuel Antonio: studios for four with kitchens, near Playa Espadilla Norte and the park.
Studios for four with kitchens and balconies, three pools and jungle views. Hotel Costa Verde is close to Playa Espadilla Norte and the national park.
It's the self-catering option. No kids program is listed, so it doesn't suit a family that wants one.
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
Si Como No Resort & Wildlife Refuge
Manuel Antonio
Why we picked it: A wildlife refuge and butterfly atrium on the property, plus a pool for all ages and a private movie theater.
Si Como No has a pool for all ages, a private movie theater, a shuttle to the beach and Deluxe Plus rooms for four. The wildlife refuge and butterfly atrium are on the property.
It sits above the national park. It doesn't suit a family that wants an apartment-style stay with a kitchen.
- Pool
- Yes
Near San José
Heredia is the hills above the airport. It's not a beach or a volcano, but it's the easy first or last night.
Finca Rosa Blanca Coffee Farm & Inn
Heredia
Why we picked it: The easy first or last night near the airport, in joined junior suites that sleep five.
A coffee farm inn with joined junior suites that sleep five, a spring-fed infinity pool with a waterfall and farm tours. Breakfast is included, and the airport is about ten kilometers away.
It has no facilities aimed at kids, and the quiet suits older children better. It doesn't suit a toddler who needs room to run.
- Connecting rooms
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Free breakfast
- Yes
Combining two stops without a long drive
Pick one region and add a second only if it's close. The roads are slow, and La Fortuna to Monteverde takes about three and a half hours either way. Between La Fortuna and Manuel Antonio you'd go back through San José.
The easy pairings are a night at Finca Rosa Blanca Coffee Farm & Inn near the San José airport, then three hours to La Fortuna or Manuel Antonio. For Guanacaste, fly into Liberia and stay in one resort. If you want the beach and the volcano, ask your airline about flying into one airport and home from the other, so you don't double back.
Kids clubs
Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo, JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa, Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort and The Westin Reserva Conchal have supervised kids clubs, all starting at age 4. Parador Nature Resort & Spa has a playroom for toddlers. The rest of the list has pools and games and no club.
A kitchen or a separate bedroom
Les Voiles Blanches Luxury Lodge, Tulemar Resort, Hotel Costa Verde and Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort have kitchens. The Springs Resort & Spa, Arenal Springs Resort & Spa and Parador Nature Resort & Spa have suites with two or three bedrooms. Nayara Tented Camp's Family Tent is two connected tents.
Questions
What is the best area in Costa Rica for kids?
For a first trip, Guanacaste for the beach, with kids clubs at Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo, JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa, Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort and The Westin Reserva Conchal. For animals, Manuel Antonio. For a volcano and hot springs, La Fortuna.
Where should we stay in Costa Rica with a toddler?
Parador Nature Resort & Spa in Manuel Antonio has a toddler playroom and a shaded pool. Nayara Gardens gives you a cot and a highchair. The Guanacaste kids clubs start at age 4, so a toddler spends the day at the pool with you.
Should we do the beach or the volcano first?
Do the volcano first and finish at the beach. The volcano trip has the longer drives, and a beach resort is an easier last stop. If you only have a week, pick one.
Which Costa Rica hotels have kids clubs?
Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo (ages 4 to 12), JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa (ages 4 to 12), Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort (ages 4 to 11) and The Westin Reserva Conchal (ages 4 and up) are the ones in the Guanacaste area.
Which Costa Rica hotels have a kitchen?
Les Voiles Blanches Luxury Lodge, Tulemar Resort, Hotel Costa Verde and the two-bedroom pool suite at Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort have kitchens, and Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo has residences with full kitchens.
How far is it between the places in Costa Rica?
From the San José airport it's about three hours by road to La Fortuna or Manuel Antonio, and about three and a half to Monteverde. La Fortuna to Monteverde takes about three and a half hours. From Liberia, Peninsula Papagayo is about half an hour.
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