At the moment, there is no doubt that the corona virus pandemic has replaced what used to be top things to consider when planning a visit to Costa Rica.
It used to be the crowds, the weather, wildlife migrations, and also events that would determine when you would visit.
As soon as people are free to come back into Costa Rica
There is probably going to be an explosion of people wanting to experience all that exquisite natural beauty – they want to feel well and free again!
Many people will be and have been inquiring about the best places to stay in Costa Rica on a budget – they are ready to come and visit!
The best times are the off-peak times
Generally, the most popular time people love to visit Costa Rica is in the peak holiday season – that will be Christmas and New Year.
If you are on a budget and want to spread your money, the best time would be the weeks after the peak times, when the crowds are starting to thin and the prices are coming down.
For many on a budget, though, a favorite time to visit is around July and August. This means there might be a bit more rain but much fewer visitors and slightly lower prices.
Those who love the beaches want to hit Costa Rica in the dryer season on the Caribbean in September through to October.
There’s no bad time to go to Costa Rica
It all depends on what your travel goals are and what your priorities are. You will find cost differences depending on which dates you want to visit.
Actually, if you want to be in Costa Rica over Christmas and New Year you need to book at least a year in advance for the best in little boutique hotels and lodges around.
But when you’re on a budget and shift your travel dates around by a few days, you will see a huge difference in the amount of people and the costs.
Holidaymakers on budgets think about taking rooms in the Airbnb’s around. If they are willing to travel on the buses and taxis, they can experience wonderful times at lower prices.
There’s the Caribbean Coast side
If you love the sea, head off to the Caribbean Coast. Often you can find a room at good prices. When on a budget, another bit of advice is to travel lightly; learning to put all your stuff in a type of carry on size bag, because then you do can do your laundry and buy what you need when you get there. When you’ve got too much luggage, then you can’t really leave your stuff unattended unless you leave it behind in your room, safe.
… And the Pacific side if you are looking for good weather and a good lifestyle
Unfortunately, just saying, Costa Rica is not really a place where you can really do anything cheaply.
But anyway, here are some good tips on where to stay when you are on a budget. Because remember, Costa Rica has a high standard of living.
For cheaper eating, find restaurant Casados; sodas. No, it’s not a soft drink; it is actually like a small restaurant or a food stand.
There you will find delicious casados and they are relatively inexpensive.
Casados (married) typically means your everyday type of meals, such as a plate of rice with a small piece of steak for instance, red beans, fried plantains, grilled onions, and cheese, for example – not expensive at all.
It might become a bit bland to eat this way all the time, but a few of these every now and then will do wonders for your budget.
As far as breakfasts go, try B&B at Playas del Coco on the North West coast.
The owners of this little place pride themselves on making you memorable breakfasts at really cheap prices – you will be pleasantly surprised.
Accommodation
Try some of these:
You get commanding views from Villa Casa Blanca in Playa Ocotal.
It’s a small hotel sitting on top of a hill and not far from the sea. In the off-season, you can often find them going really cheap.
Hotel El Sueño in Santa Elena, Costa Rica
Near Monteverde, has no televisions, telephones, or any fancy sitting areas. Everything just looks the same and the furnishings are worn. But what you get is basically a clean and quiet place to sleep for the night.
One of the budget rooms even has a private bathroom with a hot shower and you could get it for around $40 USD/night, and that will include a hot breakfast cooked to order.
Sometimes, doing without frills doesn’t mean you will go hungry.
Coldwater rooms
These you will find at budget rooms for rent at Playa Del Coco, Costa Rica.
If you are happy to do without hot water for a couple of nights on your budget Costa Rica vacation, you can get these rooms for probably under $10/night.
For some, the quality of the lodgings does not meet expectations – some of the lodgings have cold concrete floors and hardly any protection from people from the outside.
It will pay to ask your host about these things. However, if you are really low on cash and you are willing to forgo a hot shower for the night, then $10 per person is what you should expect to pay.
Is it possible to travel to Costa Rica on a budget?
The answer is yes. There are ways you can experience a country, even on a backpacker’s budget as you can see from the above. You just need to dig below the surface a bit and to avoid joining up with organized tours. Here are a couple of ideas so that if you are on a budget, you can plan a bit:
- Backpacker hostels: ± $9 – $18 per night
- Guesthouses: ± $24 – $40 per night
- Mid-range hotels: $50 – $75 per night
- Resorts and nice hotels: $100 – $200 per night
If you are on a strict budget in Costa Rica, you can even consider bringing your own tent for camping – that will save you from needing to pay for a bed every night.
And campsites in Costa Rica are really cheap (around $5) and you often are in the most exquisite landscape.
Look out, too, for home-stay type lodging. A lot of locals are starting to open up their
homes to travelers in their efforts to make a bit of extra money.
Budget travel
The buses might not be the most luxurious around, but using them to get around cheaply is certainly doable.
You would fork out only around $3 to get from one town to the next and to travel across the entire country by bus would set you back only around $20 US.
The main way of getting around Costa Rica is by using public buses, rental cars, shuttle minivans, taxis, or small planes – the buses are the cheapest choice for those on a budget.
You leave Costa Rica feeling like a millionaire
There is no doubt that you can experience this magnificent country, even on a cheap budget.
If you are prepared to use low-cost sleeping options like camping, hostels, and so on and to enjoy their delicious foods whilst spending more time viewing the magnificent beauty, nature, and wildlife that is on show –
You get to see the real priceless stuff.