Costa Rica was a total d r e a m of a trip and it was even more special that I got to experience it with my family. We took the trip to celebrate my sisters 21st birthday, but really we all just needed an excuse for a getaway… Especially after the crazy year we’ve all had! We stayed at The Four Seasons Peninsula Papagayo and it was beyond incredible. From the food + drinks, to the outstanding service, curated activities & the exquisite rooms - This resort is five stars and notably the nicest place to stay in Costa Rica for a reason. On this travel guide i’m going to share where we ate at our resort, what we did, links to everything I wore & requirements for traveling to Costa Rica during the pandemic.

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Traveling to Costa Rica during Pandemic:

Many of my followers requested I share some information about traveling during the COVID pandemic. Honestly, in my opinion it wasn’t bad at all and definitely worth it. We flew Delta out of Atlanta and obviously everyone is currently required to wear a mask the entirety of the flights (aside from eating & drinking) and in the airports. We were not required to get tested for COVID before traveling to Costa Rica, only before returning back to the United States - Although I recommend getting tested before traveling anywhere, even if it’s not required, just to be as safe as possible and to prevent the spread. Prior to leaving Costa Rica you are required to get tested no more than 3 days before your return flight departs. Our resort had testing on site, in fact they actually came to our room to give us our tests (which was so convenient) and then emailed us the results the same day. You are also required to have a printed copy of your negative results before you can return home and you need to be sure all your information matches that on your passport. We flew into the Guanacaste Liberia, Costa Rica (LIR airport). Before going to Costa Rica you need your physical passport, a printed copy of your acquired medical insurance (I’ll include more information about that below). We also filled out a health form at the actual airport when we were checking in for our flight.

You can find a list of testing facilities in Costa Rica here: https://www.visitcostarica.com/en

Costa Rica requires the following requirements to travel:

Completing the HEALTH PASS online form available at https://salud.go.cr
- The Health Pass can only be completed within the 72 hours prior to departure. One form must be completed per person, including minors, without exception.
Acquiring medical insurance before traveling
- Tourists must acquire mandatory travel insurance that covers lodging in the event of quarantine as well as medical expenses due to contracting COVID-19.
  **If the tourist has already been vaccinated, this does not exempt them from this requirement, and they must acquire an insurance policy as described.

Feel free to message me if you have any questions! :)

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About the Resort:

“From our hillside perch overlooking the Pacific Ocean, our expansive Costa Rican resort offers privacy while being your launching pad into boundless adventures. After a day of zip lining, surfing or hiking a volcano, return to our tropical retreat for farm- and -sea-to-table dining, refreshing swims in our four swimming pools or relaxing spa treatments. With customized itineraries for families and couples alike, we can’t wait for you to experience “pura vida” at Peninsula Papagayo.”

Our stay at The Four Seasons Peninsula Papagayo was undoubtedly a five star experience. From the moment we arrived we were greeted with rum filled coconuts and the staff members that always went above and beyond. The entire atmosphere felt so well-maintained and luxurious. I’m all about aesthetics and they truly incorporated so many natural elements, light wood and beautiful details into every inch of the property. You can tell they spent a lot of time designing the property and decorating it. It was stunning to say the least, every inch of it provided so much inspiration! The resort itself is located on the edge of a private peninsula and is very secluded, the true definition of luxury. Because of the exclusive location, you will see the most breathtaking sunsets take place over the water every single night. One of our excursion guides told us that the property of Peninsula Papagayo is the most expensive in all of Costa Rica. Anyways, I never missed a sunset and there was truly nothing like watching it with my feet in the sand, while sipping on a cocktail from the beachside bar. If you’re looking to go on a couples trip specifically, this is a dream destination and is SO romantic. I would 100% recommend it and I will definitely be returning at some point (hopefully with my future S/O). Costa Rica would be a wonderful spot for a honeymoon or anniversary trip!

Moving on to the rooms - They were SO nice!! My sisters and I stayed a double queen room overlooking the activities beach. Upon entering the room, we were welcome with a bottle of red wine and a charcuterie board. The bathrooms were spacious and very nice, we also enjoyed spending time reading and relaxing on the balcony. It did have a screen to protect from any bugs or animals entering the room. The resort also offers private villas with ocean views that are available for rent - Complete with their own infinity pools! That would be a great option if you’re traveling with a larger group and all want to stay together.

Although I do recommend taking excursions (which I’ll get into later on this post), there was still so much to do at the resort itself. Aside from the multiple pools on site, there are also numerous restaurants and two beaches. One of the beaches is the “activities” beach where they have all kinds of water activities available - Including snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boarding, jet skiing and more! The resort also has a few really cute boutiques that are worth checking out near the front lobby. There were also tons of other resort activities that rotated daily like yoga, cocktail classes etc. I also recommend checking out the spa, the massage I had was one of the best I’ve EVER had and I’ve had quite a few massages!! It was the ultimate way to relax.

I should also mention that the resort is NOT all inclusive and you will definitely be paying a pretty penny. I’ve learned that the saying “you get what you pay for” almost always rings true. All of the food/drinks, spa services and activities will all be an additional cost on top of what you’re already paying for the room. I’m going to list all of the restaurants on the property below. We only ate at the on-site resort restaurants during our stay, which were all delicious!!

A few photos I took of the hotel lobby + common areas, outdoor beach bar & highlights from our room!

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Where We Ate:

Anejo: Enjoy the effortless sophistication of Anejo, all-day dining with an ocean view. Fresh local ingredients dominate the menu of Latin and world influenced cuisines. In the evenings, lively Anejo is the heart of the hotel with a DJ spinning, creative aperitifs flowing and tapas being shared.

Pesce: Elegant evenings are effortless with our classic Italian cuisine, featuring local seafood, pastas and an extensive wine list, amid panoramic ocean views.

La Reserva: Accompany our mixologist on a journey through premium Latin American rums, and put your blending skills to the test by creating your very own infused blend.

Bahia: A wood-fired open kitchen is the centrepiece for this sophisticated all-day restaurant, where ingredients from grilled prawns to café chorreado are locally sourced.

Nemare: Nemare offers a sophisticated and creative culinary experience at the newly reimagined Peninsula Papagayo golf clubhouse. The restaurant’s name and locally infused dining concept is drawn from the Chorotega word for “smoke,” celebrated across the menu with craft cocktails and flavourful dishes.

What We Did:

There are so many great excursions you can take in Costa Rica and we definitely took advantage of those outside of what our resort had to offer on-site. If you’re looking for less beach time and more time spent doing adventurous outdoor activities, I would definitely recommend staying closer to the rainforest. The Springs Resort is a pretty cool spot that we got to experience for a few hours. We ended up droving about 4.5 hours there and back from our resort for some of our excursions and the roads were pretty windy! We wanted the best of both worlds (staying on the beach and experiencing the rainforest) so we were fine with doing a good bit of driving for our excursions. Our resort arranged a private driver for us for our two excursion days and our first day outside of the resort we went on a hike through the rainforest to see the hanging bridges, then went zip lining over the canopy of the rainforest, then ended the day at The Springs Resort to relax in the natural hot springs - complete with an incredible view of the Arenal Volcano. During our drives and hikes, we even spotted some cool wildlife like moneys, frogs, snakes and more! Unfortunately we never saw a sloth but apparently they are all over Costa Rica as well! I absolutely recommend all of these excursions, it was an experience I will truly never forget.The second day of excursions we hiked to Rio Celeste in Parque Nacional Volcan Tenorio. This is the bright blue waterfall you see all over Pinterest when searching images of Costa Rica! We also got to see the spot where the water meets with certain minerals causing a chemical reaction of sorts, which is what turns the water the incredible electric blue color! I loved this day of hiking and it was on my bucket list to see Rio Celeste so I can definitely say I enjoyed this as well!!

There are tons of other fun excursions like mud baths, riding horses on the beach, animal sightseeing and more - So definitely look into all those as well!