March Costa Rica Trip
A Birthday Trip to Costa Rica: Exploring San José & Beyond
March is considered one of the best times to visit Costa Rica as it falls in the dry season with an average temperature around 82°F. One year ago, March 2025, we traveled to Costa Rica to celebrate my sister Amanda’s birthday. Costa Rica had been on our list for a while, and we were excited to explore a new country filled with coffee, rainforests, volcanoes, and ocean adventures.Like most of my travel stories, the trip had a few hiccups, but overall it was an amazing experience and somewhere I’d absolutely recommend visiting (but always do your research).
Renting a Car in Costa Rica (What I Wish I Knew)
After landing in San José, we picked up our rental car from Economy near the airport. Unfortunately, this ended up being one of the worst parts of our trip.
The rental process required hundreds of additional dollars in mandatory “insurance,” which wasn’t clear when booking. The cars were already pretty banged up, and the extra costs quickly added up beyond the original price we had reserved. They will not allow you to use your own insurance either.
Looking back, I would absolutely recommend doing more research on rental companies or even considering private transportation instead.
Driving itself was also… an experience!
Roads were mostly single-lane, slow-moving trucks often held up traffic, and in some areas we noticed trash along the roadside. It definitely made getting around slower than expected. But despite all of that, we did eventually get everywhere we wanted to go.
Travel tip: If you're not comfortable driving internationally, hiring a driver or shuttle service may be the easier option.
Where We Stayed in San José
We stayed at the Delta Hotels by Marriott San Jose Aurola located in the heart of downtown.
📍 Address: 5th Street & 5th Avenue, San José, Costa Rica
The hotel location made it very easy to explore the city on foot. There are plenty of restaurants, markets, and coffee spots nearby, which made it a great base for our first day in Costa Rica.
Exploring Downtown San José
San José Central Market
One of the first places we explored was the San José Central Market.
📍 Address: WWM9+V5F, Calle 8, San José Province, Paso De La Vaca, Costa Rica
🕒 Hours: 6am–6pm
It’s located close to the hotel, so it made for a perfect morning outing.
The market was busy, lively, and full of local vendors. We grabbed some incredible Costa Rican coffee and walked around exploring the different food stalls and shops. It’s definitely one of those places where you get a feel for local life.
If you love trying authentic snacks, coffee, and people watching while traveling, this is a must-stop.
Day Trip to Poás Volcano & Coffee Country
Poás Volcano National Park
Following our morning in downtown CR, we packed up and headed outside the city to visit Poás Volcano National Park.
Costa Rica is known for its incredible volcanoes, and Poás is one of the most accessible. The crater is massive and surreal to see in person with the steaming sulfur lake below. Entrance was around $30, and there is a lot of parking. With our hard hats out we began our walk to to volcano. Unfortunately it was only visible when a gust blew through the clouds, as it was a bit rainy when we went.
If you plan to visit, reservations are typically required through the national park system, and as mentioned weather conditions can affect visibility.
Hacienda Alsacia – Starbucks Coffee Farm
Another highlight from the day was visiting Hacienda Alsacia. Click to book your experience.
📍 Address: 5QJ6+GVR Volcán Poás – Entrada Principal, Provincia de Alajuela, Poás, Costa Rica
This is actually the first commercial coffee farm Starbucks ever purchased, and still their only one. Even if you’re not a huge Starbucks fan, the property itself is beautiful. The café overlooks the rolling coffee fields, a waterfall and mountains, and the experience is more about learning about coffee production than just grabbing a drink.
We were able to park easily since we had a rental car, and it made for a great stop after visiting the volcano.
Freddo was recommended and we skipped this stop- highly recommended as it is a super popular local spot known for their strawberry desserts and traditional chorreadas (Costa Rican corn pancakes).
Fiesta Resort All Inclusive
Located on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, in Puntarenas, the Fiesta Resort is a family all-inclusive Costa Rica resort that offers kid-friendly pools (a lot of kids), a large beach, and outdoor activities such as mini-golf, kayaking, and beach volleyball. Rooms are spacious, and there are several dining options, including buffets and an adults cocktail bar. On night one we stopped out to the cocktail bar, and then watched the Lion King Show; Kelly and I have never laughed so hard at a resort show!
The resort had a rule about not putting towels on chairs to reserve before 8 am, which I think is fair. I appreciated not having to get up before 6 am to be able to get a lounge chair. We grabbed a coffee early and sat on our lounge chairs until it was time for the foam party! Surrounded by kids, this was short lived and we decided on a couples massage. I added the massage menu photo to the gallery. Finally my sister was arriving to the resort and we had a nice dinner and decided to book an excursion!
Tortuga Island Excursion with Tiquicia Tours
One of the highlights of our trip was a day excursion to Tortuga Island with Tiquicia Tours.
We met Greg and Victor from the company on the beach and ended up booking their Tortuga Island boat excursion, which turned out to be such a fun day.
The experience was about an 8-hour trip that included wildlife sightings, snorkeling, lunch cooked on the island, drinks at a beach bar, swimming, and time to relax on the beach.
Excursion fit, I love this set: https://amzn.to/3Nlm5L0
Boat Ride to the Island
Fair warning, the water was pretty rough on the way out. If you tend to get seasick, definitely take Dramamine before the trip. Once we were almost to Tortuga, finally we got to see some CR wildlife! The captain started calling out toward the top of a cliff and tossing food up toward the trees. Within minutes, a group of monkeys appeared and climbed down closer to where we were. Some of them even had babies clinging to them. It was such a wild moment to see them up close in their natural habitat.
Snorkeling & Wildlife
After arriving at the island, we had time to snorkel and explore the water. There were tons of colorful tropical fish, and the water was incredibly clear.
At one point we even spotted a wild boar wandering near the garbage area on the island, clearly doing its job cleaning up leftovers. Not something you expect to see on a beach day, but definitely memorable.
Beach Time & Island Lunch
The sand on Tortuga Island was beautiful and soft, and the water was perfect for wading around and relaxing.
One of my favorite parts of the afternoon was just standing in the water with a cold beer, chatting with family and even meeting new people visiting the island. It had that laid-back tropical vibe that makes vacations feel so special.
The tour also included an authentic Costa Rican meal cooked right on the island, which was such a nice touch after a morning of swimming and snorkeling.
As the afternoon wrapped up, we boarded the boat and headed back around dusk, eventually returning to our hotel on a shared shuttle bus.
After a full day in the sun, we cleaned up and got ready for the evening, and headed to our trusty cocktail bar before dinner.
Mantled Howler monkeys
Other Costa Rica Destinations to Consider
After talking with my close friends who have visited Costa Rica, they recommend the other side of the island. Costa Rica has so many different regions, and each offers a completely different experience.
La Fortuna
• Rainforest landscapes
• Volcano views
• Natural hot springs
• Wildlife like monkeys and sloths
• More quaint and jungle-focused
Guanacaste
• White sand beaches
• Warmer weather
• Larger resort areas
• Sea turtles and sloths
Manuel Antonio
• Beautiful mix of rainforest and beaches
• Famous national park
• Tons of wildlife including monkeys and tropical birds
Final Thoughts
Even though the rental car situation wasn’t ideal, Costa Rica still delivered on what it’s famous for, nature, incredible coffee, friendly locals, and unforgettable scenery.
San José is a great starting point for exploring the country, and pairing city exploration with day trips to volcanoes and coffee farms made this the perfect beginning to our Costa Rica adventure.
And celebrating Amanda’s birthday somewhere tropical definitely didn’t hurt!!
THINGS TO DO IN DOWNTOWN SAN JOSEExplore the Central AvenueBuy some delicious fruits from San Jose’s Mercado Central -13 min walkAdmire the architecture of the Metropolitan Cathedral of San José (map)Catch a play at the National Theater of Costa Rica in San JoséEnjoy the city’s nightlife at the Central PubGo for a walk in the Central Park (map)Head to Plaza de la Cultura and visit the nearby Jade MuseumLearn more about San Jose’s culture at the National Museum of Costa Rica and the Pre Columbian Gold MuseumPlaces We Didn’t Get to Try (But Were Recommended)
While we didn’t have time to visit everything, these spots came highly recommended by locals and fellow travelers.
Restaurants
• Bacchus
🔗 http://www.enjoyrestaurants.net/bacchus.html• Maxi’s by Ricky
• Osteria Moderna – known for fresh oysters
• Oishii Sushi Restaurant
Breakfast Spots
• Hotel Grano de Oro Restaurant – famous brunch
• KAM Breakfast and Bakery
📍 Av 9, San José, Aranjuez, 10101, Costa Rica
