Costa Rica With The Kids

You’ll begin this family adventure by flying into Costa Rica’s historic capital and then being taken to the wooded hills set just above San Jose. Full of white arches, hand-painted mural walls and private balconies with sweeping views of the valleys and coffee plantations below, the Finca Rosa Blanca is a superb family den for when you are not exploring the central region. The hotel has a tasty kids’ menu and games for the whole family or why not bring some binoculars and keep the children entertained by catching sight of the butterflies and birds in the gardens?

Set on an organic coffee plantation, you can go on a fascinating tour, learning how the red berry is harvested, processed and roasted, and also visit a chocolate factory, to watch the molten chocolate being carved into tasty treats. If your kids are going through a horse phase, they’ll just love the Finca’s resident steeds, and if they are old enough you can take a day trip to explore the nearby pine forests and the Central Valley, ending at a dairy farm to learn how to make cheese, milk a cow and feed adorable baby calves.

With a location picked out by Tarzan but the interior design handled by Jane, think of Lapa Rios as more of a jungle-chic tree house than a luxury beachside resort. An eco-lodge set on the gloriously unspoilt Osa Peninsula, Lapa Rios is nestled within a nature reserve surrounded by thick forest but is also located right next to the beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

With the best of both worlds, you and the children can flit between jungle activities and excursions in the water, depending on if you wake up wanting to snorkel with dolphins in the Golfo Dulce or zipline through the treetop canopy at high speed. Walk along the area’s coconut-shaded beaches to see land crabs, starfish and sea cucumbers, take a surfing lesson that’ll guarantee to get you and the kids standing up, or plant a tree as a family, adding your hand to the conservation efforts of the surrounding primary rainforest.

Next, you’ll board a charter flight and head north to the outskirts of the impressive Arenal Volcano, where you’ll spend three nights zooming down canopy slides, wobbling along hanging bridges suspended above rainforests and hiking the slopes of the iconic peak to discover hidden waterfalls and diverse wildlife.

You’ll stay at the Nayara Hotel Spa & Gardens which is made up of ‘casitas’ that face towards the ever-present conical volcano. For a scenic hike, enjoy a guided tour to the western side of Arenal, where you’ll climb to the top of the last lava flow for superb views of Arenal Lake, or visit Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge by canoe or kayak to spot sloths, lizards, bats, monkeys and caimans. Once back at the hotel, head to the spa, perched above the rainforest, and opt for a relaxing body massage - just perfect for reviving exhausted parents!

Finally, you’ll head west to the Pacific coast again but this time to a hotel that epitomises the very essence of a luxury beachside resort. The options to keep you entertained at the Four Seasons Papagayo are endless with two gorgeous beaches and several restaurants, swimming pools and tennis courts, as well as an 18-hole designer golf course.

During the day, water babies can take to the water and go scuba diving, snorkelling, boogie boarding, surfing and sea kayaking, while those who like to keep their feet dry can spend their time horse riding, stretching out in a yoga class and hiking through the forest to glimpse the three-toed sloth and the wide variety of exotic birds.

Tailored towards the little ones, there are also cooking classes, beach football, arts and crafts sessions and salsa lessons for beginners - but if you crave yet more activity, we’d recommend an afternoon sailing through the blue waters for a superb vantage point of the peninsula and the migrating marine life.