For a single vacation, it’s hard to beat Costa Rica. It has something for everyone and at an affordable price. If you choose, as I did, to go in the off-season, it's even better, considering that fees are usually added to solo travel packages, making it difficult to find affordable luxury travel options for single travelers. These price drops happen quickly after the summer crowds went home, so I took the opportunity to visit in September. Although it was still a rainy season, I don’t remember to even vacuum the umbrella. Falling deals may also reflect smaller crowds, where some tourists may avoid the entire Caribbean due to hurricane advertising. In fact, Costa Rica is rarely exposed to direct hurricane attacks, and since its size has several different climatic zones. Overall, it was one of my best places for solo travel.
Hotels abound in a wide range of prices from global luxury chains to small locally owned properties. TripAdvisor offers 120 hotels in 20 different locations in Costa Rica. The local site listed 61 hotels classified as 5-star, with nightly rates ranging from a modest $ 113 to $ 1,240, providing virtually unlimited luxury travel options for single travelers. Seven of these 5-star hotels ranged from $ 200 to $ 299, and although they are not cheap, they compare favorably with resort prices around the world.
Costa Rica is one of the best resorts for singles, as it offers 4 different types of holiday for those who travel alone: 1. historical and cultural tourist packages, reflecting both Caribbean and Latin American heritage, 2. ecotourism or “green” travels, ”3. adventure tours and 4. beach getaways not only for newlyweds.
I started my trip to the capital, San Jose, collecting my own cultural travel package as I walked. The Spanish colonial history of the country begins at the beginning of the 16th century, when Christopher Columbus on his journey was credited with calling him Costa Rica. After the first Spanish settlers arrived in 1522, it was about 300 years before independence.
The city has several museums to explore, such as the National Museum of Costa Rica. However, the Oro Museum (Gold Museum) really intrigued me. Not only was it filled with brilliant golden artifacts, they represented much earlier, pre-Columbian figures before the arrival of the Spaniards. (In addition, copies of these unique items were sold at a nearby gift shop, which are ideal for taking home gifts for friends and family).
Historical schools and architectural enthusiasts may be disappointed that most of the unused buildings in the capital date only to the 1800s, and not to the colonial period. The impressive Metropolitan Cathedral of San Jose was built at the end of the 19th century, replacing the original structure destroyed by an earthquake. The newer, but considered the most beautiful historic building in San José, is the Costa Rican National Theater, also dating only from the end of the 19th century. This year, celebrating its 117th anniversary, it is known for its richly decorated interior of pink marble and gilding, but also has an elegant Viennese-style café. In front of two impressive statues, Ludwig van Beethoven and the 17th-century Spanish playwright Calderon de la Barca closely followed the visitors of the 21st century as they entered.
After you left San Jose and went to the village, it’s easy to see that Costa Rica is one of the best eco-tourism destinations in the world that provides affordable trips for single travelers. In tropical forests, parks and reserves are 25% of the country. Despite the fact that Rome has a small area, Costa Rica has some of the richest biodiversity in the world. In accordance with its green focus, the government eventually developed a program to voluntarily achieve carbon neutrality in 2007. The highly photogenic red-eyed forest frog is most often depicted as the wildlife of Costa Rica. As I understand it, you do not need to go far to see vivid examples. From my patio at the hotel every morning I was served for breakfast by low-flying hummingbirds, one of 26 local species. The rainforest with its 3-4 different levels provides an opportunity to see sloths lying on the trees and screaming monkeys atop the dome; however, an increase in density may make them difficult to detect.
The third option exists for single travelers who want to pick up the pace. In addition to tranquil bird watching and photographing wildlife photography, Costa Rica offers a wealth of opportunities for adventure holidays for singles lined with a zipper high above treetops or dropping waterfalls in La Fortuna / Arenal. In six or seven rivers there is rafting, and both coasts offer scuba diving and snorkeling. Despite the fact that the Arenal Volcano no longer pulls in the evening crowds after its nightly eruptions ended in 2010, six large volcanoes remain for trekking. The resulting hot springs are still the perfect place for Happy Hour, watching the sun go down. Without being ready, I was glad to see that the gift shop sold attractive swimsuits in bright tropical colors, albeit a bit short on fabric!
Finally, no trip to Costa Rica will be completed without visiting almost 300 beaches from the Pacific coast in the west and the calmer Caribbean in the east. I recommend trying both sides.
For me, having my local home base in San José in the Central Valley was perfect, as it was an easy day trip to the rainforest, but with beaches and boating still within easy reach. The quality and prices were definitely good even for single travelers. If you can't decide whether you want to go to the Caribbean or Latin America, Costa Rica gives you 2-for-price-1, and not as travelers often find 1-for-price-of-2 If you are looking for a trip to a boomer or a millennial adventure, go ahead and add Costa Rica to your bucket.
