The Best Hotels in Costa Rica, From Luxury Glamping Sites to Sustainable Resorts

"A sprawling family-friendly stay in the jungle “Fire breathers. Unicyclists. Acrobats.” These are just some of the performers chief concierge Lucas Medeiros hired for one residential guest at the Four Seasons since it completed its $35-million renovation in 2018. A Middle Eastern prince arrived with 40-person staff and one day decided that he wanted to create a circus in his villa. The resort isn’t all wild whims and bottomless budgets, though, and if the only circus you bring is your family, the facilities are centered on providing not just something, but something spectacular, for everyone. The beach-view bedrooms and family-sized suites provide a break-out space where everybody can reunite at the end of the day to trade tales of snorkeling with rays, catching waves with pro surfers like Jair Pérez, tasting chef Heberto’s wood-fired Chorotega-style octopus or tracking pumas with lead naturalist Jhonny Hernandez Martínez. Kids while away awe-struck hours at the Explorer’s Club, where Jhonny playfully smacks at the tattoo of a bullet ant on his own hand and delivers a perfect howler monkey impression, whilst Prieta Beach Club, with its Balearic design and private cabanas, is where the grown-ups go to power down. —Anna Prendergast" - Catherine Fairweather , Anna Prendergast, Juliet Kinsman