When my husband and I planned our honeymoon, there were a lot of destinations that came to mind.
We really wanted to visit a new place—not a country either of us had visited before. This stipulation made things tricky. We’d already been fortunate enough to visit amazing places like Hawaii, South Africa, France, and Mexico. We also didn't want to be surrounded by other American honeymooners everywhere we went.
With a week off from work, we didn't want to spend half our honeymoon traveling to far-off destinations like Bali or Bora Bora. Not to mention the price tags associated with these places are very high.
With all these things in mind, we ultimately decided on Costa Rica. Costa Rica was attractive to us due to its natural beauty, proximity to the U.S., and relative affordability.
We chose correctly. Costa Rica is an amazing place to spend your honeymoon. This small Central-American country has everything we were looking for in a romantic vacay. Costa Rica went above and beyond checking all of the boxes for us.
Costa Rica is...
1. Tropical
Palm trees, vibrant flowers, beaches, sunshine. A cold destination did not appeal to us for our July honeymoon. Turns out, a lot of “warm” destinations aren’t that warm in July, especially if they’re south of the equator.
Destinations like New Zealand and Iceland were quickly nixed when preliminary research informed us that their average temps in summer are in the 40s and 50s. Don’t get me wrong—I’d love to visit these places one day but the mental image I had of my honeymoon did not include a parka.
2. Full of wildlife
After a recent trip to South Africa, we realized how much we both enjoyed experiencing local wildlife on a vacation. While Costa Rica isn’t home to the big cats and other savannah critters we saw on our African safaris, it does offer its own array of tropical flora and fauna—including colorful frogs, crocodiles, sloths, monkeys, and a spectacular variety of birds.
Not to mention gorgeous flowers, massive (but somehow not terrifying) insects, and the occasional snake…
3. Affordable
Again, South Africa kinda ruined us with this one, but after visiting Johannesburg, Cape Town, and a variety of towns in South African wine country, we were shocked at how far our dollar could go.
Although Costa Rica isn’t as cheap as South Africa for American tourists, it’s a far cry from $700/night resorts in Bora Bora—another top contender in our honeymoon destination list.
While you can find pretty cheap lodging, going for the higher end of things for our honeymoon, prices were very comparable to American lodging and restaurants of the same (or lower) caliber.
4. Close to the U.S.
Well...ish. My husband travels a lot for work so our honeymoon was the longest period of time we’d spent together in quite some time.
This being the case, we really wanted to make the most of it and spend only a smidge of our time on planes. For a ten-day trip, Costa Rica’s proximity to the U.S. (it’s a five-hour flight from the East Coast to the Costa Rican capital San José), was a perfect fit.
Another perk of Costa Rica is that it's only one hour behind Eastern Standard Time. They also use the same electric outlets and voltage as the States, so no converters needed.
5. A mix of adventurous and relaxing
The list of things to do in Costa Rica is endless and varied. From a massage in the morning to a rugged ATV tour in the afternoon, Costa Rica offers a wonderful blend of activities.
The country's environmental diversity is a huge perk as it means you can enjoy many different types of activities all whilst remaining in one place.
Regardless of you and your partner's interests, there's something that everyone will love—horseback riding on the beach, hiking, surfing, birdwatching, and so much more.
Are you considering a trip to Costa Rica? Let us know in the comments below.
Stay Tuned!
Make sure to stay tuned for a future post about our favorite things to do—and eat—in Costa Rica!
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