7 Costa Rica vacations for every travel style

While many different areas in Costa Rica cater to travelers who want a vacation focused on their health and well-being, Jorge Varela, a private guide for ToursByLocals, recommends renting a house in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca in southeast Costa Rica. There you’ll find beautiful rainforest, access to the Caribbean Sea, yoga, mindfulness and meditation workshops and restaurants serving organic food.

“Something that I like about this area is they don’t have chain or big hotels,” he says. “They have boutique hotels and bungalows in the middle of the forest.”

Alternatively, Sánchez says the Valle del General has a lot of “glamping” and also boasts boutique hotels that focus on wellness. Wheeler is a fan of retreats in Golfo Dulce, a tropical fjord in the Osa Peninsula, her favorite area in Costa Rica. “This is still very rustic, still very local,” she says of the area. As you look for a wellness retreat, or any accommodation, tour and activity in Costa Rica, opt for Costa Rican-owned businesses to best support the local community.

“If you go to the international chains, the main percentage of the profit goes out of the country,” says Pabrö Sánchez, a travel guide and chef who takes clients on tailor-made trips for his company Sapoa Adventures.