Why Santa Teresa, Costa Rica Is a Great Place for Family Vacations

[Shannon Farley]

An easy flight from the U.S., Canada and Europe, Costa Rica is a great place to travel, especially to family-friendly Santa Teresa Beach.

Blue ocean and broad white sand beaches, lots of sunshine and warm temperatures make family vacations in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica the best place to go.

Costa Rica is always a favorite destination for family vacations. It’s safe, with plenty of direct flights from the U.S.,
Canada and Europe, and there’s so much for outdoors-loving families to do. The best part about Santa Teresa is it offers a beach retreat that's both relaxing and adventurous.

Family-friendly hotels in Santa Teresa like Hotel Tropico Latino make Costa Rica family vacations easy. You can choose from accommodations with several beds in one room, suites with two bedrooms, and beach houses with multiple bedrooms and full kitchens. The hotel’s Shambala Restaurant serves phenomenal food, and you get free Wi-Fi so you can stay in touch back home. Onsite beachfront yoga classes and a day spa ensure mom and dad get some rest too. And everyone will love the hotel’s surf camp with surf lessons right in front of the hotel in Santa Teresa’s world-class waves.

Renowned for being one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, Santa Teresa is safe, family-oriented, relaxed, and full of restaurants, shops, and things to do.

6 Fun Things to Do for Families in Santa Teresa

Surfing and Stand-up paddling

Kids of all ages will enjoy Hotel Tropico Latino’s surfing lessons. Professional, bilingual surf instructors safely coach you in the fun sport of surfing. Older kids might also like to try stand-up paddling, available in nearby Malpais Beach.

Snorkeling

A short 5-minute drive from the hotel at Playa Hermosa, there is a giant tide pool that at low and medium tide becomes a larger-than-Olympic-sized, shallow sea water swimming pool. The sun-warmed clear water is a little over waist deep (for an adult) and is filled with all kinds of interesting fish and sea creatures that get trapped when the tide goes out. Since the water is shallow and it’s right off the beach, this beautiful snorkeling site is perfect for families with kids. A great plus is that it doesn’t cost anything. Bring a picnic lunch to eat under the trees that line the beach.

Horseback Riding

You can go riding at a local ranch, where your bilingual guide will take you through landscapes of rivers, mountains, forest and beach. Or you can go for a shorter ride simply along the beach – sunset rides are especially popular.

Zipline Tour

Feel like one of your kids when you fly through the tropical forest on a canopy zip line tour. The local Malpais Canopy Tour is safe and fun, and is one of the most popular things to do in Santa Teresa.

Hiking in Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve

The private Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve at the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula is a great place to hike with easy trails that lead you through beautiful forest. We recommend going on a guided tour to better see birds and other wildlife, plus learn all about the tropical forest.

Boat Trip to Tortuga Island

A picture-perfect tropical paradise, Tortuga Island’s clear turquoise waters teem with tropical fish and very little ocean current, which makes it ideal for swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving. To get there, you take a scenic 50-minute boat ride, where you can watch for playful dolphins and jumping manta rays. A beach picnic lunch is usually served during the one-day tour.