Costa Rica
As a top 30 Preferred Partner travel advisory, Four Seasons Costa Rica invited us to visit their property to experience the new and exciting renovations and developments. In this hotel spotlight, we’ll share an inside look at what you can expect during your stay at Four Seasons Costa Rica.
The third smallest country in Latin America, Costa Rica, draws the greatest number of travelers for its lush rainforests and eco-luxury tourism. The country boasts unspoiled beaches and forests, offering Latin America’s ultimate coastal retreat on both its Pacific and its Caribbean Sea coastlines. Living by the slogan “Pura Vida,” meaning pure life, the culture here embraces a way of life that values a laid-back and simple kind of living.
Bookings and Flights
Flying into the nearby Liberia (LIR) airport offers the most efficient arrival experience. The airport services both private flights and commercial flights. To upgrade your arrival experience, ask us about our Hotel Plus service. We can assist with pre-arranging your roundtrip transfers to the hotel and also add VIP Fast Track to expedite you through customs and immigration:
- Meet and Greet at the gate
- Fast Track or Expedite through immigration and customs
- Assistance with luggage collection
- Porter service
- Escort to your vehicle
Four Seasons Costa Rica is about a 45-minute drive from the LIR airport. When arranging transportation through the Four Seasons, you can expect your car to be stocked with refreshments and snacks for you to enjoy after a long flight. These include dried plantains and popcorn, and local drinks, including local cerveza and bottled water. The winding roads meander through the hilly terrain as you travel to the edge of the peninsula.
When considering your length of stay, we recommend staying at least five nights at the property. This allows you to see all that the area offers and take advantage of the special opportunities Four Seasons provides. The time of year when you should visit depends on the experience you desire. From December to April, Costa Rica offers its sunniest days with drier weather. And while its wet season occurs from May to November, this is the best time to take advantage of low occupancy and cost-effective rates.
Pro-tip: The best way to secure the most cost-effective rates is by booking ahead! We recommend booking a trip as far in advance as 11 months out. Read our blog Planning Ahead for Travel in 2023 for more details.
Check-In
Four Seasons offers check-in at its fabulous open-air lobby. The resort, located on Papagayo Peninsula, offers one of the most luxurious stays in Costa Rica. Sprawling across 45 acres of jungle, the resort staff greets each guest by name, with fresh coconut water, and a chilled towel.
The hotel offers a selection of snacks and a “make your own Bloody Mary” as a welcome amenity upon arrival in your accommodations. Next, to cap off the check-in, we toured the resort via golf cart, learning the locations of its two beaches, four swimming pools, 18-hole golf course, restaurants, and spa.
Accommodations
The resort’s accommodations consist of 180 rooms, suites, villas, and residences. We personally enjoyed a stay in one of the Canopy Plunge Pool Suites. It offers views of the Costa Rican coast from the jungle canopy and its own private plunge pool. Simply take a quick golf cart ride to any of the resort’s facilities or walk there in just five minutes.
Each marble bathroom includes a deep soaking tub and a separate glass-enclosed shower, and the design places the wash closet in a separate room. Relax in an infamous Four Seasons robe while enjoying the tea and coffee service that, of course, features Costa Rican coffee. All guests are pampered with twice-daily housekeeping service, evening turndown service, ice delivery, self-service washer and dryers with eco-friendly detergent, and Four Seasons staple 24-hour in-room dining.
The resort also includes the Prieta Villas and Estates, a gated area on the property with accommodations that provides three to five bedrooms — ideal for a family vacation. Staying in the villas affords you access to the private Prieta Club, its private beach, kids’ club, and a fifth exclusive restaurant at the resort, only available to guests of these accommodations.
Pro-tip: Open up the patio doors in the morning and lie in bed with coffee to take in the relaxing moment.
The newest and most exciting addition to Four Seasons Costa Rica’s inventory is their exotic residence known as Casa Las Olas. A custom-built 6-bedroom villa perfect for families, retreats, getaways with friends, high-profile board meetings, and small event gatherings. With a generous amount of space at 18,000 square feet, the residence has a maximum sleeping occupancy of 12 adults, or 8 adults and 8 children, and dedicated staff for the duration of your stay. Within the bi-level residence, guests enjoy captivating views from the 150-foot infinity-edge pool, a magnificent tropical courtyard, and large indoor-outdoor living spaces with views of the Pacific Ocean and the pristine Virador Beach.
Restaurants
The Four Seasons Costa Rica offers four restaurants – Bahia, Añejo, Pesce, and Nemare. The Bahia offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner crafted from locally sourced ingredients, including fresh fruit and freshly squeezed juices. During your stay, make room for a traditional breakfast of gallo pinto, complimentary daily with Team O’s Preferred Partner perks. Dine on the patio to enjoy both pool views and the Gulf of Papagayo. If you visit in 2023, check out their brand-new coffee shop.
The Añejo also offers laid-back outdoor dining on its open-air patio. At dusk, enjoy a digestif as the atmosphere changes to a party scene at sunset. If you’d prefer a more intimate dinner setting, choose Pesce, open only for dinner. Its dimly lit interior with panoramic ocean views offers the ideal romantic setting. Also, its delicious Italian cuisine and extensive wine list complete the romantic ambiance.
Finally, stop by Nemare for a bite to eat after a round of golf at the resort’s 18-hole course. Located on the Peninsula Papagayo at the course’s clubhouse, the restaurant combines a steakhouse menu with local culture and food. Its name, nemare, means “smoke“ in Chorotega.
Pro-tip: Don’t miss the chance for an evening nightcap of the country’s national liquor, guaro. It’s a small batch of rum typically mixed with cola.
Facilities and Activities
The Four Seasons Costa Rica offers many activities on properties. The resort includes three swimming pools, a spa, a surfing school, zip lining, yoga, a sports club, and a golf course.
Your stay at Four Seasons Costa Rica also includes 25 complimentary classes and activities. The resort offers snorkeling tours in the morning, birdwatching tours, and guided nature hikes with the opportunity to view more than 400 wildlife species in nature. The moonlit kayak tour offers breathtaking views through Blanca Bay. Explore the area’s many volcanoes on a guided hike or embark on a half or full-day boat excursion.
Pro-tip: We definitely recommend the boat excursion — it was a lot of fun! They take you to a private island beach where you can picnic, jet ski, snorkel, or simply enjoy the water on anchored lounging floats.
The beach cabanas at the resort offer a respite from the sun while soaking in the beautiful sounds and views of the Pacific Ocean.
Pro-tip: We recommend the ahi tuna salad and champagne for lunch, delivered to your cabana.
The Spa offers both wellness and spa experiences including guided meditation, massages, facials, body treatments, reiki, sound therapy, and more. We chose the Rainforest 60-minute Massage. This treatment included setting an intention with incense before the treatment, aromatherapy oils of your choice used during the massage, followed by fresh coconut water and Costa Rican chocolates.
The Kids For All Seasons Club for children ages 4 to 12 years offers nature activities, arts and crafts, and their own kids’ center to enjoy.
Plan Your Stay with Ourisman Travel
Costa Rica is home to an unspoiled world of eco-luxury that welcomes each guest to Latin America’s ultimate coastal retreat. In addition, Ourisman Travel clients enjoy VIP status and value-added amenities during their Four Seasons stays including:
- Mornings that start with complimentary breakfast for two guests per bedroom
- USD 100+ resort credit towards incidentals such as food and beverage or the spa
- Early check-in / late check-out, based on availability
- Room upgrade at arrival, based on availability
- Welcome amenity
Exclusive Promotion: Guaranteed double room upgrade! Enjoy a guaranteed category upgrade at the time of booking for new reservations for travel from February 1 to December 15, 2024. All offers are subject to availability at the time of reservation. Offer is combinable with Preferred Partner benefits.
Four Seasons Preferred Partner can generally be combined with any rates you’ll find directly with Four Seasons. The upgrades through Preferred Partner are also prioritized over upgrades through other programs, so you’ll want to use Preferred Partner over a program like Virtuoso or Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts. As a Preferred Partner agency, we can make Preferred Partner bookings on your behalf. We also carry a TOP 30 advisory status for every Four Seasons hotel so we know that our clients are in the best hands wherever they stay.
Read our blog for a full tour of the resort’s best villa: Casa Las Olas. For more information on Four Seasons Costa Rica, reach out to our team at [email protected] or submit a travel request form.
