Go to Puerto Rico instead. Bonus: no passport needed.

[quote=Anonymous]Traveling with any elderly parent and toddler, so need a beach location that's close (within 2 hours of San Jose) that we can get a house directly on the beach. Probably not going to do anything too adventurous on this trip, more for relaxation. Any recommendations?[/quote]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ps. Costa Rican beaches are generally not as good as others in the Caribbean. I love Costa Rica if the main thing I wanted was a relaxing beach vacation, I’d go to Aruba or Cancun or playa del Carmen or many other Caribbean islands.

I agree with this; and as others have noted the beaches aren’t close to San Jose (Liberia is a better airport for that). you can rent houses in beach communities in parts of Guanacaste, but the beaches are not beautiful white sand beaches, and houses actually on the beach, as opposed to a five or 10 minute walk often involving hills, are rare. Costa Rica does not sound like the right destination for you.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ps. Costa Rican beaches are generally not as good as others in the Caribbean. I love Costa Rica if the main thing I wanted was a relaxing beach vacation, I’d go to Aruba or Cancun or playa del Carmen or many other Caribbean islands.

I agree with this; and as others have noted the beaches aren’t close to San Jose (Liberia is a better airport for that). you can rent houses in beach communities in parts of Guanacaste, but the beaches are not beautiful white sand beaches, and houses actually on the beach, as opposed to a five or 10 minute walk often involving hills, are rare. Costa Rica does not sound like the right destination for you.

+1. If you want great beaches then Carribean, not CR.

But if you want a resort type place on the beach, highly recommend JW Mariott Guanacaste. Great place, great pool, cooking classes, bike tours, etc… We stayed there for a few days before exploring Fortuna and other parts of CR.

[quote=Anonymous]Traveling with any elderly parent and toddler, so need a beach location that's close (within 2 hours of San Jose) that we can get a house directly on the beach. Probably not going to do anything too adventurous on this trip, more for relaxation. Any recommendations?[/quote]

If you want Costa Rica, then maybe try the hot springs. We did the Springs Resort in Arenal and Baldis, they were so nice and relaxing. We flew into Liberia and did one day at the beach, it’s not worth it, much better beaches in the Caribbean.

Thanks for that. I actually found a number of oceanfront properties, but weighing everything I didn’t think it was the right fit for our family right now.

To be clear, the reason there are very few "ocean front" locations in Costa Rica is because the government has a long history of protecting the beaches in the country and ensuring public access. The CR laws limit construction within 50-150 meters of the high tide line; thus there are very few hotels or even residences with true "ocean front" access. This is an important aspect of the environmental priorities of the country, and should be viewed as a plus and not a negative.

Thank you for all of the tips. I really don't know much about Costa Rica, so I appreciate it. We are going to try a different destination.

I would rethink two days in San Jose unless you have a reason to be there