Undiscovered Costa Rica

Arriving at San Jose's Juan Santamaria International Airport, you will be welcomed to Costa Rica and given your rental car. After a 30-minute drive to Santa Barbara, spend the next 2 nights at the elegant Finca Rosa Blanca Coffee Plantation Resort. The balance of the day is at leisure.

Spend a relaxed time today enjoying the resort and its spring-fed pool, its exceptional Spa facilities, and even try a private Tai Chi or Yoga class. The resort also offers an optional guided tour of its working coffee plantation where you learn all about their organic coffee. Alternatively, drive a short distance to see the amazing Poas Volcano and look down into its bubbling volcanic crater, surrounded by a dramatic landscape. The evening is at leisure and overnight at your hotel.

After breakfast set off, driving southwest to the Pacific coast and Manuel Antonio, one of Costa Rica's most famous beach areas. Arriving by lunchtime, check in for a 3-night stay at the Hotel Parador and Spa, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean. The balance of the day is free to enjoy the resort's many facilities; from its spa and fitness centre to its pools with cascading waterfalls. The evening is at leisure.

On your first morning, enjoy a guided, 2 1/2 hour group tour (included) of Manuel Antonio's National Park to see animals such as sloths and monkeys or even giant iguanas, as well as all the amazing birds. Afterwards you can walk other trails, spend the afternoon on the Park's stunning beach or go into the town. The following day is completely free to have more time on the beach or enjoy the hotel's amenities. The evenings are at leisure at your hotel.

Today, continue driving south through scenic countryside to Golfito where you drop off your car. You will then be met and taken to the harbour for a 30-minute boat transfer down the coast to Playa Dolce on the Osa Peninsula for a 3-night stay at Playa Cativo Lodge. The balance of the day is at leisure as you settle into this 1,000-acre, beachfront boutique hotel, which has its own nature reserve and biological station as well as a spa and freshwater pool.

Over the next 2 days, the lodge will give you a guided tour through its private reserve to learn about the resident wildlife. As well, there are self-guided hiking trails in the reserve so that you can explore on your own. Your stay also includes the use of the lodge's kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and snorkeling gear. Plus there are optional excursions to the surrounding Piedras Blancas National Park which is home to many of Costa Rica's animals. The evenings are at leisure at the lodge.

After breakfast, take another boat ride along the Pacific coast to Puerto Jiminez where you are then transferred to the local airport for a flight back to San Jose (luggage restrictions apply). On arrival, you are met and transferred to the Grano de Oro Hotel, a converted Victorian mansion in the heart of the capital for your final night in Costa Rica. Relax on the hotel's rooftop garden terrace or walk around the local streets before having dinner in the hotel's exceptional restaurant.

Today you will be transferred back to San Jose's Santamaria International Airport, in time to take your homebound flight.