Are you debating between Costa Rica vs. Puerto Rico for your upcoming vacation? If so, you probably want to compare the pros and cons of Costa Rica and Puerto Rico before making your final decision and booking your flights, hotels, and activities.
Both Costa Rica and Puerto Rico offer plenty of fabulous beaches, activities, and attractions, so you really cannot go wrong with either destination. However, based on your personal preferences, you may prefer one destination over the other. So, here is what you should know about both Puerto Rico and Costa Rica before making your decision!
Beaches
Both Costa Rica and Puerto Rico are filled with beautiful beaches perfect for a tropical getaway. However, each destination offers its own unique beach experience.
Puerto Rico
Compared to other Caribbean islands, Puerto Rico offers some of the most gorgeous tropical beaches that cater to every type of traveler. Though Puerto Rico is a small island, it is surrounded by nearly 300 miles of coastline and boasts 300+ beaches!
In Puerto Rico, you can visit Caja de Muertos, a secluded island south of the mainland, for stunning beaches and deep blue waters. On the island’s north side, you’ll find all-inclusive luxury hotels in San Juan surrounded by lively white sandy beaches, like Condado Beach and Isla Verde Beach, filled with tourists and fun beach activities.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica’s beaches are more varied and diverse than the beaches in Puerto Rico because of the country’s proximity to both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. You will find 300+ golden-sand beaches, white-sand beaches, and even beaches with sand made from seashells in Costa Rica.
Costa Rican beaches are generally (and purposefully) more underdeveloped than the beaches in Puerto Rico, so if you visit Costa Rica, you should expect natural, relaxing, and less crowded beaches. If you want to go surfing, head to Tamarindo Beach, and if you would like to relax on gorgeous white-sand beaches, head to Manuel Antonio Beach in Manuel Antonio National Park.
If you are looking for the perfect place to go surfing, head to Tamarindo Beach in Costa Rica.
Weather
Costa Rica and Puerto Rico have tropical climates commonly found in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. However, you may choose one destination over the other depending on when you are planning your trip.
Puerto Rico
Before you visit Puerto Rico, there are a few timeframes to keep in mind. First, the rainy season lasts from April to November. While you can usually save money while traveling during this time, the outdoor activities you can enjoy may be limited due to the rain.
Puerto Rico is also in “Hurricane Alley,” so if you are visiting during hurricane season from June to November, it is important to be mindful of the possibility of storms. While hurricanes are rare in Puerto Rico, tropical storms are more common and can cause poor weather, severe flooding, and landslides that can impact your vacation.
Puerto Rico is in “Hurricane Alley,” so plan your trip around hurricane season to ensure you aren’t caught in bad weather.
If you want to steer clear of the rainy weather and the possibility of hurricanes, plan your trip to Puerto Rico in December, January, February, or March.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica also has two seasons — a green and a dry season — just like Puerto Rico.
However, Costa Rica’s rainy season lasts from May to November, so it is a bit shorter. And you may be happy to hear that you won’t encounter any hurricanes or tropical storms in Costa Rica, so you don’t have to worry about scheduling your trip around unpredictable weather.
If you plan a trip to Costa Rica in December, January, February, March, or April — you will love the warm sunny weather and clear skies that greet you every morning!
Nature & Wildlife
Nature lovers will enjoy visiting either Puerto Rico or Costa Rica. However, when comparing Puerto Rico vs. Costa Rica, there is a clear winner when it comes to nature, wildlife, and biodiversity — Costa Rica!
Costa Rica
Costa Rica offers dense rainforests, mountain ranges, cloud forests, volcanoes — just about every natural landscape you could ever dream of exploring. Nearly 30% of this biodiverse country is protected in national parks, making exploring Costa Rica’s natural beauty easy.
There are plenty of natural wonders to explore in Costa Rica, including Arenal Volcano, pictured above!
If you want to encounter exotic wildlife, you will have no trouble finding animals in Costa Rica. You can go scuba diving at the Catalina Islands and Bat Islands to swim with manta rays and bull sharks, visit Tortuguero National Park to encounter sea turtles, or venture into the country’s lush rainforests to see monkeys, sloths, jaguars, and other fascinating creatures.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is known for its many beaches and islands, but there is more to this island’s natural beauty than what meets the eye. For example, visitors can venture into the El Yunque Rainforest — the only tropical rainforest managed by the United States — or visit the Bahia Bioluminescent Bay to see the electric blue waters at night.
Tourist Attractions
There are tons of natural attractions in both Costa Rica and Puerto Rico, but there are also plenty of other tourist attractions in these destinations too.
Puerto Rico
If you are looking for a destination with vibrant nightlife and historical sites to explore, Puerto Rico is the ideal destination. Puerto Rico’s capital city, San Juan, offers tons of vibrant clubs and bars, as well as places to enjoy traditional Puerto Rican cuisine.
San Juan is a nightlife hotspot with tons of bars, nightclubs, and live music venues to enjoy.
You can head to historic Old San Juan to visit the San Juan National Historic Site, with buildings dating back to the 16th century, including the San Cristobal and San Felipe del Morro fortresses and old city walls. You will also find brightly colored houses, cobblestone streets, and cool cocktail bars in Old San Juan.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica’s biggest draw is the natural attractions, from the beaches and rainforests to the hot springs and volcanoes, so the capital city of San Jose doesn’t see as many tourists.
Costa Rica’s natural attractions are what draw tourists to this remarkable country.
Puerto Rico vs. Costa Rica: Which Is the Better Vacation Destination for You?
Puerto Rico and Costa Rica are both fabulous vacation spots with stunning beaches, wildlife encounters, and gorgeous weather. You really can’t go wrong with either destination.
If you decide to book a vacation to Costa Rica, we hope you’ll consider staying in one of our vacation rentals with Special Places of Costa Rica. With houses, condos, and luxury properties next to gorgeous beaches, like Playa Flamingo and Playa del Cocos, we can guarantee you will enjoy your “home away from home” in our small slice of paradise!
Special Places is located within the beautiful coastal resort town of Flamingo, in the province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. With over 15 years of service dedicated to the rental and property management profession, we have an extensive list of rentals in the Flamingo, Potrero, Brasilito and Tamarindo Beach area. Whether looking to plan your next tropical vacation or searching for someone to manage your home, our goal is to provide our clients with the most efficient and personable service in the area.
** In accordance with public health recommendations, Special Places continues to work hard to keep our guests safe. These protocols include enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures for all properties under management **
We are very proud of our professional maid service staff, who provide regular cleaning for some 150 properties — and do it with a smile. A half-dozen maids provide full-time service at a single house, but all the rest rotate among a wide variety of properties from Matapalo to Playa del Coco.
Maids are responsible not just for cleaning but for staging the house, with everything in its proper place, and keeping track of inventory (so that, for example, new clients don’t check in and find there’s no toilet paper). At times, say on Jan. 2, there are so many checkouts and check-ins that the maids bring their sisters, brothers and mothers to get all the work done.
Full-time maids assigned to a single property assist clients with shopping, cooking and laundry, and they often form close bonds with clients. It’s no surprise that our clients often want to take their maids home with them.
Special Places of Costa Rica employs two full-time maintenance men who service all our properties, plus a handful of caretakers dedicated to a single property each.
These men will fix just about any problem that arises — leaks, electrical and plumbing issues, a door that scrapes on a floor, a noisy ceiling fan… you name it. They also paint homes and provide roofing maintenance.
Our maintenance staff are available 24/7 for emergencies like a burst pipe that causes a flood. Special Places of Costa Rica also enjoys a network of qualified subcontractors to handle swimming pool service, gardening / landscaping and repairs to air conditioning units & kitchen appliances.
Steven, from Potrero, is a rental agent for Special Places. He processes rental inquiries, checks on property availability, makes reservations and helps with check-in and check-out info.
Steven has worked at three hotels: as a bellman at Casa Chameleon in Las Catalinas, as a receptionist in the Sugar Beach Hotel near there, and as a receptionist at Jardín del Edén in Tamarindo. He has a bachelor’s degree in teaching English from the Universidad Latina in Santa Cruz, and someday he hopes to teach English at his old high school in Cartagena.
Steven likes to ride his Kawasaki 250 dirt bike in the Potrero Hills, around Las Catalinas and in Tempate. He’s also interested in cars and mechanics, and he’s skilled at repairing motorcycles.
Quote: “I think work is a very important tool that helps us to fulfill ourselves as human beings in life and to improve on what we already know.”
Rebeca is an accounting assistant at Special Places, processing invoices and accounts payable and monitoring vehicle fleet expenses.
Originally from San José, she studied accounting at two institutions there and spent years working in accounting for two international shipping firms.
She currently lives in Santa Cruz, where she is married and has dogs and cats. She is a big fan of the Saprissa soccer team and also likes going to the beach and the movies.
Quote: “Haz bien y no mires a quién,” meaning, “Do good without considering to whom.”
Born in Samar Province in the Philippines, Phem has a two-year degree in computer science from the Asian Institute of Computer Studies. She came to Costa Rica at age 19 to work for her aunt, who owned the Mariner Inn in Flamingo. She later worked for House of Rentals, then Special Places of Costa Rica when the companies merged. As a concierge, she books tours, rental cars, chefs or whatever clients need to make their stay enjoyable. “Whatever they request, you do it,” she said.
She enjoys “having a connection to people, meeting different people, helping people.” Her proudest accomplishment was moving from the Philippines to Costa Rica to explore better opportunities. She recommends that visitors to Flamingo try an ATV tour, a catamaran cruise, rappelling or whitewater rafting.
Quote: “I love Potrero. I live in Surfside. It’s quiet, safe, and people there are very accommodating, nice, friendly, always willing to help you. They’re open to anyone. I like that community. And the bars are within walking distance.”
Pascale, Kenny’s mother and business partner, is the head accountant at Special Places. She is responsible for all the accounting, billing and taxes, managing the maid service, setting work schedules and procuring cleaning products.
Pascale is from Antwerp, Belgium, where she and her husband had a food-service business specializing in poultry. But they often traveled to the Caribbean and Central America, and in 2009 decided to move to Costa Rica.
“We thought it was time to follow some dreams, so we sold the business and came to Costa Rica,” she said. They traveled to every corner of the country, but they fell in love with Guanacaste and decided to settle in Flamingo. They couldn’t find a house that satisfied Pascale’s handyman husband, so they built their own on the hills above Potrero in Pacific Heights.
She says her proudest accomplishment is “bringing two beautiful sons into the world.”
Quote: “The way we raised them, they were very independent. We taught them to work also. Of course, school came first. To us it’s white and black, and the gray doesn’t exist. It’s good or bad.”
Norlyng coordinates the maintenance of all Special Places properties, and she’s also in charge of Human Relations and is an assistant to Kenny Segers.
Born in Limón but a longtime resident of Matapalo, she previously worked as a receptionist at the Best Western Seis Playas Hotel. She also spent six years at the Wyndham Tamarindo, working as head of reception and as an administrative assistant.
Norlyng studied law for a year and a half at the University of Costa Rica in Liberia, but currently she is more focused on tourism. She is married and has two daughters, ages 9 and 2. Her interests include reading (the Bible, inspirational works and finance) and going to relaxing places.
Quote: “My philosophy of life is to live in the present and try not to worry about the future, to have clear objectives, to try not to stress too much and to act in the present.”
A native of Brasilito, Karolayn has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Universidad Latina in Santa Cruz. She is responsible for the billing, accounting and filing at Special Places.
She enjoys hiking and swimming, and her favorite local places are Playa Danta and Playa Conchal. Asked what activity she would recommend to visitors, she said riding a Banana Boat, an inflatable, banana-shaped boat towed behind a speedboat.
Quote: “The working environment here is very nice, very tranquilo. We get along really well, the management, the coworkers, and also the maids and maintenance people. Also, in my job I’ve learned a lot of things that in university classes they don’t teach. It gives you the opportunity to learn and grow.”
A native of Antwerp, Belgium, Kenny emigrated to Costa Rica in 2008. Having graduated from high school in Belgium, he studied economics and business administration in Costa Rica. Eager to go into business, Kenny left university to work as a property manager for House of Rentals in Flamingo, which he acquired not long after starting the job. House of Rentals grew into Special Places of Costa Rica, currently represented by offices in Playa Flamingo and Playas del Coco, and known as one of the leading agencies in the area.
Kenny speaks and writes fluent Spanish, English and Dutch. He is the proud father of a Costa Rican son, Khael, who was born in 2016.
Passionate about his growing vacation rental and management business, Kenny is always looking for investments and opportunities. Hotel Pitaya Lodge (formerly Kakaos Lodge) is also under his management.
In 2020, he began building the first of several homes as part of a newly launched project development/construction company.
Juan Carlos works as a rental agent, attending to any questions about renting a property, explaining the options available, answering any questions and supporting the concierge team in extra services like tours or transport.
Juan Carlos was born in San José and currently lives in Potrero. He has worked for some 15 years in sales or customer service at hotels, including the Hotel Barceló in San José, the Hotel Parador in Manuel Antonio and the Lagarta Lodge in Nosara.
He also studied English at the Instituto Norteamericano in San José, earning a C2 certification in English. He has also taken several courses in administration.
Juan Carlos likes walking on the beach (“so I’m definitely in the right place”) with his French bulldog. “They’re very mischievous but very sweet, very good company.”
Quote: “I always say, ‘It costs nothing to smile.’ I always like to convey that people should be happy no matter what.”
Juan Diego, who was born and raised in Villarreal, works as a concierge. That means he helps visitors arrange tours and transportation, rental cars, airport pickup and dropoff, and other services.
Juan Diego studied sustainable tourism management at UNED, the Universidad Estatal a Distancia, where he received a bachelor’s degree in 2013. He has worked as an admin for the Dream Chaser catamaran in Tamarindo, as a receptionist at the Hotel Pasatiempo in Tamarindo, and as a concierge at the Hotel Dreams Las Mareas in El Jobo.
Juan Diego enjoys watching HBO series and movies, riding his bike, going out with friends and watching the sunset on the beach.
Quote: “I like concierge work because I get to help a lot of people, fulfilling the dreams of tourists who visit a beautiful country like Costa Rica that’s full of nature.”
José does property inspections, check-ins and check-outs for Special Places, making sure that properties are in great shape for new clients.
Born in Limón, he currently lives in Cartagena. He went to high school at Liceo Experimental Bilingüe de Santa Cruz, and he spent seven years working as a waiter and bartender at the JW Marriotts in Hacienda Pinilla and Reserva Conchal.
He enjoys going to the beach, listening to music, watching movies and series, playing video games and spending time with family.
Quote: “If you’re afraid of dying, it’s better not to be born.”
A native of Nicoya who lives in Cartagena, Jhon works in accounting at Special Places, calculating reservation contracts, sales commissions and billing. He has been studying accounting at the Universidad Latina in Santa Cruz for a year and a half.
His goal is to have an accounting firm of his own. His favorite hobby is artisanal fishing, usually from a boat out of Flamingo, and he once caught a 70-pound mahi-mahi. He also has caught marlin in Tamarindo and Quepos.
His greatest pride is a nearly 2-year-old daughter named Elizabeth Aitana.
Quote: “I think the most marvelous thing that’s happened to me would be the birth of my daughter. That’s the thing I’m most proud of.”
Jason is a concierge and rental specialist with an interesting job — knocking on new clients’ doors to see if they need anything or would like to book any tours or other services.
Born in Limón and currently living in Huacas, Jason speaks flawless English. He has taken some university courses on websites and social media marketing. He is married, no kids, but has a cat named Kirara.
Jason previously worked as a database analyst at Western Union in San José, typically addressing charge-backs on credit cards and resolving other monetary issues.
Jason loves “adrenaline,” muddy offroad adventures, motorcycling, ATV, video games, surfing and skateboarding.
Quote: “You don’t have to be the smartest person to fulfill your dreams, all you need is to put in a little effort and be certain that you will achieve whatever you set your mind to.”
Gabriel joined Special Places as an accounting assistant at the age of 20. He was born in Liberia and currently lives in Filadelfia with his family.
He studied at the Colegio Técnico Profesional de Carrillo, with a specialty in accounting and auditing. He worked previously as an accounting assistant and secretary for a clinic in Palestina de Belén that serves disabled people.
Gabriel enjoys mountain biking, and for the past eight years he has volunteered at the Red Cross in Filadelfia, working mostly in strategic communication.
Quote: “We never have to give up on a dream just because of the time it takes to achieve it.”
Daniela works as an administrative assistant in Human Resources, helping with payroll, health benefits and insurance, as well as onboarding new personnel.
Born in Liberia, she now lives in Villarreal, and she not only has two dogs but also a horse. She adores animals and loves to go horseback riding in the country. She also likes listening to Latin music like cumbia and salsa.
Daniela has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Universidad Libre de Costa Rica (ULICORI). Before coming to Special Places, she worked as an HR assistant at the Occidental Hotel in Tamarindo, where she learned a lot about Human Resources in a real-world environment.
Quote: “Take risks, because everything good starts with a little fear!”
Carla works as an accounting assistant at Special Places and is also involved in property management.
She was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and raised in Ciudad Guayana, where she earned a law and accountant degree and worked as a lawyer and accountant. Since coming to Costa Rica, she has worked as a manicurist, masseuse, bartender, waitress and artist.
A gifted artist and something of a Renaissance woman, Carla also draws and makes earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. Her varied interests include dancing, hiking, scuba diving, traveling and discovering new cultures.
Quote: “My motto is ‘I know that I own the weak and fragile body of a woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king.’ ”
Pricing Notice
This property is not managed by Special Places of Costa Rica.
Accordingly, rental rates and availability for this property might not be current. Please submit an inquiry and will be be happy to verify the details and assist you with your booking.
