Feeling Ripped off in La Fortuna Costa Rica
We had a lot of things planned in La Fortuna. Unfortunately everything on this Costa Rican trip was going wrong.
It never stopped raining during our first 3 days at Arenal. It wasn’t a light drizzle, it was a constantly heavy downpour with low hanging cloud. Humidity permeated everything and it actually felt cold. We spent those first days in the room playing board games, draped in blankets, and looking out the window towards Arenal volcano, hoping that it would actually stop raining for 2 minutes.
On the fourth day, with the heavy rain actually slowing to a drizzle, our hotel arranged for a driver to take us to: 1) the Proyecto Asis animal rehabilitation center and 2) Eco-Thermales hot springs.
Proyecto Asis was a 45 minute drive away and cost between the two of us was $90 for a 3 hour tour/volunteering. We prepared some food and fed the animals which consisted of spider and capuchin monkeys, parrots, a macaw, some raccoons and a coati. We then went to the hot springs where we relaxed in the water, had a few pina coladas and lunch. The bill came to $120 for about 3 hours. The arrangements for the driver came out to $70. Adding it up, we had spent $280 that day. Holy cow. We both found that to be a LOT of money for what we got.
Both Proyecto Asis and Eco-Thermales were a disappointment; Proyecto Asia consisted of about 20 animals in cages and Eco-Thermales are a bunch of swimming pools with above average water temperature. These are the No. 1 and No. 4 activities in La Fortuna according to Trip Advisor. I had read some people say that the La Fortuna area was overly commercialized but I found the cost and value for money ridiculous. Its not like we’re in Switzerland taking the train up Jungfrau or in Tuscany taking a hot balloon ride over the countryside. These are very ordinary tourist attractions in a third world country. You remember that commercial about people being ripped off by bank service fees, the one where a guy is walking around with another guy who’s always got his hand in his back pocket? That’s how I was starting to feel about Costa Rica. And all I got for it was someone telling me “Pura Vida” all the time. That was getting on my f***ing nerves too.
What we’ve learned here; in Costa Rica nothing is as close as it seems. You look at a map and the scale of it and you think something might be 10 minutes to get to. Wrong. The roads are winding and in horrible shape. I would recommend that anyone coming to Arenal (or Costa Rica in general) rent a 4*4. We’ve travelled to many countries without a car but Costa Rica is the one place we have travelled where we feel it is essential. Also, transport is also incredibly expensive; taxis here cost more than in Manhattan. I don’t think any of the guide books adequately prepares you for this. Ridiculous.
Really, if I can recommend anything in Costa Rica: RENT a car. And book early and get an SUV. Of all the places we’ve visited, you need a car in Costa Rica and we’re kicking ourselves that we didn’t. (Use Booking.com – we used them in South Africa and got some good deals).
We decided to forget about the other tours and activities we had planned; ziplining (which we can do anywhere including Canada), hanging bridges (which other travellers told us was a disappointment), and hiking around the volcano (again, it would have required a driver who would have to wait for us). This whole vacation was making me upset. Nothing, even from our flight getting here, had gone to plan. I think my exact words to Lissette were “f*** that shit, I’m not spending more money on boring crap”. She was in total agreement.
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A positive about Costa Rica is that you don’t have to go far, or spend a lot of money, to enjoy pretty scenery or wildlife. The sun finally came out, giving us clear views of the volcano. Arenal is mesmerizing and you can stare at it all day, the colours constantly changing with the clouds and angle of the sun. With the sun came the birds, beautifully coloured birds of all variety and sizes. Costa Rica is a bird lover’s paradise, there are gorgeous birds everywhere. It is probably the one thing that has impressed us the most about this country. We spent the next few days in Leaves and Lizard’s restaurant, enjoying the views, talking to the workers, and taking walks along the grounds. Some photos:
Summary: Beautiful views of the volcano and great wildlife. But we found La Fortuna grossly overcommercialized and expensive. As we would later find out in Santa Teresa, you can get some reasonable pricing in Costa Rica. But not in La Fortuna.
Practical Information
Accommodation: We stayed in a hotel called Leaves and Lizards. They’ve recently stopped operations. A few hotels I’d recommend depending on your budget: Noah’s Forest Hotel by Tifakara is beautiful and gets great reviews. If trying to do it on a budget, Cabinas La Catarata is excellent and great value for Costa Rica.
Car. You should preferably have your own wheels in Costa Rica. Have a look at Booking.com.
Tours. If you don’t have a car, tours are the way to visit many of the highlights. Some recommended tours: This tour takes you to many of the highlights including waterfalls, hiking at Arenal Volcano and swimming in another waterfall. This tour visits much of the same but includes the Mistico hanging bridges. Finally, If you’d like to zipline in the forest, consider this tour.
Have you been to La Fortuna? What was your experience?
Related: Why you SHOULDN’T visit Manuel Antonio (Costa Rica)
Related: Why we think Costa Rica is Overrated
Related: Where to stay in Uvita and Dominical. And on being bored and frustrated…
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Seeing this post in 2024 bec my husband and I are debating Colombia and Costa Rica for our January trip.
My vote would be for Colombia! Lots to see, much less expensive, people friendlier.
Judging by your photos you got luckier than us at Arenal: at least, you could see the whole volcano. During our trip the top half of Arenal volcano was permanently covered in clouds.
I absolutely agree with you about the whole Arenal area: it is grossly overpriced, definitely everything (i.e. attractions, restaurants of all kind, resorts) meant for tourists: what I mean is that their owners are not concerned about the quality of what they offer, but just trying to rip as much profit as they can. Really sad.
Except some parts of Pan American Highway, roads are the perfect example of typical 3rd world roads: meaning that 4×4 is necessary. Luckily, we anticipated this debacle and got a suitable vehicle. In turn, we were rewarded with a truly beautiful unspoiled scenery in the mountains while crossing the country from Atlantic to Pacific oceans. I think this is the most wonderful thing that you can find in Costa Rica: mountain landscapes as if you were in 18th or 19th century. Just forget how you got there and do not worry about how you are going to get back (or forth depending on your destination) and just enjoy the moment.
Thanks Elena for the feedback. Sounds like you made the most of your trip. Totally agree, based on what I know now, a 4*4 the best way to see the country.
CR is a ripoff , it’s outrageous Add to that rampant insecurity I saw two women tourists being stolen on the beach in Puerto Viejo (Caribbean side, more dangerous than the Pacific side). When I called for help I met blank stares. My wife was nearly hit by a stone behind her backs at the riverside on the Panamanian border, two young teens (no more than 13-14) wanted to steal her (small , cheap) camera. The surroundings of the bus stations are derelict, one feels insecure, unsavoury charachters hanging around, and those constant “hello amigo , aleman ?” (for them every European tourist must be German) of guys , gross. CR is hyped up right now, but I believe one of these days the bubble will blow off.
Costa Rica is beautiful but this traveler is NEVER coming back.
Prices are ridiculous for what you get. To top it all you have to give them $30 to leave the country by plane.
I recommend Colombia, way nicer country, very budget friendly and prettier.
I totally, totally agree with you – love Colombia! Great people, relatively inexpensive, and just a beautiful country. I’d never go back to Costa Rica.
We spent 2 weeks in Costa Rica from January 10-24, 2018. Our itinerary was San Jose-Escazu-La Fortuna-Monteverde-Samara-Montezuma-Isla Tortuga-Tambor-Jaco-Quepos/Manuel Antonio-San Jose. We’re two couples splitting cost with rental car and airbnb’s. The roads are horrible but the views are nice (I mean nice–it cannot be compared when you are driving around the French Riviera or the Canadian Rockies) and the long distances are part of the adventures. We were lucky that except in Monteverde where we hike with light rain shower, all the other places were sunny and bright. Breakfast in hotels were good, so we snack around lunch time and have a nice dinner—prices are expensive but mostly they are grilled seafood–catch of the day. Since your topic is La Fortuna, 2nights/3days was good enough for us, the first day we arrived and checked in Las Lomas del Volcan hotel which has amazing views of Arenal Volcano from our balcony, felt like you were hypnotize by it and you can stare at it all the time. Each couple has it’s own cabin and after we stroll and dine in the town of La Fortuna we bought a bootle of winw to enjoy in our balcony. The second day, we hike the loop of the Arenal Volcano trail, went back to the hotel and refresh and by 6pm we were in Eco Thermales Hot Springs for the hot spring and buffet dinner–we enjoyed both. The third day we check out and on the road to Monteverde—from here is another story (*=*)
Oh boy, you saw lots over 2 weeks Nelia!
You’re right, the highlight for us in la Fortuna was looking out over Arenal (when it wasn’t raining). Our favorite spot actually in Costa Rica was Santa Teresa where prices lower, ambiance more laid back, and sunsets fabulous. Beautiful spot. But overall we were disappointed with Costa Rica: we just found the they had sold out to foreign interests and that everything was just too touristy and expensive. I wrote about all that here. I’d be curious as to your overall impression.
I’ve been in La Fortuna for a few days now and have been feeling a sense of familiarity. It wasn’t until I read this article and comments that I was able to pinpoint it to having the same feeling I get when bringing visiting relatives to Niagara Falls… Which is also beautiful when you take the tourist attractions out of it..
I am here now …….. loving it….yes stuff is expensive but not quite the price of back in the US. You have to just roll with it and pay the bills when you get home. Don’t expect to have a great trip anywhere unless you can divorce yourself from your money. This is their livelihood and you are supporting it. My 3 week vacation with my family of 5 and lots of excursions and nice hotels was about $20k.
$20K for a 3 week vacation. My point exactly.
You can go many great places where you’ll get much more bang for your buck and where you’ll see much more impressive things. You can see that same things you see in Costa Rica in Nicaragua and pay half the price and have authentic experiences. You can go the Colombia and see incredible beauty as well as historic cities.
And the livelihood you’re supporting are the Americans and Europeans who own most of the businesses in CR, not the locals.
Last point: you can’t travel internationally and think along the lines of what you would pay in the US.
An honest post. I’ve spend a lot of time in Costa Rica, most of the time puzzled why I couldn’t fall in love with it. After all, it has many of the things I love – nature, volcanos, Spanish language/culture. But unfortunately the love affair never really took off. My favourite spots were the hot springs at Tabacon resort (although very pricey) and several of the Cayuga eco-resorts but other places such as Jaco Beach were really nasty — lots of prostitution and hotels with 5 guys to a room. The country does have an admirable record of eco-conservation and I give them kudos for that. But as for places I’d return to – I’d choose Nicaragua, Guatemala or Oaxaca Mexico as alternatives.
Hello. I found this post a bit late.
Thank you for confirming what I already knew. I have visited Costa Rica twice, spending a total of about 3 1/2 months there. I do no wish to visit again. Why?
First, I got tired of getting ripped off. For example, a 10 minute taxi ride from the airport to Alajuela cost me $35 U.S.; it would have been $45, had the host of the guest house I was staying at not threatened to call the tourist police on the taxi driver if he persisted on gouging me to the tune of $45. Second, I found the friendly Tico trope to be as verifiable as a Yeti sighting. Most of the people I found to be exceedingly friendly, saying “pura vida” after a friendly interaction, were actually Nicaraguans. The ticos were actually quite unfriendly every place I visited, save for Limon province, which Costa Ricans from the Central Valley, along with Americans and Canadians, derided as a wasteland of moral impurity (lots of black folks and Indians there). In Santa Ana, I got really nasty looks from about half of the people I said “buenos dias” to on the street or in local business.; the rest reciprocated my good day wishes. Finally, once they realized I was a gringo, it seemed that my head metamorphoses into an automatic teller machine, like in the Looney Tunes cartoons where Daffy Duck’s head turns into that of an ass. I felt like an ass for expecting the warm reception I so often read about in doing my research before traveling. Finally, there are waaaaay too many Americans and Canadians there for my tastes; they tend to take their “isms” with them abroad.
The best thing I can say about the country is this: I met quite a few Nicaraguans there. My interactions with them made me want to visit Nicaragua next, but unfortunately, the political situation there recently took a turn south. Reading the most popular online travel forums generally do not tell you any of this.
Thanks for taking the time to comment and for the feedback fp. We’re on the same page 😉
Great to hear. That’s exactly how we felt about Santa Teresa. Did you get there overland or did you fly? We’ll never forget some of those flights on small Costa Rican planes…scariest experiences ever.