A million Colones is about $1,700 and it’s possible for two people to save that much on a week long vacation in Costa Rica using the money saving ideas below…

How to Save a Million Colones Traveling in Costa Rica…sensational title for some sensible advice

1. Credit card car insurance $15-$25 a day [save $105 two people for a week]
2. Buy the local coffee for souvenirs instead of the tourist brands.  There are some excellent coffees like 1820, Leyenda and 1820 that sell in the supermarket for less than half what Britt costs in the souvenir shops in the airport and it’s more authentic.  [save $5 to $50 on one to ten pounds]

   

3. Use your miles/points for airfare instead of hotels or rental cars.  30,000 miles can buy $600 – $900 worth of airfare but only about $300 worth of rooms or cars [save $300 – $600 when spending 30,000 miles]
4. Compare apples to apples because if you compare apples to lobster tails you’ll probably get ripped off.  Other ways of saying this might be “if it seems too good to be true it probably is” and “you get what you pay for (or sometimes less but never more).”
5. July 1, 2019 – Costa Rica imposed a new 13% value added tax. For most travel related items the tax will phase it at 4% for 2020, 8% for 2021 and 13% for 2022. The rate is determined when you make payments, not when you travel so consider saving with reservations paid in advance [$100 -$150 less tax on a family trip]. See details…
6. Remember when shopping for lodging that airbnb and vrbo add up to 60% to the published price for cleaning, fees and taxes so while a $100 room in a lodge is $100, a $100 airbnb is $140 to $160.
7. Pile in! There are beach houses for rent in the $250 a night rage that sleep up to 8-10 people and quadruple occupancy in hotel rooms is about half the price per person compared to double occupancy. It’ll be close quarters but you can [save up to $400 a person for a week]
8. Try the local cuisine.  Food is pricey in Costa Rica but hearty meals called casados are available for $5-$7 in local “sodas”
9. Pay for things in the posted currency.  If the posted price is ¢10,200 pay in colones and if the price is $18 pay in dollars.  There’s always a little extra cost built into the exchange.  Save 2-10% by paying the exact posted price in either currency.  If prices in both currencies are posted it usually doesn’t matter which one you use. [8% of a $75 dinner tab is six bucks but it adds up]
10. Never change currency in the airport.  The commissions are outrageous and you can make do with dollars until you can get to a supermarket (great exchange rates). [save up to $20 when changing $250]
11. Signing up for a new Southwest Airlines credit card miles earned us enough miles for a round trip from Denver to Liberia – normally $765 [save $1,530 two people round trip]
    Of course you have to have good credit and be capable of managing your money for this tactic to pay off.  We always pay our bills in full and on time and never pay interest or fees.  Most cards require you to make purchases to get your free miles but then you can cancel at any time without losing the miles.
    Most cards with big bonus miles have fees ranging from $99 to $499 per year but we most waive the fee for the first year.  Just be sure to cancel the card before the fee kicks in at the beginning of the second year.
    We’ve each earned two round trips to Costa Rica, two more to Europe, half a dozen domestic flights and we have a free trip to Australia/New Zealand planned just by acquiring new credit cards.
12. Beware of discount site fees – priceline, xpedia, travelocity all add up to 28% to their published prices when you checkout.  You may think that $66 a night on Priceline is the cheapest rate until you try to checkout and they add $17 (26%).  AirBnB prices may jump as much as 50% at checkout when they add service and conveniences fees, cleaning charges and tax.  In our experience with hundreds of hotels in Costa Rica the best are not available on discount travel sites and the ones that are available are ultimately (with fees) priced higher than if you book directly or through an agency. [save $40 – $100 two people for a week]
13. Reserve a “garden view” or “jungle view” room ($150/night) for a couple of nights instead of beachfront ($245/night) if you know you’ll be busy all day and out all night anyway.  You won’t even notice the difference.  [save $190 for two nights]

    

14. Bring power bars etc.  They are very hard to find and cost $3-6 each in Costa Rica – save $4 x 1 per person per day x 7 days = $56 just on snacks. Cheap local delicious tropical fruits make great snacks but sometimes aren’t as practical as energy bars…have you ever seen a mango after it’s ridden down a waterfall rappel in a butt pack…not a pretty sight. [save $56 two people for a week]

    

15. Eat before you head to the airport.  It’s normal for airport food to cost more but especially in Liberia the airport concession prices are astronomical.  Two slices of pizza and two bottles of water $44 – skip it!  [save $34 two people]
16. Eat fresh and eat local.  The more prepared the food is and the more it’s targeted at tourist or expats the more expensive it is.  You can pay anywhere from $5 to $75 for the same number of calories. From cheapest to most expensive – Mercados < Sodas < Supermartkets < Tipico < Restaurante < Cuisine/Fine Dining < All Inclusive Resort < Airport Food.
17. Taxes are not always included when making reservations directly.  Tourism taxes of 13% are often not included when you reserve on hotel’s or activity’s website. These are all in addition to any fees your credit, debit or atm card charges for international use and a credit card surcharge over the cash price. (see below…).  Make sure the price for what you’re reserving includes everything you think it does. [save $40 – $100 two people for a week]
18. Use a credit card that does not charge international use or exchange fees (Chase Sapphire VISA – this one is great because it also comes with 50,000 miles to use on any airline, United Airlines MasterCard etc.) and get a no-fee ATM card (Charles Schwab) – the charges can easily reach 5% of what you spend or nearly $100 in a week if your budget for two people is around $250 a day. [save $100 two people for a week]
19. Pay Cash or Bank Transfer for hotels.  Credit card acceptance fees can be as high as 8% in Costa Rica and most lodges and hotels post cash prices on their websites and price cards.  Many will take a credit card number when you make a reservation but nearly all just use the card to guarantee the reservation and will give you a bill for the cash price.
    If you choose to pay with a credit card there may be an additional fee of 5%-10% added at the time of checkout.  This is in addition to the international use and exchanged fees mentioned above which are added to the bill by the credit card issuer after you return home.
    International bank transfers for pre-payment are typically free for the sender and are commonly used in Costa Rica instead of credit cards.  [save $75 – $125 on a week of mid-priced hotels]
20. Fly into LIR but out of SJO or vice versa and save a transfer and half a day of travel time.  A lot of people want to visit a volcano and the rain or cloud forest (closer to San José) and a beach resort (closer to Liberia) so making a one way trip starting from one international airport and ending at the other may make sense. [save $120 two people]
21. Avoid Christmas and the week before Easter.  If it’s the only time you have off go for it but if you can schedule your vacation for a different week you can avoid premium peak season pricing up to 50% higher. [save $400 – $1000 two people for a week]
22. Don’t waste gas looking for the cheapest gas.  In some countries you can pay 20% more for gas near the beach or other tourist destinations but fuel prices are fixed by the government in Costa Rica and exactly the same everywhere.  Don’t waste a gallon hunting for a better price.
23. Use your library.  Most public libraries carry the latest Costa Rica guidebooks in print, kindle, and other e-book formats.  I carry a couple of guides, four or five novels and a great free interactive audio visual Audubon bird guide on my kindle fire.  Retail price for all my books $159.43 – paid $0.00 checking them out virtually from our local public library and the kindle lending library.  [save $60 – $200 two people]
24. Get a free Kindle – you don’t have to spend a hundred bucks on a Kindle or i-pad to buy e-books.  Just visit Amazon.com and download one of their free readers for your home or laptop computer, phone or other device.
25. Choose the right mode of transportation –  A rental car sitting around unused for three or four days while you boat into Tortuguero (no roads) will not only cost you $200 in rental fees but another $60 for secure parking.  Sometimes using shuttles makes more sense.  [save $260 two people]

    

26. Skip the luggage – You’re headed to the tropics and it’s not entirely unreasonable to consider living out of a small carry on (or ever “personal item”) sized bag for a week and skip the luggage altogether.  A pair of flip-flops, a swimsuit, extra shorts and t-shirts wrapped around your i-pad will teach you the meaning of less is more. If you can’t bring yourself to go minimalist at least reduce; our 25lb Packing List is a good place to start. [save $150 – $450 two people]
27. A base tip of 10% is included in restaurant (and sometimes bar) tabs.  Traditionally this has been the only gratuity but as U.S. customs have migrated south servers have come to expect an additional 5-10% when they do a good job.  Menu prices may appear with or without the service charge and with or without the 13% tax so a $10 pizza could cost either $10 or $12.30 at the cash register.  Look for servicio incluido and I.V.I. or impuestos incluido which indicate tip and tax are included respectively. See all the tipping tips [save $5 or more by not double tipping accidentally]
28. Ask about and take advantage of free things to do.  For example there’s a free walking trail to the peak of Cerro Amigos on the west side of the Monteverde Cloud forest reserve while going in through the main entrance costs $17 and the bird watching tour costs $64.  It’s all the same reserve and while guides add a lot to the experience if you’re on a limited budget the free option gets you in and the free trail is always less crowded.
    Use discretion when taking this advice and don’t fall into the trap of missing out on once in a lifetime adventures just to save a few bucks.  If there’s something free that sounds great go for it but some things can only be experienced with professional guides and tons of equipment. [save $100 – $350 on one to three tours]
29. Use your library part 2.  Dynamic pricing (websites increase the price of airfare or hotels based on your location or personal data) means using an anonymous computer at the library might find you a lower price when searching for flights. [save $20-$250 on two flights and a week of hotel]
30. Tour shuttle drop offs can sometimes be used like a taxi.  Most tour operators pick-up and drop off at several hotels and as long as you don’t ask them to take the whole van load of people out of the way they are happy to drop you along the route.  Instead of going back to the hotel, taking a cab to the butterfly garden and then another back to the hotel get dropped of at the butterfly garden on the way back from the morning rafting trip.  Takes a bit of advance planning but it saves valuable vacation time too.  [save $5-$20 each time you use this tip]
31. Bring your student ID.  Museums, educational attractions and sometimes National Parks have discounts for students through university level.
32. Shop for alcohol at the duty free on your way in and mix your own drinks.  Especially if you’re renting a house you can buy a whole bottle of Cuervo for the price of a couple of margaritas at a beach bar.  Wine is cheaper at the duty free as well.  [save $5-$100 per bottle]
33. Use a laundry service instead of a hotel or lodge.  You can easily blow through clean changes of clothes at the rate of 3 outfits per day in the tropics so even if you’re only staying a week you may want to do some washing.  Laundromats are nearly non-existent but laundry services are common even in tiny towns (look for a sign saying lavanderia or lava ropa).  You’ll pay about $6-$12 a load for wash, dry and fold service instead of $1-$5 per item if you stick it in the laundry bag provided by many hotels or resorts [save $10-$20 per wash load]
34. Bring Sunscreen and Mosquito Repellent. Both are available in Costa Rica but limited selections and some truly insane price tags ($30 for an 8oz bottle of waterproof SPF 30 sunblock).  More importantly bringing your own will save the time and hassle of hunting for what you want. [save $10-$40 per trip]
35. Choose the right vendor for tours and activities.  Get a good value for tours by paying in person at the tour location or reserve in advance with a full service agency.
    BEST –  Contrary to myth it doesn’t cost more to use a travel agent.  Full service travel providers frequently use wholesale discounts to reduce the cost to help drive high ratings, reviews and recommendations they can’t survive without. [save $5-$25 per person per tour]
    GOOD –  Direct booking with the tour operator or location also means you can review your experience and the price you paid.  If you’re not reserving in advance the next best price will usually be “at the door.”
    EXPENSIVE BUT CONVENIENT – It’s easy but you’ll pay the highest price if you reserve through the concierge or tour desk at your lodge. If the built in convenience surcharge is worth it to you then hotel tour desks typically offer high quality.  They  know you’re a captive audience and some hotels make half of their income on tour sales.
    MAYBE CHEAP BUT MARGINAL – Kiosks and small tour offices in major tourist towns advertise some incredible low prices but you get what you pay for.  For example, there can be big differences between a $55 and $85 rafting trip: bilingual, naturalist trained guides with a sense of humor are more expensive; private put-in and take-out locations give access to unique segments on many rivers; transfer vans with A/C that works and no springs sticking out of the seats cost more; high quality correctly fitted equipment and safety gear; good food; etc…  Sometimes the bargain tours are a blast, but remember kiosks and the tours they represent don’t have to worry about reviews and ratings.

Add it all up and it’s savings of $2,850 to $4,375 for two people on a one week vacation.  That’s over a million colones each!

With the addition of business deductions (not listed above but if you have legitimate business in Costa Rica check into the State Department per diem rule from the IRS) we not only usually travel for free but literally get paid to travel in Costa Rica.