Day 1: The long way down - Vancouver to San Jose

March 3

What did we do today?

We left Vancouver early in the morning on March 3 via Air Canada and arrived in Denver two hours later. After a 4-hour layover, we departed late on a United Airlines flight for San Jose. 

The SJO airport was quiet when we arrived around 11 pm. It took about fifteen minutes to process through immigration and before exiting we stopped at the ATM and withdrew $350 worth of Costa Rican Colones. 

Our hotel was paying for the taxi ride from the airport and had instructed us to get an official orange airport taxi. It was easy to procure once we stepped outside the airport doors and we hopped in for the 15-minute drive to the Pura Vida Hotel. 

Where did we stay?

We spent the night at the Pura Vida Hotel where we were warmly welcomed despite our late arrival. The hotel is set in a lush tropical garden and the 2-bedroom Katydid Villa was an excellent option for 2 couples; reasonably priced, clean, large, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchenette, and very comfortable beds. My only complaint is that our villa was adjacent to a busy road and the traffic noise was unpleasant. Other rooms may not have the same problem.

Travel Tip: 

Three of us wanted data on our phones so we decided to try an esim plan rather than use our Canadian cell provider’s travel plan or a CR sim card. We were pleased with Airalo . It was easy to set up and had good coverage everywhere we went. The cost for the plan we chose was $30 for 5 GB of data and a 30-day limit.

A Pura Vida Breakfast