Listen, if you’re in need of a secluded relaxing vacation…Uvita, Costa Rica is the place to go. My boyfriend and I decided to bring in the new year by escaping to this small town in the southern part of Costa Rica. Uvita hasn’t been overtaken by large crowds and resorts so it still gives you the jungle scenery that Costa Rica is known for but more private. You can go whale watching, chase waterfalls, get a massage in the middle of the jungle and a slew of other breathtaking adventures. After spending eight magical days there, here’s a mini travel guide to Uvita, Costa Rica.
HOW TO GET TO UVITA
This trip was all about relaxing so we knew we didn’t want to rent a car like a majority of people suggested. But Uvita is about a 4 hour drive from the San Jose airport.
Private Shuttle
Originally we wanted to go the bougie route and get a private shuttle. That plan quickly went out the window once we saw how much the shuttles would cost. A one way shuttle cost $200 so that would’ve been $400 total. That cost us more than our tickets to fly from DC to San Jose so it didn’t make sense for us. Also every driver in Uvita charges the same price so don’t think you’ll be able to negotiate the price down.
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Tracopa Bus
I highly recommend taking the Tracopa bus. It’s just like taking a Megabus, Greyhound, etc but cleaner. It also only cost $20 for two tickets! You will need to be able to speak and understand a little bit of Spanish though as this is more of a local way to get throughout the country. And you will need to have colones (Costa Rican money) instead of USD to buy the ticket. Our bus got us to Uvita in 3hrs and 30 minutes and midway through the trip there is a pitstop for people to use the bathroom and grab some snacks. Once we arrived in Uvita we grabbed a taxi ($20) to get to our Airbnb.
We did use a private shuttle on our way back from Uvita to San Jose airport to ensure we didn’t miss our flight.
GETTING AROUND UVITA
The best way to get around Uvita is by taxi. Every driver in the area charges the same price, at the time we went in Jan 2022, it was $20 one way. I really don’t recommend getting a rental car if you’ll be staying in Uvita because of how steep the roads are on the mountains. Mainly everything to do in the area requires you to go up into the mountains.
WHERE TO STAY
Uvita is known for having some of the best luxury hotels in Costa Rica like Oxygen Jungle Villas, Kura Hotel, and the Art Villas, which is what made me want to go to the area. I wanted luxury on a budget and found that with Escal Acres.
This Airbnb was absolutely stunning. For a full in-depth review on the property read “Where To Stay In Uvita: Airbnb Review.”
THINGS TO DO
Spa Day at Oxygen Jungle Villas
Staying on the theme of relaxation, we headed to Oxygen Jungle Villas for a spa day. They offer a day pass for people who aren’t staying at the hotel. The pass includes the five senses massage, a light lunch, and access to the waterfalls on the property. The massage happens deep in the jungle next to the calming sounds of a river. It was so relaxing that I almost fell asleep twice. After the massages we had a light lunch of chicken quesadillas, coconut curry chicken soup with jasmine rice, a pineapple juice and a green juice. The food was very fresh but lacked some seasoning.
Chocolate Tour
This was the star of the trip. We got to learn how to make 100% chocolate from scratch! We tasted chocolate in its fruit form the cacao plant and turned it into hot chocolate. It was absolutely amazing. We booked with Ronald through the Uvita Information Center. The tour is between 3-4 hours but doesn’t feel that long at all. You also get to walk through Ronald’s farm and learn all about how some tropical fruits & vegetables are grown like pineapple and plantains. But what made it even more special was near the end of our tour, white face monkeys appeared in trees. We put out some fruit for them and got to see them up close. If you do anything in Uvita, it must be this tour!
PLACES TO EAT
Scala Restaurant
Honestly this is the only place you need to eat in Uvita. It is sooo bomb. I am still thinking of the octopus risotto we had here. Everything we got was so delicious but I definitely recommend getting the octopus risotto, wagyu pizza, and salted caramel cheesecake.
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great blog, thanks for sharing!