For the past 10 years we’ve been travelling most years to Costa Rica, usually for 2-4 weeks at a time. Friends of course ask where we stay and we vaguely reply near Manuel Antonio. If pressed we offer up the names of a few different places in the area.
But where do we actually stay? Well, now that our children are more adventurous travellers we’re finally ready to share our secret Costa Rican resort – Tulemar. Now, Tulemar isn’t actually obscure, in fact they almost always place in the top hotels of the world category as presented by TripAdvisor.
The casas and villas have full kitchens, laundry and dedicated concierges (no more grocery shopping!) it makes for a fabulous, easy vacation with children. There are 2 agencies to book through with different accommodations, but all the resort facilities are shared. You can check them out at Tulemar Resort and Tulemar.
So what amenities are there? Think 4 resort pools, a restaurant, beach service, and free water toys including sand toys, boogie boards, kayaks and more. All of this surrounded by incredible jungle and an amazing diversity of wildlife.
Aerial photo courtesy of Tulemar Resort
The family pool
We’ve stayed at a number of the different villas and casas both with and without private pools but we’ve found our favourites are the 3-bedroom casas as they are fully air-conditioned. The main floor is the top floor with 2 bedrooms on the floor below and on the bottom floor is the master suite. All bedrooms are ensuite.
Photo of 2 and 3 bedroom casas courtesy of Tulemar Resort
Many of the villas have private pools – but only have AC in the bedrooms. This usually isn’t a problem except if you’re stuck in the house mid-afternoon with napping children when it can get hot. And with those monkeys around simply opening a window or a door to catch a breeze is not a great idea (although we are always highly amused watching neighbours shouting at them to “get out of my house!”).
How much wildlife is there really, you ask? Well there’s a very good reason the sliding doors have locks and chains because the white-faced capuchin monkeys (and it’s always the capuchins) have very nimble fingers and live to wreak havoc on complacent guests.
The other two species of monkeys found at Tulemar are the Howler monkeys who are very aptly named (no need to bring an alarm clock) and the squirrel monkeys.
Photo courtesy of Tulemar Resort
Squirrel monkeys
Scarlet macaws and giant iguanas can also be seen daily.
Scarlet macaw photo courtesy of a family member
Normally you see these iguanas on the ground….
Tulemar is also partnered with the Sloth Institute and guests are able to book tours to explore the grounds with an expert researcher who will help you find some of the many, many sloths who live in and around Tulemar.
Can you spot the sloths?
And the beach! Truly one of the best beaches we’ve ever visited. Perfect waves for boogie boarding, shallow enough and with large tide pools for kids to explore – and a bathroom! Maybe not a particularly nice bathroom but at least it’s nearby. It’s also well serviced, with drink and food delivery, umbrellas, and lounge chairs. There’s also a shuttle to the beach if you don’t feel like walking the steep road.
All beach photos courtesy of Tulemar Resort
And if you manage to pry yourself off the beach what is there to do in the area?
Well… pretty much everything you can think of. And your concierge can make all the reservations for you (and choose the best companies).
Horseback riding:
Ziplining:
Whitewater rafting:
And we’ve even explored the seas on a pirate ship, called the Brisa Elegante which is available for day tours (with snorkelling) or for longer multi-day trips.
We even made our children walk the plank!
Another worthwhile excursion is to Manuel Antonio, a national park that’s only a short drive away. We’ve visited both on our own and with a private guide. You’ll certainly see more with a guide but the pace is definitely slower. There are also crocodiles here so pay close attention to the signage if you intend to swim!
The town of Quepos is also nearby with a number of shops, restaurants and a deep-water marina. The farmer’s market is a fun experience and great way to stock up on fresh produce. It’s currently held Fridays 12-9pm and again on Saturday mornings.
Photo courtesy of manuelantoniopark.com
Ranging farther afield, our favourite side-trip to do is visiting the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Although this is technically offered as a day trip it would be a very, very long day with at least 8 hours of driving (4 each way). So to make it more manageable we always spend at least 1 night in Monteverde. We’ve stayed at both Hotel Belmar which was lovely, but we’ve found the cabins at Senda to be more family-friendly. The drive can be bumpy, so consider bringing along motion sickness meds if you or your children are at all susceptible to car sickness.
Senda was incredibly helpful arranging a private nightwalk tour at a local preserve. Unfortunately only my wife and son made it as we’d overdone the Gravol when our youngest became motion sick for the first time ever on the drive up and she was still sleeping it off.
Do you see the pit viper?
Hiking in Monteverde is always rewarding with incredible plants and large enough wildlife to keep kids interested. 5 of the 6 wild cat species that inhabit Costa Rica call Monteverde home (puma, ocelot, margay, oncilla, jaguarundi) but it’s extremely rare to spot any of them, even on nightwalks.
Coatimundi
As a stable country with safe drinking water, good medical care and friendly people, Costa Rica has been our go-to family destination for the past 10 years. We’ve had so many wonderful adventures here and it’s been the perfect place to balance relaxation and having memorable experiences. But with high school starting to loom over our eldest our travel time is becoming more limited. And so we plan to explore as much of the world as we can over the next few years.
A bittersweet last sunset at Tulemar!
