Plan ahead to avoid the #1 mistake tourists make when booking their Costa Rican Vacation!

There’s no denying that a vacation to Costa Rica is always time well spent, where tourists can adventure through cloud forests and through exotic jungle, surf on some of the best waves in the world, or just lay on white sand beaches with a drink in hand for a true relaxing tropical experience. But no matter your agenda when you get to the sunny land of Pura Vida, there is one HUGE mistake travelers make again and again, which could cost you big bucks and take the luster off the perfect vacation: waiting too late to book.

In fact, with 2.5 million visitors every year, popular destinations like Playa Jaco, Playa Hermosa, Tamarindo, and even the capital city, San Jose, and bustling with tourists coming and going all year round. It used to be that tourism slowed significantly in the rainy season, and especially in September and October, but these days, tourism is a 24/7 and 365 affair. Many tourists now even prefer to visit during the rainy season because the flora is so lush and green and it can be slightly less crowded.

But ask any hotel manager, tour operator, or travel agent what the #1 mistake is that tourists make, and the answer will always be “They wait too long to book their trip.”

With a limited number of hotels, condos, and homes for rent, the busiest seasons – especially December through April – are always at maximum capacity. To add more hotel patrons to the critical mass, a huge number of Costa Ricans (Ticos) escape from San Jose on weekends and especially during holidays like Christmas, New Years and Semana Santa (Easter). During these holiday periods, Playa Jaco is literally over capacity.

So be waiting too long to book their hotel rooms and accommodations, as well as rental cars and activities, tourists really put their vacation in jeopardy. Imaging paying the for plane tickets but then not being able to find the hotel you want for your family – or any hotel at all! It’s happened more than you can guess, and one month before Christmas and Semana Santa we always get 50+ emails and messages a day from people looking for a house or condo for their upcoming vacation, when few – or none- are still available.

And around these peak seasons, the prices often skyrocket based on demand, sometimes even doubling for last-minute bookings compared to prices in the novacancyother times of year.

The good news is that be booking early, you ensure you’ll have the pick of the best hotels, condos, and rental properties during the busiest season, and even save money in the process.

We recommend that during the peak tourist season (December through April) and especially around the holidays, vacationers book 6-12 months ahead of time.

The larger your group, and if there are any special needs or requests, the further in advance you should book. As you can imagine, finding a family of five people three adjacent hotel rooms on the same floor is a lot harder than just booking any room for a couple.

Even better, when you book through Costa Rica Gurus, only a 50% deposit is required. So you can book well ahead of time for peace of mind that you’ll have the best hotel rooms and accommodations to choose from – at the best prices – but still have many months until you have to pay the remainder of the balance.

The same goes for rental cars (which sell out quickly) and in-demand activities like deep sea fishing, jungle treks, volcano and cloud forests tours, etc. Of course these are all flexible, so if you needed to move around the date or time of when you do these things the operators and agencies will always work with you – as long as you plan ahead.

I would recommend contacting us to see what hotels and rental properties suit your needs in the areas you want to visit, book those, and THEN book airfare – as there are always plenty of flights and seats available 6 months or more ahead of time. The

By doing so you’ll save a lot of money, avoid any last-minute headaches, and ensure you and your family have the best possible vacation Costa Rica has to offer.

Pura vida! And don’t forget to book with us ahead of time!