A real Costa Rica anniversary trip planned for a 10-year milestone - pairing Nayara Gardens' rainforest luxury in La Fortuna with El Mangroove's coastal escape in Papagayo.

Some trips are just a vacation. This one wasn't.

When my clients came to me to plan their 10-year anniversary trip, they didn't have a firm destination in mind, just a feeling they wanted to chase. They wanted something that felt different from every other trip they'd taken together. Something that would remind them why, a decade in, they'd still choose each other.

They went back and forth for a while before landing on Costa Rica. Belize was on the list. So was Southeast Asia - a bigger, further-flung swing for a milestone this significant. But when we weighed everything together, Costa Rica won out for a simple reason: proximity and ease of travel, without giving up the mix of jungle and beach they were after. No 20-hour flights, no brutal jet lag eating into the trip itself - just a short hop and then straight into the kind of scenery that makes a trip feel like an escape.

Why Costa Rica Is a Great Anniversary Trip Destination

A 10-year anniversary is one of those milestones that doesn't come around twice. There's no redo button on it - you get one shot at making it feel like it mattered. That's the thing I think about with every milestone trip I plan: the date is fixed, the occasion is real, and the pressure to get it right isn't imagined. It's the whole point.

My hope for this trip was that Costa Rica would do what it does for almost everyone who visits: surprise them. Not with luxury for luxury's sake, but with the specific, disorienting beauty of a place that still feels wild. The rainforest sounds that don't stop at night. The Arenal Volcano appearing and disappearing through the clouds. The kind of quiet that's only possible when you're somewhere truly remote and truly beautiful.

Nayara Gardens, La Fortuna: Rainforest Luxury Near Arenal Volcano

We started their stay at the 5-star, Forbes Travel Guide rated, Nayara Gardens in La Fortuna, tucked into the rainforest with the Arenal Volcano as a constant backdrop. It's the kind of property where the setting does half the work but it was the details layered on top of that setting that made this trip what it became.

One night, dinner turned into something neither of them expected. What was meant to be a nice meal became a 15-course tasting menu, plated course by course, with a private violinist playing just for them. For a while, the outside world just didn't exist. That's the moment I think about when I plan a trip like this. Not the itinerary line item, but the hour where two people forget there's anywhere else they need to be.

They didn't stay inside the resort gates the whole time, either. Some nights they'd grab an Uber into town to explore La Fortuna's restaurants on their own. A mix of planned events and flexibility. It's a small detail, but it's the kind of freedom that makes a milestone trip feel like their trip, not just a package tour.

Things to Do in La Fortuna: The Hanging Bridges

By day, they took a tour of the La Fortuna Hanging Bridges which are suspended walkways strung through the rainforest canopy, with the volcano rising above the treeline. It's one of those experiences that's as good for a couple who's done a dozen adventure trips together as it is for two people who've never set foot in a rainforest. Equal parts adrenaline and awe, and one of the top things to do in La Fortuna for couples who want a half-day of scenery without a full-day commitment. The biggest highlight? Sharing space with sloths, toucans and other wild animals.

El Mangroove, Papagayo: A Coastal Second Act

From La Fortuna, we moved them to the coast. El Mangroove, an Autograph Collection property in Papagayo, on Costa Rica's Pacific side was a central home-base for the coastal activities and experience they were looking for. The shift from rainforest to coastline gave the trip a second act: after days spent surrounded by jungle and volcano views, they traded it for open water and gulf breezes.

While there, they went out on a guided river fishing trip which is the kind of excursion that doubles as sightseeing and makes for a memorable half-day without turning the whole trip into an expedition.

Pairing an inland rainforest stay with a coastal resort is one of my favorite structures for a Costa Rica itinerary. It means the trip never sits still long enough to feel repetitive, and it shows off two completely different sides of the country in a single visit.

The Recap: Already Planning to Bring the Whole Family Back

Here's how much this trip landed: they hadn't even left the country yet, and they were already texting me telling me that they wanted to bring their whole family back. Not "maybe someday" - actively planning it, mid-trip, before they'd even boarded the flight home.

When I got the post-trip recap and heard the words "perfect" and "like a second honeymoon," I knew the trip, the location, and the property had delivered exactly what we'd hoped for. That's the outcome I'm always building toward: not just a good trip, but one worth repeating and one worth sharing with the people they love.

Good to Know: Planning Your Own Costa Rica Anniversary Trip

A few practical notes if a trip like this is on your radar:

Best time to visit: Costa Rica's dry season (roughly mid-December through April) is the safest bet for sunny days at both the volcano and the coast. The rainforest is beautiful year-round, but if a specific milestone date isn't fixed, dry season gives you the most reliable weather for outdoor excursions like the hanging bridges and coastal fishing trips.
How to split the time: For a two-region trip like this, 3–4 nights in La Fortuna paired with 4–5 nights in Papagayo tends to give each destination enough breathing room without feeling rushed - long enough to settle in, short enough that the trip keeps moving.
Getting between regions: La Fortuna and the Papagayo/Guanacaste coast are a scenic few hours apart by private transfer or domestic flight, depending on how much of the drive you want to see versus skip.
What to budget: A trip built around two four/five-star properties, private dining experiences, and guided excursions like this one generally lands in the range that reflects true milestone-trip investment rather than a standard vacation - the exact number depends on room category, length of stay, and which experiences you build in. I generally recommend a minimum of $1,500 per day of travel.
Why work with an advisor here specifically: Costa Rica has enough regional variation between it’s rainforest, volcano, cloud forest, two coastlines, that "which area, which property" questions come up fast. That's usually where a few extra questions with an advisor save a lot of second-guessing later.

Costa Rica Anniversary Trip: Inside a 10-Year Milestone at Nayara Gardens & El Mangroove