Your Trip Doesn’t Have to End (Or Begin) at Kalon
Our weeks run Saturday to Saturday — but sometimes guests want to stay a night or two longer in Costa Rica, either before or after their week with us. We get asked for hotel recommendations all the time, so Silene and I put together a list of places we’ve visited ourselves and genuinely love.
A quick note on San José: it’s a complicated city. Not necessarily beautiful, and we don’t recommend spending a lot of time inside the city itself. Costa Rica’s magic is outside San José — the coast, the mountains, the volcanoes, the cloud forest. If you have extra days, spend them there. San José is mostly a transit point, and that’s fine.
Here are the places we’d send you:
Marriott San José Belén
This is our top pick for a pre- or post-Kalon night near the airport. It’s very close to SJO but doesn’t feel like an airport hotel at all. Built in a colonial style — very pretty grounds, great restaurants, and genuinely good breakfast. The views are lovely and despite the proximity to the airport, the flight routes don’t bring planes overhead, so it’s quiet.
It’s also a perfect base if you want to do a day trip to Poás Volcano or La Paz Waterfall Gardens (which we can help arrange as a departure-day excursion). Safe, secure, comfortable — a reliable choice.
Nayara (Arenal / La Fortuna)
Nayara has won more awards than we can count, and for good reason. They now have three properties — Nayara Gardens, Nayara Springs (adults only), and Nayara Tented Camp — all sharing the same grounds, restaurants, and facilities near Arenal Volcano.
We love them all. The bungalows and tents are beautiful, the grounds are immaculate, the food is excellent (we love food, if you haven’t noticed), and you have direct views of the volcano. The area around La Fortuna offers hot springs, waterfall hikes, hanging bridges through the jungle, and plenty of eco-tourism activities on Lake Arenal.
We like this area a lot as a family — it’s a completely different experience from the coast and a wonderful way to see another side of Costa Rica. You can fly from the domestic terminal in San José to La Fortuna with Sansa Airlines (about 30 minutes), which saves a long drive.
The Springs Resort & Spa (Arenal / La Fortuna)
Located right where the thermal hot springs are — do we need to say more? The Springs is a beautiful property with natural hot spring pools built into the hillside. Amazing for a couple of days of pure relaxation after a week of surfing. Close to all the Arenal activities: the volcano, the lake, jungle bridges, and plenty of eco-tourism options.
El Silencio Lodge & Spa (Bajos del Toro)
This is our “off the beaten track” recommendation. El Silencio is a Relais & Châteaux eco-lodge set in a 500-acre private cloud forest reserve in Bajos del Toro, about 90 minutes from San José. It’s near Poás Volcano and Juan Castro Blanco National Park.
It’s a very different experience — think misty cloud forest, private waterfalls, suites with outdoor hot tubs overlooking the river, and a restaurant that sources almost everything from their own organic garden and trout ponds. The staff is wonderful, the food is great, and the setting is genuinely unlike anywhere else.
If you want to see a completely different side of Costa Rica — the mountains, the cloud forest, the cooler highland air — El Silencio is the place. Silene and I both love it. It feels like the kind of place that shares our values: local staff, great food, beautiful design that works with the environment rather than against it.
How to get there
Marriott Belén: 10 minutes from SJO airport. We can coordinate your drop-off on departure day.
Nayara / Springs (Arenal): Fly from San José to La Fortuna with Sansa Airlines (30 minutes), or drive (approximately 3 hours). We can help coordinate transport.
El Silencio (Bajos del Toro): About 90 minutes by car from San José. A rental car or private transfer is recommended — the roads are scenic but winding.
If you want help planning a few extra days before or after your Kalon week, just let us know when you get in touch — we’re happy to help you put it together.
