Costa Rica
Costa Rica Birthday Trip: My 7-Day Itinerary
So boom, I went to Costa Rica for my birthday (I went end of April to May) and had the time of my life. The vibes? Immaculate. The food? Chef's kiss. The people, the weather, the views? All top tier.
I put together my full itinerary so you can live your best life too. Use it, remix it, and make it your own.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you book through them, at no additional cost to you. I only share experiences I’ve actually done and would recommend.
Watch the Trip
Want to see the trip before you steal the itinerary? Watch the Costa Rica vlog below.
Trip Snapshot
Where: Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica
Neighborhood: Mar Vista
Airport: Liberia International Airport (LIR)
Trip style: Birthday group trip
Where we stayed: 3-bedroom Airbnb with a private pool, grill, and full kitchen
When we went: Late April / early May
Weather when we visited: High 90s during the day, mid-70s at night, mostly sunny
For a group trip, the Airbnb was easily the move. Having our own pool, kitchen, and space to hang out made the trip feel way more relaxed.
Day 1 | Arrival + Villa Night
We landed around 12:44 PM, stopped at the grocery store on the way to the Airbnb, got settled in, and grilled that first night.
Nothing crazy. Just an easy arrival day to settle in and get ready for the week.
Day 2 | Birthday Catamaran + Private Chef
This was my actual birthday, so we did it right.
We booked a private catamaran tour at 2 PM for four hours. It was about $280 per person and included snorkeling, swimming, paddleboarding, and kayaking.
That night, we had a private chef dinner at the villa around 8:30 PM. Chef Adrianna came through with empanadas, shrimp roti, adobo chicken and eggplant, plantains, and artisan ice cream.
The private dinner was about $85 per person.
💡 SHANE'S TIP
If you're celebrating something on this trip, book the private chef. It's not much more than a nice dinner out and it hits completely different in a villa with your people.
Day 3 | Tamarindo
We kept this day pretty easy and spent time exploring Tamarindo.
Lunch: Tama Onda
Dinner: Coco Loco
No major itinerary here. Just walking around, checking out the area, eating, and enjoying the town.
Day 4 | Waterfalls, Ziplining + Hot Springs
This was the biggest adventure day of the trip.
We started around 7:15 AM and spent the day doing:
Llanos de Cortés Waterfall
Canyon ziplining
River tubing
Hot springs
Mud bath
The full-day experience was about $175 per person.
💡 SHANE'S TIP
This is the longest day of the trip by far. Eat a real breakfast before you leave because you're not stopping much once the day gets going.
BOOK AN ADVENTURE EXPERIENCE →
Day 5 | Beach + Tamarindo Nightlife
We started with lunch at The Beach House, then spent the afternoon relaxing at Playa Galardonada.
That night, we had dinner at Sentido Norte and headed into Tamarindo for nightlife around 8 PM.
This was one of those perfect vacation days where you do just enough without feeling like you're running around all day.
Day 6 | Resort + Spa Day
We spent the day at Dreams Las Mareas.
Our spa and resort access started around 10 AM and cost about $120 per person.
We had access to the pools, hot tub, food, and drinks, so it was basically a full reset day after all the activity earlier in the trip.
One thing to know: it was about a 2-hour drive from where we were staying, so factor that into your day.
Day 7 | ATV Adventure
We booked an ATV tour at 8:30 AM for about 2.5 hours.
The experience took us through villages, rivers, cattle fields, and white-sand beaches.
It cost about $75 per person.
I liked this because it gave us a completely different view of the area than what you get just staying near the beach.
Day 8 | Liberia + Departure
We checked out of the Airbnb by 10 AM, explored Liberia for a little bit, grabbed lunch at Cafe Negro, and then headed to the airport.
A simple final day before flying home.
Where We Ate Near Mar Vista
Gracia
About a 10-minute walk from where we stayed.
Entrees were roughly $13 to $38, and there's also an infinity pool.
Dëli's Kitchen
About a 32-minute walk.
Food was roughly $4 to $15, and it was open from 7 AM to 6 PM when we visited.
A good option if you want something quick and more affordable.
Getting Around
We booked a private driver for the entire trip, which came to about $468 per person.
That included airport transfers plus up to 12 hours of driving access on our four main activity days.
For our group, this was 100% worth it. We didn't have to think about transportation, coordinate rides every day, or figure things out on the fly.
What We Paid
For our trip, the birthday dinner, catamaran, and private transportation came to roughly $833 per person.
Once we added the adventure tour, resort day, and ATV experience, activities and transportation were closer to $1,200 per person.
That does not include flights or the Airbnb.
Your total will obviously depend on your travel dates, group size, where you stay, and which activities you choose.
Prices reflect what we paid when we traveled and may have changed.
Would I Do This Trip Again?
Absolutely.
Playa Flamingo gave us the relaxing villa and beach side of Costa Rica, but we were still close enough to Tamarindo and all the adventure experiences that the trip never felt boring. If I had to pick one thing not to skip, it's the waterfall and zipline day, hot springs and a mud bath on top of everything else is hard to beat in a single tour.
If I recreated this trip, I'd honestly keep most of it exactly the same.
Want Help Planning Your Own Trip?
Tell me where you're going, your dates, your budget, and what kind of trip you want.
I'll help you find options for places to stay, things to do, restaurants, and experiences.
You handle the booking and coordination.
Go somewhere. Make it worth it.