Cora asked 7 years ago
Hi Jenn and Matt,
Our family (two adults, two teens) will be visiting Costa Rica for two weeks over Christmas 2017, and we need to decide where we’d like to spend Christmas Eve and Day. With our itinerary already partly set, we’d like to be in either San Jose or Cahuita over those two days. Which do you recommend? I’d like to make sure we can participate in some Christmas activities (like see some pretty lights), and be able to go out to eat out. The Fiestas de Zapotes sounds interesting, but it’s not clear when that starts. If we spend Christmas in San Jose, it means a little extra driving in our itinerary. Is it worth it to be there instead of in Cahuita (which we would still visit, just at a different time).
Thanks for any suggestions you can offer!
Cora
Jenn and Matt Staff answered 7 years ago
Hi Cora,
We have never actually spent Christmas in either place but we did spend one Christmas in Puerto Viejo (near Cahuita) so we know a little bit about what to expect there. Many locals go to the beaches (Caribbean and Pacific sides) during the week between Christmas and New Years. So hotels are pretty full and people even camp in places along the beach. The mood is pretty festive and there will usually be some events like live music, special menus, etc around beach towns. Not sure about the Fiestas de Zapote, but we think that usually happens right after the Christmas holiday. You could probably expect some other things going on in the city though, like choirs or instrumental bands in the parks, etc. But like I said, we’ve never been there at that exact time. Hope this gives you an idea. Make sure to make hotel reservations well in advance no matter where you go 🙂
