Yes. The kitchen and barbecue will be koshered prior to your arrival and your kosher food will be stocked in your refrigerator or freezer.

Yes, there will be two sets of dishes (meat and dairy), cutlery, cookware, and utensils that are tovelled and koshered prior to your arrival.

Almost all of our villas come with a concierge who can stock your refrigerator with any items that you desire. Please note that this is not included in the cost of the villa.

Kosher Casas can arrange to have a Torah delivered to your villa under certain conditions.

Kosher Casas has arranged for our guests to stay at a boutique hotel within a 15 minute walk to Centro Israelita, the magnificent synagogue in San Jose. The hotel manager is familiar with kosher laws and can accommodate private groups for Shabbat dinners and lunches. After Shabbat, arrangements will be made to whisk you off to the villa of your choice. Please note that in order to attend the synagogue in San Jose, you will need to provide a copy of your passport for security reasons.

Yes. If your villa does not come with a private chef, you can hire a chef for any number of meals you want.

Absolutely. Most of our villas come with an experienced concierge eager to help you plan all your activities and excursions. If your villa does not have a concierge, Kosher Casas will connect you with a professional who will plan your entire itinerary with you and make all your necessary travel arrangements either prior to or upon your arrival.

Kosher Casas has homes that can house up to 48 people either by individual villas or combining neighboring villas or condominiums. Please use the search engine on the website to help determine which villa or groups of villas can accomodate  the number of people in your party.   

Driving in Costa Rica is an adventure unto itself. Destinations have no addresses, and people (ticos as the locals are called) give directions mostly by landmarks such as soccer fields or radio towers. The GPS in Costa Rica is programmed according to points of interest, not street addresses. Many of the local roads are not paved and renting a jeep or another 4WD is the way to go. After rains, driving on these unpaved roads can be extremely challenging. Although you may find driving here somewhat ambitious, it’s all part of the Costa Rican experience. It all depends on what kind of traveler you are and what kind of vacation you want. If you like the challenge of exploring on your own, looking at maps and asking people for directions or if you want to get behind the wheel and drive to your destination, then renting a car is for you. Alternatively, if you don’t want to find your destination on your own (and perhaps getting lost along the way), or you don't enjoy driving on dirt roads which may not always have the best conditions, then renting a car is not for you. Whichever way you decide to go, Costa Rica has plenty of rental car companies (as listed below), or taxis and vans that will always be available to take you where you want to go.

No. You can drive with your normal unexpired driver's license for three months.

Sales tax is 13% in Costa Rica.

Outlets in Costa Rica are 110 V, with standard US two pronged plugs (or three prongs if grounded). Those of you from Europe will need to bring adapters as they are hard to find in Costa Rica.

Most of your villas come with concierges that will take care of this for you. Here is some information in case you prefer to rent on your own. There are numerous car rental options available in Costa Rica: Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz, National, Payless and Thrifty. These cars can be rented at the airport or other designated locations. Costa Rica has few gas stations in some of the smaller towns so make sure to fill up your tank when you can.

If you decide not to rent a car the concierge at your villa or Kosher Casas will make arrangements for transportation to your villa and then back to the airport.

Most of our villas have a minimum age requirement of 25 years old.

All of the national parks in Costa Rica are wheelchair accessible. The following are just a few activities that people with limited mobility can enjoy. The Arenal region has a “Sky Tram Cable Car” which runs through the rainforest. Its slow-paced gondolas provide a wonderful view of the rainforest complete with an observation deck where if it‘s a clear day, all can enjoy the view of the volcano and Lake Arenal. Additionally, there is a boat trip called “Cano Negro” which is approximately 2 hours away. It is a full day trip offering a plethora of wildlife to be seen. In the Manuel Antonio region, one can visit the Carara National Park where there is much wildlife to be viewed. The word carara in Spanish means crocodiles and that is exactly what you will see! This national park is approximately one and a half hours away. In the Guanacaste region, one can visit the well-known Playa Grande to view turtles nesting and visit any of the national parks in the area.

In an emergency you should dial 911; please remember the person answering the phone will be speaking Spanish, alternatively, you can call your villa’s contact person.

Rarely are there street addresses in Costa Rica. If you ask a “tico” (the term for local Costa Ricans) for directions, they will use landmarks in their description. Please beware: some of these landmarks may no longer exist- it’s just part of the adventure of traveling in Costa Rica.

The water is fine in nearly all locations except in very remote or rural areas. However, if you have a sensitive stomach or are nervous about it you may opt to drink bottled water, which is readily available throughout the country.

The Costa Rican currency is the colon, but U.S. dollars are widely accepted. You will find an ATM almost anywhere you go dispensing Colons and Dollars. Credit and debit Cards are also widely accepted.

If you are travelling from the United States, Canada, most European countries and Israel you do not need a visa to enter Costa Rica.

A valid passport is mandatory to enter Costa Rica. There must be at least six months remaining before the passport expires.

Sansa Airlines and Nature Air provide daily commuter service from San Jose Airport and Liberia Airport to all of the three destinations we offer. Nature Air charters planes in Costa Rica for private use.

There are two international airports in Costa Rica. The Juan Santamaria Airport (SJO) located just north of San Jose and the Daniel Oduber Quiros Airport (LIR) located in Liberia in the Guanacaste area. The following airlines have direct flights into San Jose and Liberia: American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta, Jet Blue, TACA/LACSA, United Airlines, US Airways. Airlines that fly to Costa Rica but not directly are: Aeromexico, Air Canada, Avianca, Condor, COPA and WestJet. Iberia Airlines is the only airline that flies from Europe to Costa Rica; however it is not a direct flight. From all other countries not serviced by the above airlines, you will need to connect through one of them. Your destination in Costa Rica will determine which airport you should fly into.

All visitors must have an entry and exit ticket, whether travelling by air or land, as a requirement to enter the country.

When you leave Costa Rica by air, you will have to pay a departure tax of $29 per person (as of this writing) which can be paid in dollars, colons or Visa, MasterCard or American Express credit cards.

The main language is Spanish but most people speak English as well.

No vaccines are required to enter Costa Rica. You should always be up to date on routine vaccines before any trip. The CDC, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, suggests travelers may want to get the Hepatitis A and a typhoid vaccine before traveling to Costa Rica, but you should always consult your doctor. If you have recently traveled to a country known to have yellow fever, you will need to show you have taken the yellow fever vaccine.

If one parent is traveling with a minor child, it is a good idea to get a notarized letter from the non-traveling parent authorizing travel to and from Costa Rica with the stated dates of travel.

For peace of mind, we highly recommend travel insurance. Travel insurance protects your non-refundable payment should you need to cancel due to a covered reason. From cancelled flights or unexpected health issues of a traveler or a loved one that prevents you from going on your your trip, to lost or stolen luggage, travel insurance is your safety net. Additionally, if a family member requires a medical procedure while abroad, these items and much more are covered by travel insurance. Plan for the unexpected!  Please contact CSA Travel Protection at 1-800-348-9505 and provide them with the following agent code: 20150114.

Please refer to our homepage, which lists the three destinations in Costa Rica we feel provide the most fabulous vacations. All three locations have an abundance of adventures and activities for adults and children of all ages. Please read the region descriptions and then decide which one is best for you.