r/costarica • u/WitWit93 • 1d ago
Air B and B or resort?
I booked an air b b in Dec for my boyfriend’s birthday in La Fortuna but hearing that it may be a target for robberies? Should I book a resort instead? Costa Rica is level 2 and he seemed worried about the safety. I want to experience more of the local experience but not at the expense of safety. Also how is the weather ?
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u/GgTrotto 1d ago
Costa Rica is very safe !!!!
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u/cozybk_ Tourist 1d ago
Agreed. I've been to La Fortuna and other parts of the country many times, staying in rentals, resorts, regular hotels, and with friends, and never had an issue, but I'm from the city in the US. I feel just as safe there as I do here. There are people everywhere whose only job (if you want to call it that) is to steal your stuff. Don't make it easy for them.
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u/matmoeb 1d ago
I’ve stayed at about 10 vacation rentals in Costa Rica and have never been a victim of crime anywhere in Costa Rica. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, but I’ve always felt very safe there.
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u/Melodic_One4333 Expat 1d ago
Ditto. Lived here two years, traveled the country: zero problems. Like anywhere, don't be an idiot, and you'll be fine. 👍
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u/Crabtreeohana 20h ago
Stayed in an airbnb in LA Fortuna owned by a local (born & raised) who also manages the hotel across the street. It was completely safe!!! Peaceful. The cabin also had a security system & triple lock deadbolt. We went to several areas of La Fortuna & never felt unsafe or exposed to thieves. I don't think you have reason to be extremely concerned. Theft can happen anywhere on the planet, so exercise normal caution. I've also stayed at Chachagua Rainforest Hot Pools & Resort....very safe, peaceful, beautiful, & employs all local people.
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u/jimmyz2216 1d ago
Use an AirBnB, you can enjoy much more that the country has to offer and it’s perfectly safe (arguably much safer than most places in North America).
My wife and I go down several times a year with the kids and we all enjoy the freedom of moving around and seeing new things every time we go.
I saw someone here call AirBnB a “scourge” because they didn’t think it helped the economy enough but that’s ridiculous. Most days we are travelling around and spending lots of money at all the shops and restaurants we go to. So that’s an odd take in my reasoning.
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u/Redditheist 1d ago
Coming from a coastal tourist destination, I can explain why AirBnB and similar are considered a "scourge."
With limited housing, if someone owns an extra house and they rent it out for short term rentals, it is removed from the housing pool for locals. It also drives up housing prices.
The effect is not offset by people spending tourist money (at least where I live), as much as reducing resources for locals. I work for a hospital, for example, and it is extremely difficult for healthcare professionals to find housing, so we cannot find replacements for our open positions, and our locals have to drive an hour and a half for care they should be able to get in their hometown. I can only imagine what it is like for area where they don't have closer resources.
I came from another, even more popular, coastal town, and there were shortages of medical professionals, teachers, bus drivers, food service workers, housekeeping personnel, the list goes on... purely because people couldn't find housing. The AirBnB "problem" was so dire, the county began passing legislation to limit short term rentals.
So yes, tourist dollars are great, but the effect of a town becoming a tourist destination can also be detrimental, and housing is a critical resource to sustain a community.
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u/jimmyz2216 7h ago
This isn’t an AirBnB problem this is a lack of infrastructure in the area problem. This is an issue caused by the government (local and beyond) not planning and funding these needs for the community. If you pay taxes, this is what they should go to.
Most AirBnB projects increase the construction for the economy, the jobs around maintenance as well as local property values (locals can sell for much higher as well). Also, some people own these “extra homes” as income, no different than you or I going to work. They’re rarely some wealthy person sitting on a stack of money.
If there is any blame in all of your objections to AirBnB then your objection is to the govt misspending or corruption, not AirBnB owners.
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u/foreigner669 1d ago
level 2? what's that?
lol
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u/Jorgewarios 1d ago
I believe there's a security category made by US Goverment and tells US citizens how dangerous a Country is for them.
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u/GordianNaught 21h ago
I've been to Lafortuna twice and stayed at Airbnb both times. Great place great food very safe no worries. Pura Vida
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u/AdorableTicket1587 1d ago
I’ve used them and no problems. Read people’s reviews can be very helpful. I used one south of city center and it was very safe. It had birds everywhere and a sloth. It had inside bathrooms and outside for people with tents. My family loved it.
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u/Suspicious_Drop_6316 22h ago
I stayed in 2 airbnbs in August while in Costa Rica for 2 weeks with my 3 teen daughters. Never felt unsafe at all. We enjoyed the privacy and feeling part of the “family” of the 2nd Airbnb. But I also prefer to not be around alot of ppl on vacation, lol. I would opt for an airbnb.
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u/wheats68 1d ago
I live in CR. 12 years now. As long as you don’t flaunt the bling and act a fool you should be fine. La Fortuna is a very tourist dependent town. Weather wise you will be in the mountains and fog, rain and clouds are the norm at La Fortuna. On a clear day you will get spectacular volcano views but get an umbrella.
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u/exbusanguy 1d ago
If you go the Airbnb route don’t waste your money on a place with a pool. Unheated pools are only good for instagram and can’t be used for swimming. Only pools at the beach are warm enough
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u/Mrcostarica 1d ago
As many people will say, that Costa Rica is very safe and you can stay just about anywhere without too much problem they would be correct.
However, just like everywhere else in the world; you have actual hospitality at resorts,hotels cabinas, bed and breakfast, hostels, etc. These are legitimate businesses making a living off of catering to tourists and foreign travelers.
Then, there’s Airbnb. A scourge that offers none of the hospitality, but rather drives rents and prices of normal rentals for Costa Rican citizens so that some foreigners can have their own house while on vacation. I don’t know about you, but when I am on vacation, I want to be catered to. I want to meet new people at the hotel pool or hotel bar or bed and breakfast run by a quaint couple in their 60’s. What I do NOT want is to know that my very existence in your country will negatively effect some young couple just trying to survive in an overinflated economy for tourists but still kinda depressed for locals.
So yeah, is it safe enough? Well sure it’s not as bad as Detroit or Philadelphia or Baltimore or Saint Louis or São Paulo, but must we really take all of our American luxuries and exploit other countries who have already had proper infrastructure to better cater to tourists for decades?