129. Costa Rica Spring Break

Points Talk®: Your Travel Dreams, Made Possible by Points

Alex, Pam and Jess

Places & Travel, Education, Society & Culture, How To

4.9 • 734 Ratings

🗓️ 20 May 2025

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, Jess, Pam, and Alex break down their recent spring break trips to Costa Rica—highlighting three unforgettable resorts, two different travel styles, and one shared love for how easy (and affordable!) this country is to explore with points and miles.

Flights on Points

Alex and Jess both flew Southwest—Jess from Houston and Alex from Salt Lake City—and Pam chose United. Between Southwest Companion Passes, smart rebooking, and good timing, Jess got a great deal for round-trip flights for four people. Pam, always loyal to United for the elite-status perks, flew out of Denver and got a free upgrade to first class on the way home.

Where They Stayed: Andaz Papagayo, Rio Perdido, and Tabacón

Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort (Hyatt Category 8):
A luxury resort with monkeys, pools, and a new beach club you access by boat. Jess scored a Bay View Suite with a birthday upgrade, while Alex’s family enjoyed connecting rooms with a rollaway for the kids.
Rio Perdido (Hilton SLH):
Jess took her family here for a more boutique, off-the-grid experience. Set in the rainforest with private bungalows, thermal rivers, and mud baths, Rio Perdido offered a quieter, more immersive vibe.
Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa (Hilton SLH):
Pam and Alex’s family stayed at this jungle escape near La Fortuna. Booking via Hilton points and free-night certificates, they enjoyed connecting rooms, views of the Arenal Volcano, and unlimited access to the hot springs.

Rental Cars, Shuttles, and Driving Tips

The Squad breaks down everything you want to know about whether to rent a car or book a shuttle service in Costa Rica and how to decide which option is best for your trip. They even advise on what kind of vehicles to avoid renting and recommend a great woman-owned transportation service if you don't want to drive yourself.

Activities: Adventures for All Ages

Alex’s crew went full-on jungle mode with:

A zipline and rappelling canyon tour through Maquique Adventure
A night walk with frog and snake sightings (not for the faint of heart!)
Exploring La Fortuna

Jess and Ella did a canyon adventure at Rio Perdido, complete with a pro photographer tagging along. Meanwhile, everyone raved about thermal pools and monkey spotting!

Whether you’re team luxury resort or jungle bungalow, this episode proves that Costa Rica is made for points travelers—and families.

🎧 Listen now to hear every detail and decide which Costa Rica combo is right for your next adventure.

Links:

https://www.maquiqueadventure.com
Viator night walk: Night Walk Around The Arenal Volcano
Maleku Tours: Maleku Tours - https://www.malekutours.com
Pam’s Upgrade Template: How to Request a Hotel Room Upgrade

Links For All Things Travel Mom Squad: stan.store/travelmomsquad

Episode Minute By Minute:

00:30 – Flights, airport tips, and how we booked on points
05:00 – Rental cars vs. shuttles
13:00 – Andaz Papagayo
33:00 – Rio Perdido
40:00 – Tabacón
53:00 – Activities: Ziplining, wildlife, and rainforest excursions
1:01:00 – Comparing all three resorts

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Want to visit Costa Rica without breaking the bank?
0:02.8	Listen in as we share three different resorts in Costa Rica that you can visit on points.
0:07.7	Welcome to Points Talk with the travel mom squad.
0:10.6	We are three moms who've discovered how to leverage credit card welcome offers to get hundreds of thousands of dollars of travel expenses for nearly free.
0:19.1	We've used credit card points of miles to take vacations to places like Hawaii, Paris, Greece,
0:24.4	Maldives, Japan, and so much more.
0:27.0	And the best part?
0:28.2	We each still have 800 plus credit scores.
0:31.2	Imagine being able to take the vacation of your dreams for nearly free.
0:34.9	It's totally possible and we're here to show you how.
0:39.0	Hey, I'm Alex and I'm Pam, Alex's mom. And I'm Jess. Let's Talk Points. So Alex and Pam recently
0:46.8	returned from Costa Rica. They went for Alex's kids spring break in, what was it, the first week
0:53.2	of April. He was the first week of April.
0:56.4	And then I was there with my mom, Ella, and Molly back in February, mid-February.
1:02.6	Molly always has a mid-winter break. Why that's necessary, I don't know. But we were there in
1:08.2	mid-February. And so today we are talking about our, well, Pam and I's return to Costa Rica.
1:14.3	Alex's first time in Costa Rica. We stayed at three different hotels and resorts total. So we have a lot to cover. First, we're going to get into flights. It's not going to surprise you that Alex and I both flew southwest. So Alex,
1:29.0	tell us about how you got there. Yeah. So going there, we flew into Liberia and it was 39,000
1:36.4	points, which is kind of a lot. I think when I had originally booked these, it was like 50,000 points.
1:41.8	Like, they were wild. Flying to Costa Rica from Salt
1:46.2	Lake is not, there's not a ton of options. There's like red eye options on Delta. We knew we
1:52.4	we want to do Southwest because my husband and I both have Southwest companion passes, but that meant
	...

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