Getting To Costa Rica From UK

I recently went back to Scotland to visit my family. Had a great time seeing everyone again and enjoyed the very different lifestyle and scenery that I have become used to in Costa Rica.

Getting to Costa Rica from UK is a bit of a challenge because of the distance and I’d say that Costa Rica is not a main vacation destination for Brits. It’s a popular place for Canadians and Americans as they can often get a direct flight straight south, but when you have to cross an ocean that makes things a bit more awkward.

Another challenge for me is the fact that I live beside Liberia Airport, not the main airport at San Jose. If I fly into San Jose then I have a four hour drive to Liberia, or another flight transfer which is usually about $100US.

So after hours of searching online I finally decided that the best option was to go with Continental Airlines. They are based out of Houston and fly to Liberia twice a day. They also fly to Glasgow in Scotland but it takes two transfers to put it all together. The cost of the ticket was $1400US return. So I flew from Glasgow to Newark (7 hours), Newark to Houston (3 hours) and Houston to Liberia (3 hours). With short transfer times the total journey should take 14 hours.

However, I had big problems achieving this! With short transfer times you need everything to be on time. Well right at the start, my flight from Glasgow was delayed 2-1/2 hours so I would miss my connection in Newark. So I had to stay in Glasgow for a full 24 hours and catch the next flight.

I arrived in Newark with plenty time to catch my connection, or so I thought. Unfortunately my flight was late in leaving Newark, so I missed my connection in Houston! So that meant staying overnight in a hotel in Houston.

My flight the following morning was on time and finally I arrived in Liberia around lunchtime. The journey to Costa Rica from UK should have taken 14 hours but it ended up taking 3 full days! I was a little stressed because I needed to be back in Liberia to play at a wedding with my Los Mojitos band. Thankfully I made it in time.

While I was in Houston the airline put me into a hotel called Park Inn Suites. It was a really nice hotel with huge bedrooms with a big screen TV and offered a free 15 minute shuttle to and from the airport, free continental breakfast and free wireless internet in my room. Continental paid for my stay but I think the room cost around $59.

While in Glasgow I stayed at The Travelodge beside the airport. It was OK. It’s a new hotel with nice rooms and walking distance to the airport, although you need to use the shuttle service if you have suitcases. Shuttle is not free and costs £2 each way ($3US). Wireless internet is available but costs £10 per day ($15US). The room cost £47 per night ($74US) but there is a £2 fee ($3) for paying by visa. Breakfast was not included and cost around £7 ($11US).

I believe Thomsons are offering flights direct from London Gatwick to Liberia, Costa Rica in winter only (November to April, I think) on Tuesdays, so that might be worth checking out for next time. Looks like you can get return flights around £700 ($1100US) including taxes.

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