Costa Rica is a destination for nature lovers, sun worshippers, and those who appreciate Latin American culture. Seven-night airfare-and-hotel vacation packages start at $523 with departures from New York.

I compared several providers’ offerings for this spring, testing departures from Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. All vacations include round-trip airfare and seven nights’ accommodations. Sample vacations include all additional taxes and fees for both airfare and hotel.

Sample prices are:

Travelocity’s packages start at $556 from Chicago, $596 from Los Angeles, and $523 from New York.Expedia’s trips are priced at $588 from Chicago, $663 from Los Angeles, and $564 from New York.Orbitz’ packages are available from $576 from Chicago, $651 from Los Angeles, and $571 from New York.

The listed rates are per person based on double occupancy. Single travelers may pay a supplementary charge for each package. Availability is limited.

Which deal offers the best value?

I found that Travelocity had the best deals from all departure cities. It’s always a good idea to compare costs before making a reservation, and you can use our tool to compare vacation prices from multiple travel providers.

Another important factor to consider is the type of lodging included. To compare hotel ratings, visit TripAdvisor.

Please note that many providers do not list booking deadlines, and not all packages may be available for the travel dates you want. Be flexible with your travel dates to find the best deal for your vacation.

All prices, dates, and booking details listed here were valid at the time of publication. Some information may have changed since that time.

(Editor’s Note: SmarterTravel.com is a member of the TripAdvisor Media Network, an operating company of Expedia, Inc. Expedia, Inc. also owns Expedia.com.)

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