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 $436 with departures from New York.

I compared several providers’ offerings for this fall, 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:

Expedia’s trips are priced at $476 from Chicago, $476 from Los Angeles, and $436 from New York.Travelocity’s packages start at $480 from Chicago, $480 from Los Angeles, and $436 from New York.Orbitz’ packages are available from $511 from Chicago, $511 from Los Angeles, and $463 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 Expedia and Travelocity had the most competitive rates from all departure cities. It’s always a good idea to compare costs before making a reservation, and you can use our price-comparison tool to search multiple travel providers.

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

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.

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