Skip to content
ILUXURYTRAVELS

Central America

Luxury travel in Central America.

Rainforest lodges on the Osa, dry-season beaches in Guanacaste, Belize's cays and the Panamanian archipelagos. We do not hold our own houses here yet, so this is planning advice rather than a listing page: when to go, which coast, and how long the journeys really take.

Our collection here

We hold no houses of our own in Central America yet. Rather than invent listings, we set out the planning here and point you to the destination guide and the trip planner.

The best months to go

December to April
Pacific dry season and the region's high season: reliable sun in Guanacaste, Nicaragua and the Panamanian Pacific, with Christmas, New Year and Easter the busiest and most expensive weeks by a wide margin.
May to June
The start of the green season and one of the best-value windows: sunny mornings, afternoon showers, a vivid landscape and far fewer visitors. Turtle nesting begins on several coasts.
July to August
A drier spell in the middle of the green season on much of the Pacific coast, and the northern-hemisphere holidays, so beach towns fill again. Good for whale watching in Costa Rica and Panama.
September to October
The wettest weeks on the Pacific side, with some lodges closing — but often the clearest, calmest time on the Caribbean coast and for Belize's inland cays. Lowest rates of the year.
November
The rains taper and the region dries out ahead of the December peak. Green landscape, low crowds and rates still below high season: a strong shoulder month.

The places worth building a trip around

  • Guanacaste, Costa Rica

    Pacific beach hotels and rental houses with the most reliable dry season, December to April.

  • The Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

    The densest rainforest and wildlife in the country, reached by light aircraft; lodges are all-inclusive and small.

  • Arenal and Monteverde

    Volcano, hot springs and cloud forest, an easy pairing with a beach week; cooler and wetter year-round.

  • Belize's cays and Cayo

    Barrier-reef diving from Ambergris or a private cay, paired with Maya sites inland; driest February to May.

  • Bocas del Toro and Guna Yala, Panama

    Caribbean island archipelagos, quiet and low-key, with their best weather in September and October.

  • Lake Atitlán and Antigua, Guatemala

    Highland towns and volcanoes; cool, dry and clear from November to April.

  • Nicaragua's Emerald Coast

    Surf and cliff-top houses south of San Juan del Sur, at their best from December to April.