What to Wear in Costa Rica (HINT: EVEN DIVAS DITCH THE HEELS.)

When I historically think of the beach, I think of the Jersey Shore—close to Pennsylvania, where I grew up.

At The Jersey Shore, there are unspoken rules: things you just know. For example: always bring a sweatshirt, because it gets cold at night. (That used to be my favorite rule because the cool crispness of the nights and early mornings was something I used to live for.) Another rule I used to follow was to always pack a pair of jeans for the same reason. And in my twenties, I always packed heels, too—maybe several—because that’s what you do when you’re young and hoping to meet a hot guy next to the place selling vinegar fries: you look hot, too. (Even when it’s stupid to wear heels, like on a boardwalk. Or in the sand at Seacrets Club down in Ocean City, Maryland. You do it anyway because #YOUTH.)

Alas, if you’re coming to Costa Rica? Don’t you dare.

By which I mean: don’t you dare even think about packing things like sweatshirts and jeans and heels—and this is coming from someone who, despite being in her thirties, STILL LOVES TO WEAR HEELS. Costa Rica is not the place. Even if you’re a hot mama. Even if you’re an all-out diva.

Allow me to explain.

So, the first time I came to Costa Rica, I committed every one of those mortal sins, and even brought down a pair of red cowboy boots. I shit you not: red cowboy boots! I can assure you they sat in my suitcase the entire time, as did the jeans and the heels and the sweaters and the sweatshirt. Because lemme tell you what: as much as you may be programmed to think that “it gets cool at the shore at night,” it does not get cool on the shore in Costa Rica at night. YOU WILL NEVER, EVER NEED A SWEATSHIRT ON THE BEACH, and jeans would literally stick to your skin and be impossible to peel off. (Trust me, I’ve tried. Over and over again, I’ve tried. You do not need jeans.)

It’s going to be way warmer than you think.
It’s going to be way more humid than you think.

And what you need is going to consist of: bathing suits, board shorts, tee-shirts, sarongs, maxi dresses, athleisure, sneaks, and flip flops. So many flip flops. (Again, this is coming from a person who loves fashion…and gets really, really bored with flip flops.)

This is the land of the casual wardrobe, and everyone you see here will be wearing—at their dressiest—a maxi dress and/or a polo shirt and shorts. It’s perfectly acceptable to eat lunch in your bathing suit. And the thing about heels is that in this country? Sidewalks are hardly even a thing. You’re going to be walking down dirt roads, on cliffsides, up mountain paths, on sandy, sticky beaches. There is no boardwalk; no place for you to even wear heels. It’s overkill. They’re going to do nothing but take up space in your suitcase and make you pissed you even packed them.

There are three exceptions to the above:

If you’re spending a lot of time in the capital of San José. In San José you miiiiight find a high-end club or casino where you could wear a pair of heels, but even then…it’s not necessary. That said, it IS cooler in the valley of the capital, so if you had a light sweater you could wear it, but it’s also not necessary.
If you’re planning on visiting a volcano, like Poás. Here you WILL need a sweater or sweatshirt—it gets cold up there! So there IS one reason why you might want to bring one, but if you have no plans on visiting a volcano or the highest mountain peaks, then you can leave at home.
If you’re planning on visiting Arenal. Arenal is located among the cloud forest, and there’s a volcano, and it’s one of the cooler parts of the country. So there’s a place where you might want that sweater, sweatshirt, or rain jacket, too—but also just at night, and it’s also something you can get away without having. Some people come with rain jackets or ponchos, especially if they’re backpackers carrying backpacks and need to keep their contents dry. But overall, I’ve never used one myself—you’ll be fine if you’ve got a hotel and/or a rental car.

Overall, pack as many light-weight, cotton, and bamboo items as you can—things that are breathable. Silk does not work here—you’ll sweat right through it (as a girl who used to love little silk camisoles). Things that are lined in satin do not work here. Polyester does not work here. Just try to imagine yourself packing for the inside of a sauna, and you’ll be close. ;)

That said, sauna or not, this country is not one to miss—and you’ll love every second of it, no matter what you’re wearing.