Costa Rica vs French Polynesia

Illuminated beachfront dining pavilion with white railings and thatched-roof bungalows reflected in the pool at dusk.

Four Seasons Bora Bora villa with thatched roof bungalow, private pool, palm trees, and white lounge chairs under umbrellas.

French Polynesia2 resorts · ★ 4.7 average

Costa Rica and French Polynesia, side by side: live travel advisories, our resort catalog's real guest data, and each destination's honest weather picture. Everything you need to break the tie.

Costa Rica guide · French Polynesia guide · How we score

By the numbers

Costa Rica compared with French Polynesia
Costa Rica	Measure	French Polynesia
Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution	U.S. travel advisory	Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions
7	Resorts in our catalog	2
★ 4.4	Average guest rating	★ 4.7 (better)
$119–$289/night pp	Nightly rates	$667–$1631/night pp
1 of 7	Adults-only resorts	0 of 2
Low hurricane risk	Hurricane exposure	Low hurricane risk
May–November ('green season'), with September–October seriously wet	Rainy season	November–April
December–April, bone-dry in Guanacaste	Sweet spot	May–October (dry season; also peak overwater-bungalow pricing)
Spanish (English common in tourist areas)	Language	French & Tahitian (English at resorts)
Costa Rican colón – USD widely accepted	Currency	CFP franc (XPF) – US dollars not widely used
120V, Type A/B plugs (same as the US)	Power	220V, Type C/E plugs (bring an adapter)
On the right	Driving	On the right
Liberia – Daniel Oduber (LIR)	Main airport	Tahiti–Papeete (PPT), then a flight to Bora Bora (BOB)
~3.5–5.5h from the US (nonstops to Liberia)	Flight time	~8h nonstop from the US West Coast (LAX–PPT)

Advisory levels sync from travel.state.gov; catalog figures reflect the resorts we've researched, not every hotel in the country.

On the map

Costa Rica

French Polynesia

Weather, month by month

Month-by-month average high temperature and rainfall for Costa Rica and French Polynesia
Measure	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Costa Rica · high °F	91	92	93	93	91	88	88	88	87	86	87	89
French Polynesia · high °F	89	89	89	89	87	86	86	86	86	87	88	88
Costa Rica · rain (in)	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.7	7.7	9.0	5.9	7.9	13.0	12.2	4.3	0.5
French Polynesia · rain (in)	13.2	9.6	6.7	5.5	4.0	2.9	2.1	1.9	2.1	3.5	8.3	12.5

Approximate climate normals for Guanacaste / Papagayo and Tahiti / Bora Bora: planning guidance, not a forecast. Deeper gold = hotter; deeper teal = wetter.

Where you'd actually stay

Best of Costa Rica

Full Costa Rica guide

Chains here: RIU Hotels & Resorts · Westin · Margaritaville

Best of French Polynesia

Full French Polynesia guide

Chains here: Four Seasons · Conrad