Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about sending flowers to Costa Rica with SendFlowersCostaRica, from addresses and delivery times to local customs.
Sending flowers to Costa Rica
How do I send flowers to Costa Rica from another country?
Place your order on sendflowerscostarica.com and a florist in Costa Rica will make the arrangement by hand and deliver it. The steps are simple: select the flowers and the size, fill in the recipient's name, address and phone number, choose the delivery date, type your free card message and pay with a card or PayPal. You can order from the United States, Canada, the UK, Europe, Asia or anywhere else. Right after ordering you receive an email confirmation with your order number.
How should I write a Costa Rican address?
Write it exactly as the recipient would describe it, with landmarks and distances. Most Costa Rican addresses do not rely on street names or house numbers. Instead they give directions from a known point, for example 200 metres north and 75 metres east of the church, where 100 metres means one block. Add the province, canton and district, the barrio, the colour of the house or the name of the condominium, and a phone number. Postal codes exist but are rarely used in practice. When in doubt, ask the recipient or a relative to send you the address in writing.
Which cities do you deliver to in Costa Rica?
We deliver to San José, Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia, Liberia, Puntarenas, Limón, Escazú and every town in Costa Rica. That includes the whole Greater Metropolitan Area of the Central Valley, the provincial capitals, and beach and mountain destinations such as Tamarindo, Jacó, Quepos and La Fortuna. Same-day delivery is available in most areas for orders placed before 11:00 am local time, and next-day delivery nationwide. Very remote areas or small islands may need next-day delivery.
What if the recipient is not available when the florist arrives?
The florist will first call the recipient, which is why we ask for a phone number on every order. If the person cannot be reached or is out, the florist may leave the arrangement with a neighbour, a reception desk or a concierge, or arrange a new attempt. Because addresses in Costa Rica rely on landmarks, that phone call is often also how the florist confirms the last few metres of the route, so please provide a number the recipient actually answers.
Do you deliver to hospitals, hotels and workplaces?
Yes. Florists deliver to hospitals, clinics, workplaces, universities, hotels and vacation rentals throughout Costa Rica. For a hospital, include the patient's full name and the ward or room if known; staff at reception decide whether flowers can go up, and some units do not allow them. For hotels and rentals, give the property name and the guest's name as it appears on the booking. A mobile number makes any of these deliveries much smoother.
Delivery times and dates
Is same-day flower delivery available in Costa Rica?
Yes, same-day delivery is available from Monday to Saturday when you order before 11:00 am local time in Costa Rica. Orders placed after 11:00 am are delivered the next day. This covers most areas of the country; very remote areas or small islands may need next-day delivery. Next-day delivery is available nationwide. Costa Rica does not use daylight saving time, so the time difference with your own country may change during the year: check the current local time before relying on the cut-off.
Do you deliver on Sundays or public holidays in Costa Rica?
No, we do not deliver on Sundays or on Costa Rica's main national public holidays. Holidays in the Costa Rican calendar include 1 January, 11 April (Juan Santamaría Day), 25 July (the Annexation of Nicoya), 15 August (Mother's Day), 15 September (Independence Day) and 25 December. The date picker blocks the days without delivery, so you can only choose a date on which delivery is possible. For a holiday celebration, pick the nearest available day before it.
Can I ask for delivery at a particular time?
Exact delivery times cannot be guaranteed, but you can state a preferred window. Deliveries are made during the day, and a note such as morning only or after midday in the delivery instructions tells the florist what suits the recipient, and the florist will try to meet it. In the rainy season, from about May to November, showers usually arrive in the afternoon, so mornings are a sensible choice. For flowers that must be present at a particular event, schedule delivery a day early.
Can I schedule a flower delivery to Costa Rica in advance?
Yes, you can place an order up to about three months before the delivery date. Choose the date in the calendar and the florist will prepare the flowers fresh for that day. Advance orders are wise around 15 August, when Costa Rica celebrates Mother's Day, and around 14 February. Until 24 hours before the delivery date you can still change the details or cancel free of charge through the contact form.
Flowers, sizes and extras
What do Regular, Upgraded and Deluxe mean?
Regular, Upgraded and Deluxe are three versions of the same design with different amounts of flowers, and most arrangements come in all three. Compared with Regular, Upgraded contains about 30% more flowers and Deluxe about 60% more. The photograph on each product page shows the Upgraded size. If you want the arrangement to match the picture, choose Upgraded; choose Deluxe for a fuller, more generous bouquet, or Regular for a smaller gesture in the same style and colours.
Can the florist substitute flowers in my order?
Sometimes, yes. If a particular flower is out of season or not available locally on the delivery day, the florist may replace specific stems with flowers of equal or higher value, keeping the same colours and style. Costa Rican florists work with what is fresh, and availability can vary between the Central Valley and the coasts. The arrangement you receive will keep the spirit and colour palette of the one you chose.
Which add-ons are available, and do you sell cakes or hampers?
The available add-ons are a box of chocolates, a glass vase, a plush teddy bear, a greeting card, balloons and a wine bottle. You select them when ordering and they arrive with the flowers in a single delivery. We do not sell cakes, food hampers or other gifts. Balloons and a teddy bear are popular for births and children's birthdays, chocolates for anniversaries, and the vase is helpful when sending to a hotel, a hospital or an office where none may be at hand.
Is a card message included?
Yes, a printed card with your message is included free with every order. Type your words at checkout, in English or Spanish, and the printed card is delivered with the bouquet. Do not forget to add your name at the end, since nothing else on the delivery identifies the sender. If you would like something more elaborate, a greeting card is also available as an add-on.
Prices, payment and your order
How much does delivery cost, and in which currency do I pay?
The delivery fee is a flat USD 14.95 per order for any address in Costa Rica, and there are no other surcharges. All prices on the site are charged in US dollars. For convenience, the site can also show approximate prices in euros (EUR) and Costa Rican colones (CRC), but these are reference values only, and the final charge is always the USD amount shown at checkout.
How can I pay for flowers sent to Costa Rica?
We accept international credit and debit cards, namely Visa, Mastercard and American Express, processed through Stripe, as well as PayPal. The checkout is secure and encrypted. Cards issued in any country can be used, so it does not matter whether you are ordering from North America, Europe, Asia or Australia. Since the charge is in US dollars, your bank or PayPal will apply its own exchange rate if your account is in another currency.
Can I modify or cancel an order after paying?
Yes. You can change or cancel an order free of charge up to 24 hours before the delivery date. Requests made later than that are handled on a best-effort basis, because the florist may already be preparing the arrangement. Send your request through the contact form at /page/contact and quote the order number from your confirmation email. Replies usually arrive within a few hours.
What should I do if there is a problem with the flowers?
Contact us within 24 hours and attach a photo. If the flowers arrived damaged or are clearly different from what you ordered, we will arrange a replacement or a refund. Use the contact form at /page/contact and mention your order number for faster help. Please note that replacing individual stems with others of equal or higher value in the same colours and style is part of our substitution policy and does not count as a different product.
Who operates SendFlowersCostaRica?
SendFlowersCostaRica is operated by Flowers Worldwide LLC, a US-registered company. It is part of a family of flower delivery brands that also includes abcFlora.com, which delivers flowers worldwide, and FlowersCloud.com. Every order placed on sendflowerscostarica.com is prepared by hand and delivered by a local florist in Costa Rica. For any question, write to us through the contact form at /page/contact; we usually reply within a few hours.
Occasions and customs in Costa Rica
When is Mother's Day in Costa Rica?
Mother's Day in Costa Rica, Día de la Madre, is celebrated on 15 August every year. The date coincides with the Catholic feast of the Assumption and is a national public holiday, which also means it is not a delivery day. Plan your flowers for the last available delivery day before 15 August; the date picker shows which dates are open. It is the most important flower occasion in the country, so order early. Father's Day, by contrast, falls on the third Sunday of June.
What other occasions call for flowers in Costa Rica?
Birthdays, anniversaries, births, graduations, 14 February and religious milestones are the main occasions besides Mother's Day. Valentine's Day is known as the Día del Amor y la Amistad, the day of love and friendship, so it is common to send flowers to friends and relatives as well as to a partner. First communions, weddings and fifteenth-birthday parties are important family events. Flowers are also a warm way to thank a host or to welcome someone home.
Which flowers are popular in Costa Rica, and are there any to avoid?
Roses, lilies, gerberas, sunflowers and tropical flowers are all well liked, and there are few strict taboos. The national flower is the guaria morada, a purple orchid that blooms early in the year, and orchids in general are admired. Costa Rica's climate also produces heliconias, gingers, anthuriums and birds of paradise, which give arrangements a local character. As in much of Latin America, all-white arrangements are mostly associated with funerals and sympathy, so choose colourful flowers for birthdays and celebrations.
Can I send sympathy or funeral flowers to Costa Rica?
Yes, sympathy flowers are appropriate and appreciated in Costa Rica. Funerals usually take place very soon after a death, often within a day, so order immediately and use same-day delivery when it is before 11:00 am local time. White flowers such as lilies, roses and chrysanthemums are the traditional choice. Give the name of the funeral home or church and the full name of the deceased. If the service has already passed, flowers can be sent to the family home during the novenario, the nine days of prayers that follow.