Awesome Vacation - Here are some tips!
Written: Apr 08 '04 (Updated Apr 08 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Lots to do, great weather, variety of fun activities.
Cons: Some places can be touristy.
The Bottom Line: Great, fun trip.
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| barbieca's Full Review: Costa Rica |
Here is a little synopsis of my recent trip to Costa Rica, including what I liked, what I didn’t and what I’d do differently next time around. Our trip was during the last week of March, which is an excellent time to visit. The weather was great the entire time. First some tips:
· HOTELS - Book your hotel rooms in advance, especially if you are going in the high (dry) season. We had all of our rooms booked for us by Costa Rica Travel Web (www.costarica.net). We told them which dates we would be in which cities and told them to go to town. They did a great job and set us up with some really nice hotels for good prices. (We called one of the hotels that they booked for us directly to get a rate, and it was actually higher than the CRTW price!) We prepaid all of the hotels which made checking in and out a breeze.
· MONEY – I went with zero and hit the ATM when I got there to pull out a few thousand colones. With any luck your ATM will print your account balance on your receipt. It’s pretty cool to see a few million in the old bank account. However, if you don’t have time for that, just about everyone accepts US Dollars. In fact, many places list their prices in both dollars and colones, but you will always get colones as change.
· GETTING AROUND – RENT A CAR! I can’t emphasize that enough…RENT A CAR!!!! Everyone tells you not to, but I strongly disagree. However, be sure to rent a 4WD. None of the roads going to Monteverde are paved, and there are plenty of spots you’ll find good use for your 4WD. Once you see the minivans they call tour busses with upwards of 20 people sitting on each other’s laps for 4 hours at a time, you’ll fall in love with your rental car all over again. Also, the fact that you can go where you want, when you want, makes the rental car worth every penny. Directions can be challenging since none of the roads have names/numbers. You’ll probably need to ask for directions a few times, especially out in the jungle, but people are very friendly and always eager to help.
· FOOD – lots of rice and beans. Lots of people say it’s not very good, but I really liked the food. Put Salsa Lizano (a tangy sauce only found in Costa Rica) on whatever you eat…it’s awesome. Also, there is great seafood in the towns on the Pacific coast.
· GETTING THERE – Most of the US carriers fly into San Jose. American goes from Dallas or Miami, United connects in Washington (oddly there is no direct flight from their home base of Chicago), US Air goes from Philadelphia or Charlotte, Delta from Atlanta and Continental from Houston. Also, you can get some good deals on Mexicana (connecting in Mexico City) and TACA (connecting in Guatemala).
· CLIMATE – Hot on the coast and cool in the mountains. Bring both beach wear and pants/sweathirts.
During our trip we went to the following spots: Arenal Volcano, Monteverde, Punta Leona, Jaco and Manuel Antonio. Below is an overview of each:
First SAN JOSE – The one night we spent in San Jose, we met up with some friends who live in the city and went to an area known as ‘El Pueblo’. Of the three or four nightlife areas around the city, this seems to be where more of the locals go and is less touristy. We only saw a couple of foreigners there all night. El Pueblo is a great time – it is a collection of about 20 bars and clubs that you can go back and forth between. The area itself sort of reminded me of Disney World, people are everywhere, everything is lit up and decorated – only difference is that everyone’s hammered here. We went to about 6 or 7 of the bars over the course of the night and had a GREAT time. El Pueblo picks up later in the evening, so head over there around 12 or 1, which is when things really get started.
ARENAL VOLCANO (La Fortuna) - About 2.5 hours’ drive from San Jose, Arenal is the major active volcano in Costa Rica. There are lots of things to do around the volcano, such as hiking, horseback or ATV tours, volcanic hot springs, and more. If you make it here, there is one thing you can’t miss- the waterfall. Near the town of La Fortuna is road leading about 4 miles into the jungle. When the road ends, you park and hike into the rain forest to a huge waterfall. You can go swimming at the base of the falls and it’s an amazing spot. Makes for some awesome pictures, so bring your waterproof camera.
The town of La Fortuna has a lot of small restaurants where you can eat dinner. The hot springs (about 2km outside of town) make for a good place to hang out in the evening. It’s a series of pools ov varying temperatures (ranging from 100-187 degrees) fed by the volcanic hot springs. The two largest pools have swim up bars that serve tropical drinks and beer.
If you’re lucky, and the volcano isn’t immersed in clouds, you might be able to see lava flows at night! You can also hear the eruptions from the hotels.
MONTEVERDE / CLOUD FOREST – About 3 hours drive from Arenal Volcano (even though it’s very close, there are no direct routes, you have to drive around some gigantic lake to get there) the roads leading to it consist are made of dirt with giant rocks sticking up all over the place, making for a very bumpy ride where your maximum speed will be limited to about 30 km/h due to the road conditions.
Activities that we did here included hiking through the Cloud Forest and canopying. Now ordinarily, I get the feeling that the Cloud Forest gets enveloped with clouds, hence the name. However when we were there, it was clear as can be. This is a rain forest preserve with paths that you can hike along. Make sure you show up promptly at 7am when the park opens or you’ll have to wait to get in (they only let 150 people in at a time and most people hike for about 3 hours).
If you’re looking for more excitement, go on a canopy tour zip wire. There are three companies that offer canopy tours in Monteverde. We chose Selvatura, which has the most zip lines and some of the best views. If you have your old student ID lying around, bring it along, it can save you 30%.
PUNTA LEONA – When we had our reservations made, everything in Jaco was booked, so we ended up getting a room at the Punta Leona resort (about 15 minutes north of Jaco). The resort is very nice, secluded from everything else by a 6km private driveway through the jungle and bamboo forest. However, the condo here left something to be desired. It was pretty much a typical beach house like you’d find in the US, sort of run down and noticeable effects of being near the beach for 30 years. However, it did have a kitchen, A/C, cable and two bedrooms – no hot water though, which actually wasn’t that bad considering how hot it was outside.
The resort has lots of amenities including swimming pools, several restaurants, mini golf and two private beaches, which are very nice. We heard that lots of people from San Jose spend there weekends at Punta Leona, but we were there during the week and it was almost entirely foreigners. It’s a $15 cab ride from Jaco if you want to get out of the resort at night.
While the resort would certainly appeal to many people, it was probably our least favorite stop and we would probably skip it next time.
JACO (pronounced ha-kô) – While we didn’t actually stay here, we did come into town the night we were at Punta Leona, and came back for the beach the next day. The town is a surfer’s paradise, filled with surf shops, restaurants and bars. It’s a fun place to go bar hopping at night and we enjoyed our evening there.
We came back to the beach the next day – my friend and I wanted to try to learn to surf. So we headed to the main “beginner’s” beach. Five minutes in the water and we had decided to try surfing someplace else. The waves were monstrous! If you know how to surf, definitely check it out though.
This is one place I would have liked to spend an extra day and night. It seemed like a pretty cool town.
MANUEL ANTONIO – The last two nights were spent in Manuel Antonio, which is about an hour south of Jaco on the Pacific. It is also about a three-hour drive from San Jose. Manuel Antonio is a national park containing several beaches that you can hike to. All of the beaches are different and unique. All are very nice. Additionally, we saw the most wildlife here, including monkeys, sloths, iguanas and a deer hanging out on the beach!
There are two towns about 5 km apart, Quepos and Manuel Antonio. The road between them contains the majority of the hotels. There are great restaurants and bars in both places. Manuel Antonio, in particlar, has a great outdoor dance club right on the beach that plays reggae. In between dancing and drinking, you can go out to walk on the beach. This place was packed when we were there and stays open well into the night. There’s also a restaurant / dance club made out of an old army plane that was used by the Contras in Nicaragua. They have great seafood and it’s pretty cool to see. If you’re going to Costa Rica, definitely include Manuel Antonio in your itinerary.
HOTEL RATINGS
San Jose – Best Western Irazu Value 9/10; Amenities 9/10; Service 7/10; Location 9/10; Room 8/10
- - by far the nicest Best Western I have ever seen. Apparently they hold their best westerns to a higher standard in Central America! I thought I was in a Marriott level hotel. The room for four of us came to $96 per night plus tax, equating to about $116 total. The hotel itself is very nice – the rooms were clean and well maintained with large modern bathrooms and cable television. There is a very nice swimming pool and garden area in the central courtyard. The hotel also features a casino and a bar with a dance floor (which actually draws quite a crowd on weekend nights). They have a happy hour with free drinks from 5-6 every night. Also included with your room rate are vouchers for free breakfast at the Denny’s (yes, Denny’s) next door. They have a free airport shuttle which takes about 20 minutes.
Arenal Volcano – Hotel Tacotal Value 6/10; Amenities 8/10; Service 10/10; Location 10/10; Room 9/10
- - Of all of the hotels we drove by in Arenal this looked like it was one of the closest to the volcano with possibly the best view. The hotel is actually a collection of individual cabins, each with a sliding door and small patio area in the front. The check-in area, restaurant and bar are all outdoors under a large tiki roof. Everyone we met at this hotel was extremely friendly and helpful. This was probably my favorite hotel over the course of the trip. There is also an outdoor swimming pool and hot tub. The cabins are very large and clean, and have nice bathrooms with a HUGE shower, hot water and A/C. You also have a TV with DirecTV. Also, you get free breakfast.
Monteverde – Hotel Montana Value 8/10; Amenities 3/10; Service 6/10; Location 9/10; Room 10/10
- - A pretty nice place, a collection of buildings centrally located in the Monteverde area. Ask for the new building in the back, it has great views from your private balcony/patio. The rooms are very large with Jacuzzis, hot water and A/C, but no TV. But you’re not in Costa Rica to watch TV, are you?
Punta Leona Resort Value 7/10; Amenities 10/10; Service 5/10; Location NA; Room 3/10
See my comments above. Really depends on what type of vacation you’re looking for.
Manuel Antonio – Mimo’s Value 8/10; Amenities 8/10; Service 8/10; Location 10/10; Room 10/10
- - Excellent hotel run by a family from Milan. Located half way between Quepos and Manuel Antonio, the rooms are huge and in great shape and the upper levels have balcony areas with hammocks! Makes for a great place to sit outside in the evening to have a few beers. Rooms have A/C, hot water, cable and Cable TV. There’s also a very nice pool with a bar, a hot tub and they are installing an internet café. Breakfast is included. This one is tied for my favorite hotel with the Tacotal in Arenal. If Manuel Antonio is on your itinerary (and it should be!) definitely stay here.
LAST WORDS-
Two places you can’t miss – Arenal Volcano and Manuel Antonio. If I had to name my favorite stop, it’s a tossup between these two. If we had it to do again, I’d spend an extra day in Jaco, skip Punta Leona, and try to head over to the Caribbean side for a day, we heard it’s supposed to be great.
Definitely be sure to plan out your stops and book hotels before you go. I am a fan of spontaneity on my trips (I never make any plans going to Europe, just hop on a plane and figure it out when I get there), but this isn’t possible in Costa Rica unless you want to spend half your time driving around looking for hotels. I would definitely recommend the travel agency I listed at the beginning.
Lastly, brush up on your Spanish before you go. Most people in the cities and hotels speak English, but wouldn’t you rather try to speak in their native tongue? People really seem to appreciate the effort. Also, it may come in handy if you need to ask for directions out in the jungle.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
Best Time to Travel Here: Dec - Feb
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Epinions.com ID:
barbieca
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Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 0 members
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