San Jose to Tamarindo
Written: Oct 28 '08 (Updated Jan 28 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Pleasant weather & nice people
Cons: Nothing to see in San Jose, stick to the coast!
The Bottom Line: Costa Rica has a lot to offer if you know where to look!
Tamarindo was my favorite!
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| Ian_Willson's Full Review: Costa Rica |
February of 2008 and my daughter had a nasty flu. Do we fly to Costa Rica or not? Too many reservation to cancel, so we just went. I apologize in advance for my writing style. I know it's not what they want, but if you keep reading, you may want to avoid some of the things my family experienced on this trip.
There is a midnight flight out of SF on TACA. The plane is usually only half full so go to the rear of the plane and stretch out across an entire aisle. It's direct to El Salvador and then you have to make a really quick switch of planes in less than 45 minutes.
An hour later we arrived in San Jose and got shuttled off to Hertz. They wanted $2 for a small bottle of water (I thought Costa Rica was supposed to be cheap?) and told us not to let anyone help us if we got a flat tire because they could be thieves. Oh, and by the way, did we want tire insurance? I said NO at the exact same moment my wife said YES. We got the insurance.
We began our journey from San Jose to the Arenal Volcano. This was a bumpy third world car ride and there were hardly any signs. Even though we felt lost, there was but one road, so we just went with it. We passed through an incredibly lush rainforest filled with many bridges. These bridges cross over huge rivers that look like they flash flood constantly during the rainy season.
ARENAL VOLCANO- very impressive and conical. Unfortunately we're on the side where the lava is not flowing and it's cloudy on top anyway. We have reservations at the "eco-lodge" in NUEVO ARENAL which is still an hour away from where we are in FORTUNA. Unlike the northern hemisphere, the sun sets quickly down here so we have to get moving (driving at night in Costa Rica is no good due to all the potholes in the roads, no signs, animals, etc).
After driving almost the entire length of Arenal Lake, we finally find the eco-lodge perched high on a hilltop with a commanding view. There are only 3 other guests in the entire place. It's very quiet. Birds are chirping and the whole place is misty wet. We're so tired from the long drive we instantly fall asleep (and miss the dinner that was part of the package) but get a rude awakening by thunder and lightning. Even though this is the dry season, massive amounts of warm rain start to fall. Don't ever try to drive in these conditions! Your windshield wipers won't be able to keep up with it.
TAMARINDO- Another 4 hour drive. This time through a very dry dusty landscape with lots of cows. Our only stop is to check out the "Las Pumas" cat zoo. This is a "must see" according to most books and is supposedly free. Not anymore, and looks like someones back yard! Finally in Tamarindo and the surf is up! After lunch at the "Diria Hotel", certainly the most impressive hotel on the beach, we head to cabinas marielos (which was highly recommended in Expedia). After much hoopla about whether my 12 year old is an adult or not, we reject 2 rooms, and finally settle on one with a balcony. There's no hot water, a hideous air conditioner turning on and off all night long, and bed bugs. We had booked 3 nights, but could not stay another minute.
When we came back to the main road, we didn't know whether we should turn left or turn right. I'm glad we turned right because we found the Best Western, slightly up on a hill, with a commanding view of the beach. They feature an "all you can eat breakfast". The room had a kitchenette and hot water. Ladies night gets really loud at the bar so don't stay here on a Friday night unless you bring earplugs.
Tamarindo's streets are all dirt. The town has got a sort of a dusty wild west feel to it. The beach is nice the water is warm. We saw many people learning to surf here. There are many shops and restaurants to choose from. Parasailing, surfing, horseback riding, fishing, and even excursions to the jungle to zipline can be arranged.
We made an excursion South to "Playa Langosta" (this is where the rich people have their mansions) and saw a huge iguana on the beach. At low tide the tidepools are filled with crabs and other fascinating creatures.
I took my daughter horse back riding up North at "Playa Conchal".
This was well worth it. The beach is powdery white and there are sloths and howler monkeys in the trees.
The drive back to San Jose starts on a dirt road and finally merges with Highway 1, the main highway that goes all the way down to Panama. In general, the pollution spewing out of the trucks and buses in Costa Rica is horrendous. I found myself constantly staying back at a distance to avoid intoxication. Traffic got heavy on the hills because no one could get around the slow vehicles. Every now and then there would be an annoying toll booth that charged like 45 cents. This would also slow traffic and cause backups.
SAN JOSE- Is the capital and nothing to write home about. A grungy market scene and litter everywhere. We didn't have reservations and wow, did I have a hard time finding a room. Everything was booked solid (even the Holiday Inn). I saw one couple that had reservations not only not get picked up a the airport as promised but bumped to another hotel! The only room left in town was at the Brittannia, which I can endorse. They put us in a room that looked like a King or Queen had slept here. Chandeliers, 2 king beds, satellite TV, etc. We paid dearly! Costa Rica is not cheap.
We had the morning to burn before the flight back home so we went to the "gold museum" which is underground and heavily guarded. They say you can't film but some guards didn't seem to care. This is one of the only things worth seeing in San Jose. Save at least $26 per person in US money for departure tax at the airport or you ain't leaving CR.
All in all, we saw only a fraction of what Costa Rica has to offer. My daughter and I liked Tamarindo but could skip the rest. My wife didn't like any of it. I hope this helps!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Students
Best Time to Travel Here: Dec - Feb
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Epinions.com ID:
Ian_Willson
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Member: Ian Willson
Location: San Francisco bay area
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 7 members
About Me:
musician for a living, chess as a hobby, and travel for adventure
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