CR Trip Report
Oct 31st, 2005, 10:55 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
CR Trip Report
Many thanks to all the travel talk/trip reports that helped me plan my trip. I had a GREAT time and will go back for sure- but never in high season, i couldn't imagine any of the places i went to with 5000 extra touristas...
Day 1-4 -
I went from SFO to SJO (taca) to Tamarindo (sansa). The 1st day I got there it was pouring rain and I thought oops "they" are all right!, but then with all the tamarindo tourista crap I had heard aside, I loved this beach. I stayed at Villas Macondo for $20 a night and it was perfect for me. I had my own room with bathroom and outside was a hammock. There was a full kitchen with free coffee and a small swim pool that felt perfect after being at the beach all day. The grounds are beautiful and the location perfect. I learned to surf with Banana surf school for $25 per day a surfboard and for 2 hours of instruction that usually went for longer time than that. I just had a blast with it and I loved being in the ocean, good peeps there at banana. Now, Tamarindo is not the cheapest place in CR, so I do agree with other posters that finding a place to eat for under $10 at first was a little perplexing however, the fruta tropicales across the street from witches rock became a regular hang out for me as did Nuquis on the beach for breakfast. (And no, I didn't go have the nachos as big as my ass at witches rock -I can do that here). Throughout my whole trip I stuck with cosado or arroz con pollo (SO yummy) -tico food and I LOVED it and it was cheap. Also here, I didn't go out at night, some of the other guests would tell me where it was "happening" for that particular evening...but, call me old but after surfing all day it was just about all I could do to go eat! Also, I ran into some girls on the beach that had gone out the night before and they said that there was a 40/10 ratio, guys to girls. I think because I didn't go "out" or do any tourist shopping, I missed alot of the hype of Tamarindo. I just relaxed, had a good book! - Tico time-gotta love it!
Day 4-7
My friend Jackie was saving the turtles on Playa Grande (she had an amazing time –www.earthwatch.org) the week before I arrived (which is why I picked Tamarindo, it was just easiest). So on the 4th day Jackie met me at Villas Macondo and then we took the interbus to Arenal. We stayed at Cerro Chato Lodge that was again, for me, perfect. It is not in downtown La Fortuna but just outside of town and at first we thought oh dear, is there even a hotel here, but then we appreciated everything this place offered us and like Tamarindo, though being in a very tourista part of CR, doing what I can to avoid or stay on the edge of that part of it. The owners, Miguel and Carmen are perfect hosts (grounds were very very beautiful and we often saw birds while eating breakfast) and so started our "tour" part of the trip. We got REALLY lucky and saw the entire volcano for the first few days. Apparently this time of the year for that area is the best weather, it hadn't rained in 5 weeks before we got there. The 1st day in the afternoon we hiked almost to the waterfall but didn’t make it, we were too hungry so went to the neighbor eco lodge for tico dinner, yummy and SO cheap. 2nd day- after a great breakfast cooked by Carmen, we hiked the park in the volcano. We loved this hike (we saw maybe 10 people) and were hiking through the rain forest then to the closest point you can get to the volcano in the park and then to the lava field, it was great. The weather was perfect hiking weather and still didn’t rain on us. We then did the hanging bridges tour which sucked, after the hike, it just sucked! But there was great tourista store and so we lifted our spirits the best way we knew how –shopped a bit! Also the view of the volcano is amazing from the entrance of the hanging bridges and Miguel told us the restaurant here is really good too but it was closed. After all that, we went to Baldi hot springs. Miguel told us that Tabacon is owned by a tico family and also a Colombian family and that most of the money that is made there goes not even to Colombia but to Miami, so we went to Baldi which was cheaper anyhow and was still great and felt WONDERFUL and we definitely took advantage of the swim up bar! The next day we did the cano Negro tour and we were so overwhelmed by the beauty and saw lots of different birds, some monkeys some caymans some of everything, including the different types of trees flowers and butterflies, it was great tour for us. And they had a tico lunch beside the river, it was very good. We had them drop us in La Fortuna we did a bit of shopping and ate at the “soda la parada” –excellent! 4th day we did a canopy tour in the morning and ziplined across the forest. It was fun –good times!
Day 7-9
That afternoon we left for Manuel Antonio. We arrived at Mono Azul hotel and realized that comfortable beds in CR are rare; maybe it’s just that we were budget travelers…that night we ate at the hotel and watched the futbol game (Suprissa vs. Olympia –GREAT game and all the guides were talking about it the next morning, but I was a suprissita, and they lost, damn it!). The next morning we went for a tour with our guide Leo through Manuel Antonio Park, which was great and even though we had seen some of the animals before, they and the forest were never explained to us in great detail like with this tour. We took our swim suits and books with us and stayed there after the tour, on the beach #3 (?ithink!). And we returned there the next day too, just to have a hang out beach day before our departure (so depressing!!). MA is where we saw the most tourists of anywhere. We also had good meals at MarLuna and also at the train at Costa Verde hotel. We went into Quepos to go to the grocery store to buy rum and coffee for the boys we’d left in CA and it was a stinking pit, never again!
So that’s it. We left the next day (just yesterday damn it) on the interbus and, by the way, the tica bus OVERTOOK the interbus - We all laughed –whatta buncha tourista gringos we were! And I’m back in my effing cube with a 1:30am return flight hangover. I did make a few pots of CR coffee and now I must go make a few more -it disappears quick!
i shall post picture link when i get a chance to download...
I had a GREAT time in Costa Rica. The people were nice, the food good, the ocean warm, it is very beautiful and full of wildlife. I'm SO wanting to go back... COSTA RICA = PURA VIDA
Day 1-4 -
I went from SFO to SJO (taca) to Tamarindo (sansa). The 1st day I got there it was pouring rain and I thought oops "they" are all right!, but then with all the tamarindo tourista crap I had heard aside, I loved this beach. I stayed at Villas Macondo for $20 a night and it was perfect for me. I had my own room with bathroom and outside was a hammock. There was a full kitchen with free coffee and a small swim pool that felt perfect after being at the beach all day. The grounds are beautiful and the location perfect. I learned to surf with Banana surf school for $25 per day a surfboard and for 2 hours of instruction that usually went for longer time than that. I just had a blast with it and I loved being in the ocean, good peeps there at banana. Now, Tamarindo is not the cheapest place in CR, so I do agree with other posters that finding a place to eat for under $10 at first was a little perplexing however, the fruta tropicales across the street from witches rock became a regular hang out for me as did Nuquis on the beach for breakfast. (And no, I didn't go have the nachos as big as my ass at witches rock -I can do that here). Throughout my whole trip I stuck with cosado or arroz con pollo (SO yummy) -tico food and I LOVED it and it was cheap. Also here, I didn't go out at night, some of the other guests would tell me where it was "happening" for that particular evening...but, call me old but after surfing all day it was just about all I could do to go eat! Also, I ran into some girls on the beach that had gone out the night before and they said that there was a 40/10 ratio, guys to girls. I think because I didn't go "out" or do any tourist shopping, I missed alot of the hype of Tamarindo. I just relaxed, had a good book! - Tico time-gotta love it!
Day 4-7
My friend Jackie was saving the turtles on Playa Grande (she had an amazing time –www.earthwatch.org) the week before I arrived (which is why I picked Tamarindo, it was just easiest). So on the 4th day Jackie met me at Villas Macondo and then we took the interbus to Arenal. We stayed at Cerro Chato Lodge that was again, for me, perfect. It is not in downtown La Fortuna but just outside of town and at first we thought oh dear, is there even a hotel here, but then we appreciated everything this place offered us and like Tamarindo, though being in a very tourista part of CR, doing what I can to avoid or stay on the edge of that part of it. The owners, Miguel and Carmen are perfect hosts (grounds were very very beautiful and we often saw birds while eating breakfast) and so started our "tour" part of the trip. We got REALLY lucky and saw the entire volcano for the first few days. Apparently this time of the year for that area is the best weather, it hadn't rained in 5 weeks before we got there. The 1st day in the afternoon we hiked almost to the waterfall but didn’t make it, we were too hungry so went to the neighbor eco lodge for tico dinner, yummy and SO cheap. 2nd day- after a great breakfast cooked by Carmen, we hiked the park in the volcano. We loved this hike (we saw maybe 10 people) and were hiking through the rain forest then to the closest point you can get to the volcano in the park and then to the lava field, it was great. The weather was perfect hiking weather and still didn’t rain on us. We then did the hanging bridges tour which sucked, after the hike, it just sucked! But there was great tourista store and so we lifted our spirits the best way we knew how –shopped a bit! Also the view of the volcano is amazing from the entrance of the hanging bridges and Miguel told us the restaurant here is really good too but it was closed. After all that, we went to Baldi hot springs. Miguel told us that Tabacon is owned by a tico family and also a Colombian family and that most of the money that is made there goes not even to Colombia but to Miami, so we went to Baldi which was cheaper anyhow and was still great and felt WONDERFUL and we definitely took advantage of the swim up bar! The next day we did the cano Negro tour and we were so overwhelmed by the beauty and saw lots of different birds, some monkeys some caymans some of everything, including the different types of trees flowers and butterflies, it was great tour for us. And they had a tico lunch beside the river, it was very good. We had them drop us in La Fortuna we did a bit of shopping and ate at the “soda la parada” –excellent! 4th day we did a canopy tour in the morning and ziplined across the forest. It was fun –good times!
Day 7-9
That afternoon we left for Manuel Antonio. We arrived at Mono Azul hotel and realized that comfortable beds in CR are rare; maybe it’s just that we were budget travelers…that night we ate at the hotel and watched the futbol game (Suprissa vs. Olympia –GREAT game and all the guides were talking about it the next morning, but I was a suprissita, and they lost, damn it!). The next morning we went for a tour with our guide Leo through Manuel Antonio Park, which was great and even though we had seen some of the animals before, they and the forest were never explained to us in great detail like with this tour. We took our swim suits and books with us and stayed there after the tour, on the beach #3 (?ithink!). And we returned there the next day too, just to have a hang out beach day before our departure (so depressing!!). MA is where we saw the most tourists of anywhere. We also had good meals at MarLuna and also at the train at Costa Verde hotel. We went into Quepos to go to the grocery store to buy rum and coffee for the boys we’d left in CA and it was a stinking pit, never again!
So that’s it. We left the next day (just yesterday damn it) on the interbus and, by the way, the tica bus OVERTOOK the interbus - We all laughed –whatta buncha tourista gringos we were! And I’m back in my effing cube with a 1:30am return flight hangover. I did make a few pots of CR coffee and now I must go make a few more -it disappears quick!
i shall post picture link when i get a chance to download...
I had a GREAT time in Costa Rica. The people were nice, the food good, the ocean warm, it is very beautiful and full of wildlife. I'm SO wanting to go back... COSTA RICA = PURA VIDA
Nov 10th, 2005, 11:41 AM
#6
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I don't really remember the store in Quepos being that terrible but I am sure my wife and daughter will not be go with my son and I to pick up groceries. We will be there for Thanksgiving week and staying at the beautiful Costa Verde. I love that little town and it is my 3rd visit to Quepos. I will be glad to visit Marsha at El Gran Escape to cook the fish my son and I hope to catch when we deepsea. It is a horrible feeling getting back on that plane coming home. Always very quiet. What a spectacular place and fantastic coffee and rum. Pura vida........
