San Jose, Costa Rica
Getting there and away:
From the states arrange a flight, get there 2 hours early with the hope that they will bump you so that you get a free international airline ticket, wait in line only to be told the flight is, in fact, not oversold and the internet lied to you. Board the plane, go hungry; now airlines only offer peanuts for nourishment unless you want the $15 snack pack, arrive in Atlanta, totally zombied out, find an over air conditioned corner and use your stolen airline, paper thin, blankets to make a haphhazard sleeping spot. Freeze, toss, turn, doze, eat your first slice of american cheese in years on a $6.00 egg and cheese sandwich, reboard, land in San Jose.From the airport walk outside into the blinding humid hotness amid taxi drivers screaming and following you around. Ask over and over ¨donde esta el autobus para ir al centro de San Jose¨, walk up and down the same street a couple of times, finally see a group of people waiting about 50 meters down the ramp from the airport to your right, and board a slightly grimy but otherwise unassuming bus that a random man tells you is ¨a San Jose.¨
Places to Stay:
Um... this was difficult to figure out as wearing a large backpack, one person double bagging it, and walking into hotels to ask how much a room costs becomes increasingly frustrating. A nice person at a private travel firm may be of assistance, informing you that places in San Jose are quite pricey.Find a place before you arrive if at all possible. If not, Petite Victoria, just 7 blocks from the hospital, provides, clean, many bed rooms with dark, but passable bathrooms en suite.
Places to eat:
On a budget El Mercado Central is the place to go. Two can feast on emapanadas that are warm and filling and cost less than 500 colones ($1 US) each.
Pluses:
The fruit stands in this city are awesome. Pineapples are amazing and the bags of leechee fruits are a steal.
Minuses:
There are more fast food places in San Jose than there are Starbucks in Seattle.
Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
Getting there and away:
From San Jose take a taxi to the bus station. Do not walk to the Coca Cola bus station as this place only provides service to the Santa Teresa province, not to the sleepy surfer beach town. If you do happen to wind up at the Coca Cola some nice locals will spend 10 minutes talking your ear off, nevermind that you can not understand half of what they say, trying to tell you, in detail, how to walk to the right bus station while simultaneously telling you not to walk because it is in a bad neighborhood and to take a taxi instead.
You can take a bus from San Jose to Puntarenas. From Puntarenas you can choose to either walk or take a taxi to the ferry port. Walking is no advised if you are carrying anything larger than a water bottle. Otherwise you arrive on the ferry drenched in sweat, huffing and puffing, and looking, if possible, even more touristy than usual to the various Ticos (Costa Ricans) on board. After an hour you will de-ferry in Paquera. Do not be persuaded by the various men shouting at you. $40 dollars is not a good price for a ride to Santa Teresa. Instead follow the hoards and board the bus that should mysteriously swoop in about 10 minutes after you dock. The bus will take you to Cobano. In Cobano do not leave your travel partner to go look at things. This is a bad idea as bus times are apporoximate and they will not appreciate yelling up the street after you, praying that you will make it back in time to catch the last bus of the day. The bus from Cobano to Santa Teresa takes about 50 minutes to cover 15 kilometers. The roads are not good, as verified by the name of another major surfer town on the same coast, Malpais (bad country).
Places to stay:
For the intrepid traveler ask the bus driver to please let you off at the end of the line. Walk to Paraisos Azul, denoted by a small sign past the grocery store. Do not take the advice of a cabina operator who tells you that walkig along the beach is the best way to find the campgrounds. About 1/2 mile down the road past La Hacienda, the local supermarket, You will find two adjoined camping/cabina locations. The owners, Ricardo and Maria, will let you set up your tent on the cusp of the beach, in their very own backyard, for a nominal fee. Should ominous rain appear imminent, Maria will inquire as to the permeability of your rain fly and offer you a roof under which to set your tent and belongings. Undoubtedly, it will rain ferociously for the duration of the evening.
Places to eat:
Ask for Ronnie. This Venzuelan transplant owns a small bar and resturant on the beach side of the main road. He is full of information and is an all around nice guy. Cold beer and hammocks complete the atmosphere. It is also the cheapest place on the strip to sit down and have a meal.
The bakery is awesome! The banana bread is amazing, go early to get it all as it comes out of the oven. This place makes great snack food (can you say caprese sandwiches...)
Pluses:
Nice sandy beach, laid back vibe, a perfect place to hang your hammock for extended periods of time.
Minuses:
Big waves, not a tranquilo swimming spot. Also there are sand crab colonies for days so get ready to find loads of pretty shells that have already been claimed by some lucky crab person.
Quepos, Costa Rica
Getting there and away:
Double back to Puntarenas. Ferry and bus schedules are easy to come upon as long as you are not shy about asking the locals. Early departures are recommended. Hop on a bus headed south along the coast, bypassing other tempting beach towns such as Jaco and Dominical.
Places to stay:
When you arrive, turn left away from the ocean (against intuition) and find Hotel Sanchez. Cheap and small, but 100% functional and safe.
Places to eat:
Do not go far! The cafe in front of the hotel is the best food for the best prices. Plus a free fruit plate for dessert!
Pluses:
Perfect jumping off point for Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, an awesome adventure spot full of monkeys and sloths staring at you from afar. Also some of the best beaches in Costa Rica. Turtles are also prevalent, although they were not seen at the last visit before this edition went to print.
Minuses:
Although it is worth a stroll around, there is not much to do in Quepos proper. The beaches are nonexistant!
Getting there and away:
From the states arrange a flight, get there 2 hours early with the hope that they will bump you so that you get a free international airline ticket, wait in line only to be told the flight is, in fact, not oversold and the internet lied to you. Board the plane, go hungry; now airlines only offer peanuts for nourishment unless you want the $15 snack pack, arrive in Atlanta, totally zombied out, find an over air conditioned corner and use your stolen airline, paper thin, blankets to make a haphhazard sleeping spot. Freeze, toss, turn, doze, eat your first slice of american cheese in years on a $6.00 egg and cheese sandwich, reboard, land in San Jose.From the airport walk outside into the blinding humid hotness amid taxi drivers screaming and following you around. Ask over and over ¨donde esta el autobus para ir al centro de San Jose¨, walk up and down the same street a couple of times, finally see a group of people waiting about 50 meters down the ramp from the airport to your right, and board a slightly grimy but otherwise unassuming bus that a random man tells you is ¨a San Jose.¨
Places to Stay:
Um... this was difficult to figure out as wearing a large backpack, one person double bagging it, and walking into hotels to ask how much a room costs becomes increasingly frustrating. A nice person at a private travel firm may be of assistance, informing you that places in San Jose are quite pricey.Find a place before you arrive if at all possible. If not, Petite Victoria, just 7 blocks from the hospital, provides, clean, many bed rooms with dark, but passable bathrooms en suite.
Places to eat:
On a budget El Mercado Central is the place to go. Two can feast on emapanadas that are warm and filling and cost less than 500 colones ($1 US) each.
Pluses:
The fruit stands in this city are awesome. Pineapples are amazing and the bags of leechee fruits are a steal.
Minuses:
There are more fast food places in San Jose than there are Starbucks in Seattle.
Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
Getting there and away:
From San Jose take a taxi to the bus station. Do not walk to the Coca Cola bus station as this place only provides service to the Santa Teresa province, not to the sleepy surfer beach town. If you do happen to wind up at the Coca Cola some nice locals will spend 10 minutes talking your ear off, nevermind that you can not understand half of what they say, trying to tell you, in detail, how to walk to the right bus station while simultaneously telling you not to walk because it is in a bad neighborhood and to take a taxi instead.
You can take a bus from San Jose to Puntarenas. From Puntarenas you can choose to either walk or take a taxi to the ferry port. Walking is no advised if you are carrying anything larger than a water bottle. Otherwise you arrive on the ferry drenched in sweat, huffing and puffing, and looking, if possible, even more touristy than usual to the various Ticos (Costa Ricans) on board. After an hour you will de-ferry in Paquera. Do not be persuaded by the various men shouting at you. $40 dollars is not a good price for a ride to Santa Teresa. Instead follow the hoards and board the bus that should mysteriously swoop in about 10 minutes after you dock. The bus will take you to Cobano. In Cobano do not leave your travel partner to go look at things. This is a bad idea as bus times are apporoximate and they will not appreciate yelling up the street after you, praying that you will make it back in time to catch the last bus of the day. The bus from Cobano to Santa Teresa takes about 50 minutes to cover 15 kilometers. The roads are not good, as verified by the name of another major surfer town on the same coast, Malpais (bad country).
Places to stay:
For the intrepid traveler ask the bus driver to please let you off at the end of the line. Walk to Paraisos Azul, denoted by a small sign past the grocery store. Do not take the advice of a cabina operator who tells you that walkig along the beach is the best way to find the campgrounds. About 1/2 mile down the road past La Hacienda, the local supermarket, You will find two adjoined camping/cabina locations. The owners, Ricardo and Maria, will let you set up your tent on the cusp of the beach, in their very own backyard, for a nominal fee. Should ominous rain appear imminent, Maria will inquire as to the permeability of your rain fly and offer you a roof under which to set your tent and belongings. Undoubtedly, it will rain ferociously for the duration of the evening.
Places to eat:
Ask for Ronnie. This Venzuelan transplant owns a small bar and resturant on the beach side of the main road. He is full of information and is an all around nice guy. Cold beer and hammocks complete the atmosphere. It is also the cheapest place on the strip to sit down and have a meal.
The bakery is awesome! The banana bread is amazing, go early to get it all as it comes out of the oven. This place makes great snack food (can you say caprese sandwiches...)
Pluses:
Nice sandy beach, laid back vibe, a perfect place to hang your hammock for extended periods of time.
Minuses:
Big waves, not a tranquilo swimming spot. Also there are sand crab colonies for days so get ready to find loads of pretty shells that have already been claimed by some lucky crab person.
Quepos, Costa Rica
Getting there and away:
Double back to Puntarenas. Ferry and bus schedules are easy to come upon as long as you are not shy about asking the locals. Early departures are recommended. Hop on a bus headed south along the coast, bypassing other tempting beach towns such as Jaco and Dominical.
Places to stay:
When you arrive, turn left away from the ocean (against intuition) and find Hotel Sanchez. Cheap and small, but 100% functional and safe.
Places to eat:Do not go far! The cafe in front of the hotel is the best food for the best prices. Plus a free fruit plate for dessert!
Pluses:
Perfect jumping off point for Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, an awesome adventure spot full of monkeys and sloths staring at you from afar. Also some of the best beaches in Costa Rica. Turtles are also prevalent, although they were not seen at the last visit before this edition went to print.
Minuses:Although it is worth a stroll around, there is not much to do in Quepos proper. The beaches are nonexistant!
Uvita, Costa Rica
Getting there and away:
This little town in the middle of nowhere is hailed as having some of the country's best and most uninhabited beaches. What they don't tell you is that most everything is a national park, thus unless you are willing to perform some sketchy maneuvers, you have to pay to play. That said, it is easy to get to, take the bus from Quepos bus station that says Uvita on the front. The bus lets you off in the middle of a small dusty town split down the middle by the Costanera (coastal highway). There is a tourist office right where the bus lets you off. They will hook you up with a map and whatever information you seek. From the town of Uvita you can either take a 4 dollar taxi ride or trek on foot 35 minutes to Bahia Uvita.
Places to stay:
Cabinas and Camping Hegalva is a sweet spot with small cabinas, lots for camping, palm trees for hammock swinging and a small, cheap and delicious restaraunt. The owners Joaquin and Cecilia will treat you kindly and their kids provide endless minutes of "mono" (monkey in the middle)entertainment.
Places to eat:
Places to eat: See above, no other resturaunts are reccomended. We advise against ordering any kind of sandwich as they seem to be prepared via microwave with large amounts of what appears to be imitation cheese. Arroz con pollo is a safe bet wherever you find yourself.
Pluses:
Young locals are friendly and happy to direct you down the back pathway to enter the park withoout paying the $6 per person fee. Beware: unless you ask directly you will find yourself in a swamp, not knowing until later that it is a local hang out for crocodiles! Make sure that when taking the illegal way in, you locate and walk on the palo (part way underwater logs that serve as protection against the hungry crocs)
Minuses:
Minuses:The tides at the beaches are crazy and at high tide the sandy shore disappears leaving you with nowhere to lay your sarong. When the tides are low (typically late at night and early in the morning) you will find yourself walking miles to the water.
