Costa Rica
Why We Love It: Monkeys on the beach, evening lava shows, zipping through clouds, friendly Ticos, adventures around every corner
Dates Traveled: March 2004
Must See: Arenal Volcano & Manuel Antonio National Park
Dates Traveled: March 2004
Must See: Arenal Volcano & Manuel Antonio National Park
Explore
We drove throughout Costa Rica with 2 of our friends from college. Here was our itinerary:
We also know two friends who have stayed in Tamarindo Beach. Both loved Tamarindo so if you are looking for a place to chill out this might be a good spot. Lastly, we were traveling on budget when we went to CR so definitely check out other hotel reviews if you are looking for something a little more upscale.
- San Jose - We have family here so we spent a couple days with them. We loved our time in San Jose because we had the chance to get to know our family better. However, if we didn't have family here we would have skipped the city and spent more time at the beach or in the mountains.
- Arenal Volcano - This was a highlight for us. We stayed at the Hotel Tacotal which is comprised of little cabins all facing the volcano. During the day we hiked down to La Fortuna waterfall which was AWESOME. We went swimming at the base of the falls - very pretty (make sure you are a strong swimmer because there is a current). At night we went to one of the many natural hot springs (I believe the one we went to was called Baldi Hot Springs or Aguas Termales Baldi). You just hang out in the hot springs and enjoy the swim up bar. There are several different springs going up a hill. The higher you go, the hotter the water. Chris and Ben were brave enough to run through the hottest spring. Baldi is just one of many springs in the area. After some drinks at the hot springs we went back to the hotel with a case of beer, sat outside our cabin and watched the volcano erupt. It was really fun because the other guests staying in the cabins next door did the same thing so we bonded over beer and lava:)
- Monteverde (Cloud Forest): The drive from Arenal to Monteverde was the hardest part but worth it. If you go here make sure you bring a hoodie or sweatshirt to keep warm at night. Here we hiked in the famous Cloud Forest which was beautiful. Make sure to get there early because they only allow a small number of people in the forest at one time. We also went on a canopy tour here (zip lining). This is a must if you haven't done it before. SO fun. We also went on a night trek to see nocturnal animals (can't remember all of them but we did see a tarantula). We stayed at a hotel called Montana Monteverde which I remember liking.
- Punta Leona/Jaco Beach - We only spent a day in this area. Jaco has massive waves and is a great spot for surfing. Punta Leona beach was more relaxed, perfect for boogie boarding. We stayed in Punta Leona one night at some resort complex which wasn't great. If we were to do it again, we'd probably skip these places/
- Manuel Antonio - This place was a highlight. It's a national park on the beach. When you are walking through the park toward the beach you are surrounded by monkeys in the trees. And sloths! The beach is gorgeous. Since it's a national park, not crowded and the waves were calm which made for great swimming. We hiked to Playa Escondido (Hidden beach) and we were the only four people on the beach. However if you do hike there - watch the tide. To get to the beach you have to go over a skinny stretch of rocks so when the tide comes in it quickly disappears We almost got stuck on the beach! We stayed in a cute little hotel in Manuel Antonio called Hotel Mimos. Very cute little place. Down the street there is this cool restaurant that called "El Avion" or "The Plane" because it is located in an old c-123 plan from the Iran-Contra Affair in the 80's. We had dinner there and then further down the street toward the beach we stumbled upon some kind of beach dance party. Don't remember much from that night but whatever you do - don't eat the chicken on a stick.
We also know two friends who have stayed in Tamarindo Beach. Both loved Tamarindo so if you are looking for a place to chill out this might be a good spot. Lastly, we were traveling on budget when we went to CR so definitely check out other hotel reviews if you are looking for something a little more upscale.
tunes
During our visit to CR, ragga/ dancehall was all the rage. It was playing everywhere from the clubs in Escazu to the jungle rave we stumbled upon near Manuel Antonio. My cousin in CR gave us a couple of his mixed CDs for our drive that we will forever associate with this vacation. Here are a few songs from the mix:
Go Pato - Pato Banton
Gimme Da Light - Sean Paul
Blackboard- Beenie Man
Bombastic - Shaggy
No Letting Go - Wayne Wonder
Cartoon Character - General Degree
Head High -Mr. Vegas
Tempted to Touch - Rupee
Oye Mami, Ese Cuerpo - La Factoria
Who Am I - Beenie Man
Traffic Blocking - General Degree
El Baile Del Pescado - Aldo Ranks
Go Pato - Pato Banton
Gimme Da Light - Sean Paul
Blackboard- Beenie Man
Bombastic - Shaggy
No Letting Go - Wayne Wonder
Cartoon Character - General Degree
Head High -Mr. Vegas
Tempted to Touch - Rupee
Oye Mami, Ese Cuerpo - La Factoria
Who Am I - Beenie Man
Traffic Blocking - General Degree
El Baile Del Pescado - Aldo Ranks
tips
We flew into San Jose and rented a car and drove to various parts of the country. If you decide to rent a car make sure :
- it is an SUV - absolutely do not get a sedan. The roads in CR are really bad. Most of the roads outside San Jose are dirt and full of rocks so much of our drive was very bumpy.
- someone knows how to drive stick shift
- someone really likes to drive. We were lucky because our friend Ben loves driving and drove the whole time. Some of the roads near the volcano and cloud forest were rough and it took Ben a while to navigate all the bumps & rocks.
