One Week in Costa Rica

Overview

Costa Rica is an amazing country. There is a huge diversity of opportunities for adventure, with each region offering its own flavor and its own activities.

In a week's time, we were able to get a taste of what Costa Rica has to offer, and with some pre-planning, we were able to maximize the diversity of sights we experienced.

The reviews in this journal cover the three locations we visited: Arenal Volcano (and La Fortuna town), Monteverde Cloudforest (and Santa Elena town), and Tamarindo, a very popular beach on the Pacific Coast.

In just 1 week, we went from the arid, dry, hot, and dramatic landscape of Arenal to the wet, cool green region around Monteverde, and then out to the slightly spring break-ey Pacific Coast, with great surfing, beautiful beaches, and even a little crazy nightlife.

We decided that if we had a few extra days, we would have continued down the Pacific coast, as there are so many amazing beaches to explore. With a week extra, a trip to the Caribbean coast could have provided a totally different cultural experience, as it is more influenced by Caribbean culture and is host to two major port cities.

Quick Tips:

A little Spanish goes a long way, but everyone was incredibly friendly, and especially in Tamarindo you could always find someone who spoke English if necessary.

Best Way To Get Around:

For our trip we traveled by bus or private transfer west from San Jose, where we flew in, through La Fortuna, then Monteverde, and then out to Tamarindo. One of the best decisions we made of the trip was to take a puddle jumper back from an airport right in Tamarindo to San Jose, where we easily connected to our flight to New York. For , this drastically reduces traveling time (hours and hours on a bus versus an hour flight); plus, the flight was very scenic.

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Hotel Dorothy

Hotel

When visiting Arenal Volcano, most tourists either stay in very high-end luxury resorts, or they stay in La Fortuna town, for a little more flexibility and local flavor. There are a variety of budget to mid-range places to stay in La Fortuna, and a number of good restaurants, all within walking distance to one another.

Hotel Dorothy is a very cute hostel-type arrangement. All rooms are private with their own hot-water baths, and range in price from $6-8 per night, per person (even if you are sharing a room with a friend). Internet is included, and food and drinks are also available for purchase. The rooms are small and basic, but clean. The bathrooms were actually quite nice, with big showers.

The very friendly owner, Noel, was incredibly helpful in arranging all of our activities, providing suggestions and booking everything for us. If you are doing any of the usual tours (such as hikes to the volcano, waterfall, white water rafting, etc...) wait until you arrive to book, as he can sometimes arrange discounts and has good suggestions as to which tours are worth your time and money.

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by KellySenn on March 16, 2006

Hotel Dorothy
La Fortuna La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Cabinas Don Taco

Hotel

Cabinas Don Taco was one of our favorite places. At $20 per person, per night, we found these adorable cabinas overlooking the town of Santa Elena (3-minute walk up the hill from the main intersection of town) to be great accommodations for the money. A filling typical breakfast was included (coffee, tea, rice and beans, eggs, and toast), with great views.

The cabinas themselves were very comfortable, with a wooden cozy finish and each with its own balcony. The bathrooms were small, but the rooms were big and the whole place was very clean, with maid service daily. They can arrange tours for you at the front desk.

Important note: they do not take credit cards! The best way to make reservations is through their website, www.cabinasdontaco.com.

I would recommend this hotel to anyone except for travelers looking for a high-end, more luxurious or resorty feel. We saw a wide range of travelers at breakfast, and it does not have a budget feel at all.

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by KellySenn on March 16, 2006

Cabinas Don Taco
Located from the Banco Nacional 300 m. east. Santa Elena, Costa Rica
+506 645-5263

Milagro Hotel Restaurant

Hotel | "Hotel El Milagro"

For $50 per person/per night, including tax, etc., this is a good deal in the more touristy Tamarindo. Right on the main street, a little bit removed from the action (about 4 or 5 blocks from where it gets quite loud at night, down by the rotunda) and across the street from the beach, it has an ideal location.

The grounds include a pool and a bar/restaurant, where included breakfast is served daily. Breakfast features fresh fruit, eggs, pancakes, and coffee or tea.

The rooms are set up as separate cabinas, each with its own porch and hammock. They have A/C, which is key in scorching-hot Tamarindo, where temperatures often hover around 90F. The rooms are not that spacious, but very clean and nice, with good bathrooms and showers. I would recommend this hotel to most travelers.

The best way to make a reservation is through their online booking system on their website: www.elmilagro.com.

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by KellySenn on March 16, 2006

Milagro Hotel Restaurant
Playa Tamarindo Tamarindo, Costa Rica
+506 653-0042

El Coconut

Restaurant

This was one of the best meals we had in Costa Rica. Although expensive by Costa Rica standards, this was a steal by New York standards.

The menu features fresh fish and shellfish nightly, made to your specifications, with a choice of sauces and vegetables. Go with the waiter's recommendations: everything is unbelievably fresh and finished to perfection. If you really don't like fish, they also have steaks, but we didn't try them. There were too many unbelievable sounding fish dishes, and being less than 100 yards from the Pacific Ocean, how could you order anything else?

The appetizers were equally amazing, we had the shrimp and calamari, both of which were excellent.

Great bottles of mid-range Chilean wines complete the experience.

The restaurant (like most in Tamarindo) is mostly outdoors. The decor is natural, with rich dark wood floors, walls and half ceiling. There is also a bar in the restaurant that would be a relaxing place to enjoy a drink before or after dinner.

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by KellySenn on March 22, 2006

Tamarindo Beach (General)

Attraction | "Tamarindo"

Tamarindo is one of the more developed beach destinations in Costa Rica, although by U.S. and Caribbean standards it would still be considered undeveloped.

The town of Tamarindo is basically one long street along the beach filled with hotels, ranging from the luxurious El Diria to hostel-type lodgings with shared rooms. There are a number of great restaurants and bars right on the beach, one of our favorites being Copa Cabana, where you can sit on the beach and they will bring you lunch or drinks.

Nightlife abounds with a different party at a bar every night, which it seems as if the whole village attends. Live music is a staple, with reggae bands at Babylon on Thursday nights attracting a mixed crowd of "spring breakers," locals, and surf bums.

Surfing is the main attraction here, however, with surf shops seemingly on every block, offering group and private lessons or just a board rental for the day. Group lesson rates hover around $30 for 2 hours of instruction, while daily rates for a surf board are between $15 and $20.

You'll meet a host of characters including friendly locals and expat surfers who have moved down here for good and are investing in the booming real estate market.

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by KellySenn on March 15, 2006

Tamarindo Beach (General)
Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Guided Nature Walk

Attraction

We had a wonderful experience taking a tour with one of this private reserve's guides. The walks are in small groups, making them very manageable. The tour starts out with an educational and beautiful slideshow of photographs taken by professional photographers who came to capture the wildlife in the park. Following the slideshow is a 2-3 hour walking tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the history of the forest, the ecosystem in general, individual plants, birds, insects, and larger animals. We learned a lot about individual plants and any medicinal uses, spotted numerous colorful birds, and even saw a larger mammal or two. Note that we did not cover much ground distance wise in the 2.5 hours we spent out in the reserve.

There were plenty of opportunities for pictures as the pace was quite leisurely. It was definitely worth the $15 to have someone so experienced spend a few hours with us.

Walks are 3 times per day: 7:30am, 11:00am, and 1:00pm. Make reservations at least a day in advance for the 7:30am tour. You can probably just show up for the other two tours, especially on a weekday.

We came first thing in the morning, signed up for the 11:00am tour, then hiked for 3 hours on our own before taking a coffee break and then catching up with our tour. We found this to be a great way to do things. A 7:30am tour, before a few hours of hiking, would be another good combo.

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by KellySenn on March 15, 2006

Selvatura Canopy Tour

Attraction | "Canopy Tour"

What a fun experience! A canopy tour is a total tourist trap, and you'll find them all over Costa Rica, but the best ones are around Monteverde. Several companies offer them, and we found Selvatura to have the best combination of price and extensive grounds.

A canopy tour involves 15 zip lines through different levels of the cloud forest... mostly in or above the canopy of the trees. It is an adrenaline rush mixed with breathtaking views. It is done in fairly large groups with experienced, very friendly local guides, and safety is taken very seriously.

This is easily combined for an extra $5 or $10 with their canopy bridges, which is a walk with varying lengths of bridges, again, in or almost above the canopy of the forest. This allows a little bit slower pace for observing the nature and taking pictures. It also turns a 2 hour activity into a full afternoon outing.

You can sign up for any of the canopy tours (they have approximately four per day) at their office in town, as late as the day of. Student discounts are available.

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by KellySenn on March 15, 2006

Selvatura Canopy Tour
Santa Elena, Costa Rica

Santa Elena Reserve

Attraction

Santa Elena is the smaller of the two major reserves in the Monteverde region. Locally sponsored and supported, in contrast to the NGO status of the Monteverde reserve, it has a quieter, less touristy feel.

We actually had great luck spotting wildlife in this reserve and felt that is was well worth the trip. It is relatively small, so only a morning, half-day trip would be necessary to see most of the reserve.

There is an observatory tower that is fun to climb and would offer great views on a clear day (which is rare to find in this cloud forest region...).

In addition, this is a great activity to combine with a canopy tour, which is located 200m outside the entrance to the park. Selvature canopy tour company will let you take their early bus that picks you up at your hotel and drops you at the entrance, and you can walk back to do your canopy tour with them whenever you are done exploring the reserve. Their bus will then drop you off at your hotel at the end of your tour.

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by KellySenn on March 15, 2006

Santa Elena Reserve
Santa Elena, Costa Rica

White-Water Rafting

Attraction | "Whitewater Rafting"

We went whitewater rafting with Desafio Tours, leaving from La Fortuna, where we were picked up at our hotel, for an all-day trip down Class IV Rio Toro.

We were divided up into groups of four or five, each with a guide; given a safety talk; and sent down the river. Everyone had a blast, and the guides were friendly, knowledgeable, safe, and fun.

The river itself was beautiful and the whitewater was a blast. There were a few spills out of the boat, but all in good fun.

After the approximately 2- to 3-hour float, we were met at the takeout point with a beautiful spread of fresh fruit waiting for us.

After the snack, we boarded a bus, stopped at a grocery for celebratory beers, and then were taken to Desafio headquarters for an awesome spread of typical Costa Rican lunch (at around 2 or 3pm) by the side of a river, with outside tables and hammocks for relaxing.

The whitewater rafting trip was one of the highlights of our Costa Rican adventures.

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by KellySenn on March 16, 2006

White-Water Rafting
La Fortuna La Fortuna, Costa Rica
+506 479-9464

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

Attraction | "Monteverde Cloudforest Reserve"

Monteverde is the largest Cloudforest reserve in the area. At NGO (non-government organization), the reserve charges an entry fee and sells souvenirs (as well as accepts tax-deductible donations) in order to fund research, maintenance, and the purchase of more land adjacent to the reserve in the hopes of building a corridor for the wildlife in and near the reserve.

This reserve is definitely worth a visit. Look at my entry on the guided nature tour, which we did here. The best way to plan a day here is to combine a nature tour with a few hours of hiking on your own, as the nature tours are very educational but do not cover much ground in the reserve. (There is an awesome waterfall and an outlook on top of the continental divide that we only saw during our own explorations).

The ticket-sellers in the office are very helpful and will suggest routes based on how much time you want to spend and what you would most like to see.

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by KellySenn on March 22, 2006

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
Monteverde Monteverde, Costa Rica

Night Hike

Attraction

Ask at any hotel or in town and this is one of the activities that everyone recommends. There are a couple of different options: one is to do a night hike in Monteverde Reserve itself, and the other is to do it through a little park in town. We choose to do it in town at the recommendation of the staff in our hotel, and we were not disappointed. They recommended it based on the time of day (the one in town starts right at dusk, while at the reserve it starts at 7pm); however, we were also happy to try a different location, as we were planning to spend a full day in the reserve.

You can sign up the day of in your hotel, and they send cabs to pick you up and drop you off. I believe we paid around US$15 for the tour, which was well worth it. Bring your camera! We saw tons of stuff.

We were divided up into groups (there were only two couples in our group!) and taken through the park to look for wildlife. We spotted LOTS of animals, which was great. Our very brave guide even coaxed several tarantulas out of their hiding places for us (much to the disgust of my traveling partner...)

Flashlights are provided, but if you have a headlamp, it's worth bringing. Also, it gets a little chilly in the evening, so bundle up.

The tour lasted around 2 hours and our guide was extremely knowledgeable and spoke flawless English (as did almost every guide we used for anything we did in Monteverde).

The hiking is not strenuous and is on well-maintained paths, so I would recommend this for anyone.

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by KellySenn on April 10, 2006

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One Week in Costa Rica