Hey everybody! The wife and I are going to Costa Rica in February for a late celebration of our 25th anniversary (which is next week). We are looking for any intel/suggestions/tips for neat restaurants, places to visit, things to do, etc. Also suggestions on anything we should do for our cellphones to function correctly for data (specifically maps and internet) while we are there (we have androids with 5G T-Mobile service). We love stuff off the beaten path that may be less touristy than the more mainstream stuff. We have our travel and hotels already booked as well as a rental car (already considering upgrading to an SUV, better to handle sketchy roads). Should we have an SUV instead of a regular car? We are flying into Liberia, then spending one timeshare week at The Villas Playa Samara (we are not opting into the all-inclusive meals, but will have our own kitchen in our suite and plan to explore restaurants), and then two more days at the Buena Vista Del Rincon Eco Adventure Park, Hotel & Spa near the Rincon de La Vieja Volcano which includes meals and adventure excursions (zip lining, horseback riding, etc). While at Playa Samara we will likely day trip up to the Nosara/Playa Guiones area, and other places yet to be determined. We look forward to any feedback or suggestions this awesome TKP community has to offer.
GO HOKIES!
Comments
Went to Nosara about 20 years ago, totally beautiful. We just sat ourselves in a shack and surfed for a week. We took an SUV because it dirt roads for a while. Don't remember any of the restaurants we went to but there were a few, and a bar and a convenience store that was the grocery store for the area. I heard its changed since then but haven't been back since.
Went to Costa Rica about a decade ago. Didn't really use the phones much (we didn't rent a vehicle).
Stayed near the Arenal and Poas volcanoes with a beach stop at Playa Conchal in between.
Good call opting out of all-inclusive- it's fantastic if there's competition in the area (like in Cancun), but the Westin was way overpriced and the service was actually pretty bad.
If you're driving, be careful. We saw a lot of bad accidents; the driving in Central America is very much at-your-own risk. (I had a girlfriend from Panama who was a fantastic driver, but thought traffic signs and speed limits were just the weirdest damn things).
Lots of two lane highways with people passing slower vehicles blindly (the Pan-Am highway should be expanded to 4 lanes now).
I love driving- and I was very glad we didn't drive there. In San Jose our taxis were flying down the narrow roads while pedestrians were basically playing Frogger to get across the street. NYC driving is intense but has nothing on that place.
The roads in the country were winding and beautiful, but you'd be coming around a blind curve and a random population of dogs were just cruising up to the next town in the middle of the road. Or a tour van just parked on a blind turn to show off a sloth or something. (Not a lot of medians in the forest). Local drivers were used to it- We saw that a whole lot.
My nerves were shot a lot of the time just riding in vehicles there. Drive intuitively, be vigilant (the expats I chatted up all said you get used to it, but it took a while).
I will echo Brockman's description of driving in Costa Rica. Much of the country is mountainous, and roads are sketchy. Drivers are even worse as everyone thinks that they have the right of way 800 percent of the time. If you choose to drive, be super defensive and assume that everyone out there is going to violate commonly accepted standards such as running red lights and passing on curvy roads regardless of oncoming traffic. I have lived and driven all over Latin America the past 14 years and it's dangerous/unregulated everywhere that I have been.
Thanks for the traffic tips guys. I will be driving, and will definitely try to be defensive. I log about 30k miles each year for the last 30 years just driving to work and home every day, but that's NJ turnpike and Parkway at 85 mph generally, but I do so expecting 'the other guy' is gonna fuck up at any moment. Of course, that's open highway vs mountain roads, and I do have some experience driving in some jinky areas in Aruba, St Maarten, and the Bahamas (left side), as well as extensive NYC driving which is nuts. Those places, as well as having lost my 18 year old son Tyler 8 years ago in a car accident will certainly keep me on high alert and take it easy in an unfamiliar place. Would you guys definitely recommend the upgrade to an SUV with 4 wheel or all-wheel drive? The cost is not an issue for me. I almost destroyed my tiny basic rental car in Aruba on the crazy roads in the national park....
We lived 14 months in San José back in 08-09, took a lot of touristy trips. Sounds like you will be in Guanacaste the whole time which we visited for a long weekend but didn't do much other than the beach due to having loads of kiddos there with three other families. Vulcan Arenal to the East is really neat to visit as you can get close to the active volcano and there are lots of hotels/resorts with zip lining and hot springs and other attractions. Seeing the volcano spewing lava at night was cool. Deep sea fishing is a big attraction there but that might not be your thing. We usually vacationed at the Punta Leona resort or Manuel Antonio area further south which are central Pacific coast and nowhere near the northwest beaches you are visiting in Guanacaste. The Ticos are generally super-friendly towards American tourists, but please keep in mind that it is still Central America and criminals are common. Also, the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica averages almost one drowning per week primarily due to riptides. Higher waves are indicative of rip currents. I work in Latin American risk management, and Costa Rica is one of the safest tourist destinations, so you will probably have a wonderful trip and great memories. Enjoy!