Costa Rica - Pura Vida
Every now and then I get this itch to break free from the everyday mundane life so my husband and I decided to go on a spontaneous trip to Costa Rica! We weren't sure where we wanted to go at first so we checked out Groupon for deals and ideas. There were some pretty great deals for Costa Rica through some travel agencies but after researching about them we decided to plan our own trip. (Travel by Jen has tons of deals on Groupon but even more bad reviews!)
Flights to Costa Rica were fairly cheap. Very comparable to travel within the U.S. I'm pretty sure I have paid more to go to Cali. Its only a 4 hour flight from Atlanta!
We flew into San Jose, rented a car and drove to La Fortuna and Manual Antonio. The path is not dirt roads as some other folks claim. The drive is very beautiful through and over the mountains on actual roads. :)
Things you need to know about C.R.:
- Car Insurance: YOU HAVE TO BUY CAR INSURANCE FROM C.R. Anything you purchase before going or your CC coverage does not count for anything. It's pretty crappy to screw over your tourists as soon as they land but whatever. Plan to pay a ridiculous amount to rent your car. If possible, rent your car through the hotel you are staying with. They will be able to hook you up with a lower rate by booking it locally.
- Things to do: If you enjoy outdoor activities and adventures, this is the place for you! There aren't many big cities to explore. Most downtown areas close pretty early. It's all about the activities...hiking, zip lining, white water rafting, kayaking, snorkeling, beaches, etc. Prices for the activities are pretty good as well. Close to what you would pay in the U.S.
Also nothing is free. NOTHING. not even just wanting to look at a nice view. You wan't to go hiking? Have to pay a fee. Want a nice view of the city? Must eat a nice restaurant.
La Fortuna- the town of the Arenal Volcano which is active. Unfortunately that's why you can't climb it. There's a national park around it you can explore..go zip lining, hiking, swim in the la fortuna waterfall which is pretty amazing.
Hotel:
AirBnB: Cabinas La Cartarata
Our first night we decided to stay in a cabin that we rented through Air BnB. The cabin had open windows for air flow, no A/C. They did provide one floor fan as well. If you aren't someone who enjoys staying with nature, I wouldn't recommend this place. We really enjoyed our stay and would do it again! The listing is maintained by Paradise Adventures Costa Rica who have partnered up with this local family to help run their business. With a lot of big resorts in the area, it has really affected small local hotels.
Resort: Mountain Paradise Hotel
This resort was very beautiful and clean. Located on top of a mountain, you get a great view of the Volcano. All the rooms are in private buildings. You can get a room with a private pool as well! The bathroom design is like swimming under a waterfall. The breakfast selection was delicious. The staff was very friendly. Overall I would recommend staying here.
Activities:
We went zip lining through the arenal mundo aventura company. You get to zip line over the waterfall which is an absolutely breath taking view! I would recommend doing the 7 line tour instead of the 12. The 5 extra lines are just practice lines. but of course they won't tell you that. At the end you get to visit the home of the Maleku tribe which is an interesting experience.
If you zip line you also get access to the la fortuna waterfall located in the national park so you don't have to pay the 16$ entrance fee for the park. (You don't have to go the same day either as long as you keep your bracelets on). The path to the waterfall is mostly downward steps and totally worth sweating once you make it down there. You can swim in the waterfall too! The water is cold and rough at the bottom so don't let yourself get sucked into it. My husband and I almost drowned but totally worth it! haha. There is a life guard on site if help is needed. The path back is all up hill. Since it is a rainforest its pretty humid so stay hydrated! You'll be sweating like crazy.
Restaurants:
Restaurante Cafe Mediterraneo
Our first night by the time we got to La Fortuna it was pretty late so we asked our Air BnB host for some recommendations. He recommended an Italian restaurant. I am always down for some pizza. This restaurant is legit. Like real authentic Italian food! Never thought I would experience neopolitan pizza again after my Italy trip. But there I was in C.R. reliving that moment in Italy!
Soda Viquez - Trip Advisor Find
Hands down the best local food restaurant in La Fortuna. We love love loved it. Must try the fish and rice dishes. The mango shake is fresh and delicious too. Prices were very reasonable and you get a decent amount of food. You never know when a torrential down pour might happen in La Fortuna so they let us hang around until the rain slowed down.
*Theres a grocery store across the street to the right. Best place to stock up on water bottles and snacks. The prices were better than some other places we tried.
Soda La Hormiga - Trip Advisor Find
Another trip advisor find. This place was very inexpensive and the food was pretty good. The quality of the food wasn't as good as Soda Viquez though which is obviously reflected by the price. Its a good hole in the wall spot. As long as your stomach is pretty good at handling those type of places, give it a shot!
Manuel Antonio
Resort: Cocomar Residences & Beachfront Hotel
This resort is located in a secluded area of playa palo seco which is about a 20-30 minute drive from Manual Antonio. The beaches in this area are not very crowded but the water is rougher in these areas also. A lot of areas with rip currents and no life guard in the area. The hotel itself was nice. The staff is very friendly and helpful. When my husband was sick, they checked up on us throughout our stay and went out of their way to make our stay comfortable. The receptionist suggested drinking lots coconut water and that did the trick!
Activities:
Kayaking/Snorkeling:
We booked a kayaking/snorkeling trip with through our Hotel (Can't remember the company name!). Unfortunately my husband fell sick and we weren't able to make our initial booking. They never mentioned their cancellation policy (while booking or online) and were trying to charge us a ridiculous amount so we ended up re-booking for the next day hoping my husband would feel better by then.
We were the only two folks on the tour so it felt kind of rushed. Your kayak trip begins at the Naomi port to a small beach a couple miles away. The kayaking part was fun and beautiful to see the coast from the water but the snorkeling part is not worth it. We kayaked to two random rocks in the middle of the ocean where the current is pretty strong and were asked to snorkel in that area without getting pulled into the ocean and being slammed against the rocks because of the waves. IT WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO STAY IN ONE SPOT. The ocean kept pulling us out away from the rocks and when you would try to swim back you would end up swimming in one place. The water wasn't very clear so you couldn't tell where there were rocks under ground and would end up hitting them.
This is where we lost our SJ CAM (Go Pro like camera) :( In the midst of trying to survive, my husband struck a rock and it broke off of the cord. By the time we realized it was gone, it was too late. And of course we didn't have a floating device over it. Lesson learned! Not too upset about losing the actual camera but all the pictures and videos from the beginning of our trip are all sitting in the bottom of the pacific ocean.
I enjoyed seeing the fishes for a hot minute in the beginning but after that, we were just trying to survive. haha
Once we reached the beach (happy to be alive) the tour guide cut up some fresh pineapple for us to much on and some delicious cookies. The water is tap water- wouldn't recommend drinking.
Manuel Antonio Beach
You can find a nice secluded spot and enjoy the view and weather! Watch out for the monkeys! They may steal your stuff haha. Not a lot of parking in the area so if you go at a busy time it might be hard to find a spot.
Restaurants:
El wagon
Cutest restaurant when you get tired of eating rice and beans! Enjoy a burger, pizza, and shakes in the forest!
We managed to find the only Indian restaurant in all of Costa Rica on our trip back to San Jose and it was absolutely delicious! Totally hit the spot! Kind of pricey but worth it :)
Naans & Curries
Unfortunately no video this time since we lost our camera :(
Flights to Costa Rica were fairly cheap. Very comparable to travel within the U.S. I'm pretty sure I have paid more to go to Cali. Its only a 4 hour flight from Atlanta!
We flew into San Jose, rented a car and drove to La Fortuna and Manual Antonio. The path is not dirt roads as some other folks claim. The drive is very beautiful through and over the mountains on actual roads. :)
Things you need to know about C.R.:
- Car Insurance: YOU HAVE TO BUY CAR INSURANCE FROM C.R. Anything you purchase before going or your CC coverage does not count for anything. It's pretty crappy to screw over your tourists as soon as they land but whatever. Plan to pay a ridiculous amount to rent your car. If possible, rent your car through the hotel you are staying with. They will be able to hook you up with a lower rate by booking it locally.
- Things to do: If you enjoy outdoor activities and adventures, this is the place for you! There aren't many big cities to explore. Most downtown areas close pretty early. It's all about the activities...hiking, zip lining, white water rafting, kayaking, snorkeling, beaches, etc. Prices for the activities are pretty good as well. Close to what you would pay in the U.S.
Also nothing is free. NOTHING. not even just wanting to look at a nice view. You wan't to go hiking? Have to pay a fee. Want a nice view of the city? Must eat a nice restaurant.
La Fortuna
La Fortuna- the town of the Arenal Volcano which is active. Unfortunately that's why you can't climb it. There's a national park around it you can explore..go zip lining, hiking, swim in the la fortuna waterfall which is pretty amazing.
Hotel:
AirBnB: Cabinas La Cartarata
Our first night we decided to stay in a cabin that we rented through Air BnB. The cabin had open windows for air flow, no A/C. They did provide one floor fan as well. If you aren't someone who enjoys staying with nature, I wouldn't recommend this place. We really enjoyed our stay and would do it again! The listing is maintained by Paradise Adventures Costa Rica who have partnered up with this local family to help run their business. With a lot of big resorts in the area, it has really affected small local hotels.
Resort: Mountain Paradise Hotel
This resort was very beautiful and clean. Located on top of a mountain, you get a great view of the Volcano. All the rooms are in private buildings. You can get a room with a private pool as well! The bathroom design is like swimming under a waterfall. The breakfast selection was delicious. The staff was very friendly. Overall I would recommend staying here.
Activities:
We went zip lining through the arenal mundo aventura company. You get to zip line over the waterfall which is an absolutely breath taking view! I would recommend doing the 7 line tour instead of the 12. The 5 extra lines are just practice lines. but of course they won't tell you that. At the end you get to visit the home of the Maleku tribe which is an interesting experience.
If you zip line you also get access to the la fortuna waterfall located in the national park so you don't have to pay the 16$ entrance fee for the park. (You don't have to go the same day either as long as you keep your bracelets on). The path to the waterfall is mostly downward steps and totally worth sweating once you make it down there. You can swim in the waterfall too! The water is cold and rough at the bottom so don't let yourself get sucked into it. My husband and I almost drowned but totally worth it! haha. There is a life guard on site if help is needed. The path back is all up hill. Since it is a rainforest its pretty humid so stay hydrated! You'll be sweating like crazy.
Restaurants:
Restaurante Cafe Mediterraneo
Our first night by the time we got to La Fortuna it was pretty late so we asked our Air BnB host for some recommendations. He recommended an Italian restaurant. I am always down for some pizza. This restaurant is legit. Like real authentic Italian food! Never thought I would experience neopolitan pizza again after my Italy trip. But there I was in C.R. reliving that moment in Italy!
Soda Viquez - Trip Advisor Find
Hands down the best local food restaurant in La Fortuna. We love love loved it. Must try the fish and rice dishes. The mango shake is fresh and delicious too. Prices were very reasonable and you get a decent amount of food. You never know when a torrential down pour might happen in La Fortuna so they let us hang around until the rain slowed down.
*Theres a grocery store across the street to the right. Best place to stock up on water bottles and snacks. The prices were better than some other places we tried.
Soda La Hormiga - Trip Advisor Find
Another trip advisor find. This place was very inexpensive and the food was pretty good. The quality of the food wasn't as good as Soda Viquez though which is obviously reflected by the price. Its a good hole in the wall spot. As long as your stomach is pretty good at handling those type of places, give it a shot!
Manuel Antonio
Resort: Cocomar Residences & Beachfront Hotel
This resort is located in a secluded area of playa palo seco which is about a 20-30 minute drive from Manual Antonio. The beaches in this area are not very crowded but the water is rougher in these areas also. A lot of areas with rip currents and no life guard in the area. The hotel itself was nice. The staff is very friendly and helpful. When my husband was sick, they checked up on us throughout our stay and went out of their way to make our stay comfortable. The receptionist suggested drinking lots coconut water and that did the trick!
Activities:
Kayaking/Snorkeling:
We booked a kayaking/snorkeling trip with through our Hotel (Can't remember the company name!). Unfortunately my husband fell sick and we weren't able to make our initial booking. They never mentioned their cancellation policy (while booking or online) and were trying to charge us a ridiculous amount so we ended up re-booking for the next day hoping my husband would feel better by then.
We were the only two folks on the tour so it felt kind of rushed. Your kayak trip begins at the Naomi port to a small beach a couple miles away. The kayaking part was fun and beautiful to see the coast from the water but the snorkeling part is not worth it. We kayaked to two random rocks in the middle of the ocean where the current is pretty strong and were asked to snorkel in that area without getting pulled into the ocean and being slammed against the rocks because of the waves. IT WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO STAY IN ONE SPOT. The ocean kept pulling us out away from the rocks and when you would try to swim back you would end up swimming in one place. The water wasn't very clear so you couldn't tell where there were rocks under ground and would end up hitting them.
This is where we lost our SJ CAM (Go Pro like camera) :( In the midst of trying to survive, my husband struck a rock and it broke off of the cord. By the time we realized it was gone, it was too late. And of course we didn't have a floating device over it. Lesson learned! Not too upset about losing the actual camera but all the pictures and videos from the beginning of our trip are all sitting in the bottom of the pacific ocean.
I enjoyed seeing the fishes for a hot minute in the beginning but after that, we were just trying to survive. haha
Once we reached the beach (happy to be alive) the tour guide cut up some fresh pineapple for us to much on and some delicious cookies. The water is tap water- wouldn't recommend drinking.
Manuel Antonio Beach
You can find a nice secluded spot and enjoy the view and weather! Watch out for the monkeys! They may steal your stuff haha. Not a lot of parking in the area so if you go at a busy time it might be hard to find a spot.
Restaurants:
El wagon
Cutest restaurant when you get tired of eating rice and beans! Enjoy a burger, pizza, and shakes in the forest!
We managed to find the only Indian restaurant in all of Costa Rica on our trip back to San Jose and it was absolutely delicious! Totally hit the spot! Kind of pricey but worth it :)
Naans & Curries
Unfortunately no video this time since we lost our camera :(
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