Pure Shores of Costa Rica

Is That Coast That Rich?

Costa Rica lays in Central America, surrounded by the Ocean on the west, and Caribbean Sea on the east. We choose pacific shore as the one which we want to see. After this part, we went straight to the rain forests, waterfalls, jungles and volcanos. The road we choose was pretty wild, far away from big metropolis – so I can’t tell you how the life in the big cities looks like. But all I know is in places where we have been, most people live in small and not fancy houses. They drive ruined cars and motorbikes. They wear modest clothes and they act modestly as well. But they have something that is unusual for the world where I raised – and I’m not talking about nature in the most crystal way, fresh veggies, fruits, seafood and meat with no chemistry added, or perfect weather; in this country people are just grateful and kind to each other. I still remember when we were planning that trip and googling for that case, we found many information about how careful and conservative we should be in Costa Rica, that we have to watching out our stuff all the time. I don’t know who, and I don’t know why wrote something like this, but I 100 % do not agree. I never met that nice, helpful, open hearted and peaceful people in any other place in the world. So back to the point, is it rich? – Rich as hell!

8 days Road Trip

The road trip, which actually was more off-road, is the perfect way of spending vacation for these ones, who are hungry for experiences, but don’t have a plenty of time. If you are attracted to this kind of adventure, that would be the best Costa Rica trip planner for you. Our plan included points which we choose as the most sexy. Basically all places in Costa Rica look like a dream, so  you can imagine how tight was the schedule. The plane arrived in San Jose, where also was our car rental. We took earlier booked car and hit the road checking the points one by one:

Manuel Antonio – crossing the jungle, we reached first, tropical beach. I climbed the palm tree, we feed greedy monkeys, saw sleeping sloth an thieving raccoons gang. Of course we bathed in perfectly blue ocean too – quite a lot for first few hours after arrive!

Jaco – the main attraction here, and the destination in the same time, was the JW Mariott Hotel. Just hotel? – not at all! That’s why we decided to stay in this one exactly. A touch of luxury never killed nobody plus is always good to stay open for new experiences. And experiences like midnight bath in high class resorts pool, under the sky full of stars, far away from civilization, where the only light is the full moon – are not painful. Price: $300 per night. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sjols-los-suenos-marriott-ocean-and-golf-resort/

Santa Teresa – after the Mariott paradise, we were a little bit disappointed to drive on to the next stop. Fortunately our worries were unreasonable and we even found out that hostel could be the same delighting place to stay as a luxury hotel and – except beautiful beaches for beaching, turquoise ocean for surfing – exactly this place reminds me the best aspects of that stop. The place is called Otro Lado Lodge and if you planning the trip to Costa Rica, I really recommend it. If I will be back there, I would stay two nights instead of one. Price: $70 per night.https://otroladolodge.com/en

Samara – small seaside town. We get there in the day when Costa Rica was playing vs Holland for half final in Mundial 2014. We were watching the game at the beach bar, having frutti di mare and awesome drinks. Costa Rica lost and what we saw after the game was the lovely contrast for that what we used to see in our reality. The Costa Ricans were that happy, like they at least won whole Mundial. We stayed in the place called Pacific Lodge. From all seaside towns we traveled there, this was the one which won my heart. Price: $80 per night.http://www.samarapacificlodge.com/

Guanacaste – and JW Mariott again, and super awesome again. This time situated literally on the shore, so close to the beach that when you exit the pool, you were stepping on the sand, 10 feets from the Ocean. That was just perfect final of on-shore trip part. Price: $300 per night. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sjojw-jw-marriott-guanacaste-resort-and-spa/

 

Monteverde – that’s the place where people go to see the rain forests, which are the pure essence of exoticism. If you saw the Jurasic World and you remember the views, basically it’s exactly what you can expect to see there. Of course reptiles are bit smaller, but all the rest – 100% match. Hotel Jardines de Monteverde was the place where we decided to stay. Because of our late arrival, there was nobody at the reception. The door to office stayed open, so we just came in, found in the desk our key and even choose the room for us. I think this situation shows perfectly how chilled and trustful Costa Ricans are. Price: the regular price for the room is $130, but we found a deal and payed half of that. http://www.hoteljardinesdemonteverde.com/

Finca Luna Nueva was the place we choose for our last stop. And it’s not the name of the town, but of the farm situated 20 miles from Arenal volcano, where owners breed and grow all the food organic, in super natural way, without chemistry and GMO – then they serve it for the lunch and breakfast. The farm is huge, located in the middle of mountain jungle. Sleeping sloths up in the trees or yelling monkeys are daily surroundings there. When I was leaving my room in the morning to grab made of freshly grounded coffee beans, hummingbirds where sipping the nectar from flowers which were growing next to my hut. The view of volcano surrounded by never ending mountain ranges was not bad as well. Highly recommended. Price: $140 per night, we stayed for two. http://fincalunanuevalodge.com/

Jan Jose – our journey finished where it started. That was pretty clever, because after car returning, we were almost at the airport – time is saved, and money also. Last coffee in Costa Rica and back to the reality.

Food

Don’t stop yourself from trying new specialties – the are just delicious! Yuka, plantains, fresh smoothies or local sweets in form of balls made with coconut flour mixed with honey, could be these new flavors you will just love! But if we talking about new edition of oldies, then I have to say that the same as raised in the sun, organic fruits, as the seafood and fish are simply amazing. During my time in Costa Rica, I wasn’t vegetarian yet and – honestly – I never had that delicious steak as there in my entire life! The secret of food here is the way it grows and breeds – perfectly natural!

Transport

Because of the character of our trip, we have no knowledge about public transport in Costa Rica. But what we know well are the most important aspects when you choosing the car to rent there. First thing is it high suspension – like jeep or other truck. If you have a hope that regular sedan will be enough, roads of Costa Rica will show you how wrong you were, so better leave that hope before your departure. It’s a serious thing, I’m super sure you don’t want to waste any single minute of your vacation, and in case when your sedan stocked in mud in the middle of a jungle, or get the flat tire – waiting for assistance will take not 2 or 3 hours, but entire day. Doesn’t worth it. We choose Toyota Rav 4 which was good enough. GPS helped us a lot in getting from A to B. Once the voice from the device told “cross the river” – imagine how surprised we were when we found out that there is no bridge and we literally had to ride across the water. It’s also good to remember that mostly you’re going to ride not the asphalt, but sandy roads. You need to be ready to cross 1 meter or more deep stream, or ride the off-road.

Entertainment

Zip-lining above the tropical forests, water sports or skydiving are the things you can easily do, but the nature of Costa Rica is the main attraction here and also the one for all of people traveling there and are focused on. Walking on the rope bridges above the endless jungle, bathing in hot volcanic streams or in the crystal Ocean, opportunities to associate with unusual animal types and see the nature in the purest way are the things able to reach only in few places on the Earth – Costa Rica is one of them.

Pura Vida?

As pura, as vida! What’s the most amazing fact?  – in these, not big territory, we’re able to reach so many varieties – from jungles, waterfalls, hot sources, to exotic beaches and turquoise Ocean. We can find here the plenty of natural goods. Why pura? – because is far enough from civilizational changes that we can feel the real vibes of our nature, but still close enough to use wifi. Why vida? – because people here live lives being awake – you can do it in the same way – with no rush, no cruelty or complaint. With the smile on your face, and at your own tempo. It’s the perfect place for internal mute, meditation practice or sport activities. Healthy food – not poisoned by added chemistry, with pure minerals and vitamins –  helps in saving body in good physical condition. The pure life on the rich coast is the best way to invested your vacation budget.

Total

$2.500

Tickets: from USA (east coast) $500, from Europe (Amsterdam)  $750

Food: $280 (with one meal out and average alcohol consumption)

Entertainment: $100 tickets to national parks, museums, reserves.

Car: $260

Hotels: $1100

I hope this Costa Rica planner helped you in designing perfect vacation!