“Dry Season” in Costa Rica
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Heading Down to the “Rich Coast”
In May, I said that I’d let you know about a trip to Costa Rica. Christopher Columbus was the one who named Costa Rica, which means Rich Coast in Latin. My main interest in going to Costa Rica was that over the last few years I‘ve heard of people vacationing there and even moving there. They raved about the warmness of the people, the safety, and beauty there. I had been to Guatemala in 1997 and I just had to find out why so many people loved this country. Maybe it was even worth investing money in land or a home there.
I traveled with my brother-in-law who speaks fluent Spanish. He had not been there but grew up in Peru and understands a lot of customs and the ways things work in Central and South America. So I had a clear advantage of traveling with someone that speaks their language and has a broad understanding of their culture. Lucho and I don’t agree on everything but we both came to the same conclusion: Pretty country, terrible roads, prices for everything are comparable to the U.S., and while the hotel and resort workers are friendly, the average citizen is lukewarm overall.
That’s not to say we didn’t enjoy our trip. We got a very reasonable American Airlines flight (less than $500/rt) that went from SF to Dallas to San Jose. It was a good flight and on time. We got thru customs fairly quickly. The airport is a slice of heaven compared to Guatemala City. We found a cab easily to downtown and stayed at a nice hotel that has a majority of Americans that stay there. For those of you that are planning to visit Costa Rica, DO NOT go downtown! It takes 35 minutes from the airport, there’s nothing of interest to see or do, and most of the buildings have bars on doors and windows or guards in the businesses. Do you think they have a crime problem there? There are several nice hotels within 10 minutes of the airport.
We rented a car and drove from San Jose to Manuel Antonio. The car rental was $350 and we were informed that if the car was stolen we would owe them $1500! We were both exhausted just paying attention to the roads, the drivers, torrential rain, and the one lane bridges by the time we arrived (in a torrential downpour at night) in Manuel Antonio. Quepos is a slightly larger town on the Pacific Ocean and we stayed in Manuel Antonio where there is a small, national park. Playa Espadilla was the most reasonably priced hotel we stayed at, was well run, had good food, and it is walking distance to the national park. Although the park is small and doesn’t hold much wildlife, it has a couple of beaches that are world-class. After a couple of days, we traveled north up the coast to a fabulous hotel/resort. Villa Caletas stands on top of a hill that overlooks Los Suenos. The cost to develop that piece of land had to be astronomical but they did it right and the infiniti pool is stunning especially as you face the ocean. It was a little expensive but compared to the Marriott Resort in Los Suenos, it was a bargain. There were two weddings held while we stayed and we met an American couple that is planning on retiring there. Their daughter was married there and they have visited Costa Rica several times. We had met a school teacher from Long Beach that was considering retiring there as well. A few days later, we met an American who had a charter fishing business near Puente Arenas. He verified how expensive everything is in the country. Yet all these Americans love Costa Rica.
The next day, we drove to Puente Arenas to take a ferry to go over to Tambor on the Nicoya Peninsula, which also is on the Pacific Ocean. Did I mention the roads before? We stayed 4 days at a resort right on the beach and needed all 4 days just to relax after the car ride to get there. For $160/night it was a nice location but the rooms were not great so we didn’t think we got a good value. But being right on the beach in a remote location with good food, a nice pool, friendly staff, and beautiful, soft sand helped with the relaxation. We did find out that the beaches get even better as you go north up the Nicoya Peninsula from one of the staff at our hotel. Our resort, Tango Mar, is owned by a Belgian woman. It has a funky 9 hole golf course, horse stables, 2 pools, and two restaurants. There are several private homes located on the property. We saw one home listed for $1.4 million dollars. At first, we thought that was outrageous. But considering that it was at least 3500 sq ft, almost new, and had a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean, in hindsight that’s not too bad. Granted it would take awhile to get there but maybe that’s what people who want to spend $1 ½ million dollars for a second home want: seclusion, great view, and difficult to reach.
We took this trip during the “Green Season” which officially starts May 1st so we got better rates (I’d hate to pay high season rates there), and smaller crowds at the hotels and resorts. In doing my research before going (www.tripadvisor.com is a great site), we considered going to the Osa Peninsula which claims to have 2% of all the animal and plant life on the planet. We also considered going to Monteverde which at 4600 ft elevation has some great areas for seeing birds and monkeys. I also know some people that have bought property in the NW section of the country (along the coast). We didn’t go to any of these areas but if we had, I think we would have had a more exciting trip.
If you’re interested in going to Costa Rica, here are my recommendations. If you want modern resorts and less rain, fly into Liberia airport and drive to one of the resorts. There are several condo projects up there you can rent if you don’t want to stay at a hotel resort. If you’re seeking classic Rainforest, fly to San Jose and then take a small plane (Nature Air flies all over Costa Rica) to your destination. Monteverde and the Osa Peninsula are the classic areas for wildlife and heavy canopy jungle. Renting a car is expensive, a little dangerous, and is very stressful to navigate the roads and other drivers. Learn some basic Spanish and you’ll get around just fine. The Caribbean coast is very beautiful but not as well developed as the Pacific side and most people say it’s not as safe.
One of our clients travels around the world on business. Julie has told me that many places in the world now price their hotel rooms and restaurants to American standards and it’s getting difficult to go somewhere to get bargain prices. I also think that (as a general rule) that Americans are not as warmly welcomed as we were even 3 years ago. I went to Ireland in 2003 and after talking to Julie as well as other friends that have gone to Costa Rica, there is a measurable difference in attitudes towards Americans.
That doesn’t discourage me from traveling at all. In fact, I won’t live long enough to travel everywhere I want to go. I love learning about history and visiting places in person. I’m also interested in meeting people from different cultures and finding out how they do things differently than those of us in Northern California. The next big trip is Switzerland next year so I’ve got to start practicing my yodeling now to be ready.
Costa Rica Trip 2006
It’s raining iguanas and frogs…classic example of why they call this a rain forest. Costa Rica has frogs that would win any frog jumping contest in the world. The only problem is on a two lane highway at night they make it about 1 1/2 lanes…then the on-coming car determines their fate for not having jumped the entire 2 lanes.
Memorable Movie Lines
“Either he’s dead, or my watch has stopped”.
A Day at the Races, spoken by Groucho Marx
“Yea, though I walk thru the valley of death…wait, make that I will flee thru the valley of death; that way I get thru quicker”.
Love and War, spoken by Woody Allen
“You are a great deal of trouble to me, Mrs. Pendegrass”.
The Wind and the Lion, spoken by Sean Connery to Candice Bergen
“At my signal, unleash hell”.
Gladiator, spoken by Russell Crowe
“It’s a funny old world - a man’s lucky if he gets out of it alive”.
You’re Telling Me, spoken by W. C. Fields
“I think he got the point’.
Dr. No, Sean Connery to Ursulla Andres
“I have nipples, Greg, would you milk me”?
Meet the Parents, spoken by Robert de Niro
“7 years of college, down the drain”.
Animal House, John Beluchi after Dean Wormer kicks them off campus
“Kid, the next time I say let’s go to somewhere like Bolivia, let’s go somewhere like Bolivia”.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Paul Newman to Robert Redford
“The Greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he didn’t exist”.
The Usual Subjects, Kevin Spacey
“There’s a lotta things about me you don’t know anything about, Dottie. Things you wouldn’t understand. Things you couldn’t understand.”
Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Paul Reubens
“Surprised, Eddy? Eddy, I wouldn’t be more surprised if I woke up tomorrow with my head sewed to the carpet”.
Christmas Vacation, Chevy Chase to Randy Quaid
“Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here. This is the War Room!”
Dr. Stranglove, Peter Sellers
“Do you have a room”?
The Return of the Pink Panther, Peter Sellers
“You talkin’ to me? Well, I’m the only one here.”
The Taxi Driver, Robert Dinero
“That’s true, there is nothing greater in this world than true love…except an MLT, mutton, lettuce, and tomato sandwich: it’s so juicy”.
The Princess Bride, Billy Crystal as Miracle Max
“It’s not a tumah!”
Kindergarten Cop, Arnold Schwarzenegger
“That there’s some hope in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for”.
The Lord of the Rings, Sean Astin to Elijah Woods
