10yr anniversary in Costa Rica

Nullifier

Expedition Leader
Well my wife I have our 10th anniversary this month and booked a trip to Costa Rica. We got into Liberia and picked up our Rav4 from budget. Finally got into Playa Del Coco about 10:30 last night.

We will say so far that Playa del coco is not our scene and hope that the rest of the country hasn't gone to hell as well (sarcasm so don't hate). The town and beach is literally covered in trash, several of the supermarkets are also selling drugs, prostitutes are walking the streets as well. We were awoke several times by locals revving up their quads and racing down the street. Plus the resort is not a resort. It is literally an apartment complex lol!

Anyway we cancelled the rest of our atay and are loading our stuff then headed to Arenal and Tenorio volcanoes. Hopefully getting up in the cloud forest will get us out of this party town.

I will update pics of our trip during the week.
 

cruiseroutfit

Supporting Sponsor: Cruiser Outfitters
Arenal is worth the visit imo, if your into a bit of spoon-fed adventure the zip line is worth the time. My wife and I stayed at the Hotel Riu in Guanacaste this last summer with a large group of our friends. The resort was nice and clean overall though it isn't exactly indicative of the local area. We took a boat ride over to Del Coco for lunch/shopping, nice enough place to visit for a day, don't think I would want to base up there.
 

RMP&O

Expedition Leader
Just don't go to Jaco Beach, it's even worst!

x2!!

I found almost all of CR to be like this. The only place I found not be so lame was on the Osa Peninsula.

IMHO, this is the evolution of a country when gringos come in and take over which has been going on for a long time in CR. Also imho, CR is the most beautiful country in CA, however beauty isn't worth being hassled 24/7 to buy a hooker and some blow. The food sucks in CR, the attitudes suck, the whole vibe is just lame. Not to mention it is 5x or more expensive as the countries all around it. And for what!?

FYI, 1 out of 2 gringo tourists I met while in CR all loved the blow and hookers. Said it is one of the main reasons they go there. No thanks I say!!

Of course, just my opinions after having driven across the country 4x.

Cheers
 

bigdwindsor

New member
Agreed Playa Samara is a really nice little town. We had no issues there at all, more a surf town rather then a tourist trap. The Hideaway hotel is amazing, and check out Momma Africa downtown


Head to playa samara or playa Carillo. We have a place there and the beaches are nice and so is the enviroment. Good restaurants, nice hotels and few Americans. It is below playa nosara and a lot less touristy. http://samarabeach.com our place is www.lvcostarica.com. They have a few places available also.
 

mep1811

Gentleman Adventurer
Go to Playa Flamenco . I spent a month there this past August and it is quiet and peaceful. Go visit Larry at the Mariner bar and tell him Mike sent you.
 

Nullifier

Expedition Leader
Well we areback on track. We headed for Arenal but ended up going to a place called Celeste mountain lodge. 4wd access and very eco friendly. Owned by a french chef so food is superb! Incredible view of the tenorio volcano preserve. Going to spend 2 days here hiking and horseback riding. Then south to either Arenal or Monte Verde.
 
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rcharrette

Adventurer
We LOVE Costa Rica. We spent a month in Tamarindo the first time we went. We had a great time but it was a bit to "busy" for us after a couple of weeks. Our next trip we spent 2 months in Nosara. This was a lot closer to our pace. We are hoping to head back for another extended stay next winter!
 

Nullifier

Expedition Leader
Well we are having our second night at Celeste mountain lodge. This place is excellent! It is in the cloud forest of the Tenorio volcano just north of Arenal. We did a really great hike to a spectacular water fall on the Rio Celeste. Tomorrow we head south to arenal and Monte Verde. Plan is to head to playa pan de azucar on thursday. Looks like its really off the path and great from reviews. Wish us luck.

I am trying to upload pics but internet is really bad here so having difficulties but will try again.
 
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Nullifier

Expedition Leader
Here are some pics of the lodge and its views. Sorry for marginal cell pics it's the best I can do now.
 

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Deleted member 12023

Guest
Looks like you've already left Liberia, but if you have time go to Rincon de la Vieja! It's worth the trip! As for dirty beaches…any town listed in the Lonely Planet should be avoided. If you are interested I can give you some real off the beaten path places to go. Don't be afraid of dirt roads that look impassable, that's what the insurance is for!

ps I agree with others on here, Samara is a very nice little town
 

richmondbob

Adventurer
My wife and I spent our honeymoon in Costa Rica but, on the advice of friends, spent the majority of our time on the peninsula. Rented a Jeep Liberty and had no problems traveling between small(er) beach front spots. I even learned to surf down there :wings: . If you're into this I can give you the names of the places we stayed all of which had great locals and tourists, excellent food and drink, things to do plus miles of beautiful beaches. You'll need to make your way to Puntarenas Canton and catch the ferry to the south-east of the peninsula to Ferry Paquera but the journey will be worth it.

And, I agree with what others have already said, the more touristy areas are the worst. We were supposed to spend our last two and a half days on the 'main' part of CR, in the west coast but hated the scene so much we opted to head back to Santa Cruz the next morning, return the Jeep and chill out at the (Hilton?) hotel after the long drive. Live and learn.
 

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