Arenal

Arenal

Lake Arenal with its surrounding is one of those places in Costa Rica where I would come back to in the heartbeat. Its greenery and flourishes land creates this calm and relaxed environment that charm with its exoticness. Arenal is nothing like the other parts of the country. Away from the Ocean, this beautiful lake is encompassed by hills that are either pastured or forested where Arenal Volcano dominates in the horizon. 

A bit of the history.

Lake Arenal is an artificial lake in Costa Rica, located in the northern highlands of the country. In 1979, Lake Arenal was enlarged to three times its original size with the construction of a hydroelectric dam. The towns of Arenal and Tondadora, which were originally sited on the spot where the lake now rests, were relocated to the northeastern side of the lake. (Lake Arenal, 2011)

Arenal Volcano is an unavoidable presence while traveling within this part of the country. Until 2010, it was Costa Rica’s most active volcano. Much to the enjoyment of its visitors, Arenal spewed enormous amounts of lava, gas and ash on a regular basis. That eruptive cycle – which began with the infamous eruption of 1968 – ended recently. In October 2010, Arenal entered into an indeterminate resting phase. For the time being, visitors will be unable to watch the much-loved explosions, although that could change within a matter of months or years. (Arenal Volcano, 2011).

We stayed at Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort, which I would definitely recommend; however don’t waist your money to get breakfast there, it is very expensive! The nice perk is that entrance to hot springs is included in the room price. Normally the cost of it itself is $60 per day. 

Tabacon hot springs are one of the kind. They are completely natural. They are  97% rain-based and 3% magma-based. Water is heated by magma found in the earth’s core where it flows by gravity and forms in-river pools, waterfalls and cascades. Those hot springs are absolutely amazing! I went to enjoy them twice in a day and I am so going back for more of that luxury, one of those days.

The other attraction worth to try is the Zip lining.  I went SkyTrek zip lining that offers 8 different lines. The length of the that adventure takes about 2 miles through the rain forest and gives a panoramic view of the volcano and lake from the completely different perspective.  The costs $60, whole tour takes about 4 hours. 

Another really amazing attraction in the Arenal Volcano National Park is the hanging bridges hike. We were able to experience the magnificent view and the peacefulness of the rainforest, see the wildlife up close and take great pictures of the Arenal Volcano. The hike takes about 2 miles, where we crossed 8 bridges. The cost of it is $25.

Last activity we planed to do was white water rafting, unfortunately we did not have enough time; although, it was highly recommended to us. Next time I will do that for sure!

For the nightlife and dinning experience I would recommend going to nearest  Nuevo Arenal that is the melting pot of local Ticos and foreign tourists. The town is surrounded by green mountains and cloud-covered cone Arenal Volcano.

Reference:

Arenal Volcano (2011). Arenal Volcano Costa Rica. Arenal.net Retrieved from http://www.arenal.net/

Lake Arenal (2011). Lake Arenal. Arenal.net Retreived from http://www.arenal.net/lake-arenal.html

Tamarindo

Tamarindo

Zarpe !

It’s time to have some fun, Tamarindo here I come! Next stop on the list was so called by some the “party place” that Costa Rica has to offer. It took us about 5 hours to drive from Manuel Antonio to Tamarindo. I noticed the changing landscape while getting closer to our new destination owing to the fact that it wasn’t as green as the south part of the country.

! Thing to mention: Just right before Tamarindo there was a huge construction work on the road. I assume it’s going to take a long time before it will be completed. Because of that, we literally drove on the bumpy and dusty dirt road. SUV would be a good choice to rent if you decide to commute by a car. !

Tamarindo is the biggest boomtown in Guanacaste. The active nightlife, abundant restaurants and very dependable surf, have established Tamarindo as one of the most popular beaches on this coast. The main city road is the jumble of strip malls and surf shops, as well as hotels, and restaurants. The beautiful beach here is a long, wide swatch of white sand that curves gently from one rocky headland to another. (Frommer’s. 2013).

We stayed in Capitan Suizo hotel right by Playa Langosta. That place was magnificent, beachfront, built around tall shade trees, and often visited by wildlife, especially monkeys.  In the front of the hotel there is a “monkey bridge” that apparently was re-built 4 times, since monkeys didn’t like the first three designs of it. The hotel has an open-air restaurant facing the Ocean, where during breakfast tropical birds will try to steal your food, not to mention walking Iguanas by the tables. 

Since Tamarindo is one of the most popular destinations for surfing, everyone should experience at least once this amazing sport. The gorges beach and warm water create an ideal environment for the beginner and advanced surfers. I took one class that lasted about 4 hours and I had an amazing time. Surfing classes are offered all over Tamarindo town. There is a surfing school, which is the most recommended place to go, as well as there are many local surfers offering their services on the beach. The cost of one class is about $40.

! Thing to mention: when you book your surfing class never pay upfront. Sometimes your instructor might simply not show up and you will loose your money. !

Tamaridno offers variety of restaurants and bars. Few of my favorites are:

El Coconut – serves excellent seafood, fantastic coconut drinks, very pleasant service, average in price.

Patagonia – Argentinian steak house, I highly recommend that place, amazing steaks and fantastic Sangrias!

Dragonfly Bar & Grill – I wasn’t too crazy about that place. However many people will recommend you to go there. It’s located in the hidden place on the back street. I ordered wood-fired fish of the day, it was average.

Wild Panda – fun place to go to enjoy good frozen margaritas (2 for 1), very small open-air bar/restaurant located in the food court. Live DJ on Tuesdays. Packed with young crowd. The owner is super nice, however the waitresses don’t speak any English (although understood my broken Spanish!).

Sharky’s – it is a very busy, popular, and fun bar with mixed crowd of international tourists and the locals.

! Thing to mention: Highly recommend to enjoy national beer - IMPERIAL - while vacationing in Costa Rica ! 

Around Tamarindo there are many remote beaches that are worth to explore. The one I visited was rich in its natural beauty Playa Flamingo. It offers stunning views, as well as white sand and less rocky beach where you can enjoy swimming in warm Ocean. Not too far from the beach there is the Marino Las Baulas National Park that is one of the most significant nesting sites for Leatherback Turtle. 

Reference:

Frommer’s (2013). Paya de Jaco. Costa Rica 2013. Published by: John Wilye & Sons, Inc. 

Manuel Antonio

Tuanis !

La Mariposa View

Day 2 … With my nose almost glued to the window I observed the breath-taking landscape while driving from Jaco to Manuel Antonio. I couldn’t wait to get there to see the longed for … monkeys at the National Park. The drive didn’t take long, however it was quite challenging with all those turns, and up and down hills. Our hotel, La Mariposa, was located at the top of the hill and had spectacular view overlooking Manuel Antonio, the beaches and rainforests. 

Short history...

Manuel Antonio was Costa Rica’s major ecotourism destination and remains one until today. Rocky islands, the beaches, especially the one inside the national park are idyllic, and its rainforests are crawling with howler, white-faced, and squirrel monkeys, among other forms of exotic wildlife. In Manuel Antonio you will be able to visit the most popular national parks in the country. (Frommer’s, p.380, 2013).

! Worth to mention: It’s very hot and humid there and it rains a lot. However, that is what keeps Manuel Antonio green and lush, otherwise it wouldn’t be the Tropics !

You should definitely go and explore the National Park.While walking the long trails you will be able to get to know the wildlife, my favorite monkeys, sloths, birds and unique nature as well as botanical gardens. You will get to see what the rainforest is about. The long trail in the park will lead you the spectacular Playa Manuel Antonio and Playa Espadilla Sur. 

The entrance to the park cost $10, however if you will drive a car get ready to pay additional $10 for parking. Make sure to walk through the park with a tour guy. He will show you animals that you normally wouldn’t pay attention to and give you a brief history of the rainforests and the nature. My guy’s name was David, and I highly recommend him. He spoke perfect English, and was very knowledgeable.

Playa Espadilla Sur

I also recommend a Catamaran Tour, which we took in the afternoon to watch the sunset. We were crushing waterways for about 4 hours, passing rock formations and searching for dolphins and whales. We were lucky enough to see one swimming along our boat. That was absolutely fantastic!  Also, you will be able to snorkel in the Pacific Ocean. Before the boat returns to the marina, delicious dinner will be served. This is a nice adventure to take for the cost of $65.

You can also do zip lining, hiking, rafting and more, which I unfortunately didn’t have time for.

Manual Antonio offers variety of restaurants with selection of outstanding meals. Definitely my favorite place to dine was El Avion. I had a tuna fish steak, which was magnificent! The coconut drinks were mouthwatering. The restaurant itself is very unique; it is built in the corpus of an old plane. Worth to go!  

Nightlife is best in the neighboring small town called Quepos. I would recommend to go to Sargent Garcia and Discoteca Arco Iris. Fun! There is also the restaurant called Dos Locos that serves Mexican cuisine and have a live band in the evenings, however the food is average and very expensive, unless you don’t mind paying almost $20 for couple tacos. I must admit, I felt totally “loco” after I saw my bill !

Reference:

Frommer’s (2013). Paya de Jaco. Costa Rica 2013. Published by: John Wilye & Sons, Inc. 

Playa de Jaco

Pura Vida !

December 31^st 2013. After 5 hours on the aircraft we finally landed in San Jose. Right the way the sun welcomed us with its incredible hotness. I felt very Michigan-winter-dressed, wearing boots and a sweater and holding my winter jacket in my hand.

So, after exchanging dollars for coronas at the airport we rushed quickly to rent a car. We had still few hours to drive before we would arrive to our first destination – Jaco city where we planed to spend New Year Eve. According to random sources Jaco is "the" place to go to celebrate New Years. I must say it was on of the kind experience. Thousands of people hanging out on the beach, barbecuing, listing to the music, just having fun and awaiting for New Year to come. At midnight fireworks and a big party. 

! First thing to mention: If you decide to go to Costa Rica, take cash with you and exchange it for coronas at the airport. However, you can also pay with U.S. dollars there as you wish. Just remember that you will receive change in coronas. Although, if you use the credit card be prepared that you will be charged international fees, which is about 3% !

!  Second thing to mention: In Costa Rica locals operate on their own, unique time. For them 5 minutes is like an hour in U.S. !

To continue with my story, unfortunately, at the car rental our vehicle wasn’t ready, after a quite a long wait we were finally able to pursue with our trip to Jaco city.

! Warning: In Costa Rica there is not too many road signs !

Shocker, even GPS got confused. We drove around the airport for a while after we figured how to get to the highway. There were no signs on the roads indicating where to go. We had to guess and choose random turns in order to find the correct way. But it was all worth to get lost because were able to see how locals live in the suburbs of San Jose.

The road trip was spectacular. I was so amazed of how beautiful Costa Rica is. All this greenery and nature, rugged lands combined with flowery bushes, trees and wildlife. So astonishing.

About after 4 hours drive we arrived to Jaco…

Paya de Jaco is a long stretch of beach strung with hotels, souvenir shops, seafood restaurants and rowdy bars. The number one attraction is the surf, and this is definitely a surfer-dominated beach town. However, the beach itself is not really appealing. It consists of dark-gray sand with lots of little rocks, and it often pretty rough for swimming. Although, Jaco is always packed with mix of foreign and Tico vacationers. The city is also known for its nightlife. A range of raging bars offer everything from live music venues to chill lounge environments, to beach front bars. (Frommer’s, p.367, 2013).

My recommendations :

Restaurants:

Caliche's Wishbone. Serves delicious fresh seafood and steaks, generally food is excellent.  Reasonably priced. Very friendly and welcoming staff. 

Bars:

Monkey Bar, Le Loft, Beatle Bar. 

Hotels:

Hotel 9. Affordable, beach front, close to downtown, walking distance from the beach. 

                                          

Reference:

Frommer’s (2013). Paya de Jaco. Costa Rica 2013. Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.