- Aug 10 - Fly to Liberia, drove to Tamarindo, ate at food market - Hostel La Botella de Leche
- Some drunk dude woke me up yelling at around 3 am. The downside of staying at a cheap hostel.
- Aug 11 - Tamarindo - rented surf board/boogie board, food truck park (played jenga during the rain storm) , poke bowl for lunch - Hostel La Botella de Leche
- Aug 12 - Drive, stop at Verdiazul Turtle Hatchery, went back to get Kai’s watch, lunch at soda along drive, Casa Amarillo closed; Samara beach for sunset, birthday dinner at Mar y Fiego (delicious!)
- Am Run
- quick stop at Verdiazul Turtle Hatchery
- Hotel Samara Beach - initially made reservations at Casa Amarilla, but it was locked up and closed.
- Kai's B-day
- Aug 13 - Pool, Beach (low tide with fun “pool”), lunch (curry), two waterfalls, Playa Carrillo (palm trees), dinner (pasta, fish and chips: Mr. Pelicano)
- Samara am run
- Hotel Samara Beach
- Aug 14 - Zipline, lunch at soda (salty), relax in hotel room, beach soccer/cribbage, dinner at Mar y Fuego again (excellent pizza)
- Aug 15 - Drive from Samara to Bijagua; stop in Nicoya for Ropa Americanas; kabobs in Rio Naranja; motorcycle accident while turning at Hotel Rio Celeste Dreams; animal/chocolate/coffee/sugar cane tour at Bijagua Ranas (sloths!); drinks at Color Brewery; dinner at JardÃn de Eva (steak and sushi for Mother’s Day: amazing!); family games: liars dice and Euchre
- Aug 16 - Woke up early; coffee outside; swimming hole and tubing on Rio Celeste; Blue River Brewery (amazing nachos); steak dinner again (OKRA); family ♠️ spades
- Aug 17 - Yu and Nikko ran to Bijagua waterfall; Kim and Kai went to Coffee and Cocoa Tour Bijagua; public pool in Bigaces with waterslide and platform (terrible nachos); soccer game!; sushi dinner (food trucks); swimming, pool, air hockey, ping pong at hostel
- Aug 18 - Boys played pool, yummy breakfast (El Amanacer), fly home (fusbal at LIR airport)
All the beaches on the Guanacaste area that I saw were so inviting and friendly. Shallow, warm water that go on for miles.
Pros and cons of CR being so touristy
- easy to travel
- but expensive
- easy to rent surfboards, go on zipline tours, sloth tours, coffee tours
- but you feel like you are at Disneyland all the time.
Think about this, I know so many folks in Ashland that have been to Samara (Tamarindo is basically as foreign as Seattle to Ashlanders). Samara's population is 1500 people. Tamarindo is 7500. And I know like 3 folks that have been to Butte Falls. Kinda silly, right?
TIPS
- Nativos Car rental worked out well
- Numu brewery is across from the airport, we didn't get to go, but their IPAs were the best
- Ropa Americanas are fun to check out.
Eating
- Cas - sour guava
- Guanabana - Soursop
- Rambutan - sold at intersections
- Pejibaye - Peach Palm Fruit - tastes like sweet potatoes or brown sugar... didn't get to try
- Zapote
- Jocote
- Caimito
- Granadilla
We liked the food truck parks. Best deals seemed to be sushi & steak.
And the tipico meals were best on the road at intersections. Tons of gallo pinto. Gotta say, it's a few steps down from SE Asia. Overall I'd give it a D.
