The Best of Costa Rica

I visited Costa Rica once about 12 years ago and it immediately captured my heart. Since then I’ve lived there for extended periods and visited for both business and pleasure over 30 times. There’s a lot to love about Costa Rica: the people, the culture, the eco-tourism engrained at all levels. Plus, Costa Rica allows you to get away from the standard hustle of many major tourist destinations.

Surfing in Playa Grande, Tamarindo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

I’ve spoken to many people over the years about Costa Rica and quite often there is a ton of confusion over what to expect when you visit. For instance, Costa Rica has a fantastic medical system. In fact, when I was spending a significant amount of time there, I would prefer my Costa Rican dentist to my Canadian dentist.

First thing to note is the landing when you fly into San Jose. It will be bumpy, especially on your approach. Don’t worry! There are a few layers of air pressure there and possibly a few rain showers you’ll fly through, but it should be sunny when you land. You’ll bump a bit and land just fine.

The majority of flights to Costa Rica will land in San Jose, the capital city. It’s a beautiful city that sits in a bit of a valley surrounded by rolling “mountains” which are more like very large hills. It’s quite common to see rain rolling in over the mountains but it stays nice and sunny where you are. Get used to that. Costa Rica is famous for micro-climates and interesting weather patterns.

Stock up in San Jose

You’ll likely be driving through San Jose on your way to your destination. Don’t expect to overwhelmed by the natural beauty of San Jose. Like any other major city it’s got significant conveniences wrapped in an urban setting. Keep in mind though that San Jose is a fantastic place to prepare for your trip: there are major grocery chains and every convenience you would require. If you’re looking to get yourself geared up there’s the MegaSuper grocery stores, AM/PM convenience stores, and of course the Mutiplaza in Escazu which could be any shopping mall in any North American city. I know that may not sound all that exciting, but when you visit for the first time, you won’t have to worry that you’re landing in the middle of the jungle. It takes a bit of driving to get to that.

If you’re heading on your first trip to Costa Rica, there are a few areas I would strongly suggest, the top being Tamarindo on the Pacific Northwest side of the country. It’s a small beach town and an amazing place and, if you’re anything like me, you’ll never want to leave.

Head for the coast

Getting there, you have a few options. You can drive along the comfortable new highway that traverses a significant portion of the country, although I’ve always enjoyed the convenience of a NatureAir flight from San Jose. Even though the highways have been significantly upgraded in the past few years, they definitely cannot beat a 40 minute flight. If you’re flying into Liberia, then you’re only a 90 minute drive to Tamarindo, so you should be good to go.

A couple of notes about Costa Rican driving. It’s a little bit of a free-for-all at times, although it certainly is a more tame driving experience than Mexico offers. A very important point to remember is that the notion of street addresses and street signs doesn’t really exist in Costa Rica. The first time I drove there I was confused by the lack of signage and had to muddle my way through.  Just to prove it to you, have a look at the directions to DragonFly Bar and Grill in Tamarindo (highly recommended!):

Dragonfly is located on the road between Hostel and Pasatiempo, it sits about 100 meters back on the right.

f you’ve ever had any questions about why some of the addresses on any properties listed at Demeure might be missing, it’s simply because they don’t exist! A GPS is a very handy thing, but so is your ability to stop and try to communicate if you do get lost. It’s all good though, I can assure you that you’re going to get to your destination. I’ve never not arrived.

Depending on your tastes there are a few key activities I would strongly suggest on your Costa Rican adventure: surfing, eating, fishing, watching the baby turtles, hanging out on the beach late into the night with locals, and hiking.

Surfing

I’ve surfed numerous times at Playa Grande. I’ve had many spiritual moments in life but none as incredible as watching the sunrise (and set later the same day) while sitting on a surfboard and seeing the waves rise out of the ocean as if they had woken up. Truly incredible.

There are a few really nice places but RipJack Inn is *the* best place in the world. It’s an idyllic little surfers villa, like something out of a storybook. At the restaurant, which is the top level, the food is amazing. They were even serving the eggs from the chickens they had on site. The surfing instructors were chill, cool and a lot of fun to hang out with. I strongly recommend Rip Jack. It’s heaven.

Surfing at Playa Grande, Tamarindo

Eating:

Dragonfly Bar & Grill is an amazing restaurant, run by an expat who decided to get out of the rat race. It’s amazing and has fresh caught Tuna everyday, literally pulled right out of the Pacific and cooked within hours. Best I’ve ever had. The ambiance and setting are fantastic as well. I’m not sure what else to say about this except: Go!

Fishing:

All large game fishing (deep-sea) is catch and release in Costa Rica. You can certainly line fish and have a great day of it, with lots of fish to be caught.

If that’s not your cup of tea, please refer to the “eating” section and let someone else do the fishing.

Baby Sea Turtles:

Adorable and rare, the hatching of baby sea turtles as they do their best to scamper to the sea from the beach is an amazing thing to see. It was in Tamarindo that I first had the opportunity to witness this, and I’ll never forget it.

During the hatching season, there are Costa Rican police patrolling the beaches. Keep in mind that it’s a crime to interfere with or touch the baby turtles and pedestrians are banned from the beaches after sun-down. Please be aware that this is a natural process and highly sensitive to human interference. It’s amazing how Costa Ricans have put so much effort into the protection of natural ecosystems. Yet another reason I love Costa Rica.

Turtles? Si! Turtles!

Hanging out on the beach & getting to know the locals:

When you visit Costa Rica, it’s time to stop being so North American. Relax. It’ll get done, whatever it may be. Put down the Blackberry or iPhone. Hang out on the beach and chill. Talk to the locals – they’re incredibly friendly and you’ll learn a ton more than I could ever write in a blog post.

Make an effort to speak Spanish. Even broken Spanish and an effort are appreciated (and I can almost guarantee you that you’ll be warmly replied to in English…most of the time). I have fond memories of a New Years Eve spent just outside Tamarindo with a group of locals (Ticos) learning about the troubles in Latin America through the 1970′s and 1980′s. The sound of the beach, the stars up above an amazing group of friends, and a lonely guitar. You cannot buy those types of memories.

Hopefully that gives you a good start for your first trip to Costa Rica. I’ve barely scratched the surface – there are many more experiences that are waiting for you in this tiny but incredible country. I’m not overstating when I say, “I Love Costa Rica”. I’ve made lifelong friends through my experiences and I’m sure you will as well.

Just remember that in Costa Rica, Mañana does not mean tomorrow, it means not today. Two very different things.