2 Weeks In Costa Rica

My home away from home, Costa Rica. Before I outline the most perfect two weeks in Costa Rica, I want to tell you a little background on why I love this place so much. I grew up spending my summers in Costa Rica starting at the young age of four. My parents used to put my sister and I in school there so we could improve on our Spanish. With my dad being from Argentina and the amount that we travel, he always wanted us to be bi-lingual.

He built our first house in Nosara, Costa Rica when at the time consisted of only a few houses and restaurants. The memories I have here mean the world to me. It is where I learned to surf, developed my love for the ocean, and truly learned how to appreciate the simplicity of nature and “Pura Vida”. The word of Nosara grew quickly, a town so perfect everyone must visit – with that grew tourism, houses, business, and hotels. My family appreciated the changes but wanted something more quiet so we sold our Nosara house and quickly re-located to Playa San Miguel. San Miguel is a tiny dirt road directly on the beach with a few houses planted here and there. You are surrounded by miles of gorgeous coastline and are completely secluded. The best part is the cabinas, mostly because they are designed by my dad.  Playa San Miguel simply put is you, a cold imperial, and an open beach (maybe some monkeys and iguanas). Although not included in this itinerary I HIGHLY suggest you go, stay in my houses, tell me what you think!

You can do Costa Rica in a week but you will feel rushed. Go for ten days minimum, it is worth every second. Do yourself a favor and don’t go to Jaco. It is a wanna be Cabo with expensive drinks, huge skyscraper hotels, and sun-burnt Americans. The Guanicaste Coast is where you want to be. Your two options airport wise are San Jose or Liberia. Liberia is the best bet yet sometimes it is cheaper to fly into San Jose. The best way to get around Costa Rica is by renting a car, the public transportation is not the best. There are also buses that you can take to get to the main beach towns that are supposed to be good as well.

First, here are some things you must know that will make your taste buds happy

• Trits: an ice cream sandwich sent down from heaven to bless your life. They can be found in any grocery store and make the best road trip snacks.
• Fruta con leche or agua: You can choose any fruit you want and pair it with water or milk, they are so delicious. Any restaurant offers it, my favorite is banana con leche.
• Costa Rica tipica: the typical plate is rice, beans, fish, and fried plantains. Just eat it, you’re welcome.
• Pilsen & Imperial: your two new best friends

Monte Verde – 2 Days

Just a short 2-3 hour drive from Liberia airport is Monte Verde. Monte Verde is most famous for its cloud forest reserve. There are a ton of different hikes around this area with hanging bridges draped over the hill side. There are also zip-lining options which is a must if it is your first time in Costa Rica. This area is great for the adventure seekers.

Playa Santa Teresa – 4 Days

From Monte Verde, head to Santa Teresa (one of my FAVORITE places). You can drive all the way around which will take about 3 1/2 hours or you can head to Puntarenas (takes about 2 hours) to take your car on the the ferry, it drops you in Paquera. You need to arrive 45 minutes early to get in line and can check times here. From Paquera to Playa Santa Teresa is about 1 1/2 hours. The hotels are a little pricey but they have hostel’s for $14 a night or airbnb’s. We stayed at an airbnb called Casa Ruego, it was perfect. We rented a quad for $50 a day and drove that thing everywhere. Santa Teresa is filled with amazing restaurants, trendy bars, and great surf. Eat at Al Chile Viola, great italian food and amazing passion fruit margaritas. Make sure to go on a quad (or motorcycle) ride through the jungle to Montezuma where the waterfalls are. The rental shops can point you in the right direction. You will race up and down dirt roads winding through the jungle while having monkeys by your side.

The Drive from Santa Teresa to Nosara is a long one, around 5 hours. Stop in Samara or stay a few nights at my cabinas in San Miguel! I recommend finding a nice place to relax a night or two before heading to Nosara. From Playa San Miguel to Nosara is only 2 1/2 hours.

Nosara – 4 days

Like mentioned above, Nosara is perfect. It is filled with yogi’s, surfers, and sustainable tourism advocates. Take some classes from the yoga institute, they have beautiful open studios that are nestled into the jungle. You can see monkeys swinging in the trees and frogs hopping around all while being lead by amazing instructors from around the world. The food is out of this world, some of my favorite places to eat are La Luna (pictured below) and Cafe De Paris (where we used to get fresh baked croissants everyday before school). There are tennis courts, surf lessons, and even a skate park equipped with a full bar. At night they play music and have parties so make sure to go check it out. There are a ton of Air B&B’s for accommodations along with hostels and  hotels for decent prices. However, Nosara, along with the other beach towns, are not cheep when it comes to food. You will be paying what you pay in the states, $10 a plate usually if not more. So plan ahead! If you go during the right season you can also watch thousands of turtles nest or see new borns being hatched.

Tamarindo – 3 Days

From Nosara to Tamarindo is just under 2 hours. Tamarindo is filled with fun attractions like their water slides, catamaran sunset cruises, and beach bars. They also have ziplines and yoga studios to entertain you with. It’s close to other fun towns and beaches so day trips are a good idea too. Playa Flamingo is fun, eat at coco loco! Tamarindo is great because it is just 1 1/2 hours from the airport at Liberia. If you are heading to San Jose, it is over a 6 hour drive so make sure to break it up. Stop in La fortuna for a night and see the gorgeous waterfalls.

The one thing to remember is Costa Rica’s biggest income is Tourism. Make sure to stop and appreciate the beauty of the quieter areas, they are so rare now. The culture is friendly, fun, and lively and the food is excellent. You’ll hear it a hundred times while you’re there but you can here it from me first, Pura Vida!