Also, this new terminal does not offer money changing services. but,
almost any taxi will quote you in dollars if you ask. if you walk to
the main terminal to find the bus station, you will need to go into
the main terminal to change money as buses take only local currency.
Typical prices:
Note that in smaller areas (such as Santa Elana), buses may not be
that frequent and will probably be late (our 2:30pm bus left around
3:15 and arrived around 8 rather than 6). Another Santa Elana
tip: buy tickets a day or so in advance or you will end up standing
for what seems like days (it's 4 hours to san jose!). In order to
buy tickets early, you'll need to hang around the bus terminal when
a bus is due to leave or arrive--the rest of the time, the office
is closed and locked up.
Current (4/98) exchange rate is about 250 colones to $1. So,
1000 colones is about $4.
I would suggest bringing lots of US dollars and US dollar traveler
checks! Credit cards are accepted
in some locations, but most will add 5 to 7% extra (the only worthwhile
place we found to use a credit card was for the aerial tram--about
$50 per person and they don't charge the extra fee). Your best bet is
changing some money to colones (especially for bus fares and eating).
But, keep a pretty large reserve of dollars. Almost everything you
will spend a lot of money on (park entrance fees, tours, souvenirs,
hotel rooms, taxis) are quoted in both dollars and colones with favorable
exchange rates. This is great since you can't get colones in the US
and can only change about $50 of colones back into
dollars before you leave.
To change money, I highly suggest your hotel. While the exchange rate
may not be the best (eg. 245 to $1 rather than the commercial rate
of 251 to $1), the commission taken by the bank we tried only saved
us a whopping 80 colones (about 25 cents!). The much shorter wait
at your hotel will more than make up for this 25 cents!! You can
also almost always get change in colones if you pay in dollars.
Another surprise: US dollar travelers checks were as readily accepted as
US dollar cash. So, use your judgement in dividing your money between
cash and travelers checks. If you are uncomfortable carrying your whole
trip's worth of money in cash, try more travelers checks. We didn't try
any of the ATMs as we'd been warned that Costa Rican ATMs have been known
to eat foreign cards.
Finally, don't forget to reserve $17 per person exit tax, payable
at your point of departure. You can pay in either dollars or colones
(and get your change in dollars if you prefer).
The two seasons of Costa Rica are wet and less wet. Even in the
dry season, it rains almost every day in the rainforest. so, be
prepared and bring a light (you will die in a non-breathable, heavy,
plastic coat!) rainjacket, umbrella, and hat. I would recommend taking
an umbrella with you everywhere you go, just in case.
It is humid in the rainforest and cloudforest, but elsewhere, you
will find it pleasant. The humidity is not terribly oppressive.
As Ticos don't wear shorts, you may want to bring lightweight pants
to wear, especially in San Jose. This isn't as bad as it sounds
since the humidity really isn't as bad as the guidebooks will have
you believe.
While women don't wear shorts, the shirts they wear are not nearly
as modest. If your style is bare midriff, spaghetti straps, or
plunging necklines, you'll blend right in. (however, nudity is
frowned upon and you shouldn't run around beaches topless. skimpy
bikinis are acceptable, tho!).
For tours, dress according to recommendations. For horse riding, you
will definatley want pants. If you choose to tour the Venado caves,
shorts are a must...the shorter and faster drying (nylon is good), the
better-you'll spend most of your time wet.
no matter what you are doing, sensible, comfortable shoes are a must.
San Jose's streets and sidewalks are in bad repair and could easily
cause a sprained ankle. To get the most out of visits to aerial
tram, rainforests, cloudforests, etc., you will want shoes you can
hike in and climb in. The hike down to the La Fortuna waterfall is
mostly a steep climb down makeshift stairs. You should also be
prepared to get muddy on any hike.
Take your bug spray arsenal with you; even if you don't need it,
you'll be glad to have it just in case. Everyone suggests high
concentrations of deet, and we took just that. But, we never
needed it. Also bring: sunscreen, after-sun creams, and calamine
or other anti-itch cream for bug bites.
A cream (combined with sunscreen is convenient) for exposed areas
like hands, face, neck, etc. is good. A spray which
can be used on clothing, especially socks and ankle areas, is also
convenient. This kind of spray can be used for all over body spraying
quickly and easily for large numbers of bugs or before bed.
We tried out our bug sprays, but found we didn't need them, and by the
end of the trip, we weren't using them at all. Nights in our hotels
in San Jose and La Fortuna were relatively bug free (except for the
ants which weren't interested in us) and we didn't need bug repellant.
The only bug bites we got were in the cloud forest--i got about 4 bites
wearing no bug repellant at all. but, you will want to be prepared for
bugs, and it's hard to find strong bug repellant in Costa Rica.
On the streets outside the Mercado Central, all types of food vendors can be
found hawking their wares. It is a busy and crazy place with piles of coconuts
and buckets of fish.
La Cason
Hotel Bienvenidos ****
This is a relatively large hotel and feels quite safe (you have to
be buzzed in). The rooms are adequate and include towels, small sink &
mirror, toilet, plenty of toilet paper, and shower with hot water for
$16/night for a double. You
can also get a safe deposit box for $2 and leave luggage here
for $2. If you make reservations, they will hold the room until
night if you are arriving late or on an evening bus. There is a restaurant
connected to the hotel and you can
pick up sodas and bottled water here. The hotel staff is friendly
and helpful and most speak
english. It is located about 2 blocks from mercado central and
is quite close to almost all the buses you will want to take (this
is especially nice when you are hauling your luggage).
Two caveats: this neighborhood is a bit scary after dark and you
should aviod walking then if possible--at the very least walk in
groups and with at least one guy. If you are interested in visiting
San Jose's many museums, most are located on the other side of
Avenida central and are more of a hike. However, you can utilize
the bus system if you are averse to walking.
Hotel Las Colinas ****
The rooms here are of decent size, airy (we had 2 large windows),
include sink, toilet, and shower (towels and plenty of toilet
paper as well). Only detraction...electric showers which are both
scary and not as warm as actual heated water. We paid $20/night
as it wasn't busy, but the rate I was quoted when I made reservations
was $30. The hotel itself is attractive, but you will have to
traverse 2 flights of steep stairs to stay on the 3rd floor (where
the best rooms are located). Room 33 has a balcony and faces the
volcano. You will find the proprieter, Jessica, to be very friendly
and helpful, and her french accent and propensity for shorts make
her somewhat of a novelty.
El Banco 1/2
This is a most unpleasant place and should only be used if absolutely
necessary. The rooms are very small and the doors look as though they
were cut out of the wall, given hinges, and put back in. There are no
doorknobs, and you will be given a padlock and key. you put the pad lock
on the outside of the door when you're out and on the inside when you're
in.
The place is not particularly clean--lots of dead bugs and bug husks
in the chairs and couches in the hallway. We had one large dead bug
on our floor,and in the room I heartily rejected, there was a decent
sized spider happily spinning a web in the light fixture (right above
the bed!). This is the kind of place where you don't want to touch
the walls!
There is a shared bathroom at the end of the hall and a shared shower
which will make you want to wear your shower shoes! It's an electric
"shocker shower" and doesn't give off too much warm water. However, the
worst part of this place was our allergic reaction! Antony's eyes watered
a bit which was unpleasant but bearable. I, on the other hand, found
myself sneezing and becoming completely congested, making breathing
in the room difficult. We tried airing it out, we tried closing it off,
and finally I had to sleep breathing through a towel. Like I said, stay
here only if necessary!
This is a bakery chain and you will see their orange lettering everywhere.
The shops are always full of locals, mostly buying bread (which is excellent!).
they also sell packaged lunch meats allowing you to buy enough for a simple
picnic. Our favorites were the empanadas (meat filled pastries) and
enchiladas (potato filled pastry). There are also plenty of sweats for
breakfast. The routine here consists of picking up a round tray and
tongs, puttting everything you want to buy on your tray (use the tongs!),
and then standing in line to pay. your pastries will be put in a bag
as they are rung up.
Cafe Trebol
La Perla ***
It's not elegant but rather more like a diner. But, the food and
prices are good. We never managed to get a plato del dia (they were
out!), but the seafood paella was good and the tamale is excellent.
It's not at all what you expect but it is good and filling and cheap.
Airport
If you arrive on Delta, be aware that Delta is located in the new
terminal of the international airport. This new terminal is located
about 1.5km from the main terminal and, as far as we could tell, no
shuttle service exists between these two terminals. This presents
problems for several reasons: if you plan on renting a car at the
main terminal, if you planned on catching the city bus across from
the main terminal, or if you planned to visit the ICT (touris office)
in the main terminal. Basically, your choices are: hike, with luggage,
to the main terminal or hire a taxi (very prevelant) to take you
to San Jose (should be about $8-$10 for any number of people).
On your return, you can get a cab or take the bus and hike with
your luggage back to the terminal. Also, when leaving, be aware
that you need to pay $17/person exit tax. In exchange for your money,
you should get a form (you must fill it out), with stamps on the back.
The clerk forgot to give us our forms and we had to return and
convince him we had already paid.
Taxis
Taxis are mostly pretty reasonable, although you'll find buses to
be prevelant and much much cheaper. But, if you do take a taxi,
note that you should agree on a fare before you start your journey.
Also, most fares should be quoted no matter the number of people
in the taxi, never per person. We found almost everyone very
friendly, helpful, and honest. But, we did encounter one taxi
driver who tried to charge us 1500 colones each for a ride that
was included in a tour we purchased. be careful.
from airport to San Jose: around $10 for any number of people.
from Santa Elana to either Santa Elana reserve or Monteverde: around
1500 colones for any number of people.
Buses
This is the main source of public transit in Costa Rica. Intercity
buses in San Jose and elsewhere seem to run pretty frequently and
are comfortable. Intracity buses are also a good way to get around.
However, there is no one bus station and buses leave
from different locations around town. definately pick up a bus
schedule from the ICT (tourist office) or elsewhere; it tells you not
only departure times, but departure locations and includes a map.
Money
Typical Prices:
fruit/milk drink: 200-300 colones
casado: 500-700 colones
bottled soft drink: 100-200 colones
taxi (santa elana to santa elana reserve): 1500 colones
bakery pastry: around 100 colones each
Weather
Clothes
Cities
In the cities, you will notice that Ticos do not wear shorts. The
only people walking around in shorts and tevas are the tourists. If
you prefer to blend in, you'll want pants. I would suggest lightweight,
loose pants; tight or heavy material will get hot in a hurry. Women
also wear skirts often and this may be a cooler option than pants.
Adventures/Tours
For visits to the rainforests and cloudforests, I suggest pants and
long sleeves. Wear light colors and loose, lightweight clothes, although
you'll still sweat buckets! If you can't live with that much cloth,
at least go for long pants and sensible shoes & socks to keep out the
bugs. In the cloud forest, we found more flying bugs and ticks and
I would suggest long sleeves here if you can stand it.
Bugs
Shopping
Mercado Central
Location: Downtown San Jose
This is a huge labyrinth of indoor shops and stalls. Many of the shops near the
entrances to this large market are tourist shops selling traditionally tacky wares
from t-shirts to beach towels. Further inside, you will find stores selling just
about everything. Mostly these stores seem to cater to locals and unless you need
cookware or tonite's dinner, you may not find this too interesting. There are a
bunch of sodas inside which supposedly serve good and cheap food.
Location: San Jose
These shops and stalls cater almost exclusively to tourists. The indoor, multi-level
shopping area attracts lots of tourists and you will find that many of the stalls
carry the same wares from very cheap (and cheaply crafted) trinkets to very expensive and
well-made oxcarts. Prices may be a bit higher than at mercado central or other
more local shops, but it is a convenient place to buy all those gifts to send back
home.
Recommendations and Warnings: Hotels
Location: Downtown San Jose, approx. 2 blocks from Mercado Central
Price: $16 per night for a double
Address: Calle 10 at Avenida 1 and 3 (San Jose)
Phone: (506) 221-1872
Location: La Fortuna in the Arenal Volcano area
Price: $20/$30 per night for a double low season/high season
Address: 150 meters south of the bank (La Fortuna)
Phone: (506) 479-9107
Las Colinas offers many tours, some with their own guide, William,
and some through the Horse Riding Center. I highly suggest tours
with William! He is a friendly, knowledgable guide. He took us
through the Venado caves and out to the volcano at night to view the
red lava. Other tours such as a horse ride to the waterfall and
a trip to Monteverde are offered through the horse riding center.
We took the trip to Monteverde, and while it was an experience, it
could have been better. we had several complaints; you may wish to
check around or even research before you leave--especially if you
wish to patronize companies which do not mistreat their horses.
Location: Santa Elana
Price: $14 per night for a double
Address: Behind the Bank (Santa Elana )
Phone: (506) Recommendations and Warnings: Eating
Musanni Bakery ****
Location: Multiple in San Jose
Food: Bakery fare
Location: San Jose
This is the best place to purchase coffee. A kilo of whole beans
is around $4.50, and it makes good coffee.
Location: San Jose
Food: Costa Rican
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