Next Up: Puerto Viejo!

Our final weekend trip was to Puerto Viejo, the Caribbean Beach of Costa Rica. This really was the Caribbean - I thought I saw Bob Marley about 20 times the whole weekend!

The coast here is a lot less pretty than Manuel Antonio on the Pacific side of the country. The beaches are dirtier in appearance, and there are places where it is dangerous to swim.

a view of the beach from the street our hotel was on

We were split into two groups of hotels for this weekend stay, and our hotel was gorgeous. We were in raised log cabin-style rooms, all with beautiful amenities, hammocks, air-conditioning (REALLY needed there!!), and nice, thick comforters.

there's the door to our hotel room!

The other group was put up in a hotel that had little cabins. The beds had mosquito nets on top, and although they had no air-conditioning, they had some really pretty bathrooms and a nice bar in the lobby.

Jen in her mosquito-netted bed at their hotel!

We ate dinner at a great outdoor pizza place in town that had delicious cocktails. Because we were such a big group, our food took a while, so we were brought bruschetta on the house - the BEST bruschetta I have ever had in my entire life!

At the restaurant, a Tico named Edwin and his son provided entertainment with guitar-playing, singing, and drumming. He performed all Bob Marley (a common theme in Puerto Viejo, of course), and we really enjoyed him. He even got me up there to perform “No Woman, No Cry” with him, and later, Dan, Chris, and I went up there and sang our Costa Rican version of Margaritaville. I think Edwin liked us!

jammin to some Bob Marley with Edwin and his son was so fun!

Later, we went to a bar/club right on the ocean. Here, there were little tables with candles by the ocean’s edge. It was really neat - very different from anything I’d seen before.

The beach the next day was really fun. We spent most of the time in the water, since it was so hot out.

cooling off in the water in Puerto Viejo

We concluded our Puerto Viejo trip with some shopping. Again, there were lots of street vendors along with the little shops on the road, and I got some great souvenirs for friends and family.

It was sad to return to Heredia knowing that the next time we left the town we would be leaving for the U.S.!

The best weekend trip in Manuel Antonio

On our way to our Manuel Antonio weekend excursion (the Pacific Beach), we stopped at a place to eat called “Isla Crocadilla.” We all gathered around on the highway and looked off the side edge to find around 50 crocodiles sunning themselves! They were all humongous - and there were cows just a few feet away grazing in the grass. It was wild, and we all expected to see a crocodile or two decide it was time for lunch.

the HUGE crocodiles!

When we arrived in Manuel Antonio, we found two restaurants right down the road from our hotel. After checking them out, we saw that they served happy hour drinks! From 4-6 every day, margaritas, pina coladas, and daiquiris were 2 for 1. We loved it, and definitely took advantage of the deal the two nights we stayed in Manuel Antonio. My favorite of the two restaurants was called Sammy’s, pictured below. I had some of the BEST pesto pasta of my life there!

happy hour!

On Saturday, we woke up early to take the wildlife tour. The tour was awesome even though it was a rainy, overcast day. We got to see lots of different animals, which I had really been hoping to do. I plan to dedicate my next post to that tour entirely.

our group for the wildlife tour

After our wildlife tour, we had the entire day to do whatever we pleased. We decided to check out the hundreds of street vendors. There was some really neat handcrafted jewelry, clothing, and nick knacks. The vendors were very friendly and used to tourists, and I had a fun time haggling with them for my souvenirs.

My friends Dana, Jen, Bekah, and Jenni and I then took a banana-float ride! For only $10 each, we got to ride on a banana-shaped float behind a speed boat. We all fit on it, and it was so fun (and FUNNY) trying to stay on through the rough waters! The ride was only ten minutes long, but it was definitely worth only $10.

that banana float ride was so fun!

Later that night, we ate at a restaurant called “El Avion” (the airplane). The entrance to the restaurant is an old cockpit fashioned into a bar on the inside - it was really neat, and the seafood there was delicious!

the cockpit entrance to the restaurant

We also hit the bars in Manuel Antonio. Once again, Roberto was kind enough to drive the big bus so we wouldn’t have to pay for taxis. Ladies were free (a common theme in Costa Rica), and we danced the night away until the early hours of the morning. The funniest part of our bar experience was when we found street vendors outside with carts of chicken on a stick. My friend Thomas was so excited over this chicken, and bought about five of them. I tried a piece - it was really good! The concept should be brought to the states for sure.

chicken on a stick, on sale outside the club

Our final day in Manuel Antonio was a free day. Four of us chose to spend our final hours renting a surf board and a boogie board for the great waves! It only cost $15 for two hours, so we got a pretty great deal for a lot of fun in the water. The little son of the boards owner (who was wearing a little shirt... and nothing else) loved Dana and me, and latched onto our legs and wouldn’t let us leave. Unfortunately, it was time to get back on the bus and head home for Heredia.

our new friend, the son of the surfboard rental man

I loved the beaches and fun of Manuel Antonio. If i could return to any of our weekend excursions, I would surely choose Manuel Antonio!