Costa Rica is a really accessible destination, and the crazy long immigration lines with tons of families make that pretty apparent. Resorts abound on the Pacific coast, but we headed to the Caribbean: we spent 5 nights/4 days in Punta Uva, and had a great time. While I’m not one of those people who could ever move their permanently, it was incredibly relaxing and absolutely beautiful.
I had seriously considered staying in Puerto Viejo, which is pretty hoppin’ these days. But as we drove through on the first day heading toward Punta Uva, I knew I made the right choice staying in Punta Uva instead.
Puerto Viejo is great if you are single, looking to party, and being around lots of 20 and 30 somethings taking a break from “real life”. It’s loud, it’s rowdy, and it sort of reminds me of Chiang Mai in a very Central American way. That is most definitely NOT what we were looking for. There is one pretty nice hotel (Le Cameleon) that might fit the bill if you are looking for luxury, but in general, there isn’t much of that either.
The farther you get from Puerto Viejo, the quieter things are. Once you get to Cocles and Playa Chiquita, there are restaurants lining the street and great beach access, and you definitely see more and more families as well as more Costa Ricans enjoying their beautiful coast. It seems there are more Europeans and less Americans on this side of Costa Rica.
We stayed at the Korrigan Lodge, which was amazing. Korrigan is smack dab between Cocles and Manzanillo, making it about a 30 minute bike ride to both (leisurely bike ride at that). Korrigan has four small bungalows, gracious French owners, and a dog named Bassam that quickly won us over. They don’t have a restaurant, but a delicious breakfast is included.
Food is delicious…but not cheap. Even in grocery stores, stuff is expensive. Obviously produce and fruit like bananas are not, since they grow like weeds in Costa Rica. But if you want to eat at restaurants, be prepared–while the food is typically good to great, we were surprised to spend $60 on dinner almost every night. I’m sure you could go to cheaper places in Puerto Viejo, but in Punta Uva (and surrounding area), this was pretty much the going rate.
Be flexible–it rains a lot! While we generally lucked out with only one half day of rain, it pours at night. Technically January is the rainy season for the Caribbean, rain is still pretty common most of the year. It was a good excuse to finish a book.
All in all, the Caribbean coast was a wonderful place for us. It’s one of the few places that both DH and I decided we would like to return. It’s enough off the beaten path to still be authentic and quiet, while being developed enough to have common luxuries (good roads, wifi, etc).
And the sloth obsession has only just begun….
