It seems like there should be lots of volunteer opportunities in Costa Rica If you're willing to work hard all day setting fence posts to keep cows out of a wildlife refuge or teaching English to indigenous children it seems reasonable to expect a clean dry place to sleep and three square meals in … [Read more...]
Walk on the Wild Side
Walk WAY off to the side or it may be hazardous to your health Costa Rica's highway safety department (Dirección General de Tránsito) statistics show that about a third of the people who die on the roads are pedestrians or bicyclists. Compare that to around one percent in the U.S. or Europe and … [Read more...]
Airport Dehydration Alert
update January 2016 - The international airports have reversed the system described below and now operate like the rest of the world. Currently liquids are not allowed through security but if you buy them or fill your bottle after passing through security you are allowed to take it on the … [Read more...]
Common Costa Rica Travel Myths & Deceptions
Costa Rica is the Safest Country in Central America => True but misleading While statistically true, this is a bit deceptive. Guatemala has the highest murder rate in the world, El Salvador is close behind and Mexico is over-run with feuding drug lords. Costa Rica is in fact much safer than … [Read more...]
Reliable Online Reviews?
Who should you take advice from when planning travel? Your mom? TripAdvisor? Costa Rica Guide? Fodor's Guidebooks? The guy who cleans your pool? It can be confusing so we've provided some advice and insight that might help. You'd Assume People Would Know Where They Stayed Online Reviews Don't … [Read more...]
The Unique Experience
One of the main reasons travelers are traveling is for that unique experience. Sure you can buy mangoes at your local supermarket anywhere in the U.S. but they don't come with cross-cut inside-out opening demonstrations as they might from a roadside stand in Costa Rica. The first rule for … [Read more...]
Gouge the Gringo
The Myth of the Costa Rican Credit Card Swindle There is a misconception among expatriates and travelers that Ticos are out to take advantage of Gringos. The myth has diverse origins but one of the most persistent is the extra charges at hotels, restaurants and tours for using a credit card. Other … [Read more...]
Patience Mañana
I'll be Patient Tomorrow but I Want My Rental Car Today... In a country where the national slogan is mañana, mañana… mañana it’s not surprising that sometimes service is not the same as in northern climes where not collecting the firewood in time for winter once meant freezing to death. As a … [Read more...]
Shell Game
Beachcombers Beware It is prohibited to remove anything (rocks, wood, plants, animals etc.) from inside national parks or wildlife refuges. On all other beaches (outside parks and refuges) only commercial collectors with the appropriate permit are allowed to remove sea shells. There are also … [Read more...]
Our 1996 Top Ten
The ten best places to go in Costa Rica in no particular order from our 1996 website. ...this is a page we wrote almost 20 years ago and we've found some new spots since 1999 so take a look around and see what you think and maybe we'll make a new list for 2016 on the Platinum Anniversary... This … [Read more...]
Group Tour Plus & Minus
To tour group, or not to tour group Advantages of group tours Organization and efficiency: If you decide to travel with a tour group you will almost certainly find that you pack a lot into your days. If you want to see and do the most possible things in the least possible time, then an organized … [Read more...]
Our 1996 Best Secrets
The Best Kept Secrets in Costa Rica - circa 1996 Some of these have been discovered but many are just as pristine and applicable over twenty years later. Wildlife Cruise If you're on a tight budget and can't shell out the $US 35-50 for a nature cruise in Tortuguero or Caño Negro, or you just want … [Read more...]
Energy Keycards
As new hotels are built and others in Costa Rica begin to modernize a number have added a system that theoretically helps save energy. In fact it's complicated pain in the neck that doesn't accomplish anything. The assumption driving the system is that guests are too irresponsible and … [Read more...]
What’s in a Name?
Costa Rican hotel owners started using keyword naming conventions long before SEO or the industry it represents existed. If you don't make your living in advertizing then SEO may be the most important acronym you've never heard. SEO is Search Engine Optimization which at the time the term was … [Read more...]
Do You Know the Way to San José?
Getting from the airport (SJO, Juan Santamaría) to downtown San José Public Bus: Public buses on the Alajuela to San José route stop in front of the airport (after you exit go around the parking garage that is directly in front of you and catch the bus on the side opposite the terminal) … [Read more...]
Document Backup
You can easily lose three or four days of your vacation trying to replace lost or stolen travel documents. Much of this time will be dedicated to simply waiting for copies to arrive at the local embassy or consulate, and some of it can be avoided by a few minutes effort before you leave home. Be … [Read more...]
Airport Hotels – Skip ’em
The Top Hotels at SJO and LIR International Airports, Costa Rica ...reprinted from CostaRicaTop10 with permission of the author and publishers... Ninety nine percent of the time the right answer to the question “What’s the best airport hotel in Costa Rica?” is “none of them.” It’s quite … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Guidebook Reviews
We've been told that books are dead and you can find anything you want on the internet for free. Not true. Don’t have time to read all the insightful reviews below? See the executive summary. Selecting the best guidebook We’ve been traveling in Costa Rica mapping the country for over two … [Read more...]
Secret Beaches of Costa Rica
Semi-Secret Beaches Semi-secret beaches are our favorites. They aren’t totally deserted – some of them even have a few little houses, some residents and maybe a bar, soda, or restaurant but if you ever see more than ten people per mile of sand on any of these playas that would be considered a … [Read more...]
Gambling on Arenal Volcano
It's really a long shot now. The article below is one we used to maintain when you used to be able to see lava flows on Arenal Volcano. It's not impossible that it will come back to life any day but it quieted down to an occasional puff in 2009 and hasn't made so much as a peep for six … [Read more...]