Before You Travel to Beautiful Costa Rica
Looking for a tropical beach side cottage to spend your vacation or honeymoon? Online companies offer romantic honeymoon getaways with beaches that stretch for miles, jungle rivers for rafting and kayaking, and spectacular cloud and rain forests with opportunities for bird watching and hiking. Having just returned from Costa Rica myself, I would like to offer some practical advice that you probably won’t find in the guide books.
When we planned our trip, we assumed that most people in Costa Rica would understand English fairly well. At several hotels, the front desk clerks spoke practically no English. The same goes for bus drivers. The staff at the Costa Rica Car Rental agency spoke the best English. They were able to give us directions to Sarchi, known throughout Costa Rica for its intricate arts and crafts. Prepare yourself by learning key phrases such as “Donde est? el banco” (Where is the bank), “Estoy buscando un restaurante” (I am looking for a restaurant), and “Donde est? el cuarto de ba?o” (Where is the bathroom).
The Pan American Highway runs through Costa Rica and is a reliable, well-paved road. However, many side roads in Costa Rica are very bad and full of deep potholes. I guarantee that you have never seen a pothole in your life like the ones in Costa Rica. I recommend that when you rent a car, take out the full coverage (usually an additional $20 per day on top of the regular fee). When you take the side roads, you need to allow more time to reach your destination. In some cases you may be only going 20-25 miles per hour.
Colones are the national currency and are very easy to translate into American dollars. If an item says 5,000 colones, just drop the 3 zeros and multiply the other number by 2. In other words, 5,000 colones is equal to 10 American dollars. If you need to convert other currency into colones, you can do that with an online currency converter.
The rainy season in Costa Rica runs from May through December, but don’t let that stop you. Hotels are cheaper and there is less traffic and fewer people in the restaurants. Many times you will find that you are the ONLY people in the restaurant. My husband and I traveled in September, and experienced rain on only a few days of our trip. It would rain heavily for about one hour and then stop completely. We would spend the time indoors having a lovely Costa Rican lunch, and by the time we finished our gallon pinto, the rain was gone.
Bring a good camera and lots of film. Because of the rain, you will see some of the most beautiful exotic plants and over thirteen hundred species of orchids. The size and rumbling of the Poas Volcano will take your breath away. Waterfalls, like those near La Fortuna, are located off of the side roads, so drive slowly and allow more time. Even in the cities, you will want to photograph the brightly colored houses and ornate wrought iron that covers all the windows and patios in beautiful Costa Rica.