Blogs from Manuel Antonio, Puntarenas, Costa Rica, Central America Caribbean - page 9

We awoke at 7 on Sunday morning... we had breakfast at La Colina and converted twenty US dollars to colons. After renting two beach mats from the hotel office we were ready to hit the beach! This is the one thing that up in rainy Portland we saw pictures of and were ready to experience first-hand! The water was so clear that I could see fish swimming next to my legs... the water was like a very warm bath and the salt was intense. This is where, for the first time in a long time, I really **GOT** how hypnotic the ocean was... and why so many surfers flock to Costa Rica... the waves are predictable and got "perfect" around 10:30 the day we were there. Between going into the water and reading in the shade ... read more

After our week of rainy weather at the turtle project, we headed to Manuel Antonio for some much needed sunshine. Happily we had smooth traveling to Manuel Antonio Village and started to explore this little area. Manuel Antonio is a small town that is at the entrance to Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio. It is one of the most popular parks in Costa Rica. There’s basically one main street filled with restaurants and bars, and lots of tourist shopping. The main street runs right along the beach, which is beautiful. We booked a hotel about 150 meters from the park entrance and just a 5-minute walk from the main street. Our room was clean and basic and had air conditioning, so that was a plus! We arrived a little after noon, and after settling into our hotel ... read more

After the heavy rain and lightening of the day before, Sunday dawned as hot as ever. After a quick breakfast, we set off at 08h00 towards the Manuel Antonio National Park for a day by the sea. Bathing costumes and towels were the order of the day - but not being interested in swimming, I opted for the walking. Apparently, one of the four beaches in the park is rated as one of the ten most beautiful in the world. I have to admit that I'd be pushed to say which one. We parked at Playa Espadilla Norte, which is just outside the park's entrance and, although very pretty, with white sand and palm trees, it is plagued by street vendors. Passing through the exit (!), we found ourselves at Playa Espadilla Sur. This is another ... read more

Costa Rica 2010 While in Annapolis for nephew John Water’s graduation from the Naval Academy in May 2009, we met several fantastic friends of the Waters family, from Nebraska, onboard our M/V Sea Echo which made the voyage from Ithaca New York for the occasion. Tom and Ann Schlosser, in casual conversation, invited us to Costa Rica and my bride, Patricia readily accepted. That cleared me to make the arrangements, no arm twisting required. In November I began getting itchy to get south, as in Central America, as in Costa Rica. 11/09/2009 - Arrange Flights - Time to burn up some frequent flier miles. I got us 4 first class round trip tickets from Philadelphia to San Jose, Costa Rica on Delta. Booked a house in Manuel Antonio http://www.manuelantoniovacationrentals.com/node/135 Arranged for a charter sail boat http://www.sailingcharterscostarica.com/ ... read more

So we can take a direct bus in two hours or a collectivo right away. We opted for the collectivo and what a mistake. The four of us awoke in the familiar hostel Pangea, one of my favorites on this trip, and packed all our gear. After a leisurely breakfast we were off in a taxi to the Coca cola bus terminal. It was ten in the morning and we had those two options I previously stated. Jumping on the collectivo we prceeded towards Manuel Antonio on he Pacific coast. The bus didn't go more than five minutes before stopping to pick people up. Four hours later we had covered under 200km but were finally in Manuel Antonio. The direct would have been much less painful and the twelve o'clock arrived a little after we did ... read more