Rainmaker Park Puntarenas

One of my best experiences in Costa Rica was going to Rainmaker Park!

This was a safe but wild environment were we got to hike, observe nature, swim in natural ponds and take showers under refreshing waterfalls.  You can chose to go with a guide or go by yourself.  We were two women and a seven year old girl, and we felt safe at all times.  It was an adventure to cross the hanging bridges and it was as good an experience as doing canopy zip lining.

The smells, sights and sounds of nature that you will experience will make your day at Rainmaker unforgettable!

Flamingo/ Potrero Area

We stayed close to Playa Potrero.  Our house was very nice, with a green garden and a great pool.  We had some great beaches around such as Playa Penca, Playa Danta and Playa Flamingo.  I mention these because these are the beaches that are truly worth going to.  Playa Brasilito, Conchal and Potreo in our opinion are not worth it.

In this post I will focus on Playa Flamingo.  And later on I will write about the other beaches I mentioned.  Flamingo is beautiful, but the waves can be rough.  When it is low tide it is very enjoyable to be at the beach.  At high tide the beach becomes very narrow and the waves hit at a weird angle which makes them rough.

There is not much going on in Flamingo or the surrounding areas, in our opinion it is quite dead.  But if you do  not mind that, and you are looking for a beautiful peaceful beach then this is the place for you.

There is a great hotel right across the street from the beach, We did not stay there but I would love to in the future.  The hotel has a great restaurant called Arenas, it's a bit pricey but worth it.  The food was delicious and the service great.

The ten reasons I would go to Costa Rica

1.  The people:

Our experience without exception has been that people are super nice.  Everybody is polite, and tries to be helpful.  Everybody we have encountered has time for us.  And nobody, no matter how poor  or how hard the job they are doing, no one seems bitter or angry.  It has been a pleasure to interact with Costa Ricans.  And not only ticos, but also the Nicaraguans that are here for many years now, I have found them to be truly charming people.

2.  The food:

Maybe because I happen to be Costa Rican - I don't know, but to me,  Costa Rican food is fantastic!  Start with Casado, a cheap but savory and complete dish that usually brings: rice beans, steak or 
fish or chicken, patacones and salad.  Continue with Ceviche, raw 
fish cooked in lemon served with minced onion and patacones!  

Then the fish which you can have any way you want, there is Mahi 
Mahi, Red Snapper, Tuna, and many more.  And then there are yummy appetizers like platanitos, patacones, gallitos (which are like tacos but simpler and to me yummier) etc.  You name it, the sky is the limit!  There are many choices when it comes to international cousine as well.  All in all we have eaten like kings and queens in this trip!

3.  National parks:  

This is what brings the most amount of tourists to thin country.  There are so many, I find it hard to believe one could ever finish them.  You can zip line, hike, or raft through them.  You can go alone or with expert guides.  You can go daytime or night.  You can chose inland or next to gorgeous beaches!  In summary the National parks are worth all the fame they have!

4.  Learn spanish:  

Spanish is helpful in many countries, and an asset to your resume.  What better way to learn than to immerse yourself in a fun and friendly culture like the Costa Rican culture!  Coming for a few months and learning spanish would be an investment in your future no matter how you see it. Only the memories will be enough to make you smile for life!



5.  Learn to surf:  

There is an abundance of choices when it comes to surfing lessons.  I myself would pick Tamarindo!  But learning to surf is easy and fun in the beaches in Costa Rica!  If you are less daring, try boogie boarding which is easier and equally fun.  It is also something you can do with the kids!

6.  Animal encounters:  

Yes no matter where you go you are bound to have at least one exciting animal encounter.  It may be monkeys, pizote, scarlet macaws, tucanos, bulls, sloths, alligators or any other great animal, but you most likely will enjoy one up close and personal!  Get ready,  open your eyes and have your cameras always handy because when you least expect you will be face to face with something wonderful!

7.  The beaches:  

Usually not crowded.  Unspoiled.  Shells galore.  Magical susses.  Yes the beaches will make you sigh in awe!  No words can possibly explain the beauty you will experience with Costa Rican beaches!

8.  The fruit:  Luscious, juicy, sweet and exotic...these are adjectives that come to mind when I think about the Costa Rican fruit choices!  Mango, Guanabana, Papaya, Pina, Bananos, Guayabas, Mamon Chino...the list goes on and on!  Every day make sure you try something new! You will never regret it!


9.  The sunsets:  

Specially if you go to Puntarenas, but can be enjoyed from other locations as well.  The sunsets are so stunningly beautiful, you can never get enough of them.  Make sure you take a beach chair, a good book and you plant yourself in a great spot, day after day, just at about 5:00 p.m.  to enjoy the sunsets!  It will be better than a therapy session with the best psychologist in the world! 




10.  The health care: 

 There is peace of mind in knowing that if something goes wrong with your health that you are in a country with great healthcare.  The system is great!  The doctors are great ! And you can find some really good hospitals.  For foreigners I would recommend CIMA.  There is one in the outskirts of San Jose and one in Guanacaste.

Tamarindo...ohhhh Tamarindo!

The best beach in Guanacaste we have been to is Tamarindo.  It is lively, clean and has fun waves.  It is beautiful and there are lots of things to do.  In addition there are fantastic restaurants where to eat and lovely places where to stay.  Nice shops and it is small enought hat you do not need a car.  Hands down I would advise anyone to go to Tamarindo beach and spend a great vacation there!

Supermarket advise

As I had mentioned before in one of my prior posts.  After much investigation we decided to only do our shopping in Automercado.  Funny enough this supermarket has an unfair reputation for being expensive.  But after carefully comparing prices with Walmart and others we realized that sometimes the difference in price is tiny, other times they are the same and often times Automercado is cheaper.  With the advantage that Automercado is clean, easy to navigate and has the best meats we have found.  The chicken, fish and meat is aways fresh and of high quality.  The consistency in quality Automercado delivers is unparalleled!  Here are some examples of prices.  You can also find Automercado in Herradura Beach,  Playas del Coco and Playa Tamarindo to name a few places other than San Jose.  And their return policy is good, they will mot refund you but they never argue and they give a store credit.

Remember it is the summer of 2013 so $1= Colones 530.

Banana Export Quality

Charmin Extra Stron Toilette Paper product of USA

Golden Pinapple

Butter - 6 sticks per box Dos Pinos

Large milk jug Dos Pinos

Orange Juice from USA

Large Liquid Tide laundry detergent

Grated mozzarella cheese Dos Pinos

Roasted chicken

Frosted Flakes medium box

Skim milk, long life Dos Pinos small box

Biscochos small bag

Nutella small container

Tulipan wheat bread large bag

Ketchup, small bag

Bag of rice

Hamburger meat

Ribeye steak

Chicken legs

Ice Cream sandwiches Pops

Eggs

French bread

Non alcoholic beer Kaiser

Places to recommend in San Jose and surrounding areas

San Jose is a city were you can find everything, and this is a great thing if you are planning a long-term stay in Costa Rica.  Some of the shops that can be useful to you are:

Shopping needs:

EPA - this store is equivalent to the Home Depot in the states.  You can find everything for the home.  And you can even find things for camping, the pool, and other useful items.  We got things like:  a temporary foldable bed for my three year old,  mats for the kids to play, a cover for the basket on top of our car and floaters for the pool.

Pricesmart-  this is a hypermarket equivalent to Costco in the US and Canada.  You need to become a member but it is well worth it if you are staying for a couple of months or more and you are planning to cook most of your meals.

Multiplaza del Este:  A very complete and pleasant mall, located in San Jose.  It has many good clothing stores, shoe stores, bookstores and places to eat.  It also has a Movie theater.

Multiplaza (Escazu):  The biggest mall I have been to in Costa Rica.  Very safe, lots of parking and great stores.  But it is far away unless you are staying in Escazu.

Automercado:  In our opinion the best choice for supermarket in Costa Rica.

Walmart:  they have everything you need but not always at the be st prices.  In fact we found out the Automercado even the ones at the beach have the same price or lower than Walmart most of the time for the items we most often buy.

Entertainment:

Museo del Nino:  a perfect place were to take the kids.  Check out daily activities for the museum for Children on their website.

Museo Nacional: here you will enter from the butterfly garden and it will not disappoint you.  Hundreds of butterflies will be dancing all around you.  Then. You get to see some antient pieces that will for sure make a great day for you and the kids.

Places to eat:

Restaurant at the Hotel Bougainvillea in Heredia:  this is in our opinion one of the best restaurants we have eaten in.  Food was fantastic, service impecable, ambiance relaxed but refined, and a great lushious garden where to walk after the meal!  I would not miss it if I was you.