tamtot

Ok, I hope it's ok that I post these all in one email. We leave in less than 2 weeks for our trip, I can hardly believe it!
Our trip involves SanJose and Manual Antonio.

1 - We are taking Interbus from SJO to MA. Should I go ahead and purchase now, or am I fine to wait until we're there?

2 - Is it best to pay for virtually everything with a Credit Card? When tipping, do we tip in US Dollars? (We plan on a couple tours/sportfishing/horseback and canopy zipline, and thought we'd tip these folks, among cabs,restaurants,etc.)

3 - Any specific recommendations for any of the following in Manuel Antonio? Horseback/Zipline/Sportfishing 1/2 Day?

4 - Any restaurant recommendations in MA? We aren't looking for anything fancy, just good food We are staying at LaPosada and Costa Verde, so I guess anything close would be great. This is our first trip, so I have no sense of location, distance,etc.


Thanks so very much!

Tammy

Dana_M

I haven't been to Costa Rica yet, so this list is not based on personal experience. However, I've started compiling a list of restaurants (and comments) based on recommendations on this board for our July trip. Here's the list for MA.

•Ronnie’s Place (aka Mi Lugar). Good food and amazing views at sunset. Supposedly best views in MA. Up the road from Amigos del Rio.
•El Gran Escape. Downtown Quepos. Burgers, etc. for lunch, and great fish for dinner.
•La Cubanita. Quepos. Great seafood.
•Barba Roja for dinner. Beautiful sunsets. Good food, reasonable prices. Walking distance to BVV.
•Angel. A few blocks from Tulemar. Black bean soup, avocado salad, good chicken dishes.
•Marlin Restaurant. Near MA park.
•Soda Sanches. Quepos.
•El Avion. Excellent seafood and other items. Great sunsets.
•Café Agua Azul.
•Café Milagro for iced coffee, espresso shakes, and for a Starbucks fix. It isn’t Starbucks, but it’s the closest to it in Costa Rica. Just down the hill from Tulemar.
•Salsipuedes for dinner. Great food, very affordable. Try the tapas.

shillmac

1 - We are taking Interbus from SJO to MA. Should I go ahead and purchase now, or am I fine to wait until we're there?

MIGHT SAVE YOU A LITTLE TIME TO DO IT NOW!

2 - Is it best to pay for virtually everything with a Credit Card? When tipping, do we tip in US Dollars? (We plan on a couple tours/sportfishing/horseback and canopy zipline, and thought we'd tip these folks, among cabs,restaurants,etc.)

AS LONG AS YOU DON'T MIND A 3% OR SO CHARGE FROM THE CC COMPANY. CALL THEM AND FIND OUT WHAT THEIR SURCHARGE WILL BE. BE PREPARED FOR SOME CASH TRANSACTIONS WITH EITHER US $$ OR COLONES.

3 - Any specific recommendations for any of the following in Manuel Antonio? Horseback/Zipline/Sportfishing 1/2 Day?

FINCA VALMY HORSEBACK TOUR TO WATERFALL. . . .
DAMAS MANGROVE TOUR. . . .
AND OF COURSE, THE PARK, CLOSED MONDAYS--HIRE A GUIDE AT THE ENTRANCE, YOU'LL SEE MORE! GET THERE EARLY. . .

HAVE A GREAT TIME!

4 - Any restaurant recommendations in MA? We aren't looking for anything fancy, just good food We are staying at LaPosada and Costa Verde, so I guess anything close would be great. This is our first trip, so I have no sense of location, distance,etc.


Thanks so very much!

Tammy

lisa_ea

2. We tipped with cash, and used cash and credit cards for restaurants. Be sure to call CC company ahead of time and tell them you will be in Costa Rica. I was paying for the ziplining tour,and the lady in front of me had her credit card not work for that reason.

3. Finca Valmy Horseback Ride to waterfall - excellent

MA Park Tour - Juan Brenes: [email protected]; great guide can also help set up other excurions and has lots of advise about the area.

Canopy Safari - zip lining, tons of fun, great food at the end.

The previous poster had a lot of great restaurant recommendations: I 2nd Ronnie's Place, Agua Azul, La Cantina. We didnt get a chance to go to Angel. I plan to go there next year.

tamtot

Wait, are you saying the park is not open on Mondays?
Thanks for all your help!
Tammy

lisa_ea

Yes, the MA Park is closed on Mondays.

tamtot

Excuse my ignorance, OK, but we can still go to the beach over there, right? And do sportfishing,etc?

Thanks. Oh, I feel so ignorant about this trip!

Tammy

hipvirgochick

You can't go into the park on Monday to the beaches or otherwise. It's closed.

You can go to the beaches outside the park, like Playa Espadilla.

MichelleY

My DH did a day of sportfishing out of Quepos: they only took cash, so they drove him to the ATM. He did this on a Monday.

We stayed at Costa Verde. The manager recommended a friends new restaurant: Kapi, Kapi or Paki, Paki? I can't remember excactly. We thought is was great and not outragiously expensive for what we got.

Good luck and have fun.

MY

tully

Right across the street from Costa Verde is La Cantina, I always had good meals there and they usually have a band. The Anaconda on site at CV is good too. I liked Marlin's down by the park entrance as well, great for people watching.

I would try to use your CC less. As mentioned most cards tack on a fee for using it out of the US - on my recent trip I only used it 4 times and had a total of $28 in fees.

Finca Valmy is great as well as Canopy Safari. Have a great trip!

emavejess

1 - We are taking Interbus from SJO to MA. Should I go ahead and purchase now, or am I fine to wait until we're there?

We hired a private driver so don't know on this one

2 - Is it best to pay for virtually everything with a Credit Card? When tipping, do we tip in US Dollars? (We plan on a couple tours/sportfishing/horseback and canopy zipline, and thought we'd tip these folks, among cabs,restaurants,etc.)

We paid for most everything with cash but as we were running low we paid for our tours with cc's. haven't been brave enough to look at the bill though

3 - Any specific recommendations for any of the following in Manuel Antonio? Horseback/Zipline/Sportfishing 1/2 Day?


Finca Valmy was wonderful. Canopy Safari too. Those were two of the best days of our two weeks. Truly special.
I would pass on Damas Mangrove if I had the chance. It was a bit boring.

4 - Any restaurant recommendations in MA? We aren't looking for anything fancy, just good food We are staying at LaPosada and Costa Verde, so I guess anything close would be great. This is our first trip, so I have no sense of location, distance,etc.

We stayed at LaPosada for a week. It was truly wonderful. LaPosada is close to VelaBar Restaurant, Marlins, and the soda on the beach which we ate lunch at most days. Other than that you need to take a cab everywhere (costing around 3000 colones each way). Agua Azul was our favorite restaurant in MA. Try the coconut bread pudding! It was wonderful lol. I'm still dreaming of it.

We had a great lunch at El Patio in Quepos (we had the Canopy Safari bus drop us off here. We then walked and took the public bus home).

We liked Barba Roja but it wasn't really for kids.

We also ate at Dos Locos in Quepos which was pretty darn good. If you are at Posada on a Wed they go in a group there and then bowling at Bobby D's which was a blast (bowling with pin boys was a rare treat).

Costa Verde is closer to many of the MA restaurants so keep that in mind when you go.

Oh and if you are at Posada on Tues or Thurs, they make dinner for 3000 colones each. It was a fun way to hang out with the other guests. They also show a movie (we saw Indian Jones and the Crystal Skull or whatever it's called and Horton Hears a Who.)

Have a wonderful time. We just got back and are already thinking ahead to next time.

tamtot

Ok, thanks to ALL for your replies!!

I went ahead and booked my interbus tours. I didn't receive anything via email like I thought I would. What do I do about that?

Secondly, would you recommend I go ahead and book Canopy Safari and Finca Valmay, or do it from our hotel? Do they pick you up at your hotel, or do you have to take a cab there?

I'm printing off all this info, so much better than any book I've found

Thanks so much!!!

Tammy

lisa_ea

I used Canopy Safari & Finca Valmey. They both pick up at the hotel. I had Canopy Safari set up before we left, but booked Finca Valmey when we got to MA.