Day 1

Woke up at 3am for 6:30am flight to Miami with a 4 hour lay over before catching our connecting flight to San Jose. Once we got near San Jose the pilot told us that San Jose was having some really bad rain and we would need to circle around for a bit and hope that the rain would let up so that we could land. After one aborted landing attempt where we were about 100’ off the ground before having to shoot back up into the air the pilot told us that we only had enough fuel to make one more landing attempt or we would need to divert to Panama to wait out the weather and refuel. Fortunately we were able to land at about 9:00pm an hour late. The lines through immigration and customs moved pretty quickly and we were greeted by a mob of people waiting just outside the doors to the airport. Fortunately the driver from our hotel was waiting for us right outside the door of the airport and quickly took my wife’s baggage and cleared a path though the crowd and took us to his van. The drive to the Orquideas Inn took about 15 minutes from the airport and it is located in the suburbs of Alajuela. The people at the reception were friendly and our room was simple and clean. After freshening up in our room we made our way to the restaurant/bar for a late snack and drinks but unfortunately we arrived just as the kitchen was closing so we had to settle on familiarizing ourselves with the local beers Imperial and Pilsen. Alex the bartender kept us pretty entertained and explained some of the local customs and told us some stories about the hotel.


Day 2

Woke up and had a wonderful buffet breakfast by the pool. Breakfast included rice, potatoes, fried yucca, sausage, orange juice, yams, plantains, coffee, as well as a made to order omelets. There was a parrot climbing on the fence and there were also an aviary with three beautiful toucans nearby. While we were eating breakfast, Christopher from Tricolor rental arrived with our 4x4. He told us that he was in no hurry and to finish our breakfast while he started on the paperwork. Christopher was quite a character making lots of jokes and giving us some suggestions on where we should go and places to see along the way. We got a good deal on a tiny 4x4 (Daihatsu Terios) paying $350 for 10 days with unlimited mileage.

After breakfast we wandered around the grounds of the old coffee plantation where there hotel is now located and then went back to our room to get ready for our drive to Tamarindo.

We left the hotel at about 10am with some directions to the highway but somehow we missed a turn and got somewhat lost in the confusing streets of downtown Alajuela. The streets were a bit confusing with one way streets and many intersections having 2 separate stop lights for turning or going straight. Also many of the streets were one way and after almost going the wrong way a few times I was able to figure out what the “no hay paso” signs meant. The drivers in the city were not nearly as bad as I thought they were going to be. Everybody obeyed the stop signs and signal lights and traffic seemed to move pretty orderly. In some of the intersections there were people trying to sell you stuff but we kept the windows up and doors locked. I thought that I heard someone try the handle to the back door when we were stopped at a light but otherwise felt pretty safe.

After about a half hour of trying in vain to find the highway, we pulled into a gas station to fill up the tank and practice my Spanish asking for directions. It turned out that the highway was just a few blocks away and we had to trouble finding it as we made our war north out of the central valley.

For the most part the highway out of the central valley was well paved and a smooth drive with only some small sections that had the occasional pot hole. We passed several police checkpoints where they were using radar to catch speeders and inspect trucks but we were always flagged on and didn’t need to stop. We made our way onto the highway that took us across the Friendship Bridge over the Tempisque River. We stopped on the opposite side to stretch our legs and take some pictures from the observation point located about the parking lot. We then made our way north before turning onto the road to Tamarindo. The roads were all well marked and had directional signs at every main intersection.

We arrived in Tamarindo at about 3:00pm and made our way to were we were staying at the Hotel Pasatiempo. The grounds at the hotel were lush and beautifully landscaped with tropical flowers and plants. The rooms are all located, two to a building, in a U shape around the pool with the hotel’s Yucca restaurant/bar on the opposite side. Our room was simple and nicely painted in pastel colors with a comfortable bed and pillows along with good air conditioning. We made our way to the bar for some beers and guacamole with chips and met the extremely friendly Dan who was the manager of the restaurant and bar and was also acting as the general manager while the owners were on vacation. It turns out that Dan was also originally from the San Francisco area so we had a lot to talk about. We then took a walk down to the main part of the town and checked out the beach and shops as well as scoping out a place to eat dinner later on that evening.

We ended up having dinner at Bruno’s Pizza which was recommended in the Lonely Planet book. The pizza was delicious! We then went back to the bar at the hotel for a few more beers before retiring for the night.


Day 3

We had hoped to go to the beach but since it was raining we decided to go for a drive and explore the beaches to the north. We made our way north passing several large resorts before stopping for a delicious lunch at Marie’s in Playa Flamingo. Had a bit of a scare when we returned back to the car and discovered that I had left the lights on but fortunately it started right up and we drove back to Tamarindo.

After we got back to Pasatiempo it was still raining so we retrieved our travel scrabble and played a few games in the bar while we passed the time. We ended up meeting another couple from Texas who were on their honeymoon and ended us hanging out with them for the rest of the evening. That night at the bar, they had local bands that played some really good covers of blues, rock, reggae songs ranging from Santana to Aretha Franklin. The place was packed with several hundred people in attendance and a good sized line waiting out in the street to get in. At about 11:00 we were hungry so we walked down the road into town looking for an open restaurant. The streets were pretty deserted (since everybody was at Pasatiempo) but we found that the Fiesta Del Mar café located at the circle in town was open where we had some tasty rice and chicken. The walk back to Pasatiempo was a bit tricky as the road was very muddy and slippery in places but we made it without getting too muddy and the party was still going on full swing but we decided that we had had enough fun for the night and retired to our room and went to sleep.

Day 4

It wasn’t raining but the sky was overcast and it was very humid so we decided to spend some time at Tamarindo beach. We walked down with some beers and did some swimming in the water which was very warm like a bath! After a few hours at the beach we went to a beachside café were we had some drinks and met a couple from Florida who offered us the rest of their tasty pizza that they couldn’t finish. We returned to Pasatiempo where we met the couple from Texas and all decided to go out to Dinner at the Fish and Meat restaurant that was located across the street. The atmosphere at the restaurant was very nice but the food was expensive and left us hungry afterwards. We then made our way to the Mambo Bar located on the circle and just as we arrived, Dan from Pasatiempo pulled up with some other people in a golf cart. We all went into the Mambo bar which was packed full of a younger crowd dancing to American and Latin hip hop.

Here are pictures to accompany the trip report!

http://tinyurl.com/9q87z

Thanks for posting, sounds & looks like you had a great time.

Weren't the puppies adorable at Orquideas? You saw a lot of cats! In 2 weeks the only cat I saw was Mama at Orquideas, dogs of course were everywhere.

How far is Pasatiempo from the beach and how was the beach?

Pasatiempo is just a 5 minute walk from the beach. The beach at Tamarindo was nice although the weather didn't make too good for beach weather with all the rain. I liked Tamarindo but I imagine that it is probably a zoo during the high season.

I'll post the second installment of my travel to Montezuma and Manuel Antonio tomorrow.

The puppies at Orquideas were definately adorable! The mother must have been pretty tires as she has 10 of them!

I'm not sure if the picture link I posted earlier was working so here is another that has all the pictures together

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/seanc420/album?.dir=/fd48