travelbug

We will be leaving for Costa Rica in a few days. Does anyone have restaurant recommendations for San Jose? We like "pretty" or "local" restaurants; (no McDonalds!). And by the way, when we are walking or gliding through the forests how likely are we to encounter snakes? Anyone know? thanks

TripleSecDelay

Your heavy footsteps will alert the snakes to your approach. They are more afraid of you than you are of them. Being vocally loud will scare away the other animals that you may wish to view.

glover

My husband was always looking for/hoping to see snakes. But in tramping around cloudforests in Monteverde, rainforest in the Osa and Dominical, and forests in San Gerardo de Dota we saw a snake only once -- a baby boa constrictor curled up on a rock on the beach in the Osa.

Our favorite San Jose restaurant is the Tin Jo, which, surprisingly, does all manner of "Asian" cooking well. Nice atmosphere as well. We also liked the French restaurant in the SJ hotel where we stayed - the Hotel Bergerac.

shillmac

Check out yesterday's Tico Times (ticotimes.net). In the weekend edition, there was an article about great desserts that mentioned several popular San Jose restaurants. We know some of them, and the others like winners as well. Also gives locations. Most are in the Barrio Amon area.

shillmac

Should say "and the others SOUND like winners as well". Long day!

maryanne1

A really nice restaurant in San Jose is the Gran de Oro. This would be the "pretty" you expressed liking. We ate lunch there in a beautiful outside garden-definitely an oasis in the middle of that busy city. It is a very nice hotel also. Very friendly people in the restaurant-even showed me a room in the hotel when I expressed interest in seeing one.
Never saw any snakes at Arenal or Manuel Antonio.

travelbug

Thank you for the replies. We leave in about 1/2 hour for the plane. I'm leaving the snake bite kit at home and taking along the names of restaurants you recommended.
Thanks again