Hi, I'm new to these boards but have found them extremely helpful for planning my trip to Costa Rica. I have read a lot on Arenal and Monteverde, but I'm looking for more info on Nosara.

My husband and I would like to take Interbus from Monteverde to Nosara and are wondering if there's any feedback either on Interbus or on this specific route. Also, do you think we would need a car while in Nosara? I've read that things are fairly spread out in Nosara, so I'm not sure how we'd get around. Any advice or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I've been to Nosara 5 or 6 times and quite frankly, I've never seen a taxi there. Do you know where you're going to stay yet? Some are within walking distance of a couple restaurants, some are not. Personally, I would want a car in case you want to go into town to the grocery store...or to eat at a couple of great, really inexpensive tico restaurants.

We'd like to stay at Casa Romantica, but they don't have any rooms with a/c left. We're not sure if having a/c is necessary, so we're still undecided.

Now I'm a little concerned that we'll get stuck.

We're staying at a villa that we booked through Harbor Reef. The villa is supposed to be a 2 minute walk to the surf school, which was key for us. The folks at Harbor Reef have told us that atv's and golf carts can be rented in Nosara to get around in - not sure if they rent by the hour,half day, day? and have no idea what they charge. On a Nosara web site I read that there is one taxi in town. We plan to bring lots of books, travel games, and sunscreen. Ally, if you have any resaturant or tour recommendations, I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks

You didn't mention when you are traveling, but if it's during the dry season (basically from now until late April), I would advise against the bus from Monteverde. We took the bus from Monteverde to Alejuela in April three years ago. You are traveling on an unpaved road for about three or four hours before it reaches the Interamericana. The bus was equipped with air-conditioning, but for some reason it was not used. Consequently all of the windows were open and the bus interior was filled with a thick cloud of dust. There was actually a guy whose job it was to wipe the interior of the windshield so the driver could see where he was going. I think you'd be happier if you rented a vehicle.
Regarding the lack of A/C, we just returned from Playa Samara which is a little south of Playa Nosara and we stayed in a room without A/C. It was not a problem at night because of the ocean breezes, and we weren't in the room too much during the day. Keep in mind that the sun goes down at about 6:00 p.m. so you have to get out early to do things.

The food at Harbor Reef is quite good and the rooms are nicer than many in the area. I also like the food Casa Tucan (but not the rooms) which is in walking distance. A little further up the road, Cafe Paris is popular. Just across the street, on the hill, Marlin Bills is good, but know it is one of the most expensive in the whole area. It's more upscale with stakes and seafood and will have the best wine selection. We consider it a 'special occasion' place that we usually only go to once or twice while we're in the area. A little further down the road from Cafe Paris is a good Italian place. Just look for the giant Pizza sign. There are a couple places worth mention that are not within walking distance. One is Cafe Luna, which is near the big Nosara Hotel on the point. Then, there is La Dolce Vida, probably the finest restaurant in the entire area. It's Italian and has greart pasta and seafood. It's a don't miss in my opinion, but is pricey. It's about a 15 minute drive from the intersection of the main road and Cafe Paris.
Last there is a real good, real cheap Tico restaurant in town, Rancho Tico is the name, I think, big place with large palapa roof on the main road in town. Very large menu too and cheap. Obviously, you'd need a car to get there.
I had forgotten about the golf carts. My husband mentioned them to me after his solo visit in Jan. He didn't ask about prices as he had a car, but that may be an option for those without cars. I would certainly ask your hotel about prices.
The only 'tour' I have ever done in the area was a horseback tour. It really wasn't a 'tour' at all, but was advertised as such. I booked it though the swiss place, (Can't remember the name of the hotel). I showed up at my scheduled time and they just handed me the reins to the horse and and left. I was totally free to go where I wanted, all by myself. No other toursit or guide, just me and my horse. That was fine for me, but I thought it was strange and it's certainly not for those not comfortable with a horse!
Last, regarding a/c....personally I ALWAYS take it if it's available. If you happen to get a room somewhere without good ventilation, it can be sticky for sleeping.

Here's a good map of the area. When I looked at it again, I was reminded of Rancho Tipico which is also very good and cheap!

http://www.nosaratravel.com/Map.html

I also see where I 'rented' my horse...it was from Rancho Suizo.

Thanks to everyone for their feedback-- especially the restaurant suggestions. I'm still uncertain about what to do about transportation in Nosara, since we'll be coming from Monteverde. I've searched for car rental agencies, but they seem to be out of the way, since Liberia is the closest airport with car rentals. Is it crazy to rent a bike to get around?

I certainly would not want to try and get around by bike! The roads in Nosara are very rocky, bumpy and dusty! I would rent a golf cart before I'd rent a bike, but would try to stay way back from other cars so as not to choke on the dust that would be in your face.
That being said, I do see many locals getting around on bikes...and without helmets too!

Hi celerychef, We were in Nosara last summer and we did need a.c.Another good restaurant is la Mariposa. The town of Nosara is not near the beach hotels. I would make sure I could rent a golf cart because things are spread out there. I personally would not want to be there without a car. I second the suggestion for La Dolce Vita. I did not think it was expensive, more like moderate. You have to know that this is a very quiet place. I never saw anyone getting around there on golf carts while we were there. Casa Romantica is very nice, and the beach is gorgeous.When are you going to Costa Rica?

We'll be going in two weeks! We've got most of our hotel rooms booked, but are still trying to work out transportation. Again, thanks for all the advice.

We visited Nosara last August and were comfortable without A/C. I would urge you to have a car or a golf cart. Nosara is very spread out with lots of confusing little roads. I did not particularly care for Casa Romantica but it probably is one of the best places to stay in Nosara. I "third" the recommendation for La Dolce Vita - delicious food and nice atmosphere, not very expensive. Why don't you rent a car for the whole trip? If you are going to Arenal, Monteverde and Nosara, I think a car would be very handy in all of those destinations.

Unfortunately, we don't know how to drive stick, so renting an SUV would be pretty expensive. Would we need an SUV for mid-march? Also, we'd like to take the taxi-boat-taxi trip from Arenal to Monteverde, so having a car would be difficult. Any thoughts?

I cam across a webiste last night, nosaratravel.com, that provides car rentals in Nosara. They charge a $50 round trip fee to get the car to and from Nosara, since there are no rental agencies in the town. I think that we will rent from them, for a few days, while in Nosara in mid March. This might be an option for you, celerychef.

I feel like a dope-- I also came across that website, but didn't realize that she could arrange a rental car for us *in* Nosara. I thought she was just recommending rental agencies, so I figured they'd be too far from Nosara for us to rent from. Thanks so much for clarifying. I think we'll try that option.

Check out Coconut Harry's Surf Shop in Nosara - just across from the Cafe de Paris (the Swiss/French bakery) - you can rent golf carts there - visit the website at www.coconutharrys.com and click on the 'Rental Prices' page for rates.

Buena suerte, amigo - see you in Nosara!

Hello- We were just in Nosara last month, mid-September. Our room at The Gilded Iguana did not have A/C and we thought we would have to upgrade, but it seemed to cool off a bit at night and with the fans running in the room, we actually needed an extra blanket. Casa Romantica looked wonderful and it is very close to a great beach, so I would recommend it even without the A/C. I would recommend a car in the area. If you want to explore at all, or go to the nature preserve you will need a car. We did see a lot of ATV's and golf carts, but the roads are pretty hairy and traveling any distance in an ATV or golf cart might be a bit treacherous. We got a great deal on a 4WD for the week from Mapache Car rental, via centralamerica.com. I think they will deliver the car to you almost anywhere in the country. As far as dining, we LOVED Cafe Du Paris for breakfast and dinner, and the views from the dining room at the Lagarta Lodge were amazing. Have a great trip!