Flowers and Wine in Costa Rica
Nov 15th, 2009, 04:58 PM
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Flowers and Wine in Costa Rica
Hello All,
I am a wine lover. Will I be able to find decent wine in Costa Rica and where is wine sold. Its okay if its imported I would just like to know if it is widely available and what types of stores it may be sold. Also, we are renting a villa for the last few days of our trip. Will I be able to find tropical flowers easily to decorate the villa as I can in the states. I want to avoid exhorbitant cost sby asking the villa owners to supply flowers in advance. Since I have never been to CR I hav no idea what is readily availble and my search yielded no prior posts. Thank all of you wonderful experts.
I am a wine lover. Will I be able to find decent wine in Costa Rica and where is wine sold. Its okay if its imported I would just like to know if it is widely available and what types of stores it may be sold. Also, we are renting a villa for the last few days of our trip. Will I be able to find tropical flowers easily to decorate the villa as I can in the states. I want to avoid exhorbitant cost sby asking the villa owners to supply flowers in advance. Since I have never been to CR I hav no idea what is readily availble and my search yielded no prior posts. Thank all of you wonderful experts.
Nov 15th, 2009, 05:17 PM
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For flowers, you may be able to just go outside your door; most places we've stayed have had loads of ginger and heliconia plants. We've had them left in our hotel rooms before, and I think they just gather them from the grounds.
Nov 15th, 2009, 07:31 PM
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Where will you be staying? I can think of places in and around San Jose that have decent selections of wine, but that's not a big help to you if you're not there.
Saretto's supermarket (Escazu) - Best wine selection in CR
Muñoz & Nanne supermarket (San Pedro)
Automercado supermarkets (various locations)
Mas x Menos supermarkets (various locations) - OK selection, not as good as the others
Chilean wine is the most popular. European wines are quite expensive and harder to fine.
I don't think of CR as a big wine-drinking country. You go into a liquor store and it will be mostly beer and hard liquor, almost no wine.
Saretto's supermarket (Escazu) - Best wine selection in CR
Muñoz & Nanne supermarket (San Pedro)
Automercado supermarkets (various locations)
Mas x Menos supermarkets (various locations) - OK selection, not as good as the others
Chilean wine is the most popular. European wines are quite expensive and harder to fine.
I don't think of CR as a big wine-drinking country. You go into a liquor store and it will be mostly beer and hard liquor, almost no wine.
Nov 16th, 2009, 06:39 AM
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Volcano Girl, I had to laugh at myself after I read your reply because I realized that the photos of the flowers I saw in the villa are of Ginger and Heleconia which do grow on the property. Thank you for bringing this glaringly obvious fact to my attention, lol.
Jeff, I am only thinking of the time we will be in Dominical. I do not have this part of my transportation figured out yet. We may be coming from Quepos or San Jose. I find Chilean red wines good, I would be happy to find them. I am not a beer drinker (hubby is) so I guess mixing up tropical drinks for the pool might be okay. Thank you.
Jeff, I am only thinking of the time we will be in Dominical. I do not have this part of my transportation figured out yet. We may be coming from Quepos or San Jose. I find Chilean red wines good, I would be happy to find them. I am not a beer drinker (hubby is) so I guess mixing up tropical drinks for the pool might be okay. Thank you.
Nov 17th, 2009, 07:20 AM
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We were in Dominical recently and there was plenty of wine, mostly Chilean, at the supermarkets in Dominical and Uvita. Also, we found a good wine shop in Ochocal. You can't miss it cause it's in the strip mall just before you get to Ochocal.
Nov 17th, 2009, 07:22 AM
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Oh, and forgot about flowers. We rented a villa just south of Dominical and I made beautiful flower arrangements with the flowers and large tropical leaves I found growing outside. I don't remember seeing flowers for sale anywhere, but I wasn't looking.
Have a great time!!
Have a great time!!
Nov 17th, 2009, 08:21 AM
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Me again...brain not working today it seems. Don't forget to hit up the duty free store at the airport when you get there. The selection isn't huge but I walked in there and spotted one of my very favorite wines, and it was only $7. Talk about starting the trip off right!
Nov 17th, 2009, 08:38 AM
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Austin,
I am so happy to hear from you! I was reading old post and came across your rec for Flying Toucans which is where we are staying. Thank you lots. I totally altered my travel plans when I saw this place. I am so excited! Any other information about the area and the house would be greatly appreciated.
I am so happy to hear from you! I was reading old post and came across your rec for Flying Toucans which is where we are staying. Thank you lots. I totally altered my travel plans when I saw this place. I am so excited! Any other information about the area and the house would be greatly appreciated.
Nov 17th, 2009, 04:56 PM
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Hi again,
Where to start...the owner will send you a very detailed package with directions to the house, etc. Look for the Cuna del Angel sign. It's a hotel and restaurant and is located on the road leading to the villa. We ate dinner at the restaurant our first night there. You can walk there but remember that it is very, very dark at night so you'll want to take a flashlight.
When you get to the villa, be prepared cause you will not believe the view. Yeah, we've seen it on the website, but it's way better in person. The whole downstairs of the villa is open-air. The kitchen can be closed but your living room and dining room are outside under the second floor balcony. I think this is what I liked best about the place. You are literally outside all the time and it feels great. There's a convenient bathroom downstairs as well so you don't have to go upstairs when you're wet from the pool. Oh, did I forget the pool? It's perfect. Just the right size and there are floats. Float, glass of wine, view...yup, perfect. Don't forget your sunblock though. You get a LOT of sun laying around in a pool.
The stairs to go upstairs are outside of the house and this is the only part of the house you can actually close off completely. The two bedrooms upstairs have air conditioning but we found that we really didn't need it while sleeping. I would suggest closing everything off in the bedroom when it gets dark and turn on the a/c for a little while. Then, when you go to sleep, open everything back up (there are screens). If it rains, you're in for a treat cause you can keep everything open and it doesn't rain inside. This house is designed perfectly. The bathrooms are great and the windows are open-air with shutters if you want to close them. I can't tell you how often I was in the shower watching monkeys. You will find though that there isn't as much wildlife action in April as in the wet months. But, we were there in April and saw plenty. We also only had rain one night and that was the night before we left.
When you get to the villa you need to call Daryl and Donna, the managers. They own Shelter From the Storm and will be there for you with any questions you have about anything. Daryl will visit to make sure you know where everything is and the like. We actually just talked to him on the phone and didn't even meet him until the last day, but we're pretty independent and didn't really need much. Daryl knows everything about the area so don't hesitate to call if you have a question about anything.
Remember that this is a very laid-back and casual area. Bathing suits and cover ups are about as dressed up as I would get. Pack lightly cause there's a washer and dryer at the villa. Our favorite thing to do was to explore all the different beaches, go grocery shopping, cook dinner, and just hang out at the villa. Shopping is easy. There is a small grocery store by the bank in Dominical. Plenty of wine there but if you're a major wine snob, do know that the store isn't air conditioned or anything. I had no problem with any of the wine I bought there. And do say hi to my kitties if they're still there (yeah, inside the store). There are two grocery stores in Uvita, which is just a little ways south of the villa. They have more variety than the Dominical store and have fresh seafood. There is a bank in Uvita too. Remember that if you go into the bank to exchange money, you need to remove your hats and sunglasses. Also, stay seated until you are called to transaction window. And, only one of you can be at the window at a time. The guards at the front door will make sure you do all of this but it's fun to know ahead of time. Also in Uvita is a small farmer's market on Saturday mornings. Very small but we enjoyed it a lot.
Definitely take time to read the guest books and notebook at the villa. Lots of information in there. If you have a GPS, we left coordinates for various beaches, etc. To find all the different beaches in the area, use the hand-drawn maps you'll find in the notebook. There are no signs or anything so this is a great tool. We loved going out to the Whale's Tail...don't miss this! We also enjoyed Hacienda Baru. There are wildlife and bird identification books at the villa. There are also books and videos but we never even took the TV out of the bedroom closet. Believe me, you do not need a TV there. You don't need the internet either.
The fruit is of course fantastic in Costa Rica. You can buy it at the grocery store or there is a fruit stand just over the bridge in Dominical. At the villa, just throw your fruit scraps into the jungle. The critters will take care of it the natural way. Also, you'll want to keep the kitchen clean and free of food scraps, etc. Otherwise, the little ants will be there in no time. But, one thing I noticed in Costa Rica is that nature is so balanced that we were never bothered by bugs at all. You'll see on the website that there is a feeding stand for the toucans. Well, the toucans never ate from that stand when we were there but the coati sure did! He was always hanging around. If you don't know, a coati is kind of like a racoon but he hangs out during the day. You will be totally amazed when the toucans, aracaris, and howler monkeys come to visit. The howlers didn't come to us until around day three but the toucans and other birds were always there. It's amazing to see this in person. I just can't describe it.
The one thing we discovered that wasn't very well covered in the owners' notes was the path to the ocean. You have to actually go down the driveway of the property and then pick up the road and go left (right takes you to Cuna del Angel and out to the main road). Then you'll see the path to the water on your right after you walk down the road for a while. We only went down there once since we stayed at the villa most of the time (you'll understand why soon!).
Speaking of beaches, don't go there thinking that these are soft white sand, clear water beaches. This is the Pacific Ocean and it can be rough, but that's part of it's beauty. Just be careful if you do in the water.
Dominical is a few miles north of the villa. It's just a small funky little surf town. We just parked our car and walked around for a while. Don't miss the Green Iguana Surf Camp. Walk around on the grounds and you'll see a bunch of iguanas. Great photo ops for sure. We enjoyed our dinner at Confusione (sp?) in Dominical too. Other than that, we didn't spend much time there. We did go to Ochocal too, which is just south of Uvita. All of these towns are easy to access if you have a car (which is a must there). The road is paved and easy to travel. Ochocal is very small but has some really good restaurants. Definitely check out Exotica. Also, Gringo Mike's was fun. It's a pizza joint/coffee shop and has free wifi if you're interested. The owner is Joe and his wife (Mike is Joe's dad). It was fun just hanging out for a couple of hours, eating pizza, surfing the web, and talking to Joe, who with his family, is pretty new to Costa Rica. Say hi to their dog, G.D. (Good Dog).
Okay, that's all I can think of for now. Again, I want to emphasize packing lightly. We spent a few hours in Manuel Antonio killing time before our flight was leaving for SJO. I was amazed at the amount of luggage I saw people with and how silly it was to see people in their "resort" wear. You're going to a third-world country and you don't need to be decked out in your best clothes. Just be comfortable. Remember, it is hot and humid. Get a good pair of sandles, like Keens or something like it that can get wet and has a closed toe. Also, take flip flops to wear around the villa. A couple of bikinis and some cover-ups, and a hat or two, and you're set! My kind of vacation for sure.
Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer them.
Where to start...the owner will send you a very detailed package with directions to the house, etc. Look for the Cuna del Angel sign. It's a hotel and restaurant and is located on the road leading to the villa. We ate dinner at the restaurant our first night there. You can walk there but remember that it is very, very dark at night so you'll want to take a flashlight.
When you get to the villa, be prepared cause you will not believe the view. Yeah, we've seen it on the website, but it's way better in person. The whole downstairs of the villa is open-air. The kitchen can be closed but your living room and dining room are outside under the second floor balcony. I think this is what I liked best about the place. You are literally outside all the time and it feels great. There's a convenient bathroom downstairs as well so you don't have to go upstairs when you're wet from the pool. Oh, did I forget the pool? It's perfect. Just the right size and there are floats. Float, glass of wine, view...yup, perfect. Don't forget your sunblock though. You get a LOT of sun laying around in a pool.
The stairs to go upstairs are outside of the house and this is the only part of the house you can actually close off completely. The two bedrooms upstairs have air conditioning but we found that we really didn't need it while sleeping. I would suggest closing everything off in the bedroom when it gets dark and turn on the a/c for a little while. Then, when you go to sleep, open everything back up (there are screens). If it rains, you're in for a treat cause you can keep everything open and it doesn't rain inside. This house is designed perfectly. The bathrooms are great and the windows are open-air with shutters if you want to close them. I can't tell you how often I was in the shower watching monkeys. You will find though that there isn't as much wildlife action in April as in the wet months. But, we were there in April and saw plenty. We also only had rain one night and that was the night before we left.
When you get to the villa you need to call Daryl and Donna, the managers. They own Shelter From the Storm and will be there for you with any questions you have about anything. Daryl will visit to make sure you know where everything is and the like. We actually just talked to him on the phone and didn't even meet him until the last day, but we're pretty independent and didn't really need much. Daryl knows everything about the area so don't hesitate to call if you have a question about anything.
Remember that this is a very laid-back and casual area. Bathing suits and cover ups are about as dressed up as I would get. Pack lightly cause there's a washer and dryer at the villa. Our favorite thing to do was to explore all the different beaches, go grocery shopping, cook dinner, and just hang out at the villa. Shopping is easy. There is a small grocery store by the bank in Dominical. Plenty of wine there but if you're a major wine snob, do know that the store isn't air conditioned or anything. I had no problem with any of the wine I bought there. And do say hi to my kitties if they're still there (yeah, inside the store). There are two grocery stores in Uvita, which is just a little ways south of the villa. They have more variety than the Dominical store and have fresh seafood. There is a bank in Uvita too. Remember that if you go into the bank to exchange money, you need to remove your hats and sunglasses. Also, stay seated until you are called to transaction window. And, only one of you can be at the window at a time. The guards at the front door will make sure you do all of this but it's fun to know ahead of time. Also in Uvita is a small farmer's market on Saturday mornings. Very small but we enjoyed it a lot.
Definitely take time to read the guest books and notebook at the villa. Lots of information in there. If you have a GPS, we left coordinates for various beaches, etc. To find all the different beaches in the area, use the hand-drawn maps you'll find in the notebook. There are no signs or anything so this is a great tool. We loved going out to the Whale's Tail...don't miss this! We also enjoyed Hacienda Baru. There are wildlife and bird identification books at the villa. There are also books and videos but we never even took the TV out of the bedroom closet. Believe me, you do not need a TV there. You don't need the internet either.
The fruit is of course fantastic in Costa Rica. You can buy it at the grocery store or there is a fruit stand just over the bridge in Dominical. At the villa, just throw your fruit scraps into the jungle. The critters will take care of it the natural way. Also, you'll want to keep the kitchen clean and free of food scraps, etc. Otherwise, the little ants will be there in no time. But, one thing I noticed in Costa Rica is that nature is so balanced that we were never bothered by bugs at all. You'll see on the website that there is a feeding stand for the toucans. Well, the toucans never ate from that stand when we were there but the coati sure did! He was always hanging around. If you don't know, a coati is kind of like a racoon but he hangs out during the day. You will be totally amazed when the toucans, aracaris, and howler monkeys come to visit. The howlers didn't come to us until around day three but the toucans and other birds were always there. It's amazing to see this in person. I just can't describe it.
The one thing we discovered that wasn't very well covered in the owners' notes was the path to the ocean. You have to actually go down the driveway of the property and then pick up the road and go left (right takes you to Cuna del Angel and out to the main road). Then you'll see the path to the water on your right after you walk down the road for a while. We only went down there once since we stayed at the villa most of the time (you'll understand why soon!).
Speaking of beaches, don't go there thinking that these are soft white sand, clear water beaches. This is the Pacific Ocean and it can be rough, but that's part of it's beauty. Just be careful if you do in the water.
Dominical is a few miles north of the villa. It's just a small funky little surf town. We just parked our car and walked around for a while. Don't miss the Green Iguana Surf Camp. Walk around on the grounds and you'll see a bunch of iguanas. Great photo ops for sure. We enjoyed our dinner at Confusione (sp?) in Dominical too. Other than that, we didn't spend much time there. We did go to Ochocal too, which is just south of Uvita. All of these towns are easy to access if you have a car (which is a must there). The road is paved and easy to travel. Ochocal is very small but has some really good restaurants. Definitely check out Exotica. Also, Gringo Mike's was fun. It's a pizza joint/coffee shop and has free wifi if you're interested. The owner is Joe and his wife (Mike is Joe's dad). It was fun just hanging out for a couple of hours, eating pizza, surfing the web, and talking to Joe, who with his family, is pretty new to Costa Rica. Say hi to their dog, G.D. (Good Dog).
Okay, that's all I can think of for now. Again, I want to emphasize packing lightly. We spent a few hours in Manuel Antonio killing time before our flight was leaving for SJO. I was amazed at the amount of luggage I saw people with and how silly it was to see people in their "resort" wear. You're going to a third-world country and you don't need to be decked out in your best clothes. Just be comfortable. Remember, it is hot and humid. Get a good pair of sandles, like Keens or something like it that can get wet and has a closed toe. Also, take flip flops to wear around the villa. A couple of bikinis and some cover-ups, and a hat or two, and you're set! My kind of vacation for sure.
Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer them.
Nov 17th, 2009, 05:23 PM
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Austin,
Thank you so much. I am so glad I saw your post that led me to this beautiful place. I was going to MA and dropped it when I saw your post because I was looking for something fantastic and couldn't settle on any of the options. My itineray gave me three days but I know I am going to add a 4th. How many days did you stay? By the way, what is Whales Tale?
Thank you so much. I am so glad I saw your post that led me to this beautiful place. I was going to MA and dropped it when I saw your post because I was looking for something fantastic and couldn't settle on any of the options. My itineray gave me three days but I know I am going to add a 4th. How many days did you stay? By the way, what is Whales Tale?
Nov 17th, 2009, 05:31 PM
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We stayed a whole week and could have easily stayed a whole year!
Whale's Tail is Ballena National Park. At low tide, there is a spit that juts out into the water and it is shaped exactly like a whale's tail (ballena=whale in Spanish). You can walk out there at low tide and if you time it perfectly with the incoming tide, you can actually be walking on water on your way back. It's really cool. Here's a website:
http://costa-rica-guide.com/Natural/Ballena.html.
Finding it isn't easy unless you have good directions and you'll find those at the villa.
Oh, and did I mention that you actually have a view of Whale's Tail from the villa? Yup, told you it was perfect!!
Whale's Tail is Ballena National Park. At low tide, there is a spit that juts out into the water and it is shaped exactly like a whale's tail (ballena=whale in Spanish). You can walk out there at low tide and if you time it perfectly with the incoming tide, you can actually be walking on water on your way back. It's really cool. Here's a website:
http://costa-rica-guide.com/Natural/Ballena.html.
Finding it isn't easy unless you have good directions and you'll find those at the villa.
Oh, and did I mention that you actually have a view of Whale's Tail from the villa? Yup, told you it was perfect!!
Nov 17th, 2009, 07:34 PM
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Thanks Austin. What kind of currency did you use in the area? Cash, travelers checks, credit cards or debit. I don't see much about debit cards and I use debit cards almost exclusively at home.
Nov 18th, 2009, 05:23 AM
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We took cash and exchanged it at the bank for colones. We did use our credit card too. No traveler's checks...they aren't accepted because they take too long to clear in Costa Rica. Not sure about debit cards. I have a debit card that works as a credit card too. In other words, your card gets swiped but you don't have to put in the PIN, but the money still comes out of your checking account. See if your card doesn't work that way too. Your debit card will work at the ATM's so don't worry about that. Lastly, call your bank and credit card company and tell them where and when you're going. Otherwise, they may put a hold on your cards when charges from out of the country start popping up on your account!
