DorisG

Will take a cruise departing from Punta Arenas' port, Costa Rica on Dec 27.
Need help for a nice hotel in a good location, that offers transportation to the pier& easy accesible for some local sightseeing.

koa

Probably your best bet would be the los suenos resort or villa caletas. Both are close to puntarenas and both are consistently rated high by travellers. Puntarenas does not have any decent hotels, in fact puntarenas is one of the few towns in CR that i didnt feel too safe in!

DorisG

Thanks so much for your reply, I'll ck. on them. But... may I please ask you, how about the Real Intercontinental in San Jose or the Marriott? Any idea of how far are these from Puntarenas ?

koa

Well there is two marriott properties in CR. Both get great reviews. I can only comment on the marriott Los Suenos. Los Suenos is a luxury beach resort(With a mediocre beach) Its advantages are having a world class marina for charter fishing, a nice golf course and close to other attractions such as Manuel Antonio National park.I believe its less than a 45 minute drive to puntarenas(maybe even shorter)The San jose marriott is near the airport. Its advantages would be putting you close to the attractions of the central valley(La Paz waterfall garden, Poas volcano etc.)Its less 2 hours(depending on traffic) to puntarenas from there. I would say it would be better to stay at los Suenos or villa caletas. Transportation in CR can be frustrating. The narrow roads and heavy truck traffic can turn a two hour drive into 3 or 4 hours, especially if there is a landslide or a major accident.

DorisG

Thanks again for your quick response. . I only have a half day to do a very limited sightseeing in CR. What will be your recommendation of what to do & see?. Maybe that's another thing to consider when making the ultimate decision of where to stay.

lvk

For a such a short time in CR, you might want to try the Costa Rica Highlights tour. It comes very highly recommended on this board. Do a search on this board for details. I believe you need to be staying in a hotel near San Jose for easier pickup.

We stayed at Los Suenos in August and, although it is a nice resort (and closer to Puntarenas for you), it doesn't really give you the full "flavor" of Costa Rica. I do know that there are free shuttles that run between the San Jose Marriott and the Los Suenos Marriott at pre-set times (for guests).

koa

Well doris, with such a short time in CR, you wont get to see the best of the country. I guess it comes down to how close you need to be to puntarenas and what time your cruise departs.

Jessie_

With only 1/2 day you might be able to take a quick trip up to Poas volcano from San Jose as well as a quick coffee tour (Doka). A quick peek at La Paz waterfalls is an option. From the airport La Paz and Poas are about a 1 hr drive away from Puntarenas so this would have to be factored in. A lot would really depend on what time you have to be at the dock.

The Marriott Los Suenos is a very good option. You could possibly have time for a quick tour through Carara nature preserve where you will see monkeys and lovely birds. The trails are well maintained and easy to walk on.

The Real is a very nice place. We stayed on a private floor and the service was excellent. I would allow 2 hrs at least to get to Puntarenas. Possibly a little more with increased visitors to the country causing slower traveling.

mjer

Doris: We have stayed twice at the Fiesta Resort in Puntarrenas which is only 5 minutes away from the port. (3 1/2 star hotel)Forget the Cararra Reserve tour. Boring! A taxi will take you to the port. It's a minimum 1-1/2 hrs from San Jose to Puntarrenas driving. The hotel offers many tours. If you want more info, e-mail me.