I'm going to Costa Rica!
:D time for a family vacation...I'm super excited to do the zip line thing and just be someplace sunny in february!
now of course comes the food questions...my family likes resorts, which is okay (I'm more interested in doing things off-resort, but they're nice to have a place to stay) We're going to Occidental Grand Papagayo, which is the same chain (Occidental) that we had in Cuba a couple years back. The one in Cuba was a nice place but had VERY little vegan food - even most of the salads had meat in them. Good thing I brought soymilk, clif bars and peanuts or I'd have been living off fruit and bread all week...I'm hoping this place will have stepped up their vegan menu - it's ironic (and frustrating) that people living in countries like Cuba and Costa Rica eat so much beans & rice, but that the resorts don't have anything like this! It would be terrible to not be able to eat properly and have no energy to do any of the things I'm excited for.
So give me your feedback! Have you been there? I'll end up bringing stuff either way just in case. Food-related comments or other things are welcome. :)
Bring me back a baby sloth or I will ban you from ever posting here again.
well when i went to costa rica over the summer we bought food out of this guys van (i know how bad that sounds, but we do it in miami all the time haha) and he kept all his meat and non meat food separated so it was perfect for me and i ate better than everyone. lol. i got rice and beans, fried plantains, and vegetables. but idk about the resort. good luck and have fun!!
Very cool!
I went in 1988 before it was least bit touristy. That was back before the Golden Toads became extinct and while the jungle train was still operating. I stayed in little pensiones as I traveled around. I usually paid 2-4 dollars a night. The most expensive place I stayed was the Puntarenas Yacht Club. That set me back $16. It was just a few week before Noriega was ousted from Panama. The road from Puerto Limon toward the border had just been paved. I saw completely unmarked Chinook helicopters on a freshly made pad. On the way back from Puerto Viejo my buddy and I accidentally blew through a checkpoint in the middle of nowhere. It's hard to describe the feeling when you look in the rear view mirror to see uniforms pointing M16s at you. The "soldiers" searched our car (but they did not find the contraband). The soldiers too were unmarked even though they wore fatigues. They were Ticos but Costa Rica has no army.
You have to get to Puerto Limon to see the sloths. They live in the trees in the little park in the middle of town. I was lucky enough to observe one real close. They only come out of the trees to poop.
Monte Verde is amazing too. I don't know how tourism might have changed it since then.
If you want to see monkeys, make it down to Manuel Antonio. You'll see spider and squirrel monkeys. If you are lucky enough you might spot a Basilisk Lizard run across the creek (on the surface of the water). You'll need to be alert as they move VERY fast.
Give us a trip report when you get back.
lucky thing! the hotel we stayed at in Mexico is building in/on Costa Rica and we want/hope to go there. Maybe they'll have a vegetarian menu; I say this because I struggled with Dinner options in Mexico until one of the waiters brought me the veg menu - it was aimed as being more of a dietary or healthy menu but it was at least veggie (could opt for certain ingredients to be left out also) - one problem was that they'd have to cook it separate which meant that my fella's food was often cold when we were plated together - ah well, my tasted good!
thanks everybody! I had a great time and i didnt have much trouble with food options (still brought clif bars, trail mix and almond milk though! heh) It was an amazing place to be. I went zip lining for the first time!! it was terrifying and awesome! :D
Oh man, I want to go zip lining in Costa Rica! Ooooh!