Costa Rica – Coast to Coast June 2005 and August 2006

After waking up and having coffee at Gilded Iguana we drove back over the bumpy road to Samara. On the way we stopped to fill up with gas at the intersection from the roads to Nosara and Samara. The gas station is cash only so keep that in mind if you travel that way. Just as we pulled into town we saw our friends Dave and Phadera waiting at the bus stop. We learned that they stayed at Casa del Mar across from the beach for $55/night which sounded a bit expensive for a room without a pool or a/c. We were still undecided on where to stay so we looked at rooms at Hotel Belvedere and Hotel Gadia. The Belvedere had a nicer property and larger room but it is located on the edge of the town and the long driveway was pretty muddy so we instead chose the Gadia which wasn’t bad. The room was small but comfortable with a/c and satellite tv and a small private deck overlooking one of the two swimming pools (the one in the back of the complex is the nicest with a grass lawn and chairs and tables for lounging). Breakfast was also included in the $55/night price.

Since we didn’t eat breakfast we were pretty hungry so we headed down to Shake Joe’s for sandwiches and some awesome blended icy fruit shakes (they are good with a shot of added tequila!). We saw a topless woman wearing only a thong at the beach who was getting a good share on gawkers. Personally I have nothing against nude sunbathing (and was enjoying the view myself) but I think it’s disrespectful to the townspeople to do it blatantly in the open. After lunch the beach was looking pretty inviting so we went back to the Gadia to change into our swimwear. As soon as we got to the beach it started to rain. So we walked back to the hotel to relax in our room and watch some TV.

After a few hours the rain stopped so we took a dip in the pool and then headed out to walk around and scout out a good place for dinner. Someone had recommended El Lagarto which is a few hundred yards west of where the main street dead ends at the beach. They didn’t open until 6pm so we had some time to kill. We ended up nearby at Las Olas just down the beach. Las Olas is a pretty big Tico bar with a few pool tables. I think they also serve food but the kitchen was closed while we were there. There are also some big tall benches outside that face the beach and is a perfect place to sit and people watch while having a few beers which is exactly what we did for the next hour or so.

At 6pm we headed over to El Lagarto and ordered drinks. Seeing that the menu was a little pricey, I ran back to the hotel to get some more $$ out of the room safe. The restaurant has a giant BBQ along the side and specializes in chicken and steaks. We split a salad and both had big steaks with a large potato and vegetables. Our bill with tax and tip came to $56 but was well worth it. I saw someone being served the chicken which looked pretty good and was only $9.50. After dinner we were full and tired so we headed back to the hotel, watched some TV and then crashed out for the night.

After waking up early, I read for a bit and then decided to take a drive around town and scout things out. The Nosara area is pretty spread out and the roads are like a maze. The town of Nosara itself is actually located a few kilometers inland from the beaches where the hotels are located. The hotels are actually located in the areas of Playa Guiones and Playa Pelada.

Driving around I saw how while there were a lot of houses, they were very unobtrusive with many of them hidden amongst the trees. I am assuming that the Nosara Civic Association keeps a tight reign on development and on what can be built. There is a 200 meter exclusion area along the beaches where no development is allowed. There are a few buildings in the exclusion area in Playa Pelada that were grandfathered in since they were there before the exclusion zone was put into place.

I made my way into the town of Nosara and found it to be a typical Tico town with a few stores, bars, and restaurants. Nothing special there. They are building a new modern gas station just off the road into town. It looked to be 90% complete. The nearest gas station is back 45 minutes south on the road to Samara so this will be good for the locals and tourists.

Other things of note – there is a Banko Popular (no ATM though) next to Café de Paris and a mini super with internet café just down the street from Blew Dog’s and Gilded Iguana

After driving back to the Gilded Iguana I ate breakfast at their restaurant. I had the typico breakfast and it was very plain and uninspiring (in contrast to their lunch and dinners. More on that later).

My wife finally woke up and we decided to take a walk up to Café de Paris which was maybe 1km away. It started to sprinkle so we took umbrellas with us. When we were almost half way there it really started to rain really hard so we were forced to turn back and get the car. Once at Café de Paris my wife had a really good chicken sandwich on freshly baked bread (I saw the bread come out of the oven). I was still full from breakfast so I just had a coke. We played some cards to pass the time. I saw a Tico kid park his quad by the bakery entrance and he forgot to set the brake and it started to roll downhill towards our rental car! Fortunately it hit a rock that stopped it before it crashed into anything. Café de Paris has a fast (but expensive $10/hr) satellite internet connection so we decided to take advantage and check email.

It looked like it was going to rain all day so we decided to take a drive to Samara. It’s about 45 minutes over bad road to Samara back the way we came into Nosara. During the dry season there is a shortcut but when it rains the Rio Buenavista crosses the road and you need to take the long way around to get there.

Once in Samara, it had mostly stopped raining so we parked the car and had lunch at Shake Joes which is located right on the beach. It’s a funky place with giant chairs with mattresses on them and tables with thatched covering. Unfortunately, due to the rain they had to take all the mattresses off of the chairs so we had to sit on normal chairs under the awning of the restaurant. I had a really good tuna sandwich with a few beers. After staying in Nosara we had originally planned on heading to Montezuma or Mal Pais but since we had already been to those places last year and I wasn’t looking forward to the long drive we decided to walk around the town and check out a few different places that were recommended in the Moon and LP guides if we decided to spend a few days there after leaving Nosara.

After walking around we drove back to Nosara and stopped at Marlin Bill’s to check out their dinner menu. The choices looked good but expensive. The cheapest thing on the menu was $16. We then took a walk on the beach and watched the sunset. We returned to Gilded Iguana for a dip in the pool and then headed to Blew Dogs where new friends Dave and Phadera and another couple joined us for a yummy dinner where I had chicken enchiladas and my wife had spaghetti.

When we were going to bed we found one of the hotel’s cat hanging outside our door. We invited her in and she spend the night in our room with us (she was very well behaved). We finally hit the sack at around 11pm