Tips From the Owner

Costa Rica is a beautiful country with happy, friendly people, called Ticos. For those travelers who are expecting Costa Rica to be like Mexico, you will be pleasantly surprised. Outside of a few large cities, you will not see poverty or beggars. People will sell things along the street, but they are rarely pushy. While there are always exceptions, and it is advisable to learn the currency, I have only found a couple of occasions when I was cheated on my change. Ticos are well dressed, well educated and most have modest homes with a simple garden. Times have changed, and there are now more problems with violence and theft, mostly in San Jose. I have always felt safe, but I always look my car door and keep valuables out of sight, just as I would anywhere.

Transportation should not be a problem. You can find taxis, private drivers, bus transportation, or rent your own car. Roads are better marked than in the past, so you are less likely to get lost. The roads, unlike just a couple of years ago, have mostly been repaired and are in fairly good shape. Still plenty of areas where you will encounter bad potholes, and some pretty unnerving bridges. But just bad enough to give you good stories to tell your friends. See transportation.

Food, Money, Tipping
You can stop at any local restaurant and feel welcome. Most menus are in Spanish and English. The food is simple and not spicy. When in doubt order rice with chicken (arroz con pollo). It is a common plate of rice mixed with chicken and some vegetables. It is somewhat bland, but good and always safe. Prices in all non tourist restaurants and stores will be in colones, so bring a calculator and check the current exchange before your trip. Almost everyone will accept dollars and give you a good exchange rate. I never changed my dollars in a bank or hotel until I got an account here. The small difference in exchange is not worth the wait in a bank. If you pay in dollars, you usually get colones in change, which is about the right amount to have for the few times you'll need it. Do not bring all large bills, since some stores do not want bills over $20. It is good to bring plenty of $1 bills for tipping. Tipping is not as customary for locals, but is expected from tourists. I tend to tip at about half of what would be expected in the states. A 10% service charge is almost always added to your restaurant bill and you do not have to pay more. I have recently found a few restaurants where service was not included, so you have to check and see if servicio is included. It will be listed separately on the bill.

Weather, What to Pack
I strongly recommend you buy a good guide book to Costa Rica for information on different zones. Costa Rica is very different from coast to coast and changes dramatically from one zone to the next. There is little cold weather unless you go up to a very high elevation. The Pacific coast gets extremely hot and dry. The Arenal area gets a lot of rain, but the temperature is normally moderate to very warm. I only use my air conditioner during the summer months. I always have a sweater for the plane, and it serves as my coat on cooler evenings. You can travel all over Costa Rica with 2 pairs of jeans or comfortable slacks and shorts, a few T shirts, sleeveless or hot weather tops, and good hiking shoes or tennis shoes. Take a bathing suit even if not going to the beach, since many hotels have pools. Its advisable to have one nicer outfit if you are staying at a nice hotel or plan to go to an expensive restaurant. For the women, a sundress is perfect. But even at the nicer hotels, you will see people in blue jeans or hiking type clothes.

Water
I have not heard of anyone who has gotten sick from drinking water in Costa Rica. However, their health regulations are lax, if not lacking, so if you are concerned, there is always bottled water available. They will be more than happy to sell it to you at any restaurant or store.

Snakes
There are a number of poisonous snakes in Costa Rica. Several fluer de lances and coral snakes have been seen on the resort property. It is not likely you will see one (I have climbed through my jungle for 12 years and I have never run into a snake. Snakes do not want to be around humans, and when you encounter one, it is as surprised as you. Snakes are most active at night, so having lights at night and making noise will help warn a snake of your presence.

I am far from an expert, but I will share a few things that I have learned that might help. The most common situation likely to result in being struck by a poisonous snake is an encounter with one that has just swallowed a large meal. After eating, it is so full it is unable to easily move to find cover. This snake will strike in self-defense when it feels threatened. However, in killing and swallowing its meal it has used up most of its venom, and for several days its poison glands will be very diluted and of low toxicity. The most dangerous bites occur when a snake has been starved for a number of days. Due to the amount of food available to snakes in Costa Rica, there are not too many starving snakes. I have been told that there are two types of vaccines available for snake bites. One is for the coral snake, another for all other poisonous snakes. So, if you or someone you are with gets bitten, try to know what the snake looks like so you can get the correct vaccine. There is an emergency clinic in La Fortuna that has vaccines available. The coral snake has red and yellow stripes on black. If it is red and white, it is the king snake and not poisonous.

Bugs
We have surprisingly few biting insects considering we are in a jungle. Its still advisable to have insect repellant for trails, and you will definitely need repellant if you are going to the coast where the mosquitoes can be irritating. For those who find bugs intriguing, you will be in paradise. There is an array of very unique bugs. We do our best to keep them outside,

Arenal weather & Arenal Volcano
The Arenal area requires only blue jeans, shorts, T shirts, and a bathing suit for the hot springs. And its good to pack an umbrella since you are likely to get some rain unless you are here in March and April. I am writing this mid March, and it is pouring, so even that is not always true. Normally, throughout the year, you will get a mix of sun, clouds, and sudden bursts of rain. Since the weather is mild, no one minds and our gardens stay green year round, The amount of rain increases from mid Aug until December when you may have days or sometimes even weeks of constant rain. Every year is different, so there are no constants. Since the main attraction of the area is the volcano, I must honestly address our area's biggest complaint. Besides during the rain, which when heavy, will totally obscure the view, there are a number of days when you can't see much of the volcano. During February through April, the volcano is usually clear during the day, but the clouds will start to cover it at night While the volcano is spectacular to view during the day, at night the lava is red and an unforgettable experience. Your best chance to see the lava is right as it turns dark or again after midnight if the clouds choose to clear off. I tell people that I think June and July are the best months. There isn't much rain, and the volcano is usually clear at night. In fact throughout the rainy season the chances seem better at seeing the volcano at night. Some of the greatest views I've enjoyed of the volcano were in the evening with lightening behind the volcano, yet the volcano was clear and had lava bouncing down. These are just my observations, and the only thing I can really say is that this weather is impossible to predict. Even if you see the volcano only during the day you will be impressed. At times it rumbles like thunder and everyone will turn their heads to see the black smoke pouring out of the top. At night it can be barely active, to lava coming down every 5 to 30 minutes, to those great nights when you see the top sending out fireworks and lava looking like a light show. There have been many nights I've been glad to have it cloud covered so I could go to sleep without feeling guilty. One of the important design features of my hotel is that all beds have volcano views. That is so you can watch the volcano at night. This is especially important when the clouds are covering it in the early evening. You can check the cloud status during the night by waking up enough to glance outside. All rooms are private enough that you never need to pull your drapes. When I used to stay at other hotels that had volcano views, I had to push my bed close to the window and sleep sideways to be able to see the volcano at night from the bed.

If you are unfortunate and come when there is rain all day, I am sorry. This is the best time to hit the hot springs and soak in the steamy hot water and have a pina colada. Have a massage. You'll still have a good time. But I always hope that everyone who comes will get to see the volcano and enjoy this majestic view, surrounded by lush jungles and friendly people.

LEAVING COSTA RICA
The airlines ask you to be at the airport 2 hours before departure time. If you arrive less than 1 hour ahead, you will most likely not be allowed to board. Be prepared to pay a $26/person departure tax prior to going to your airline.