Northern Beaches of Costa Rica Travel Guide:
Playa Ocotal with it's amazing sand
When in the popular weekend getaway town of Playa del Coco on a Sunday, try the cafeteria style eatery next to the bank. You can see all of the dishes laid out under a buffet window and the servings are large enough that you will be taking home leftovers. Store the food in the fridge back at your hostal and pack a bag for the 4km walk down south to Playa Ocotal. A nicer beach than Coco with black & tan sand that is soft and good for playing. To the right is a rock outcropping where there is good snorkeling, but only if you are strange and don't want to see any fish. Otherwise, it is poor with only somewhat clear water and very little plant life. Laying down is a popular activity as well as the always fun running and screaming from crashing waves that the locals enjoy.
Be sure to time your walk back in order to have shelter before the daily 5pm thunderstorm. The trees on the side of the road make good cover if it starts to rain before you can reach the large grocery store back in town. After you get inside, the rain will really start to come down and will be deafening on the tin roof. Take your time buying food for dinner as these storms normally last over an hour. If it is still pouring, wait in the entryway with everyone else or just throw a small plastic bag on your backpack and make a run for it. To cross the streets that have now become rivers, I suggest holding your Birkenstocks in your hand and going barefoot even though your girlfriend offers to carry you on her back. The onlooking locals will respect you more.
Dinner that night will consist of a cucumber, tomato, onion, avocado, lime salad and yellow rice mixed with leftover BBQ pork. While eating in the hostal kitchen, the shirtless, jean short wearing expat who sports an eye patch will tell you stories of how dangerous it is down here and you must resist asking the obvious question, "Why are you living in a dirty hostal in a dangerous town amongst people you apparently don't like when you collect $4,000 a month in retirement?". Just wait it out and find the right moment to slide back to your room and hope he doesn't find you.
Monday, after another muggy night trying to sleep, eat the remaining leftovers and then you are free to explore the town and it's many touristy shops. They have some some decent stuff but it is too early in your trip to be weighed down by such things. If the rain comes a little early, a great way to kill time is in the small casino just a block away. Two floors of slot machines and 4 servers at your beckon call since the place is completely empty. The man who gives you free non-alcoholic drinks has "dealer" on the back of his shirt so he might be willing to deal you some hands of blackjack if you can stomach the $5 min wager. The best bets are the nickel slots which help kill time and provide nice small victories. All payouts are done manually by a lady who waits for the cash-out music and has you sign a handwritten receipt before giving you your $13. A little annoying, but the joy comes on your girlfriend's first spin on the new machine downstairs. Two diamonds with a 5x multiplier in the middle and she's got herself a nice 420 credit win, or $21. Let the good times roll longer before she collects $35 from the $10 deposit. Go celebrate at Sizzler if they ever open one up in Playa del Coco. Otherwise, feast on a hamburger and chicken strips from the food truck up the road to emphasize that you are an American doing American things in a foreign country.
On Tuesday, it is time to pack-up and check out the beaches further south. While standing under the bus stop sign, taxi drivers will offer you rides and tell you that the bus you want isn't running. When random people walking by tell you the same thing, you can start to believe them. The one passer by who speaks English will explain that buses from Liberia can't get past the airport until after 2pm for some unknown reason. A bus will then come down the road with "Filadelfia" on the front and you will be told that connections can be made from there and it will be even quicker than your original plan. Be happy for these little detours that work in your favor, because that won't always be the case.
Upon arrival into Filadelfia, wait about 30 minutes and a bus to Nicoya will swing by and take you further south. Arriving in Nicoya, it gets a little trickier. Multiple bus stations means you need to walk quickly for 5 blocks in order to catch the 2pm bus to Playa Sámara. With some effort, you can make it just as the bus is backing out, but you will have to stand in the backdoor with your pack, trying not to knock other people over. Not as fun as it sounds but eventually you will get a seat and enjoy the view as the jungle gets thicker.
Sámara is a fairly small town that used to be much smaller. Word has gotten out about the lovely beach and now many expats live here. They have opened lots of little cafes and sandwich shops. For lodgings, head down the road that parallels the beach and stay at Casa Valeria. A locally owned spot and right on the water, they have a few wooden cabin type accommodations surrounding a sandy courtyard with a shower and hammocks. The best value is the $30/night room by itself above the office. You can see the water through the palm trees while sitting in bed and the crashing surf and breeze will help you sleep at night. For food the first night, Lo Que Hay is worth a visit for their amazing tacos. They may be a bit expensive and gringo orientated, but you will consider them some of the best you have ever had.
Wednesday you will get to see the beach at low tide, which is quite different. The water is 40 meters further away and the steep rough sandy bank becomes a flat smooth sand field. A thin layer of water is constantly returning to the sea from the shore and walking is a breeze. The reef connects with the rocky headland to the right and snorkeling is possible. The water is still not very clear and the reef is very damaged, but there are a few fish to be seen. You will just have to put up with the French guy who runs at you with mask in hand asking to join you. He won't be too much of a bother and will leave after a short swim.
The rest of your day will be as follows; lunch at an American owned sandwich shop because you can't find anything else, ice cream from the super market, daytime drinking from the $4 jug of sangria, reasonably priced sushi for dinner, and an early bedtime.
Thursday is the day to walk down the left side of the beach to the other rocky headland. Your goal will be the island that you hope will be accessable during low tide. It won't be, but the walk is good and the tide pools will show you some interesting things, like a scared black & blue fish waiting for the tide to come back in.
The island that is just out of reach
For lunch that day, you will continue to be frustrated at the lack of local kitchens and will settle for a small cafe that serves paninis. That frustration will lead you to buy avocados and tortillas from the big grocery store where the kid at the register angrily gives you 1,000 colones in 50 cent pieces because you lie to him and say you don't have a bill smaller than 10,000 to pay the 990 bill. It is an awkward moment and now you have 5 lbs worth of coins to try and spend. It will all work out in the end when later that night you brave the thunderstorm to buy 3 steak and chicken kabobs from the guy on the street, take them back home, and make yourself some sweet tacos with the avocado and tortillas. You have made your own cheap eats despite the fact the hotel's kitchen is closed for repairs. The ridiculously loud thunder and bright lightening storm view from your window will be amazing dinner entertainment. Sleep proudly.
Friday is a day to do whatever your heart desires. A good recomendation is to head back to the snorkeling grounds to the right and try to go out further. The water gets deeper and the reef gets bigger and a little healthier. One decent spot will show you the best fish you have seen in months but the visibility just ain't what it is in the Caribbean. The highlight of the day will be getting to try the local lunch spot you finally discovered using the Internet. Cevichero Colochos has amazing reviews and is well hidden down a dirt trail behind a super market. Owned by a local family that used to sell their ceviche on the street, they done rose up and bought a shop and now are the best place to get local food. The ceviche pescado is great and the typical casado plates are big and fairly priced. For those who are flush with cash, they even do a traditional paella with lobster tails that can feed a family. The only downside is that you came upon this place on your last full day in town. After playing in the waves while the sun goes down, enjoy another 3 kabob homemade taco dinner and finish that jug of sangria, because you will need it to make juice in later.
Thus concludes your time on the northern beaches on Costa Rica. You will most certainly be satisfied with your 7 days near the water but will now look forward to the central highlands. Saturday, buses will take you straight inland to the popular Quaker settlement of Monteverde, where the tourists draws are cloud forests and cheese. Enjoy!
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