An Afternoon at Playa Danta

Playa Danta, Costa Rica

My wife and I recently spent an afternoon with some friends at Playa Danta near Playa Tamarindo. You need to head toward Brasilito and then follow the signs to Playa Danta. The roads to Brasilito are all paved roads but Brasilito to Playa Danta are all dirt roads.

Playa Danta is a very enjoyable way to spend a nice afternoon with friends. There are many activities available there some are free such as hiking on their trails and enjoying the beach. There is a concession on the beach “Pura Vida Ride” and they provide a variety of activities for a fee, including stand up paddle boards, ocean kayaking, mountain biking, snorkel equipment and more. There is also a restaurant and bar there, they offer a variety of sandwiches, pizzas, and more.

We went for a hike on the trails and were rewarded for our effort with a fantastic view of the beach below and a view to Flamingo Beach. On the beach there are plenty of shady areas to sit under the trees and enjoy your favorite cold drink.. If you want to get away from the activities where most people congregate a walk of 100 meters down the beach and you can have yourself a piece of private beach with the exception of some occasional people strolling down the beach.

If you want to go to the beach and want to get away from the crowds of the popular beaches this is a good option.

Playa Danta, Costa Rica

Starbucks Costa Rica is Looking for Baristas

The grand opening of the world’s most recognizable brand of coffee shops will take place in May, and it is looking for 30 new employees to join its ranks.

As expected, the first Starbucks will open in Avenida Escazu, on the ground floor of the new complex of upscale shoppes next to the Residence Inn Hotel. This is the only location that has been confirmed thus far.

The Seattle-based coffee retailing giant is looking for baristas and store supervisors. Those who are interested are invited to submit their CVs (resumes) to the Starbucks Central American office in El Salvador.

Starbucks isn’t the only trendy cafe hoping to lure Ticos away from the traditional sodas for their lengthy morning and afternoon coffee breaks. Trendy coffee shops like Espresso America and Café Barista are beginning to emerge across the country, leading some experts to believe that the market is starting to become a little crowded.

The barista concept of a skilled and passionate person, who specializes in all gourmet aspects of the coffee experience, is widely accepted to have been established by Starbucks.

In the last few years, Costa Rica has seen a burgeoning interest in barista and cafe culture that goes beyond growing and exporting.

Kölbi Announces ADSL To 10 Megs

Imaging surfing at 10 mbps? Today, this is a reality for everyone in Costa Rica with the launch of ICE's new Kölbi Hogar internet broadband connection.

The state telecom unveiled on Monday its new ADSL 2+ service for residential homes with connection speeds from 512kbps to 10 mbps.

The cost of the maximum speed is $98.90 per month, plus $1 for the rental of equipment.

What distinguishes the Kölbi Hogar from other internet connections is that the connection is not shared and the speed is guaranteed for up and down, in contrast to connections provided by cable providers who charge extra for dedicated connections.

In addition, Kölbi Hogar will offer three email accounts with up to 7gb of storage and to send SMS text messages to cellular phones free of charge.

Laid-Back in Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Do you feel the need to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city?  Tamarindo, Costa Rica is a good place to go and relax and enjoy the laid-back lifestyle.

Downtown Tamarindo

Tamarindo is only 4 - 4.5 hour drive from San José when you take Autopista to Caldera.  Once you arrive in Tamarindo you will notice a colorful mix of many shops and restaurants, which adds to the lazy laid-back feel you get in Tamarindo.  There are also a number of hotels and cabinas in Tamarindo, with the largest being the Tamarindo Diria located in the middle of Tamarindo on the beach.  For more hotels you can head to Playa Langosta just 1 - 2 kilometers down the road from Tamarindo.

Downtown Tamarindo

Most of the activities usually revolve around the beach and include surfing, swimming, sitting in a beachside restaurant or bar enjoying a meal and cold drink.  There are other activities available in and around Tamarindo such as ATV tours, horseback riding, canopy tours, sunset cruises, and more.

Endless Summer Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Another activity people come to Tamarindo for is to learn Spanish at Coastal Spanish Institute which is located just 2 blocks from the beach.  Those attending Spanish classes at Coastal Spanish Institute are able to take Spanish classes in the morning and take surfing lessons in the afternoon at their in-house surfing school Costa Rica Surf Institute.  Coastal Spanish Institute has a very relaxing and peaceful feel to it with their lush tropical gardens,  The staff at this school is highly professional and have been in the business of teaching Spanish for nearly 20 years.

Coastal Spanish Institute Tamarindo, Costa Rica

At the end of the day don't miss the sunset, 2 great places to view the sunset are either El Pescador Restaurant & Beach Club or Nogui's.

Nogui's Tamarindo, Costa Rica

The bottom line is Tamarindo can be enjoyed by residents (expats), nationals (Costa Rican), and tourists alike.  Tamarindo is a great place to come relax and unwind.

Sunset at Playa Tamarindo, Costa Rica

El Pescador Restaurant & Beach Club Tamarindo, Costa Rica

First World-Class Winery Opens in Costa Rica

In late 2011, Napa Valley wine consultant Kerry Damskey planted 4 hectares of Grenache, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and Syrah grapes in Copey, a high altitude location in the San José province of Costa Rica, in the Dota canton.

The land is bordered by the cantons of Perez Zeledon, Tarrazu, and El Guarco.  The altitude in this region is approximately 2000 meters.  The canton was originally inhabited by the Huetar indigenous people.  Copey is mostly known as coffee growing region that gets about 51,435 mm of rainfall each year.

Damskey has admitted that his Costa Rica wine project will face some challenges, but he is confident he will be able to adapt to local conditions and overcome these challenges as he has suceeded in Nashik, India in the past.  He is confident that Copey is comparable to California's Napa Valley at a considerably higher altitude.

In the future, different types of grapes including Merlot and Zinfandel will be planted as well.  The first vintage is expected in 2015.  This is the first major step in building a viticultural heritage in Costa Rica.  There is no doubt that "Ticos" are thirsty for quality wines and a domestic harvest bottled locally would be perfect to satisfy their curious palates.

Amnet Offers Virtual Button To Speed Up Your Internet Connection

Amnet has announced the launch of a new system that allows customers to temporarily speed up Internet connection they have.

For example, you may have contracted a connection at a speed of 1 Mbps, but if you need to send or receive a large amount of information and want to do it in less time, you could then be connected temporarily to 5 Mbps.

"For the first time in the Costa Rican market, users of residential Internet service can increase their speeds and can manage their browsing time in different bandwidths. That will be possible through an innovative service called Speed Button, available starting today (yesterday for readers) for residential service customers with Amnet, "the company said in a statement.

Amnet customers interested can try the free tool for three hours to enter www.amnet.co.cr.

The cost of this temporary increase in the bandwidth is automatically charged the monthly bill.

“Barista” Coffee Shops Provide Added Value

Café 1820 Downtown San José, Costa Rica

The barista, an expert in the preparation of beverages based on coffee, now guarantees the customer a wide variety of coffee options, which attracts more consumers. That added value means more and more businesses are interested in having an expert among their employees to please customers.

The courses for the training of baristas have been offered in Costa Rica since 2003. In general, it takes about 80 hours of training, but those who obtain a diploma certified by the Icafé complete 200 hours of training.

Currently, Costa Rica has about 250 certified Icafé baristas.

These experts not only know about the coffee-based drinks, but also are trained in all matters coffee: varieties, climate, coffee growing areas of the country, and types of roast. The idea is that they can provide explanations of the entire process to their customers.

Parking Meters In San José To Make Parking More Efficient

Electronic Parking Meter

Electronic parking meters will soon replace the "boleta" system and move Costa Rica into the 21st century when it comes to parking on the streets of San José.  The Municipalidad de San José plans to install 1500 electronic parking meters in different areas of the capital.

The electronic parking meters will be similar to those used throughout the world, where the user either uses coins, a debit or credit card, or scratch card that uses a telephone number dialed into the system to activate the time on the meter.

The Municipalidad de San José plans to install these electronic parking meters by the end of the year.  The plan is to better organize street parking, avoid congestion, and disorder.

Currently drivers need to find a place that sells "boletas" which are not always marked or hope a the guachiman on the street at this location sells them.  The big problem while trying to find a place that sells the "boletas" you can receive a penalty for not having a "boleta"

Pain at the Pump

Get ready for higher gas prices, on Tuesday there was a gas hike approvedthat will increase the price of a litre of gasoline of more than ¢109 colones.

The hike will take effect on Thursday March 22, when the cost of a litre of super gasoline will go from the current ¢615 to ¢724, for regular from ¢600 to ¢706 and for diesel from ¢575 to ¢645.

According to the Areept, the increased is based on the application of the automatic formula for changes in price for January and February, in addition to the application of the " impuesto único".

The resolution approving the increase will be sent to the national printer, La Gaceta, today but will not be published until Wednesday next week, prices taking effect the day after.

This is the first that an increase exceeds more than ¢100 colones and breaks the record price of July 2011 when a litre of super cost ¢740, regular ¢726 and diesel ¢627.

And, brace yourself for even higher prices as the Aresep evaluates another increase request by the Refinadora Costarricense de Petróleo (Recope) that could raise prices another ¢22 for a litre of super and ¢29 for regular and diesel.

In gallons and dollars that is:

Super - $5.45 per gallon

Regular - $5.31 per gallon

Diesel - $4.85 per gallon

El Guachiman or The Watchman On The Street



El Guachiman or The Watchman On The Street



Leaving your vehicle under the watchful eye of the "guachiman" (the watchman on the street) while at the office, shoppning, or eating in your favorite restaurant is something that we all have done here in Costa Rica.  Most "guachiman" (the watchman on the street) are honest but there are the few that give them a bad name.

We have all done it and will probably continue doing so, paying the man 100 - 200 colones for the service of watching our vehicle.  The question many of us ask, is he doing his job?  That depends on what we perceive his job is.

Some of the "guachiman" (the watchman on the street) do more of a service for you than others.  When parking where it is required to have a pre-paid parking ticket posted on your windshield some of the "guachiman" (the watchman on the street) will provide these tickets and keep them up to date by putting a new ticket on your windshield every 30 minutes for a small fee.  These "guachiman" (the watchman on the street) are truly doing a service for you and making sure you don't get a large parking penalty.  Then you pay him when you are ready to leave, he will add a few colones per 30 minute ticket.

Remember the "guachiman" (the watchman on the street) has no legal responsibility though.  Your car may not be where you left it you may have parking penalties.  If your car is missing or damaged the only thing you can do is question the "guachiman" (the watchman on the street) if he saw anything and make a report to OIJ.

The best policy is to always park your car in a parking lot and if you have to park it on the street ask the "guachiman" (the watchman on the street) his affiliation with the restaurant or whatever business he is working in front of.  Some of the "guachiman" (the watchman on the street) and you grow to know and trust them but if a problem arises can you really expect them to stop a thief?  The answer is NO, the best you can hope for is the "guachiman" (the watchman on the street) calls the police with the information about the thief and the stolen car.

If you decide to leave your vehicle under the watchful eye of the "guachiman" (the watchman on the street) you should take the time to note the physical description of the man should you need to make a report.  I am sure there are times that the "guachiman" (the watchman on the street) is the one responsible for the theft or breaking into your vehicle but this is not normally the case.  The "guachiman" (the watchman on the street) is normally just trying to make some money so he can put some food on his family's table.

Typical Houses In Costa Rica



Showerhead water heater



When either renting or buying a house especially a house in a typical Costa Rican neighborhood it might be without hot water throughout the house.  Most typical houses have a water heater in the shower but no hot water elsewhere in the house.  This may not be true in more upscale neighborhoods and newer homes as there are now water heaters that will heat the water for your entire house on demand.  Most homes in Costa Rica do not use hot water tanks that we are use to using in North America.  This really does make sense to heat water on demand rather than keeping water in the hot water tank hot whether it is being used or not.

If it is important that you have hot water throughout your house, example kitchen sink, washer, or bathroom sink you need will need to ask.



Showerhead water heater



Opportunity In Santa Barbara, Heredia

Santa Barbara is about a 30 minute drive from San José.

This is a house with an independent apartment.

The house is 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and 1 garage.

The apartment is 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom.

The price in colones is:  ¢ 37,500,000
The price in dollars approximently at today's exchange rate is:  $72,799

Please visit La Nacion's Economicos for more information on this and other properties.

Great Buy In Ciudad Colon

This house is located in Ciudad Colon, which is about 30 minutes from San José.  This is in a nice residential neighborhood..  Convenient to the Autopista to Caldera.  It is 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathrooms, 2 car garage, and a patio for $135,000.

http://www.economicos.com/web/showad.php?parm_Nodo=14&parm_ODI=WEB745919

Top Beaches in Costa Rica

Trip Advisor has 5 Costa Rica beaches listed in the top 10 beaches in Central America.

1. Santa Teresa
2. Playa Samara
3. Tamarindo
6. Puerto Viejo
10. Gulf Papagayo

Trip Advisors Top 10 Central American beaches

The Charming Town of Zarcero

Zarcero, Costa Rica

Zarcero is a nice small picturesque town to visit on a nice afternoon.  It is a mere 1 hour and 30 minutes from San Jose.  The drive is simple enough head out of San Jose on the General Cañas Highway going toward the airport and Alajuela.  The drive is pleasant and once you get past the airport you continue on the highway.  You will go through some rolling hills with sugar cane growing on the side of the highway.  You continue driving to the Naranjo exit and get of the highway and follow the signs to Naranjo on the way you will fields of coffee growing along the road and deep valleys.  When you arrive in Naranjo a typical Costa Rican town you will follow the signs to Zarcero about 30 minutes.





Hotel Don Beto Zarcero, Costa Rica



The first thing you will notice when you arrive in Zarcero is the park with all its cypress cut into arches and animal shapes and the church just beyond the park.  This is the main attraction for visitors to Zarcero and does provide picture taking opportuities.  You will not encounter many tourists or foreigners in this town this is a town where those living there enjoy the simple life.  On a sunny Saturday afternoon you will see families in the park sitting on there blankets and the children playing just enjoying the day.

There is a small hotel in town on the north side of the church, it is Hotel Don Beto.  There are several typical restaurants just outside of town.





Cafe Canela Zarcero, Costa Rica



We ate in town at a place called Cafe Canela at first we thought the just served coffee but they also serve food we had the chicken lasgna with salad for 2000 colones each and a strawberry batido with milk 800 colones each.  This is not a fancy place but the service was good, it was clean, and the food was a good price.

For those taling the bus from San Jose you would take the San Carlos bus from Terminal del Atlántico Norte in downtown San José the cost at this time is 1500 colones per person.  You need to buy a ticket at the window and then get in line to board the bus.  A word of advice once in San José take a taxi to this bus terminal.  For the return to San José the bus stop in Zarcero is in front of the park and you pay the driver directly.  You don't need to take the bus all the way to the terminal if you wish you can get off at Paseo Colon.

 

Cafe Canela Zarcero, Costa Rica

Zarcero, Costa Rica

Costa Rica Public Bus Transportation and Schedule

If you are visiting Costa Rica or live here and don't have taking the bus is an inexpensive way to get around.  You can virtually take the bus and get anywhere in Costa Rica.  You do need to keep in mind that this is not the quickest way to get around and the buses can be crowded.  Be careful with your belongings and you should not let them out of your sight.


Below is a link for the public bus schedule.
http://www.visitcostarica.com/ict/paginas/LEYES/pdf/ItinerarioBuses_es.pdf

Need a barber shop?

I like to use Barberia Lali in Guadalupe, Costa Rica.  It is located just outside NovaCentro across from Tire Kingdom.  They don't speak English in there though but you can get by without knowledge of a lot of Spanish though.  They give a decent haircut for less than 2000 colones that is less than $4.00.  Remember to give the barber a tip as they don't make much money.

http://www.learnspanishandmore.com/