The new lady and Costa Rica

Finally on the road to infinite partenership with the lass. We are planing to spend the honeymoon in Costa Rica (August 2004), but there some kinks, deviations, altercations… The girl has not been surfing long, so a gentler wave is needed. Any suggestions? Also, would like to explore other cultural aspects of this beloved country (i.e. hiking, diving, eat ‘n’ treats)- any ideas? Thanks in advance. D.

Go direct from San Jose to Boca Barranca, summer swells should be working. Fairly nice all inclusive hotel right down the beach from the rivermouth. Close to Hermosa and Jaco. Also near a rain forest for hiking (I forget the name, but it’s south and easy to find on a map). After 3 days, head north to the Tamarindo area. Take the ferry. Plenty of longboard waves there, miles of beach to walk upon, Playa Langosta to the south and Playa Grande to the immediate north for a little less of a scene and punchier waves. Boat to Witches is an option, as well as other adventure type things. Trip will have everything, waves she can handle that will still keep you happy, with other more challenging options nearby (although Boca blew my mind), adventure (but not too “roughing it”), a bit of cross country travel, beautiful beaches, good seafood, lots of fun. You’re in!

Just south of Dominical is a beautiful cluster of cabinas high on a cliff overlooking miles of beach. Rates have gone up since I was there but there’s a nice open air restaurant on the premises. No pool, no A/C - just a really nice spot to hang out for a couple of days. Reef break south of the cabinas can get good but there are better surf spots elsewhere. There is a jungle camp farther south on Osa Peninsula that’s first rate also. Most of the main resort hotels can hook you up with horseback riding, rain forest/eco tours, river running, etc. Get a current travel book before you go and figure out the “can’t miss” highlights. There’s way to much to see on a short vacation.

Check out Flor Blanca in Malpais. Its expensive but the nicest hotel I’ve stayed at in Costa Rica by a very long shot. Very romantic. Huge villas all overlooking the ocean. Good food. Great waves (beach and pointbreaks). Mediocre diving. Hiking nearby. In short—awesome. If you want excellent diving go north to Guanacaste or south to Osa. Tamarindo may be the best compromise if you want good surfing and great diving (the diving north of Tamarindo is excellent and if you are experienced, check out Catalina island or the Bats for mantas and sharks). A good hotel there is Cala Luna—also very romantic (you can get a room with a private pool). Flor Blanca beats it though on the romance scale. For an inland adventure, check out Tabacon Springs at Arenal. If the volcano is erupting and the clouds have cleared, it will be an experience you won’t forget (even if you don’t see an eruption, its worth it for the hotsprings and waterfalls).

No offense to dubstar, but if you are on your honeymoon, you might want to avoid the area around Boca Barranca. Its pretty sketchy and certainly didn’t make my wife comfortable. Puntarenas, in particular, is just downright unpleasant. Depending on your wifes tastes/tolerances, I probably wouldn’t take her to Jaco or Hermosa either. Its a fun place, I admit, but not really suited for a honeymoon type scenario (at least not comparitively speaking). If you need a hotel in the San Jose area (just to be near the airport coming or going), check out Xandari Plantation—excellent food, huge villas, and once again, extremely romantic.

Right, but the hotel itself is quite nice, as is the wave, That’s why I recommended the in and out option. Puntarenas is pretty beat, but Boca is a great wave.

Forget Barranca. Dirty, gutless wave. Did I say dirty? It’s fickle to the swell also. It was the dirtyest water I have EVER surfed in.

I tend to agree with ep and Matt. The Fiesta is o.k. but is the farthest thing from the real Costa Rica. Tore my feet up getting in and out of the water at Barranca - will definately take some sort of booties if I go back there. Also, August is in the rainy season and the water will be at its dirtiest - it’s never clean anyway. Was there last April and had the shits for about a month after. You might consider going to Manuel Antonio - south of Quepos. Have scored some fun surf there, though not epic. It’s lush enough to be romantic for a honeymoon and there’s the park to hike through right there. Very laid back and not to far to breaks back north towards Hermosa/Jaco if you want some more juice which can be abundant that time of year. Pete