www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Hi CRT Bros, my favorita asked me to take her to a beach hotel in Puntarenas during my next trip in early June. Maybe I will -- she's worth it. Prefer easy beach access (or on the beach), pool, jacuzzi, good bar, maybe a little musica. Any recommendations? Thank you!

I never viewed Puntarenas as a tourist destination, but Michael's Surfside Hotel is listed as a CRT sponsor: http://www.michaelssurfsidehotel.com/EnglishM1.html

Take the ferry over to Montezuma area and find a place at St. Theresa or a hotel along the beach--must nicer and beautiful scenery--Barcelona has a resort--Playa Tambor

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I AM a Cien boy + Propina!

I agree with Asco1410 take the ferry it's a nice little ride and will kill an hour or two. I did stay at the Barcelona it's a decent place. The have organized activities during the day and a show or two at night. Decent pools. Nice beach. Was kinda of a family place. Lots of K*ds but that did not bother me. I think it was about 170ish a night all inclusive.

In Puntarenas, or really just outside, the nicest place I know of is the Hilton Doubletree...

http://doubletree3.hilton.com/en/hotels ... ?WT.srch=1

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The only thing that matters is happiness in all it forms...

Thank you, Guys. There is only so much a 50-something can do to keep a 20-something happy when it's just the two of us together. I really appreciate your advice!

LA Cowboy

I stayed at the Puntarenas Doubletree about five years ago. Went there to relax for a few days before meeting my wingman for a week at the del Rey. Its an all inclusive resort and runs about $120 per person. There is a private pier that you can hang out on that extends about 100 feet into the ocean. The beach beside the resort is usually crowded with locals hanging out and playing sand soccer. They make you sign a waiver to leave the property and walk out onto the beach and warn you about getting robbed or drowning. So with all that discouragement from the guards, only a few people from the resort were going out to the beach. I went out a few times and didn't have any problems.

The resort has two pools. One is very large and is mainly used by families. That area has several snack bars that serve pizza and drinks. There is an adult pool on the north side of the property with a swim up bar. I had a great time hanging out with the Ticos and a few Mexicans drinking beer and tequila. The resort has a few hot tubs, tennis courts, free buffets and a high dollar seafood restaurant. The disco opens at 10 pm and is pretty lively.

Most of the people I met there were Tico families on vacation and a there were a few gringo couples. The lobby bar outside the check-in counter had a few local chicas hanging out that gave me some signals but were a bit too old and rough around the edges for my taste. I don't know if I could have taken them back to my room if I had wanted to. This is not really the place for a single male traveler but like I said before, I was resting up for a week at the del Rey. If I ever stay there again I will bring one of my novias. Better yet, we will go to Manuel Antonio.

LG-

You info is much appreciated LG. After considering your intel, maybe I'll chose another venue to take her.

LA

Hi there what are my options for getting there? Prices?

Thanks

I would take the bus or take the Interbus shuttle. The bus will run you a few thousand colones, and the Interbus shared ride shuttle will cost about $37 one way. I haven't used a private car and driver in CR since 2004, and my guess is that it would be around $150 or more roundtrip today. The trip to Puntarenas from San Jose is only a little over 2 hours. My preferred option for getting around CR is to rent a car. I use the Thrifty care rental office downtown and can usually find a deal for #35/day all in. If you don't want to drive, I think Interbus would be your best bet in terms of balancing comfort and cost.

This link will get you to Interbus: http://www.shuttlebus.co.cr/

Because of where I live and the route I take back home, I can do trips to Puntarenas for the same prices I do Jaco, $125 from downtown or $100 from the airport, each way. From downtown, the trip is about an hour to an hour and a half or about 30 minutes closer from the airport.

Puntarenas is much more a destination for locals. Despite being a cruise ship port, there isn't a lot to do there outside the beach and small (by US standards) water park and aquarium. There is also a lack of quality hotel rooms. I've stayed in probably 5 different places there and the Doubletree was the nicest by far.

Blue Devil gave some good advice on Interbus and $37 each is the correct price however, they only have one bus a day leaving at 8:15am. The public bus is also a decent alternative with the price being about $5. Be aware, the public buses go through San Ramon and take around 3 hours. I do disagree about renting a car as I feel the risks far outweigh the rewards...

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