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Guanacaste Travel Question
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Author:  TimBones [ Mon Jan 22, 2007 11:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Guanacaste Travel Question
Okay, I am heading to SJO in Feb and staying at the ZB for a couple of nights with a wingman who has never been there, but we are of an age where we get mongered out quickly, so we are going to Guanacaste for some diving. I have driven there, but not done so in at least 10 years, so my questions are directed to someone who has been there recently, as follows:

1) Rent a car? i have done it before, twice without incident, but is it worth it as it seems the roads have gotten worse? I was thinking of using Budget.

2) Shuttle: I took the Inter..... whatever shuttle service to Puerto Viejo last year and it wasn't bad. Any thoughts here about taking it to Taramindo or Ocotol?

3) Flying to Tamarindo? It sounds like to can walk up to Sansa or Nature Air and get a ticket to tamarindo. Is that the case or is advance purchase necessary?

4) Tamarindo seems to be the party spot after reading Win's post. It looks like there is a dive operation there so I was planning on staying there. Good idea or is Coco better?

BTW, I spent a good part of the day searching for clear answers to these questions and have not come up with a clear decisive course of action other than staying at the ZB so any help the brothers could offer would be sincerely appreciated. :wink:
Author:  Keylargoandy [ Mon Jan 22, 2007 11:51 pm ]
Post subject: 
drove out in a van to sugar beach last year...worst ride ever. Might of had something to do with the fact that we closed Key Largo the night before and left at 7:00am, but the roads were horrible. We took a van from the delrey for $125 for the ride out there. Total time with a stop in Brasilito for lunch was 7 hours. Again....the roads were horrible. I heard they may be a little better now but I can't see that much improvement. They were so bad, we decided to fly back. The Hotel at Sugar Beach called Sansa for us and we flew back for $79 each (i think...it was right around there). We had to fly to Liberia first (we left from Tamarindo..Sugar Beach provided us a taxi to the airport). The total time was only 2.5 hours including the stop so I would suggest that to everyone.

Only problem with taking a taxi is you need to do taxis the whole time out there. Your choice.

Hope this helps a little.
Author:  Orange [ Tue Jan 23, 2007 12:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Guanacaste Travel Question
TB,
I can answer a couple of your questions since I have done it within the last few months:

TimBones wrote:
2) Shuttle: I took the Inter..... whatever shuttle service to Puerto Viejo last year and it wasn't bad. Any thoughts here about taking it to Taramindo or Ocotol?


I took the Interbus to Flamingo (via Tamarindo) for $29 each way in May. The buses are new and very comfortable, with AC. But, it's a 5 hour drive, so you will start to become uncomfortable no matter how good the bus is. The roads are ok until you get closer to Tamarindo, then they get really BUMPY. I hope all your organs are intact. :shock: For the most part they are ok, except if you get stuck behind a slow truck or bus, then it's horrible and SLOW. Weather is a factor also. Coming back, it took us 7 hours to get back to SJ from Tamarindo in the rain and traffic.

TimBones wrote:
3) Flying to Tamarindo? It sounds like to can walk up to Sansa or Nature Air and get a ticket to tamarindo. Is that the case or is advance purchase necessary?


Think you can just walk up and buy a ticket? We thought so too. :lol: The plan was to bus there and fly back. But we didn't make reservations. 8) We get to the Tamarindo "Airport" (2 guys on a dirt strip. :lol: ). He asked for my name so he can check the list for my reservations. I told him, we don't have any. We want to buy 4 tickets. He looked at me as though I had 2 heads and they started to laugh. The flights were all booked up that day, so he told us to wait and they would try to get us on a flight that day. So we decided to take a cab to SJ for the low price of $200, which actually not bad for 4 people since the flight is about $85/person each way.

Maybe in SJ you can walk up and buy a ticket, but don't try it in Tamarindo. Buy a RT ticket in SJ.

In September, a bunch of us (CRT's and dates) flew both ways. We bought tickets thru www.flysansa.com way in advance and had no problems. It's not cheap though, $170 RT per person ($340 w/ date), but saves you about 10-12 hours on a bus, that a lot of sexo time you are missing out on. :wink: I was a little worried about the safety of the planes, but it was pretty good. Luckily we had no winds and good weather, so we lucked out. Check out pics #4962, 4963, 4964 from the flight.

I would recommend flying, if you have the budget for it.
Author:  Mucho Gusto [ Tue Jan 23, 2007 11:16 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Guanacaste Travel Question
TimBones wrote:
1) Rent a car? i have done it before, twice without incident, but is it worth it as it seems the roads have gotten worse? I was thinking of using Budget.
2) Shuttle: I took the Inter..... whatever shuttle service to Puerto Viejo last year and it wasn't bad. Any thoughts here about taking it to Taramindo or Ocotol?
3) Flying to Tamarindo? It sounds like to can walk up to Sansa or Nature Air and get a ticket to tamarindo. Is that the case or is advance purchase necessary?
4) Tamarindo seems to be the party spot after reading Win's post. It looks like there is a dive operation there so I was planning on staying there. Good idea or is Coco better?

TimBones,
I'll take a stab at this one.

Every time I go to CR, I spend one or two nights in SJO, then fly to the areas that you mentioned along the coast (Liberia, Playa del Coco, Playa Ocotal, Flamingo, Tamarindo areas) for a couple nights, then fly back to SJO for a final night. When I'm at the beach, I always get a rental car.

I've never travelled on the Interbus, but I know many who have, and I understand that it's a long and miserable trip. If you can afford the air travel, fly to the coast! It's a 35 minute flight, and you're there! Right now, round trip prices (on Sansa) from SJO to Tamarindo (or Liberia) are $178. per person ( www.flysansa.com ) To be safe, book your flight(s) in advance, especially during the peak season. Most of their planes only seat 12 people.

The main roads are not nearly as bad now, as they have been over the past year or so. They've been very busy repairing many of the roads, and every trip I take, they have been getting consistently better. But if you want an adventure, take the Monkey Trail from Coco/Ocotal, down to Portrero/Flamingo. Just make sure to rent a 4-WD SUV for that trip!

There's diving operations just about everywhere you go. You'll find them in Coco, Flamingo and Tamarindo. Prices are fairly competitive between the different operations. But you must have your PADI Certification if you want to do any type of deep-water dives. Believe it or not, they're very strict about this.

If you want to check out different areas, you'll have to rent a car. Otherwise, you'll pay through the nose for taxi's or shuttles. I usually fly into Liberia Airport, and I use Economy Auto Rental. They pick me up when my flight arrives, and shuttle me to their office, which is about 3 miles East of the airport. The manager's name is Luis. Great guy. The assistant manager's name is Stalin. Their direct number is (506) 666-2816. Stalin's cell # is (506) 382-9790.

If you fly into Liberia, you can check out all the places that you mentioned. Playa del Coco is only about a 20 minute drive West of the airport. Playa Ocotal is the next town to the South of Coco. Maybe try a night or two in that area, then head South to Tamarindo or Flamingo for another couple nights. With a rental car, you will be free to go wherever you want. If you don't like the area, drive somewhere else for another day and/or night.

Tamarindo is about an hour and 15 minute drive from Playa del Coco, if you use the main roads. Flamingo Beach is North of Tamarindo, but it takes the same amount of time to get there, as Tamarindo. You'll come to a fork in the road in Huacas. At this point, Tamarindo is 15 minutes away if you bear left, and Flamingo is 15 minutes away if you bear right (at that fork). Flamingo is only about a 45 minute drive from Coco, if you take the Monkey Trail.

As of 7 weeks ago, there was only one bad stretch of road (between Liberia and Tamarindo), which takes about 10 - 15 minutes to get through. It runs from Santa Ana to Cartagena. This is before you get to Huacas. They were working feverishly to improve the roads, so it might be fine by now.

Hope this helps. Have fun, and good luck.

Mucho Gusto :wink:
Author:  TimBones [ Tue Jan 23, 2007 10:55 pm ]
Post subject: 
Andy, Orange and MG: Really great info from you all. We will be flying both ways. thanks again. :D
Author:  Keylargoandy [ Tue Jan 23, 2007 11:38 pm ]
Post subject: 
con gusto...

Have fun and take care
Author:  Udo [ Fri Jan 26, 2007 8:54 pm ]
Post subject: 
Don't waste your time on the road to Tamarindo. You will waste up to 6 hours each way. Two years ago I did this and will not go to Tamarindo this way again. I was there 3 weeks ago and flew on NatureAir which is the safest of the domestic propeller airlines. The airport at Tamarindo is a landing strip really. The flight is bumpy but not scary. I actually slept very well in the plane.

Tamarindo and the nearby towns have good diving. Tamarindo is the party town of Guancaste with great bars and restaurants everywhere. You can also walk from your hotel to the bars and restaurants. No need for taxis all night.

You can now monger in Tamarindo! The chicas hang out at the local casino (around 8 pm and later) and the Mambo Bar (opens at 10pm). The girls will ask about $100 per hour. The Mambo Bar was fantastic with some of the best dance music and hot ass around. Latin dance night was great!
Author:  TimBones [ Fri Jan 26, 2007 10:37 pm ]
Post subject: 
Udo, thanks for the reply, I was going to post another question, but you have addressed it handily. The question was whether to fly into Liberia or go strait to Tamarindo. It looks like the ideal plan is straight to Tamarindo. :wink:
Author:  Udo [ Sat Jan 27, 2007 12:25 am ]
Post subject: 
The best flight path to the beaches is to go from San Jose to Tamarindo. The Liberia Airport is still about an 1.0 - 1.5 hours by van. The roads are absoulutely terrible in many spots where a paved road will turn into a gravel road. The Tamarindo Airport is 5 minutes from the beaches. For peace of mind, I flew Natureair since their large two engine planes are far safer than the Cesnas that Sansa flies. Their pilots are very professional too!

This is the best way to enjoy all the mongering of San Jose while still enjoying Guanacaste and wasting no time in the sun or sea.

Natureair also offers a weekly pass for around $250 for unlimited flying throughout the country for 7 days.
Author:  El Viejo [ Sat Jan 27, 2007 9:58 am ]
Post subject: 
Yep, fly to Tamarindo. On my last visit there I had a 4x4 and noticed guys manually fixing some of the many potholes. What struck me as funny was that they were soliciting coins in a bucket as folks drove past. I thought that was wierd. But later on a tico buddy told me that the guys fixing the potholes were taxi drivers doing in on their own time with beggared funds. It seems that one of their number was killed due to bad road conditions. After hearing the explanation, I felt less smug and more simpatico once I learned what was really going on.
Author:  TimBones [ Sun Jan 28, 2007 7:33 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
Yep, fly to Tamarindo. On my last visit there I had a 4x4 and noticed guys manually fixing some of the many potholes. What struck me as funny was that they were soliciting coins in a bucket as folks drove past. I thought that was wierd. But later on a tico buddy told me that the guys fixing the potholes were taxi drivers doing in on their own time with beggared funds. It seems that one of their number was killed due to bad road conditions. After hearing the explanation, I felt less smug and more simpatico once I learned what was really going on.


Yeah the road situation is a tragic example of corruption and incompetence. It is as bad or worse in the south and on the road to Puerto Viejo. It is funny, but word on the street is that the trucking companies paid off governement officials to close down the railroad so the trucking companies can land bridge containers into the country, while they tear up the roads without a care. Sad.

Can anyone suggest a good fairly inexpensive hote to stay in at Tamarindo?
Author:  Udo [ Sun Jan 28, 2007 9:16 pm ]
Post subject: 
Stay at the Best Western Tamarindo. Rates can be as low as $70 per night. You can walk to anywhere in Tamarindo from here and it's just across the street from the ocean. Wonderful oceanview since it's on a hill. It's attached to the Monkey Bar.
Author:  El Viejo [ Sun Jan 28, 2007 9:58 pm ]
Post subject: 
Spend first night at Zullymar or some such place. Then for the remainder of your trip ask about lost cost tico hotles that do not have web sites. There are some cheap places that are not on the web. Asking locals ar the grogery store will provide tips.
Author:  TimBones [ Mon Feb 05, 2007 11:20 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
Stay at the Best Western Tamarindo. Rates can be as low as $70 per night.


It was full. Booked the Hotel Chocolate for 4 nites in Tamarindo. Yeah, I know it sounds gay, but it is not. I figure some tree hugger from the left coast relocated to CR, had some money and loved chocolate.

So my promise is that I will deliver a report on the hotel, Tamarindo in general and scuba diving in the AO, as I plan at least one day of diving (and yes I am certified and have been diving for 20 years).

We are also flying in on Sansa so I will also include a discription of that, as there seems to be a healthy competition between fans of Tropic and Sansa. Anyway, standby, wheels up in 11 days. Thanks for all the advice, I will see if I can return the favor. :wink:
Author:  Cyrano [ Thu Mar 15, 2007 3:48 am ]
Post subject: 
OK, same travel issues as TimBones, but a few questions, and a twist:

1. RENTAL CAR RESERVATIONS. Where can I make online reservations for the rental car for Tamarindo - does not sound like an "airport" location... :lol: If I am driving in the Tamarindo area - looking at condo developments near the beaches, would I need a 4x4 SUV?

2. GPS. If I am driving just between the beaches, should I rent a GPS? I know they are $8/day in SJ. Any suggestions on how to arrange that for a Tamarindo rental?

3. AIR TICKETS. I wanted to bring a tica with me from SJO, but I may not be sure who it is until the day before. How much are Sansa sticklers for IDs? How hard would it be to get a ticket the day before the flight? How hard to change the passenger on the ticket? (Their online regs say tickets are non-transferable.)

Travel dates are Monday April 30th out, and Sunday May 6th back to SJ. I am traveling with a wingwoman (the blond one from November that VB knows, not the brunette from February who was a "hit" at the SL SB Party), but hope to add a tica to act as interpretor and guide to Tamarindo. This trip is to check out the Tamarindo condo scene for possible investment.

Given the tica as an indeterminate third traveler (whom I cannot leave at the aiport for want of a ticket), and the issue (3.) above, should I go against the grain and rent a 4x4 SUV and make the SJ-Tamarindo drive? Will $500 in saved air fare and overweight baggage buy me new kidneys?

What do you think guys?
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