www.CostaRicaTicas.com

On Monday, my girl and I took a little road trip to the Caribbean coast. The plan was to stop in Limon for a little while to visit some family then head south and find a decent hotel close to the beach and spend the night.

We left for Limon at about 7am arriving at about 10am. We stopped for breakfast and then a bathroom stop. Many places to stop roadside to use a bathroom or get some food. There wasn't much traffic but often you get stuck behind a couple of trucks on a one-lane road (some parts are two-lane) and can't pass because of oncoming traffic or windy road. Limon was FUGLY. It's what I would call a typical small 2nd world town. Poor and dirty, with bad infrastructure. But to be fair I didn't see the whole town, only a part of it. I don't know how big it is, so maybe I did see the whole thing. It's pretty humid there. The weather is not as comfortable as San Jose but not as bad as Jaco. We drove by the Port of Limon where a couple of cruise ships were docked. Very cool to see up close!

Getting to Limon from SJ is easy. The road signage is not bad. You start out on Calle 3 (1 block west of Clarion Amon Plaza Hotel) and go down over a small bridge, and straight onto Hwy 32. You stay on that road until Limon. After spending a couple of hours in Limon, we drove down the coast on Hwy 36 toward Puerto Viejo. The drive from Limon south along the coast is cool, very breazy and nice views of the beach. The traffic was almost non-existent, so I was doing well over 100 where the speed limits were 60-80. Hell, I sped pretty much the whole way from SJ whenever I could. For some reason, I just didn't care, I figured I could just pay $10-15 and get out of it.

There is a permanent police check-point about half-way between Limon and PV. We stopped and were waived through going there, but on the way back, we were asked to produce ID and were on our way within 30 seconds. Cops were very professional. While we were getting our ID's out, they were looking inside the car, probably looking for drugs.

We ended up stopping in Cahuita which is about a half-hour (if I remember) south of Limon, about 15 minutes short of PV. It's a very small town made up of about 4 intersecting streets, all bumpy dirt roads. It's very laid back, has a strong weed scent at times, most people speak English, and had the best natural fruit juices that I've ever had. The beach was ok, nothing special. The water didn't seem too clean though. The hotel we stayed at (Atlantida Lodge) had a pool, we were told by a local it was the only one with a pool, so we spent more time there than the beach. No reservation, we just walked up and booked a room, $55/night plus taxes. It was rustic (no TV, no phone, no internet), ceiling fan (no A/C), and no breakfast included. It kinda sucks without a TV. The town itself is pretty dead during the day, but at night, it picks up a little with a few cool bars. Many gringos/gringas all over. The best place we ate at was Corleone's, an Italian restaurant and pizzeria. The best pizza in CR, very very thin crust. And very cheap... a pie of 8 small slices was $5.

Lastly, I gotta give my props to BlueDevil for the directions he posted here: https://costaricaticas.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10382

Great review for those who might want to go see the Carribean side of CR. Thanks Orange!

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You ALWAYS have an option ....... "NEXT" !!!

Limon was FUGLY, Orange? I happen to like Limon. It's people, it's own little culture.

If you enjoy spending time in a dirty third world town, that's your choice. I suggest you move there and enjoy the culture, karma, and all the other shit it has to offer.

PV29 can't you disagree without making a complete ass of yourself, if you have nothing but contempt for CRT then why even show up here Go find your salvia divinorum and have a nice trip.

LOL!! What does that mean?

"Limon was FUGLY, Orange? I happen to like Limon. It's people, it's own little culture.

Course, what would I expect from another typical, arrogant, asshole gringo down here, exploiting women because he's a loser who has to pay another human being to spend time with him. No wonder you can't cut it in the states."


Wow! Very, very strong and out of line reply to one guy's posted impression of Limon, which probably would get a 95% correct vote from most of us.

I enjoy this board for so many of the helpful and interesting posts as I am sure we all do. Even if he was way off, why the personal attack?

Puravida29...what the hell is this all about? it must suck waking up every morning being you....a negative ass who has a dim outlook on life.

So your opinion is different than Orange's...start your own thread and say it. No need to jump all over his.

Orange,

I have toured Puerto Limon twice on my way in or out of PV. Other than the POPS ice cream parlor located at the corner of the main market square, I would have to agree with your assessment...there is really not much to see there.

I found a route to PV that by-passes Limon. About 5 kms east of the approach to the the port is a road that turns right off Hwy 32. It is very easy to miss...there is a blue wall on the left side of Hwy 32 where you turn. You will pass through a small barrio, go over the top of a mountain, and then it is home free all the way to the intersection at Beverly with Hwy 36. This shortcut saves about 15 minutes of travel time to PV.

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Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...

Thank you, Orange. We don't get enough reports about the Caribbean side around here, so it was wonderful to read route, names of hotels, description of Cahueta and even your impressions of P. Limon.

To PV29: You sir, based upon the diatribe above, are a lousy candidate to use salvia divinorum. Just a guess, but I'd say you are not far enough along your spiritual journey to safely use, let alone appreciate "the sage of the diviners." It's a soul thing, brother.

Back to Orange's report:
The folks I have met from Limon have mostly been very cool. I like the Caribbean patois they speak, even if I can't always understand it. I've been told by more than one visiting gringo that the east coast of C.R. is laid back, feeling more like Negril Jamaica than Costa Rica. Music is different, culture certainly is a little different. More importantly, virtually every tica I've ever asked about Cahueta, Manzanillo and PV answer me with closed eyes, a happy smile and a sighed "YEs...."

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

I've been to Cahuita in the past....spent a few days there. Have to agree with Orange's mention of the smell of weed. One thing I particularly enjoyed at Cahuita was the black sand on the beach...I'd never seen anything like it before.

Zebra

There are more than one of us who like Limon. I spent a night there and personally like the place myself as well as the rest of the Caribean. I had a very nice time with a lady I picked up at Bar Washington the the one night I was there. That is one of my favorite areas outside San Jose. Too bad there is not much daytime action or I would go more often. By the way Orange good report and I also like Cahuita wich is a really laid back l kind of place. Caribean is one of the few places yet to be overun with mass tourism.rbc100

Anyone run down to Bocas del Toro in Panama from PV or Limon? How far? Hassles? How different?