It was another half day drive to reach Quepos from Monteverde. We stopped half way at a bridge so the group could walk across it and the van picked us up the other side. This was specifically to show us the river below the bridge, which was teaming with crocodiles. The last time I saw this many crocodiles was at the Australia Zoo (which was run at the time by our famous Crocodile Hunter). A member of our group bought the hat off a local's head before we proceeded further towards Quepos.
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| Crocodiles on the way to Quepos |
We checked in briefly to the hotel, which was actually about 10 minutes drive from Quepos town. There was a public bus that stopped nearby on the road to go direct to town so that wasn't an issue. After about an hour to check in , everyone in our group elected to spend a little extra to catch a scenic sunset boat tour. The ride included a fresh cooked meal as well as cocktails.
It was relaxing to be on the boat for a few hours, especially after all the adventurous activities that were arranged on the days beforehand. The sunset on the water was incredible - I have never seen an entire sky turn the rose colour I saw that night, and the clouds made it even more surreal.
We were all still a bit peckish after the mid-afternoon meal and lazy enough to dine at the hotel restaurant. I can't believe that I could forget the name of the hotel was the Hotel California, it just took a bunch of googling to finally remember it. I want to mention it because we liked the accommodations and mostly because we had a great meal at their restaurant. I ordered the sesame seared tuna - I usually don't eat tuna but have since tried to replicate it at home to no avail. Mike got the ribs which were spectacular, and this was the meal that I discovered that pork can be delicious. The restaurant was on the pricey side for Central America but it was wholesome and well prepared.
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| Boat ride from Quepos |
It was relaxing to be on the boat for a few hours, especially after all the adventurous activities that were arranged on the days beforehand. The sunset on the water was incredible - I have never seen an entire sky turn the rose colour I saw that night, and the clouds made it even more surreal.
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| Add caption |
We were all still a bit peckish after the mid-afternoon meal and lazy enough to dine at the hotel restaurant. I can't believe that I could forget the name of the hotel was the Hotel California, it just took a bunch of googling to finally remember it. I want to mention it because we liked the accommodations and mostly because we had a great meal at their restaurant. I ordered the sesame seared tuna - I usually don't eat tuna but have since tried to replicate it at home to no avail. Mike got the ribs which were spectacular, and this was the meal that I discovered that pork can be delicious. The restaurant was on the pricey side for Central America but it was wholesome and well prepared.
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| Manuel Antonio National Park |
The next day was free for us to self-discover Manuel Antonio National Park. We took the bus in to Quepos and after catching a cheap breakfast in town, walked the rest of the way to the park. You can tell how much more tourist focussed Quepos is by the number of people selling chachkas outside the park. Unlike elsewhere in Central America though, when locals approach you to "sell you tickets", they are directing the tourists to the ticket desk which is situated over 100 meters away from the park entrance. We ignored them a few times, thinking they were trying to resell tickets, then were embarrassed when we reached the park entrance and were directed to return to the ticket desk to buy our entrance tickets.
We saw a few sloths in Manuel Antonio Park. Most of the sloths are found up in the trees, and I didn't have a good camera for zooming in on them back then so I'm afraid I don't have any adorable pictures of them. I hear there is a sloth sanctuary elsewhere in Costa Rica though, where tourists can get close up to the adult and baby sloths.
We walked a few trails to the several beaches available in the park. Some were busy, some were very isolated, all had white sand and clear blue water. There are monkeys everywhere, putting on shows of aerial acrobatics for all the tourists. We also caught some raccoons on the beach, trying to dig through someone's unattended backpack.
Manuel Antonio Park is a day trip, get there early to ensure that you can get one of the limited daily tickets available. We left the park in the afternoon to see more of Quepos. The beach in town has surf and many more tourists, compared to the quiet and serene beaches featured in the park. It's worth paying the entrance fee to spend at least one day at the more secluded beaches.
We grabbed one of our favourite treats of the whole trip - a Trix icecream sandwich. We had one of these whenever we got the chance, since one of our groupmates brought us one to try in Arenal. I still wish I could just go to a supermarket to get a Trix sandwich over here. We lounged on the Quepos beach for a short time while part of the group took surf lessons.
For dinner we went to the El Avion restaurant, which you won't miss on the way into town from the Hotel California. The restaurant is set around an old cargo plane, and the atmosphere is charming. The charm ends there though, as the service was slow, the food was pricey for the area and mediocre at best.
We were given an option by our CEO to spend a little extra and take private transport back to San Jose on our final day in Costa Rica, or go by the itinerary and spend most of the day taking public transit back to the city. The group unanimously preferred the private transport, so we spent the last day of the tour lounging around Quepos and the hotel, before returning to San Jose.
Mike and I left San Jose before dawn the following morning for our return flight home.
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| Curious raccoons on the beach |
We saw a few sloths in Manuel Antonio Park. Most of the sloths are found up in the trees, and I didn't have a good camera for zooming in on them back then so I'm afraid I don't have any adorable pictures of them. I hear there is a sloth sanctuary elsewhere in Costa Rica though, where tourists can get close up to the adult and baby sloths.
We walked a few trails to the several beaches available in the park. Some were busy, some were very isolated, all had white sand and clear blue water. There are monkeys everywhere, putting on shows of aerial acrobatics for all the tourists. We also caught some raccoons on the beach, trying to dig through someone's unattended backpack.
Manuel Antonio Park is a day trip, get there early to ensure that you can get one of the limited daily tickets available. We left the park in the afternoon to see more of Quepos. The beach in town has surf and many more tourists, compared to the quiet and serene beaches featured in the park. It's worth paying the entrance fee to spend at least one day at the more secluded beaches.
We grabbed one of our favourite treats of the whole trip - a Trix icecream sandwich. We had one of these whenever we got the chance, since one of our groupmates brought us one to try in Arenal. I still wish I could just go to a supermarket to get a Trix sandwich over here. We lounged on the Quepos beach for a short time while part of the group took surf lessons.
For dinner we went to the El Avion restaurant, which you won't miss on the way into town from the Hotel California. The restaurant is set around an old cargo plane, and the atmosphere is charming. The charm ends there though, as the service was slow, the food was pricey for the area and mediocre at best.
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| Mike in the cockpit at El Avian Restaurant |
We were given an option by our CEO to spend a little extra and take private transport back to San Jose on our final day in Costa Rica, or go by the itinerary and spend most of the day taking public transit back to the city. The group unanimously preferred the private transport, so we spent the last day of the tour lounging around Quepos and the hotel, before returning to San Jose.
Mike and I left San Jose before dawn the following morning for our return flight home.
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