Manuel Antonio/Quepos Travel Tips: Where to Stay, Eat, Hike, Surf, & See Animals
Today is more traditional travel blog where I tell you my tips for navigating the Manuel Antonio/Quepos area in Costa Rica. A lot of people only come here a night or two to go to the national park and the beach and then leave. But I was here a month and absolutely LOVED it. If you have the time, I recommend you linger a little longer. During my time here, I collected some valuable tips that will hopefully save some future fellow travelers a few headaches. I also met some really lovely people during my stay here and would love to give them a shoutout. Because the low season (rainy season) can be tough on an economy that relies so heavily on tourism, I also wanted to use this opportunity to help promote the people and businesses that made my time here so enjoyable.
Ready for my recommendations? Here we go….
1/ Favorite hike - From Quepos, near the beautiful Nahomi park, you can begin the Rota Mae, a trail that if done correctly and during the dry season, will take you all the way to Manuel Antonio beach (or so I am told). On the way, you’ll pass 5+ or so secluded beaches such as Playa La Macha, Playa La Vaca, and Biesanz. For the first half, you should be able to follow the pink ribbons to get by. Unfortunately, I never made it past Playa La Vaca because I couldn’t see the ribbons and I was going through some precarious-looking croc soup terrain so turned back. But it’s worth the trip for the beach and jungle hike nonetheless. The starting point can be found on Google Maps. From there follow the trail/pink ribbons. Eventually, you’ll stumble upon Playa La Macha and if you are lucky, no one will be there and you’ll be able to swim naked. After getting lost with another traveler, one day, we somehow ended up at Casa Lamia which had a great view and delicious smoothies (more on that later). Maybe you’ll be as fortunate!
2/ Favorite activity - surfing! - You can walk up and down Manuel Antonio beach and take your chance on taking lessons from one of the many surf schools or surfers. But I recommend contacting Ricardo Costes, a professional body boarder and certified instructor, for an appointment instead. With his help and expertise, I managed to stand up for my first time in the water. After only a few lessons and without having any prior experience, I was able to ride waves on my own. The best way to reach him is through his Instagram, -@ricardo.costes - Pricing depends on low and high seasons and how many people are in your party, but will certainly be more cost-effective than going through one of the schools. I also learned that if you go through one of the schools, the instructors only earn $15-$20 per lesson, even though the lesson costs $60 which is a big rip-off. So why not cut out the middleman? Oh, and don’t forget to tip!! I didn’t realize I had to but it is customary, especially if you enjoyed yourself.
3/ Favorite place to stay - For the entire month, I stayed at Casa Huéspedes Pura Vida. The owners, Jorge and Pamela, are an absolute delight to be around. Though the location is a bit outside of Quepos which can make it tricky to get to and from Manuel Antonio area, especially at night, I absolutely LOVED the grounds. If you stay in one of the tiny houses as I did, you’ll overlook a small river which obviously attracts a lot of critters like a river otter, cool birds, and iguanas GALORE. The scenery made me feel like I was in Jurassic Park. To walk to town and nearby shops it takes about 20 minutes but it’s a nice peaceful walk. From there you can catch the local bus and pay around $1 USD. I also really loved the community kitchen and living space which allowed me to meet and connect with other travelers. I didn’t have a car during my stay but I almost always managed to catch a ride with others who did when I needed to go to town.
4/ Favorite place to buy groceries- To save costs, I mostly cook for myself when traveling. But food can be pricey here especially if you don’t know where to look. Pali happens to be the least inexpensive grocery store option (that I found) but I mostly used it for buying fruits/vegetables (although not always the best quality) and basics like beans and rice. Otherwise, I would buy my specialty items like almond milk, almonds, and chocolate at the Mini Price store. Be prepared to pay high dollar there though. During the month my meals looked like this: Breakfast - Oatmeal with almonds and fresh fruit (mango or apple) + Hot Cacao with honey and almond milk, Lunch - I usually packed a fresh salad with protein (two boiled eggs or canned tuna) and carried it with me to the beach or national park in a metal camping bowl I brought with me.) For dinner, I would make lentils, rice and veggies, egg tacos, or occasionally eat out.
5/ Favorite places to eat out - Though my Airbnb gave me a list of restaurants to eat out, like Soda Sanchez, I felt that he was giving me the names of places he thought tourists would like vs. places he actually liked. Luckily a new friend introduced me to Restaurant El Pollito in Quepos near the boardwalk. And I must say WOW. It’s the typical casado-style dish (chicken, rice, beans, salad, vegetables, and pasta) but the difference is that it costs half the price of anywhere else in town. Normally that dish would cost you around $10 (which is still a good deal) but here this dish was only $5! I love a good bargain, especially when it comes to food. Otherwise, I can recommend Vista Verde Restaurant for its ceviche and delicious beans. Dishes will run you $10 and up, however. Avion (the famous restaurant with a plane) has a great view, but I’d skip the food. Just order a drink and enjoy the scenery.
6/ Favorite way to get around - I recommend walking and using the local bus (~$1). You’ll see SO many critters on your walk and get to connect with some of the pure-hearted locals and sleepy stray dogs on your way. Otherwise Uber is pretty affordable here. A 20-minute ride from Casa Huespedes to Manuel Antonio Park ran me about $7. The problem is that at night sometimes the Uber drivers would refuse my ride or I wouldn’t be able to find a driver. Then I was stuck hailing a taxi which doubled the price (and required cash). Another option is jumping in a collectivo (a locally run taxi) which is slightly more expensive than the bus but will bring you directly to your place. They’ll usually cruise by a bus stop, toot their horn, and then you’ll jump in with a few others. I only did this when I was with my local friend for obvious reasons, but if you are feeling adventurous (and speak a little Spanish) you’ll be alright.
7/ Favorite tour guide at Manuel Antonio Park - If you visit the national park (which is probably why you are here in the first place) I HIGHLY recommend a tour guide. The reason is that they are trained to see animals you would never be able to see. All the guides also work together and alert each other when there is an animal around. They also have telescopes that will allow you to see the animals (like sloths) up close and personal. If you book the tour with Mauro through Airbnb you’ll only pay $30 per person (plus entry to the park) vs. $60. Mauro was super knowledgeable and you could tell he LOVED animals which made it fun every time he would spot another one. If you don’t want to splurge on the tour, you might be able to get away with following behind a tour. But you won’t be able to see the animals up close through the telescope.
8/ Favorite beach - Aside from swimming nude at Playa La Macha, I absolutely loved Biesanz Beach. To get there you’ll have to walk through a jungle. Once you’re there the beach is in a little nook surrounded by jungle which means the waves are fairly calm. You can rent chairs, kayaks, and paddleboards. There is also a bar where you can buy drinks, food, and fresh coconuts!!
9/ Miscellaneous favorites - I LOVED the fresh fruit smoothies blended with water (or milk if you prefer). You can find them at almost every restaurant and in various flavors. But pineapple or strawberry were my go-to’s. Speaking of fruit - the fresh pineapple and mango here are TO DIE FOR. I am even considering moving here and one of the reasons is to be able to have the most delicious fruit daily. LOL. I also loved the coconut vendors on the beach that roll by occasionally. You can get a fresh coconut with a straw for only $2! After you finish slurping you can ask them to cut it open for you so you can eat the coconut meat.
That’s it for now. If I think of more, I’ll be sure to add them to the list. Otherwise, let me know if you end up using any of these tips!! I absolutely fell in love with this little area - the critters, the people, and the FRUIT MY GOD and wanted to share the love with as many folks as possible. Enjoy!!
Feel free to share your own Manuel Antonio/Quepos favorites in the comments below!
Bad Day? Dogs + Nature Will Fix Everything
Despite what my Instagram stories might reveal, I had been feeling down the past few days.
After almost 7 weeks away from my friends and community I started too long for meetups with friends and familiar comforts like my weekly ukulele class, riding my bike, and grocery shopping whenever I wanted to. Not to mention the temperatures in Portugal started to rise like crazy leaving me feeling out of sorts.
It wouldn’t be such a bad thing if I had four walls and a ceiling where I could hide from the sun during the hottest part of the day and/or reliable transportation to and from the beach. But I happened to be volunteering on a farm and was expected to work from around 10 in the morning until 3 or so in the afternoon. Afterward, I had to do my “real” job of helping Conscious Business Owners share their gifts with the world. It was a lot.
But again, it wouldn’t have been so bad if I had had four walls and a roof to protect me and reliable internet to count on.
But that was not the case. Instead, I had an old wooden table, uneven ground, an army of ants hell-bent on eating me alive no matter where I sat, a hard wooden patio chair from Ikea, unstable internet, and a floppy umbrella. That was my “office” for the past few weeks. Charming at first, and extremely frustrating thereafter.
At night I retreated to my tent around 8p because that’s when the bugs came out. I’d usually read or organize my suitcase for the umpteenth time before turning the lights out. If I was lucky enough to catch a wifi signal I’d look up a ukulele song on Ukutabs.com and quietly strum along, cognizant of the fact that sound seemed to travel very well in the valley, much better than the wifi seemed to. There is no reason why anyone should have to hear me screeching out Fast Car by Tracy Chapman.
This particular experience started to make me rethink this whole Workaway thing. When I joined the site which matches volunteers with various projects, my intention was to learn as much as I could about building a homestead, owning land, and tending a garden, all the while saving money by not having to pay for accommodation, but I suppose you have to be very careful about who link up with. Some people, it seems, just want to avoid paying cleaning ladies and farm hands. They don’t care so much about whether or not it’s a mutually beneficial exchange. Which is what happened in my case.
Because of that, I had been feeling down. So yesterday I decided to quit my gig a few days early. On my long hot walk down a dusty dirt road into town, I began thinking about when I feel the most happy. Two things came to mind: when I am moving and when I am around animals. That’s when I remembered a woman I’d met recently told me that there was an animal shelter in the neighboring city that welcomed dog walkers.
You wouldn’t believe how excited I was to find the details of the shelter! And so I took a 10-euro Uber ride to Aljezur the following morning.
As soon as I arrived I expected a debriefing of the animals but the woman simply asked if I had any experience. I told her I had recently been volunteering at ARA and yes had plenty of experience with dogs. She came back with an older meaty dog named Ruca and sent me on my way. I asked her which way to go and she said: “It doesn’t matter, whichever way you feel”.
I took off with my new furry friend and he seemed to be having a hard time getting up the hill <insert Kate Bush joke here>. Halfway up he began dry heaving. I guess he wasn’t a fan of the rising temperatures either.
When we returned, the volunteer asked if I wanted another dog to walk. “Sure” I replied emphatically, I was just getting started.
I made the mistake of mentioning the slower pace of the first dog and they brought me one who was the complete opposite, a 1.5-year-old named Urso with a LOT of energy and zero clue about how to walk on a leash. “Take him through the city so he can learn how to behave,” the volunteer instructed me. “Sure?” I asked. It didn’t seem like a good idea. She smiled mischievously. And off we went.
We did in fact go through the city of Aljezur, a medieval town with narrow sidewalks and castle remnants at its peak. My furry friend struggled as did I, he seemed anxious at all the sights and sounds. But we managed and eventually found our way back. By this time I was exhausted but I couldn’t resist when they asked if I wanted to take another dog on a walk. This time, they gave me a sweetie named Jofre who was perfect on the leash and had enough energy to go up the hill but not enough to pull me up the hill.
At the end of my third walk, the volunteers thanked me fervently telling me that there weren’t so many volunteers there that day and it helped out a lot. My heart felt warm and I was no longer feeling down. It was a win all around.
So…if you are ever near Aljezur, Portugal and you love dogs and hiking, I HIGHLY recommend checking out AEZA. They ask for walkers on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday but check their website for any updates. The surrounding areas of the shelter are beautiful and you’ll be doing a BIG service to all the cuties awaiting their forever homes.