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12
The South Coast

The southern Pacific beaches of Costa Rica are every bit as inviting and pleasing to the eye as those along the Nicoya Peninsula, though they differ in character. Most are more open and sweeping and exposed, with fewer bordering outcrops of rocks. The farther south you go, the more humid and rainy is the climate, and the more lush and exuberant the vegetation that runs up to the sand. The mugginess is always relieved and attenuated, however, by breezes blowing off the water.

Beach hotels are concentrated at Jacó and at Manuel Antonio (near Quepos), but there are numerous little-frequented beaches as well where cabinas and similar basic accommodations are available. You can poke around and explore for some of these paradisiacal hideaways if you decide to rent a car in San José. By bus, such meanderings would be more difficult. There is only infrequent service along the road south of Jacó, the humidity is uncomfortably high just inland from the coast, the lesser beaches would have to be reached by jaunts of a kilometer or two along side roads, and you'll find it difficult to move on if you don't like what you see (or the facilities that you don't see) at the water's edge.

To reach the south coast by car from San José, follow the turnoff to Atenas from the highway to Puntarenas. After a potholed, winding stretch, the road is generally good past Orotina. The asphalt ends before Quepos. Beyond, the road is poor, with limited bus service.

The new road from Puntarenas south toward Orotina is a well-surfaced, controlled-access, two-lane-wide, California-standard coastal highway.

Mata de Limón, one of the first towns out of Puntarenas, is a picturesque gathering of vacation houses around a mangrove inlet. There are some eating places, and it's pleasant to observe the birds, and stroll across the footbridge. The train from San José stops here. You could get off, look around, and continue by local bus to Puntarenas.

Caldera, a few kilometers on, is a modern container port, through which much of Costa Rica's Pacific commerce now moves. Beyond, the highway continues through the coastal foothills roughly following the railroad line. Near Orotina, it joins the road from San José via Atenas.

CARARA BIOLOGICAL RESERVE

Buses for Jacó and Quepos (see below) pass the entrance to Carara, and on a weekday, when these are not crowded, you can get off for a visit, then hop on another bus to continue your journey.

For a more intensive acquaintance with the reserve, you'll have to come on a guided tour arranged through one of the agencies mentioned in the San José chapter. Geotours (tel. 234-1867) specializes in the reserve.

Caribbean Village Villa Lapas, tel. 663-0808, www.villalapas.com. U.S. reservations tel. 800-858-2258. 47 rooms. $160 single/$210 double all-inclusive.

[ One of the more attractive hotels along the Pacific coast, named for the macaws of the vicinity, Villa Lapas consists of ranch-style buildings with tile roofs, spread on ample grounds with pool, large open dining area, and most of the trees left standing.

Rooms have rough-textured plaster, generous wood detailing, safe-deposit boxes, and attractive bathrooms. Trails run through the property, and horses are available for hire. If you have a car, this is a good base for visiting the beaches of the area. Turn inland one kilometer south of the Carara reserve.

Tárcoles, past Carara, is a sleepy village one kilometer off the highway, where it begins to run close to the sea. There's a rocky beach, exuberant vegetation, and some attractive tidal inlets; but mostly, Tárcoles is undeveloped for tourism.

About 600 yards past the village center is the basic Hotel El Parque, where rooms are available for $10 or so for anywhere from one to four persons. Hotel y Cabinas Carara de Tárcoles, tel. 224-0096, has inexpensive accommodations.

Past Tárcoles, at Punta Leona (which is a geographical expression rather than a town) is the 92-room Hotel Punta Leona, a private club with a swimming pool that wanders among the palms. Foreigners may use the facilities for a daily fee of about $10, or stay over for $70 to $200 double. In San José, call 231-3131, fax 232-0791 to inquire. Scuba instruction available.

Hacienda Doña Marta ($70 double, tel. 653-6514), near Orotina, is an old cattle ranch with new guest units, and trails through pastures and forest. Pool, Riding horses available. Reservations: P. O. Box 23-3009 Heredia, tel. 239-9392, fax 239-9555.

Dundee Ranch (11 rooms, P. O. Box 7812-1000 San Jose, www.dundee-ranch.com, tel. 428-8776, $90 double with breakfast) is a working cattle ranch under the same management as the Chalet Tirol, near San José. A section of the property is set aside as a forest reserve, where monkeys, coatis and other mammals can be spotted without difficulty. And there is a crocodile pond, hence the name. Riding horses, tractor rides and jungle boat trips available. Rooms are air-conditioned.

Herradura, four kilometers off the road, features an attractive private campsite with showers and cooksites. The charge is about $2 per person. There are also some inexpensive cabinas. Otherwise, development is limited here, too. A cattle corral occupies the prime piece of real estate, and the wide curve of driftwood-littered beach is lined by palms, a few vacation houses, and pastures. Best to drop by if travelling by car, or if you have plenty of time.

Hotel Villa Caletas, 22 rooms, cottages and suites. $150 to $185 double, up to $350 in suites, http://distinctivehotels.com/ hotelvillacaletas.

Somewhat out of place, but attractive if you forget the setting, this hotel attempts to mimic fin de siècle style on the tropical coast. Will you find another beach palace with "Victorian-style antiques" (sic)? Doubtful. Is that what you came for? Will the furnishings survive the climate? Tune in.

Anyway, all the comforts that the Victorians lacked are here, including air-conditioning, copious hot water, private terraces, minibars, and the like, and if you're a conspicuous consumer, you can even take up residence in a suite with its own lake, pool, and whirlpool.

Bus departures from the Coca-Cola station, Calle 16, Avenidas 1/3, San José, are at 7:15 and 10:30 a.m., and 3:30 p.m. Telephone Transportes Jacó, 643-5890, to confirm the schedule. The Jacó Beach Hotel runs its own bus for groups.

Chartered small planes use the airstrip alongside the entry road.

El Jardín, tel. 643-3050, fax 643-3010. 7 rooms. $55 single/$65 double.

Rooms—small but attractive, with varnished woodwork, desks, stuccoed walls and tiled floors, and fans—are set in a compact, nicely landscaped compound with a pool. French-speaking owners. Continue along the entry road to Jacó, without turning onto the main street, and you'll end up at El Jardín.

Hotel Pochote Grande, P. O. Box 42, tel. 643-3236 (fax 220-4979 in San José). 24 rooms. $65 single/$95 double.

An attractive Spanish-style, two-story hotel in a quiet garden compound. Rooms have plain furnishings, high ceilings, tiled bathroom, mini-refrigerator, and terrace. Pool. Usually booked solid in the dry season. German spoken.

Cabinas Las Palmas, P. O. Box 5, tel. 643-3512. 23 units. $35 and up single/$40 and up/$75 and up for six.

A homey compound edged with rows of rooms, ranging from old and musty with beds and bathroom only, to newer with kitchen and washing patio. Ukrainian (Toronto dialect), English and German spoken.

Best Western Hotel Jacó Beach, tel. 643-3032. (P. O. Box 962-1000 San José, tel. 220-1441). 130 rooms and suites. $95-$130 single or double. U.S. reservations, tel. 800-528-1234.

The main hotel building, a newer building, and cottages are spread out on extensive grounds—kids have lots of space to run around. Rooms are large, and all are air-conditioned, some have refrigerator and television. Amenities include a pool for adults and one for kids, tennis courts, casino, travel service, pool tables, and other games. The disco can be noisy.

! Most of the facilities are showing signs of wear, and food choices are quite limited.

[ Transportation arrangements can be made through the Hotel Irazú in San José. Assorted discounts are available (50+, AAA, etc.) when you book through Best Western.

Hotel Copacabana, P. O. Box 150, tel. and fax 643-3131. 28 rooms $55 single/$65 double, $85 in suite, lower from May to November.

A modern, two-story hotel with the advantage of a beachside location and pool. Caters mainly to charter groups. Some units have air-conditioning or cooking facilities.

Hotel Cocal, tel. 643-3067. 50 rooms, www.hotelcocalandcasino.com. $100-$135 double with breakfast.

Low-slung, Spanish-style, with most rooms off arched passageways around the two pools in the courtyard, recently expanded to include a casino. A few rooms face the water, at the higher rates. The architecture, and the use of fans even in outdoor areas, keep this hotel much cooler than most others. Very attractive dining area overlooking the beach. Reserve through Hotel Galilea in San José.

Tangerí Chalet, tel. 643-3001 or 442-0977, P.O. Box 622-4050 Alajuela. 28 units. $60 double in hotel rooms, up to $100 in cottages.

There are attractive cottages, set well apart from each other on manicured grounds, sleeping up to six persons; and more standard hotel rooms. Pool.

Villas Estrellamar, P. O. Box 33, tel. 643-3102, fax 643-3453. 20 units. $60 double, less in low season.

Large and attractive stuccoed bungalows in a park-like setting around an 18-meter pool. Each unit has two double beds, a terrace, a kitchen with refrigerator, tiled bathroom, laundry area, and terrace. Thatched-roof bar, French spoken, good value.

Apartotel Gaviotas, _tel. 643-3092. 12 units. $85 per unit in dry season.

These modern suites with cooking facilities sleep up to six persons on a combination of beds and sofa-beds. Small pool. Rates may be as low as $27 double during May-June and August-November.

Hotel Jacofiesta, P. O. Box 38, tel. 643-3147, fax 643-3148, www.jacofiesta.net. 84 rooms. $85 and up in standard and housekeeping rooms.

[ This is a well-thought-out and well-run establishment, of recent construction. One U-shaped section of cabina (studio) units, with pantile roof, blue-and-white painted stucco and rough wooden posts supporting an outside passageway, mimics the style of old-fashioned Costa Rican country houses. The section of hotel rooms, in three two-story buildings set around the pool, carries similar themes more subtly.

The studio units have assorted standard and roll-out beds, a very large bathroom, tiled kitchen, and laundry terrace that can double as a private sun area. Standard rooms, with two double beds, come with a refrigerator. All rooms are air conditioned and have televisions with satellite programming. Facilities include several pools, tennis court, pedal boats, and restaurant. Off-season rates may be available. All in all a very good value.

Hotel Amapola, tel. 643-3337, fax 643-3668, www.barcelo.com.

53 rooms. $60 single/$69 double.

Newer hotel, targeted at Tico families and European groups, with attractive rooms, a couple of bars, large pool, whirlpools, and playing fields for volleyball and other sports.

Chalet Santa Ana, tel. 643-3233. 8 units. $40 and up, less out of season.

Studio units in a stucco and brick building on a well-tended lot, across from the Jacofiesta. Lower-priced units sleep three, higher-priced units sleep up to five and have cooking facilities.

Marparaíso Hotel and Club, P. O. Box 6699, San José, tel. 221-6544, www.hotelmarparaiso.com. 25 rooms. $65 double.

!In a residential area next to the roads department depot, down at the southeast end of town. The beach is nice, anyway. Mostly a club for Ticos. Children's and adult pools.

Villas Miramar, tel. 643-3003. 9 units. $45 double/$60 for four/$75 for six.

Colonial-style cottages with kitchenettes on extensive grounds. Good value.

Apartotel Sole d'Oro, tel. 643-3172, charges $80 in high season for an apartment with room for four persons, about half that in low season.

Cabinas Las Fragatas. 12 units. $30 double, $40 for four.

Clean rooms set back from the restaurant of the same name.

Cabinas El Bohío.

There are about ten nice, newer units here with kitchen, in a good location near the water. The posted rate is about $50, but a discount is often available. There's a pool on the somewhat overgrown grounds.

Cabinas Zabamar, tel. 643-3174. 9 units. $30 double/$45 for four.

Plain rooms around a pool and gravelly courtyard. Restaurant.

Cabinas Vista Hermosa, tel. 643-3422 (224-3687) advertises for surfers.

The run of "cabinas" is generally better than elsewhere along the coast. Cabinas Alice, $30 double, with front terrace and near the beach, are good for the price. Cabinas Clarita, next to El Jardín, has rooms for $20 double with private bath, and also lockers and showers available for day trippers.

Tropical Camping is an extensive, coconut-palm-shaded area (watch where you pitch your tent), with basic sanitary facilities. Dry season only, $2 per person. The Marriott (a ripoff of the name), near El Jardín, also has camping on a large, grassy lot, as well as plain rooms for $15 double, with shared bath. And there are several other tent sites.

Marriott Los Sueños, Herradura, tel. 630-9000, www.marriotthotels.com. 200 rooms. Up to $240 double.

Marriott's newest venture in Costa Rica is mainly a golf resort. If that's your interest, bear in mind that the weather is perfect for golfing in the dry season, and perfectly dreadful for much of the rest of the year.

Hacienda Lilipoza, P. O. Box 15, tel. and fax 643-3062. 20 rooms. $140 single/$215 double with meals.

[ and ! This hotel is altogether an odd concept, an attractive, luxury, ranch-style establishment in a beach area, but on the wrong side of the highway and well removed from the water.

Rooms are in two tiers along an arcade, each has two double beds, television, phone, air conditioning. Pool and tennis court. Located 600 meters inland from the highway at the south end of Jacó.

Terraza del Pacífico, P. O. Box 168, tel. 643-3222, fax 643-3424. 43 rooms. $85 double.

Five kilometers south of Jacó, along a beach. A standard white resort, Italian-managed, with grassy grounds, pool, casino, restaurant. Rooms are attractive, with red tile floors, and television, air-conditioning, safe-deposit box, telephone.

! This is a charter-class hotel, booked by tour groups, with limited on-site services and none nearby.

Las Fragatas, right at the first intersection in Jacó, has open-air dining with tablecloths, on a terrace surrounded by potted plants and ferns. About $6 and up for fish and beef variously prepared, and beverages made from fresh fruits. The house fish (sea bass stuffed with ham, cheese and shrimp) is good.

Just across from Las Fragatas is Los Faroles, another open-air eatery, Canadian-run, with pizza and pasta.

Modest and pleasant is Le Café de Paris, a storefront-and-terrasse facing the main street, with pâtisserie, salads, fresh-squeezed juices, croque monsieur, and burger and frites. About $4 to $6 for a light meal, or you can just have a coffee and pastry and hang out.

The Zabamar has a menu of continental fare that changes daily, but includes the like of chicken in wine or fish cooked to order. $8 to $12, open at 6 p.m.

The Grille Flamboyant is currently the spot in Jacó for those who want a formal evening. Tables are available both inside, looking through windowed archways, and on a terrace. The fare is continental—steak in sauce maître d'hotel, fish meunière—at $8 and up.

The Gran Palenque, a large thatched enclosure near the Hotel Jacó Beach, has seafood and paella, and, mostly, sunset views.

The Oyster is a large, thatch-roofed pavilion along the main street, serving seafood at $10 to $25 per meal.

Pancho Villa's Mexican eatery serves enchiladas and tacos, and steaks and lobster and a castle of shrimp, for $6 to $20. If she's still around, Chatty Cathy, just past the bridge, will provide a home away from home for Canadians, Canadiens, and everyone else, as well as good food and good value.

And there are many, many other eateries, mostly burger and snack joints, and seafood restaurants, as well as a Chinese restaurant, which are inexpensive for fish, not so for shrimp.

The folks at Los Faroles restaurant, and elsewhere, will help make arrangements for fishing.

Bicycles are rented at the hardware store and various other locations for about $1 an hour . . . not a bad idea in this spread-out town.

Kayak Jacó offers snorkeling and river trips, as well as ocean-going kayaks. Tel. 643-1233, or contact neilka@sol.racsa.co.cr.

A bank is available for changing travellers checks.

Stores include a "supermarket" (a large convenience store), and a bakery.

The gas station is at the south end of town.

Manglar Rent A Car, Elegante Rent A Car, Budget, and assorted other car-rental outfits have agencies at Jacó, mostly on the main street.

You'll find a self-service laundry on the main street near Villas Miramar.

On from Jacó

Bus departures from Jacó for San José are at 5 and 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

The San José bus can drop you at Carara Reserve, or at the highway junction for Herradura and other smaller beachside villages nearby. Southbound buses generally do not enter Jacó—you'll have to head out to the highway and flag one down.

Esterillos Este, down the coast from Jacó, has a long, deserted, open beach—beautiful, but not terribly safe for swimming.

Hotel El Delfín, Playa Esterillos, tel. and fax 779-1640 (P. O. Box 37, Parrita, tel. 223-5546 in San José). $90 double.

Located at the end of the dirt (or mud) spur from the coastal highway, on a long, long beach, a concrete rectangular-solid-and-cylinder construction, looking somewhat like a Lego creation under the palms. Rooms have ocean-view terraces, fans, tile floors, plain furnishings. Pool, Ping Pong, bicycles, small library. Adequate restaurant under the rotunda. Inclusive packages are available with transport from San José, otherwise a car is recommended.

[ If you want to be all alone with modern conveniences, you've reached your goal.

Auberge du Pélican (P. O.Box 47-6300 Parrita, fax 779-9108 or 643-3207, $35 to $45 double) is a modern, two-story, airy beachfront lodge, intimate, with just 10 rooms, two of which are handicapped-accessible. Meals are served, the pool can intercept you between your room and the palm-lined beach, and everything is low-key and no-pressure. If you're travelling by car, it's not a bad base for visits to Manuel Antonio National Park and the fleshpots of Quepos and Jacó. And, as you might infer from the name ("pelican lodge" in English), the ownership and ambiance are francophone. Rooms have safe-deposit boxes, some share baths.

There are also some cabinas on the way to the Delfín, but nothing much else out here.

Plantations

Past Esterillos, the coastal highway passes through mile after mile of what were once neatly laid-out banana plantations, with clusters of precise two-story worker housing. These have now been supplanted by equally neat plantations of oil palms. All this order is near the town called—what else?—La

. Outside of the plantations, tropical exuberance and disorder are more evident. Brown rivers ooze through mangrove and mud flats, and are negotiated by narrow, planked trestles. The broad- and shiny-leafed plants characteristic of the humid tropics grow to ferocious dimensions. Towns are littered and ramshackle, and are few and far between. Iguanas dart across the road, and snakes slither out of the bushes. Sweat lubricates everything. The landscape is fascinating to look at, but there are few attractive stopping places, until the area of Quepos. If you have a car, you can look in at some of the beaches beyond the palms. The friendly and basic Cabinas La Ruta del Sol are at Playa Palma, off the highway between Esterillos and Parrita.

The coastal highway is currently paved to Damas. The gravel surface beyond is well-maintained to Quepos.

QUEPOS

Population: approximately 17,000; 144 kilometers from San José.

Once a banana shipping center, Quepos ("KEH-pos") saw its fortunes decline with those of the plantations nearby. The town is now languid and shabby, with a strip of dingy sand. Who would guess that the nicest beaches in Costa Rica are just over the ridge? Read on.

MANUEL ANTONIO NATIONAL PARK

Seven kilometers beyond Quepos are the perfect beaches of Manuel Antonio National Park, each an arc of sand curving around a bay strewn with islands of rock, and shaded by green bordering forests. All are backdropped by dramatic cliffs. Manuel Antonio beach is one of the few places in Costa Rica where unspoiled primary forest grows right to the high-tide mark, allowing visitors to bathe at times in the shade.

South Espadilla is the northernmost of the park's beaches, followed by calmer Manuel Antonio beach, offshore of which are some coral spots. Third Beach has tidal pools where brightly colored fish and eels are intermittently stranded. Last is Puerto Escondido, access to which is made difficult by the bordering rocky promontory.

Some of the most frequently observed animals at Manuel Antonio are marmosets—the smallest of Costa Rican monkeys—white-faced and howler monkeys, raccoons, pacas, opossums, and two-and three-toed sloths. Easily sighted seabirds includes frigate birds, pelicans, terns, and brown boobies. A network of trails winds along the sea, and all through the forest.

Getting There

Direct buses for Manuel Antonio depart from the Coca-Cola terminal in San José (Calle 16, Avenidas 1/3) at 6 a.m., noon and 5 p.m. Slower buses that terminate in Quepos depart at 7 and 10 a.m. and 2 and 4 p.m. The trip on the direct bus takes more than four hours, and can be nausea-inducing on the run down to the coast. On weekends, it's best to buy your ticket in advance at the bus company office inside the Coca-Cola market.

Buses also operate along the coast to Quepos from Puntarenas, to the north; and from San Isidro de El General and Dominical, to the south.

A local bus for Manuel Antonio National Park departs about every two hours from the south end of Quepos, next to the cinema along the seafront. On weekends in the busy season, service is continuous.

Sansa, the domestic airline (tel. 233-5330), usually has at least two daily flights from San José to Quepos, and inexpensive packages with hotel room are sometimes available. Travelair (tel. 232-7883) has two flights on most days of the week to Quepos from San José.

Staying at Manuel Antonio

While Manuel Antonio itself was rescued from developers, in 1972, a variety of facilities crowds the edge of the park and continues up the bordering ridge, making this the easiest national park at which to stay.

But popularity has brought rough spots.

Most hotels are over-priced for what they have to offer, and price-gouging is rampant in more than a couple of establishments. Singles will usually have to pay the double rate. Even guaranteed reservations might not be honored if a fellow tourist beats you to the reception desk with cash in hand. And the proliferation of intimate hostelries with no more than six rooms can mean going up and down from hotel to hotel by car, taxi or—heaven forbid—on foot in the heat in order to find an empty room.

Then there are attitude problems. The owners of one otherwise pleasant hotel leave a polite note to the effect that they are not to be bothered unless prospective guests are willing to take a room, sight unseen.

Then there are facilities problems. Though there is a veneer of good taste at many hostelries, maintenance is often spotty, and construction shoddy. In a multi-floor hotel, you will surely hear the goings-on above you. Enjoy.

Then there's the noise. Many rooms are right by the road, and cars beep from bar to bar late into the night.

Then there's the park. Manuel Antonio National Park was created to forestall the conversion of a forested area into a resort. The park begat hotels, and the hotels begat travel services and bars and pretentious food, which begat visitors, who inundated the park and chased away (for much of the dry season, anyway) the animals that were to be saved.

Then there's Quepos. Wherever the money is going that comes into the area, it's not being used to repair the axle-busting streets.

But . . . the rocky headlands, the ocean views, the avian concerts, the enveloping mystery of the tropical forest . . . they're all still there, and no amount of bad taste and poor management has managed to diminish them. So, by all means, spend a day or two at Manuel Antonio and see what all the fuss is about.

If possible, try to arrive with a reservation in hand for at least one night, preferably with the price guaranteed in writing. If you arrive without a booking, try calling several hotels from a public phone in Quepos. You should have no trouble being understood. Various owners and personnel speak English, Spanish, French, Magyar, and German.

Not being right at beach level isn't necessarily a disadvantage: views are better from high up, a public bus passes regularly, and most hotels provide a shuttle service. Each of these hotels has its individual character, and most are small and provide a pleasant environment for relaxation and amusement.

Hotel Plinio, P. O. Box 71, Quepos, tel. 777-0055. 6 rooms, 1 cabin. $55 single/$75 double, lower May throughJune and August through November. Surcharge for credit cards.

The Plinio is a roadhouse built into a hillside, with extensive woodwork, high thatched roof, and great balconies hung with hammocks—it looks like a big tree dwelling. Friendly owners, and good food. Rooms are near the popular bar and restaurant, but this is not a raucous all-night place. The rate includes a buffet breakfast. One kilometer out of Quepos.

Hotel California, P. O. Box 159, Quepos, tel. 777-1062, fax 777-1234. hotelcal@sol.racsa.co.cr. www.hotel-california.com.

22 rooms. $60 to $80 double in the rainy season, $90 to $105 in busier times.

A neighbor of the Hotel Plinio, the California shares an observation tower with the former, which ameliorates, somewhat, the inland location. It's an undistinguished concrete structure, but jungle murals in the rooms, a pool, and the offbeat Québécois management could make it the right place in which to stay. Most rooms have terraces.

Hotel Sí Cómo No, tel. 777-0777 or 800-237-8201, sicomono@sol.racsa.co.cr.

28 rooms (including honeymoon suite). $170 to $225 double.

[ If you appreciate your immediate surroundings, as well as the beach and tropical forest, you'll be interested to know that Sí Cómo No ("Sure, Why Not") won a national architectural prize a couple of years back. Though other hotels try, this one succeeds in melding itself, its terraces and its facilities into the hillside.

Amenities include pool with swim-up bar, water slide and solar-heated whirlpool; restaurant with some Mexican items, margaritas endorsed by Jimmy Buffet (not Buffett); well-equipped movie projection room that can be used for meetings, minbars and security boxes and, in some cases, kitchenettes in rooms (ocean-view, or, euphemistically, jungle-view);

Hotel Mirador del Pacífico, P. O. Box 164-6350, tel. and fax 777-0119. 20 rooms. $70 per person with breakfast.

This hotel runs everywhere up a hillside, in three two-story buildings with porches, some reached with the aid of a funicular, or by bridges that fly across declivities in treehouse manner. Rooms have a rough stucco finish, two large beds, and ceiling fan, and are a good enough value for this area. There are two restaurants, one at the very top of the hotel's private mountain, with sea view, and steak and fish for about $15 for a full meal. German spoken.

Mimo's Hotel, tel. and fax 777-0054, hmimos@racsa.co.cr. 6 rooms. $75 double with fan, $95 with air conditioning.

A cheery pink two-story roadside hotel. Rooms are h-u-g-e, with large bed and sofa bed, and kitchenette, and lots of light.

Hotel Bahías, P. O. Box 186-6350, tel. 777-0350, fax 777-0171. 10 rooms. $60 single/$80 double/$90 triple with breakfast.

A charming small hotel in Costa Rican country style. All rooms are air-conditioned, attractive with tile floors and rattan furniture. The larger ones, at a slightly higher price, have both a tub in the bathroom and a Jacuzzi right in the bedroom, under a skylight, with a garden hanging overhead. Informal grounds, small pool.

Hotel Villa Teca, P. O. Box 180-6350, tel. and fax 777-0279, www.hotelvillateca.com. 40 rooms. $115 double.

A compound of mustard- and orange-painted bungalows, with two guest rooms in each, nice enough, with air conditioning, and pool and restaurant on site.

!No views, the beds are slim twins or one double, and there is no justification for the price charged.

La Colina, P. O. Box 191, Quepos, tel. 777-0231, fax 777-1553. lacolina@sol.racsa.co.cr.

5 rooms. $35 single/$45 double including continental breakfast.

[ A modest, homey hillside bungalow. Good value, French spoken. If you were me, you'd head here first.

Complejo Turístico El Salto, P. O. Box 119, Quepos, tel. 777-0130. 6 rooms. $65 single/$80 double.

This is one of several "private reserves" that have materialized near Manuel Antonio National Park, as at Monteverde, to take pressure off the fragile park environment, or simply to get in on the dollar action. At El Salto, aside from the undeveloped lots that comprise the protected area, there are hilltop rooms with private bath and ceiling fans, and majestic views to Quepos and the inland mountains, but not to seaward. The entry road is quite poor.

Hotel El Lirio, P. O. Box 123, Quepos, tel. 777-0403. 9 rooms. $85 double, much lower in rainy season.

An intimate lodging place. The rooms here are in a two-story concrete bungalow and extension, on grounds shaded by huge trees (which lodge a collection of 150 orchids). Each room has fans, tiled bath, sea views, and such nice touches as dhurries on the floor and mosquito canopy over the bed (more for decoration than from necessity). Pool and light meals.

Valle Verde, tel. 777-0040 (233-3015 in San José, fax 613-744-2691 in Ottawa), has five apartments to rent at $45 and up, according to size. The largest has four beds.

Hotel Los Charrúas, tel. 777-1017. $100 single or double, lower in rainy season. 6 rooms.

A little white colonial-style motel strip. All rooms with bar-refrigerator, one large bed and bunk beds, and magnificent sea views.

!Close to the road, and hardly worth the money.

Not far away, Villa Oso, tel. 777-0233, has five units, also close to the road, at $55 double, or up to $100 in an apartment.

Hotel La Mariposa, tel. 777-0355, fax 777-0050, P.O. Box 4, Quepos, mariposa@sol.racsa.co.cr. 21 rooms. $140 to $200 double. U.S. reservations: tel. 800-223-6510.

The nearly legendary Mariposa is one of the more tasteful hotels in Costa Rica, an intimate, luxury establishment in a dramatic clifftop setting. Each Mediterranean-style cottage is on two levels, with separate bedroom, beamed ceilings, deck, and unusual bathroom with interior garden. Meals are available, and while the air of secluded intimacy has lifted with expansion and surrounding development, it's still quite nice. Three-and-a-half kilometers out of Quepos.

[ The views to the horseshoe beaches below and islets offshore are spectacular, from both the terraces and the small pool.

Hotel El Parador, tel. 777-1411.

50 rooms, $100 to $800 double, depending on room and season.

! Lovely decorations and sea view, many amenities expected in a luxury urban hotel, but wildly, wildly overpriced.

Hotel Divisamar, tel. 777-1096, fax 777-0525. P. O. Box 82-6350, Quepos. 24 rooms. $85 to $110 double.

Pleasant rooms in a family-run hodge-podge of concrete buildings sprawling over a small valley. Pool, protected parking, ice machine, backgammon and other games, television room, and space for meetings. Airport pickup on request. A trail leads down to the beach, or you can get a lift from the owners.

La Mansión, tel. 777-3489, fax 777-0002. www.lamansioninn.com.

7 suites. $250-$1500 daily in dry season, $150 to $550 in rainy season.

La Mansión, a substantial villa set in lush gardens, caters to Hollywood nobility, but the rest of us, wallets permitting, are allowed to open the gold-plated taps, soak in the Jacuzzis, and partake of the freeform pool, exercise machines, and assorted amenities, or simply to cocoon in accommodations with soaring roofs and walls walls that fold away to reveal the sight of waves breaking on shore. Fishing, riding, and adventures are individually arranged.

Villas Makanda, P. O. Box 29, Quepos, tel. and fax 777-0442. 7 units, www.makanda.com. $200 and up.

[ Well off the main road, these are several unusually designed buildings on a forest plot sloping to the sea, with suites that interconnect in maze-like fashion.

All have screened walls fully open to ocean views, enclosed gardens in Japanese and other styles, hot water, full kitchen or kitchenette, hammock hooks, and ceiling fans; and assorted individual features such as canopy beds or custom tile floor. There is a pool, and the forest holds toucans, monkeys and other animals that are not found in the park when the traffic is heavy.

[ and ! Note that the open concept of one of the villas isn't for everyone. "Frogs falling from the loft with giant moths in their mouths," reports one reader.

Along the same side road are Cabinas Biesanz, tel. 777-0490, with eight hillside, weathered, camp-style units with full kitchen, going for $80 double, $100 for up to six persons. A motorized platform climbs the hill for those with difficulty walking.

El Dorado Mojado, P. O. Box 238-6350, tel. and fax 777-0368. 8 units. $125 with breakfast in villas, $75 in rooms; $75 and $50 in rainy season.

This is an attractive hillside complex, modern in style and unusually well designed. The villas have large windows, like greenhouses, but with generous overhang to shade the interiors. Inside, the lower level holds a kitchen (refrigerator stocked with drinks), sitting area, interior garden, and safe-deposit box. Upstairs are beds with Zacualpa covers, concealed lighting, built-in cabinetry, and good bathroom. Non-slip concrete bridges connect the villas, and there are a pool and barbecue. All units are air-conditioned, the villas sleep three or four persons, smaller rooms two persons.

Hotel Byblos, P. O. Box 112, Quepos, tel. 777-0411, fax 777-0009. 20 units. $120 double.

The main attraction here is the French restaurant, but aside from gastronomy, there are rooms in little forest bungalows, an on-site waterfall, a pool, and a 55-foot yacht down on the water. Some readers have complained about maintenance and housekeeping.

Villas Nicolás, tel. and fax 777-0538, P. O. Box 26, Quepos. 12 units/19 rooms. $85 single/$95 double, to $200 for four, lower from May through November. No credit cards.

These are ocean-view, Mediterranean-style condominium units in the semi-manicured hillside jungly setting common to hotels at Manuel Antonio. Water cascades down from the whirlpool into a large swimming pool, with a stone and wooden deck. Each unit has one or two bedrooms rented individually or in combination, Spanish-style furnishings, kitchen, tiled floors, archways, and white walls with generous wood trim. The larger "villas" are on two levels, and most have ample terraces, and cooking facilities.

Villas El Parque, tel. and fax 777-0538, www.villaselparque.com, are 18 ocean-view hillside condominium suites and 17 standard rooms with hammock terraces, available at from $100 to $200. The suites have two bedrooms, and there are a bar, three-level pool, and laundry facilities. Owners are reported very helpful. Contacts: P.O. Box 025216-SJO1140, Miami, FL 33102-5216, vparque@sol.racsa.co.cr.

Hotel Mogotes, P. O. Box 120, Quepos, tel. 777-1043, fax 777-0582. 12 rooms. $90 single/$125 double with breakfast.

Cheery rooms close to the road, some upstairs with view, some without. Units have one double and one single bed, and a modern bathroom, in a house that once belonged to Jim Croce. Pool on-site.

El Colibrí, P. O. Box 94, Quepos, tel. 777-0432. 10 units. $80 double, less in rainy season.

Gilles and Pierre (age d'or by Quepos standards) offer good taste in their compound—rooms with tiled floors, varnished beams, louvered doors, and cooking facilities. The hilltop Mediterranean-style units, back from the road, across the gardens (where something is always in bloom) are the nicest, with porches and hammocks. Sea views are good from the second floor of the main building. One charming little guest unit has the bedroom on a screened upper level. A pool is under construction. Children under ten should look elsewhere. 4.2 kilometers from Quepos.

La Quinta, P.O. Box 76, Quepos, tel. 777-0434. 5 units. $75 double.

This is an intimate hilltop hotel, with extensive grounds and magnificent sea views, a somewhat less pretentious version of the Mariposa. Mediterranean-style cottages all have three beds, tiled showers, terra cotta floors, and small refrigerator and hot plate. An "overflow" unit is less desirable. The personable owners, a French-Hungarian couple, are on-site to see to guests' needs. Pool. Breakfast and beverages available. 4.5 kilometers from Quepos. (The owners and I buy our sheets at the same store. They can explain.)

Hotel Costa Verde, tel. 777-0584, fax 777-0560 (P. O. Box 106-6350 Quepos), www.hotelcostaverde.com. 50 units. $100 to $160 each.

These are bedroom-kitchenette combinations, screened and woody and attractive, atop a hill well off the road. Additional units are in a separate location downhill.

Casitas Eclipse. Tel. 222-0333 in San José.

25 rooms. $120 to $160 double.

The closest comparison you'll find to Casitas Eclipse is certain hillside villa hotels on the Moroccan coast, consisting of flat-roofed, sunbaked, whitewashed cottages meandering among terraces, pools, and angular walls.

[ Maybe not suitable to the rainy site, but as tasteful as things get around manuel Antonio. You can't see the beach, but everything else is reported to be impeccable.

Hotel Arboleda, P. O. Box 55-6350, tel. 777-1056, fax 777-0092, www.hotelarboleda.com. 35 units. $90 or more double.

This hotel occupies its own section of rain forest, extending down to the water, with units at various levels. Rates are reported to fluctuate.

Villas de la Selva (tel. and fax 253-4890) is adjacent to the Arboleda. The rate is $75 in each of two studio apartments, $100 double, $160 for up to eight persons in the three two-room ocean-view villas, each with terrace, kitchenette, barbecue, television.

Apartotel Karahé, P. O. Box 100-6350, Quepos, tel. 777-0170, fax 777-0152, www.karahe.com. 32_units. $90 daily.

Pleasant, rock-walled cottages, each accommodating three persons, with refrigerators but no cooking facilities. Good sea views. Additional rooms, and a pool, are across the road near the beach. The restaurant, on a huge porch, serves chops and chicken cooked in the open. On the hillside just before the beach, seven kilometers from Quepos.

Hotel Del Mar, tel. 777-0543, www.hoteldelmar-costarica.com 13 rooms. $35 double.

Simple rooms, a good value.

Cabinas Pisces, near the bottom of the road from Quepos, has six rooms on a grassy lot, at $33 double.

Tulemar Bungalows, tel. 777-1325, fax 777-1579, tulemar@sol.racsa.co.cr.

14 units, $170 to $250 for two depending on season, $17 per extra person, breakfast included.

If you want to get away from the crowds, Tulemar is one of the few accommodations at Manuel Antonio with a private stretch of beach. In addition to pool and bar, guests can use sea kayaks at no charge, along with snorkeling equipment.

Starting where the road comes down to the beach (and where the bus leaves passengers), there is a series of cabinas, basic, cold-water units with few services. You might think it would be to your advantage to stay nearer the entrance to the park. But noise levels, lack of security at some hotels, harsh concrete rooms and suspect disposal systems (try not to inhale) could change your mind.

All the cabinas, spread among the palms, are close enough to each other that you can look them over before selecting one to settle into for a while. All are likely to be full or nearly full on weekends, and deserted on weekdays.

Those cabinas nearest the bus stop go for $8 per person, sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on the season and the number of beds in the room. The more substantial Restaurant Manuel Antonio, tel. 777-0212, has a few rooms upstairs.

The best accommodations in this area are on a road that winds back from the beach.

Cabinas Espadilla, tel. 777-6416, www.espadilla.com, has 20 units with cooking areas for $30 single/$40 double, more with a separate kitchen. The rate drops substantially during the rainy season, except in July.

The Vela Bar (P. O. Box 13, Quepos, tel. 777-0413, www.velabar.com) has seven attractive rooms for $30 single/$45 double, $10 additional with air conditioning.

Next door is Villa Bosque (tel. and fax 777-0401, hotelvillabosque@racsa.co.cr), a solid hotel with 13 frilly rooms, the nicest in this less-than-top-notch area. The rate is $80 double with air conditioning, $70 with fan. They have a restaurant and parking with 24-hour guard, and the service is friendly.

Los Almendros, tel. 777-0225, rents motel-style units on well-cared-for grounds for $40 to $55 for one to three persons.

There's also a private camping spot in this area, but it is exposed and not secure.

Hotel Kamuk, P. O. Box 18, tel. 777-0379, fax 777-0171, www.kamuk.co.cr. 28 rooms. $65 single or double.

If you stay right in town, either by choice or because everything on the way to the park is taken, this three-story seafront hotel is several cuts above everything else. The halls are bright and airy with skylights and light wells, and the rooms are better than those in most of the resorts, with carpeting, two large beds, air conditioning, wallpaper and generally pleasing decor, phone, television, and terrace. No pool or spectacular views, unfortunately, but a good value for this area.

Aside from the Kamuk, there are several modest hotels and flophouses where you can get a reasonably priced room if everything on the way to the park is filled, or too expensive for your budget. The Hotel Viña del Mar looks out on the muddy beach, which is the best view downtown. The seafront grounds are pleasant, but the rooms are just cubicles with attached toilet and shower. $15 and up for a double. The places back toward the bus station all charge less, and give you less. On the edge of town toward the road to Manuel Antonio, the Hotel Quepos, tel. 777-0274, has cubicles and a family atmosphere for $30 with private bath. The Hotel Ceciliano, tel. 777-0192, at $40 double with private bath, is somewhat better, and can provide parking in the courtyard. Cabinas El Tauro and Cabinas Dollar charge somewhat less, and are adequate.

Pueblo Real, tel. and fax 777-0767 (P. O. Box 1136-1200 Pavas, tel. 232-2211, fax 232-0587). 28 apartments. $155 per unit, lower in rainy season.

At the estuary of the Damas River, several kilometers north of Quepos, Pueblo Real is a resort development, with condominium units available for rent. Each is air-conditioned and has two bedrooms, one with bathroom and dressing room en suite (there is a second bathroom as well), balcony, and full American-style kitchen. The furnishings are attractive (these are not standard Costa Rican apartments), and at 90 square meters, they are large. On site are a pool, large whirlpool, and two tennis courts. Plans call for a golf course, country club and marina.

[ If you have a car, these apartments are some of the best values in the area, especially for two couples (there is plenty of privacy) or families.

Sticker Shock! Read the menu carefully if you stop into any restaurant on the road to Manuel Antonio. Despite modest appearances and even more modest offerings in a few cases, some of the prices are shockers. It's almost like being in Belize.

El Byblos, the French hostelry, easily has the most dramatic dining environment south of San José, a tremendous porch with towering roof, hung with basket lamps, entered by a hardwood stairway over the fountain and pool, looking out over a jungle valley. This is a formal restaurant, and I don't just mean that they have real tablecloths. Main courses include tournedos, lamb in assorted preparations, dorado en citron vert, and other continental fare. A full meal will appetizer and dessert will cost $25, more if you select an appropriate wine and digestif.

The Hotel Plinio, one kilometer out of Quepos, has a bar and restaurant with good German and Italian food. The bread is home-baked, the salads are crisp, and I can recommend the lasagne. There are also pizzas and steaks. $7 and up for a main course. If you're not staying at the Plinio, it's worthwhile to go over for a drink and a meal.

The Barba Roja bar, opposite the Divisamar, commands the same magnificent sea and cliff views available from the Hotel Mariposa. There are assorted daily specials for $8 and up, burgers for a couple of dollars, and rock music.

The Uruguayan Steak House is a large indoor-outdoor eating area with fogata where the meat is genuinely charred in pampa fashion. Steaks and kebabs go for $10 to $14, and seasonal items like red (sic) salmon are on the menu at a higher price.

Various other eateries offer pricey French or continental food. La Brise, near the entry to La Quinta, has a light, white, gardeny, all-windows decor, and such fare as pepper steak, suprême de poulet and fettucine pistou at $10 and up for the main course alone. La Arcada, Italian-style and one of the first restaurants on the road to the park, is another relatively pricey joint, at $8 for ravioli, $15 for a fish-and-beef kebab.

Karola's Restaurant, down in a valley off the main road, is an open-air but intimate bar and dining area, overlooking a forest. Current menu items include sirloin steak, seafood platter, tuna steak, and macadamia pie to finish off. $10 and up. Locals rave about the food.

Bahia's Bar and Grill, by the hotel of the same name, is a bamboo-encased restaurant with terrace outside, specializing in red meat—sirloin, steak in garlic sauce and kebabs for $10 and up.

Sukia's, opposite the Byblos Hotel, widely advertised around town, is a bar that serves Spanish-style tapas (snacks) with drinks, adequate seafood, and sandwiches and salads at lunch.

Of several eateries at beach level, the most popular is the large, open-air Mar y Sombra, located where the road from Quepos meets the beach. A whole fried fish goes for $4 and up, depending on the size, and there are huge tropical fruit plates, breakfasts (from 6 a.m.), the usual rice-and-bean combos, and beef and pork main courses for $4 to $6.

In Quepos itself, you'll find numerous places in which to eat inexpensively in clean surroundings. El Gran Escape, on the main street, serves Tico food in a large room with lamps dangling from the ceiling and posters decorating the walls. Breakfast or a full meal of casado can cost under $5. Wine available. Popular with visitors looking for food without pretense. Mar Blues, on a side street by the Hotel Kamuk, has large hamburger platters with fries, daily specials, breakfasts, and drinks of all sorts. George's American, on the way toward Manuel Antonio, is on a corner and open to the street, serving burgers, Mexican antojitos, and seafood in preparations that change daily. At the Nahomi pool (see below), along the water south of town, the terrace restaurant serves sandwiches, fish, and Costa Rican specialties in pleasant surroundings at surprisingly low prices—as little as $7 for a meal with a small steak.

The less expensive accommodations at beach level at Manuel Antonio attract a lively, mostly young crowd. Many of the visitors are foreigners on extended travels. The beach is known as a good place to hang out for a while, trade information, recoup, and re-group.

Shopping has become a major pastime, though, as in any established resort, simply as a necessity to fill the idle hours of visitors with excess money who have reached their sun and park quota for the day. The crafts of Costa Rica are not world-class, or even region-class. But clever vendors have stocked up with Guatemalan textiles, Salvadoran wood carvings, and Mexican hammocks. You can find these at stands near the park entrance, and shops in town, though almost all of this stuff will be cheaper at home.

There are exceptions to this grim scene. One of the more tasteful shopping places in Quepos is L'Aventura, with clothing fashioned from Panamanian molas. English and French are spoken. La Buena Nota is also a long-time favorite for beachwear, and generally accurate information.

The concentration of facilities and beauty also make this an event center. A three-day Festival of the Sea takes place in January. Surfing contests, rock concerts and conventions are scheduled at other times. You'll want to check what's on tap (the tourist office in San José will probably know) in order to get in on the action, or avoid it, depending on your sensitivities.

Caution is advisable when swimming here. Red Cross personnel are on hand at busy times, but otherwise, there are no provisions for beach safety, and the currents are notoriously tricky. Stay out of water deeper than your waist.

I am told by a reliable source that the mayor of Quepos took considerable offense when, in an earlier edition, I called his city "squalid, rotting, and garbage-strewn." The lack of attention to public decoration was laid to slow adjustment to self-management of affairs, following the reduction of banana company operations. Quepos is still far from pristine—"charmingly scuzzy" is what one American magazine writer called it—but it is not squalid, nor is it garbage-strewn these days. The waters off the beach in town, however, are contaminated by raw sewage, and should be avoided.

Facilities

Various small businesses have horses for hire, scuba and snorkeling equipment and beach chairs and surfboards and umbrellas to rent, and offer boat tours of Damas Island, or dinner cruises.

Ríos Tropicales, the rafting-and-kayaking travel agency, has a local office on the road to the park, tel. 777-0574.

Amigos del Mar (tel. 777-0082), with an office in Quepos, runs full-day white-water rafting trips for $60-$70, as well as more restful float trips.

Rivers on this slope of the sierra are not runnable all year, so look for this kind of adventure during the rainy season, from about May through October. And, since the Naranjo River used for many expeditions is just a few kilometers from Quepos, the prices are absurdly out of line. Ask for a reduction, or save your rafting for a trip to one of the more reliable rivers on the eastern slope of the continental divide, organized from San José.

Amigos del Mar (see above) operates dive trips at about $65, and an introductory course for $100, full certification for $300. The Quepos area is not particularly noted for diving, but if you're going to be here anyway . . .

North-South Sportfishing, tel. 253-9222 in San José, and Costa Rica Dreams, tel. 777-0593, as well as other outfits, offer deep sea fishing. Longer fishing or naturalist trips are available to Drake Bay on the Osa Peninsula, Corcovado National Park, and Caño Island.

Rates run from $500 to $700 per day for up to four persons for deep-sea fishing, depending on the boat and destination, including sandwiches, tackle, services of the captain, and refreshments. They recommend December through April for sailfish, November through April for marlin, December through May for dorado, May through December for snook and tuna, and all year for roosterfish and snapper. Fishing may be limited in October, the rainiest time. Costa Rican Dreams also has an open-cockpit boat for fly fishermen, at $500 per day. Half-day rentals are also available.

Sportfishing Costa Rica has boats in the area from December through May, when winds are strong in other fishing grounds. Full-day rates are similar to those of Costa Rica Dreams.

Treasure Hunt Tours (P. O. Box 187, Quepos, tel. 777-0345) has boats for inshore fishing. Inquire at La Buena Nota or at your hotel.

All sportfishing operations counsel you to release your catch. In any case, there's no easy way to bring your trophy home.

One goal of day-trippers from Manuel Antonio is Isla de Damas, which, despite the name, is no island, but a peninsula, ten kilometers up the coast from Quepos. The floating restaurant-bar Tortuga serves meals of fresh fish at about $6. To get aboard, turn off the coastal highway at the Pepsi-Tortuga sign. The estuary is one kilometer onward. Little motorboats will take you out to the Tortuga, or you can hire them by the hour to cruise through jungle-lined channels. This is a beautiful, fascinating area, off the usual visitors' track, with secluded vacation homes and fishermen's shacks along the water. You can get here by taxi. Several tour operators charge about $65 for a boat ride through the Damas estuary, with lunch at the floating restaurant, but you can do it yourself for about a fourth (or maybe a fifth) of that price.

Costa Rican Dreams (tel. 777-0593) operates a half-day tour that might be a better value. For $200, up to four passengers are carried to various coastal points, including rookeries of frigatebirds and boobies. Departures are at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., and beverages and fruit are included.

Planet Dolphin outfits you with snorkeling gear, and points you in the right direction to catch up with dolphins, or will give you a lift aboard a boat to accomplish the same purpose. Call 777-1647 for details.

Stable Eqqus (tel. 777-0355), among others, has riding horses available. Inquire at the Hotel La Mariposa.

The casino is at the Hotel Kamuk in Quepos.

Direct buses leave Manuel Antonio for San José at 6 a.m., noon and 5 p.m.; slower buses from Quepos at 5 and 8 a.m., and 2 and 4 p.m. For the Pacific Transfer express bus, call 227-2180 in San José.

Buses leave for Puntarenas at 4:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.; for Puriscal at 5 a.m. and noon; for Dominical and San Isidro de El General at 5:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Sansa (tel. 233-5330) and Travelair (tel. 232-7883) usually have at least two daily flights to San José. With advance notice, Sansa will pick you up and take you to the airport in Quepos for a nominal charge. Reconfirmation of your return flight is essential. Figure about $30 to $35 each way on a small plane from and to San José.

During the rainy season, inquire about road conditions before traveling south from Quepos (if the highway hasn't been paved by the time you visit). As you proceed—by car, or, more certainly, by bus—the ridge of the continental divide in the Talamanca Mountains, with the highest peaks in Costa Rica, watches over from just thirty kilometers inland. Higher rainfall is evidenced by broader leaves, more gigantic plants, and swollen rivers, some of which, near Hatillo, you will have to ford, even in the dry season. The vast palm plantation continues. Huge oil-processing plants send up a burned-sweet smell. Every small plantation town has its bus shelters, church, company stores, rows of neat, identical housing (some models quite above the usual local standard), cantina, and Alcoholics Anonymous chapter, with its sign prominently posted.

At Hatillo and Matapalo, there are basic cabina lodging facilities, which you can look in on if you're driving.

DOMINICAL

Buses leave from Quepos for Dominical at 5:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; from San Isidro de El General at 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Little lodging spots, if not exactly abundant, are growing in numbers. Some are mentioned below. For reservations, excursions, and the latest info, contact Selva Mar, at tel. 771-4582, fax 771-1903, selvamar@sol.racsa.co.cr; or Tropical Waters, outside of town on the San Isidro road, fax 787-0031, P.O. Box 833-800, San Isidro del General, crinfo@sol.racsa.co.cr.

Among the adventures arranged through Selva Mar and other operators are horseback rides, hikes, van trips, and rafting on the General, Savegre, Coto and General rivers ($60 to $325 for one-to three-day outings).

Hacienda Barú (see below) organizes hoistings to the top of sentinel rain-forest trees, where you can camp out for the night, if you so desire.

Where to Stay and Eat

Note: Contact with Dominical can be slippery at times. If you can't reach a hotel directly, consider doing it through the e-mail address of one of the agencies mentioned above.

Cabinas Río Lindo (12 rooms, $50 double) is a motel-style accommodation where the spur from the highway enters town. Rooms are light, attractive, and clean, and the open-air dining area has a comprehensive menu.

Near the bridge in town, Cabinas Willdale is an unpretentious get-away, a set of six riverside cabinas on a large, shaded lot, a short walk from the beach. Construction of some units is country-style, with posts of rough tree trunks, exposed beams, and plenty of wood trim. These go for about $25 double. Larger rooms with hot water, sleeping three, rent for $up to $40. Owner Willy Dale is an American, and can make arrangements for sailing, canoeing and rafting. Communication is via answering machine, tel. 771-1903, or fax, 771-0735. Inquire here as well about a cliffside luxury villa down the coast, available for about $1000 a week.

Jungle Jim's (tel. 771-0866) feature a bar and restaurant with satellite television tuned to sporting events. Rooms upstairs are about $30 double.

Roca Verde Bar and Cabinas (tel. 771-1414) has rooms for $10 per person. On the beach, Cabinas Nayarit (tel. 771-2878) charges $30 double with fan, and has houses for rent. Cabinas San Clemente, $20 double, is surfer-friendly.

Fishing: Reel 'n Release Sportfishing, tel. and fax 771-1903, operates inshore and deep-sea fishing trips, diving excursions, and wildlife sighting expeditions to Caño Island and Violín Island. A day's outing for two costs about $400.

Hacienda Barú (tel. 787-0003, www.haciendabaru.com) is a plantation just across the bridge from Dominical that offers excursions that highlight the natural attractions of the area. Guided walks take visitors through and across beach, riverbank, orchards, mangroves, lowland and hill primary rain forest, and commercial plantations for fees of from $25 to $55 for two, according to length, from a few hours to all day, more with an overnight at a screened jungle shelter (superb for wildlife viewing). You're guaranteed sightings of 17 species of animal (a frivolous offer—you're likely to see many more). Limited guest accommodations are available at $70 double, less in the rainy season. There are also horseback trips. Additional cabina units are planned. For information on Hacienda Barú, and recommendations to surfing and camping sites and guest ranches, speak to somebody at the gas station (Bomba El Ceibo), which is about one kilometer up the coast from the Dominical bridge. Or contact Naturística, P. O. Box 215-8000 San Isidro de El General, tel. 771-1903 (message), fax 771-0441.

Villas Río Mar, on the Barú River just outside Dominical, is nearest thing to a conventional resort that you'll find in the area, with 40 cottages, tennis, pool with swim-up bar, and whirlpool. Horses, hikes and bikes are available. The rate is $75 to $100 double.

Pacific Edge bungalows, booked through Tropical Waters, has houses available on a weekly or monthly basis—from $500 per wee, and not recommended unless you've been to the area before and are sure this is where you want to stay for a while.

Hotel-Cabinas Punta Dominical, P.O. Box 196-8000, San Isidro de El General, tel. 771-0866 (tel. 225-5328 in San José). $40 single/$50 double, $68 for up to six persons.

These are cliff-top cottages out of the South Seas—near-tree houses on stilts—amid lush greenery, four kilometers south of the village of Dominical. All units have ample screens and slats to let the breeze blow through, and two double beds as well as bunks. The point of land atop which the cottages sit is surrounded on three sides by water, and your view is up and down the coast, over rocky flats and to wide-open water. Even if you're not staying the night, the breezy, open restaurant here is economy-priced, with no main course except shrimp priced over $6. Call for a reservation before you arrive. Access is by turning off the highway toward the beach, then going up the hill.

Cabañas Escondidas (P. O. Box 364, San Isidro de El General, tel. 771-2904, fax 771-0735) are informal cabins on a tract that includes 80 acres of standing rain forest, as well as tropical gardens. Arrangements can be made for fishing, horseback riding and hiking—and tai chi classes and massages. Rates are $45 to $70 double, about a third less in the rainy season. Breakfast is included, and other meals can be prepared. The owners speak English. Ten kilometers south of the bridge at Dominical

Finca Brian y Milena is what you might call a hill farm, an hour by horse from Dominical, planted with fruit trees and spice plants. Two guest cabins are available, at $60 double, or less for longer stays. Write to P. O. Box 2-8000, San Isidro de El General, or phone 771-1903.

Bella Vista Lodge ($30 double, tel. 771-1903), with four rooms, is a ranch guest house inland from and overlooking the sea from a thousand feet up. As at remote island camps, power comes from generators and solar cells. Meals are available for a minimal charge, along with horseback tours to little-visited waterfalls and springs, for up to $40. The owners will fetch guests in Dominical for a few dollars.

Escaleras Inn, a kilometer south of Bella Vista Lodge, has individual cottages built with local hardwoods, and guest rooms in a main building. Depending on amenities, the price with breakfast is $100 to $140 double. Contact Escaleras Inn at tel./fax 771-5247, or P.O. Box 025216-2227, Miami, FL 33102-5216.

Southeast of Dominical, an improved gravel road follows the shore to Uvita, 16 kilometers away.

Cabinas Los Laureles in Uvita has rooms for about $30 double.

If you stay any length of time at Dominical or nearby, you'll probably take an excursion or two to secret spots that are getting to be not-so-secret. Some, such as Caño Island and Corcovado and Chirripó national parks, are mentioned later in this chapter. Other points to consider include:

Just inland from Uvita are the Emerald Pools, a stepped series of falls ideal for a dip. You can look for them on your own, or hire a guide for a few dollars at the Soda Cocotico.

Terciopelo Falls, north of Dominical, a three-level cascade down the rain-forested slopes, reached on horseback or by walking a trail.

Santo Cristo Falls, "only" in two sections, but half again as high as Terciopelo, at about 200 feet. Inland and east from Dominical, accessible on horseback.

Rancho La Merced, toward Uvita and just inland, a cattle ranch managed in a balanced fashion. Sleeping accommodations are available for about $60 double, and horses are for rent. The ranch operates the Profelis Center, where ocelots and other cats roam.

The Blue Lagoon, reached by road from Dominical.

Southward from Uvita is Playa Ballena ("Whale Beach"). A local development association plans eventually to build hotels and a marina in this area without stamping out wildlife.

Ballena Marine National Park includes coral reef, mangrove, shoals and a wide variety of shoreline and marine features. As the name implies, whales frequent this reserve, most notably humpbacks, from December to May.

Inland from Dominical, a newly paved road winds up from the bananas and palms of the coastal strip, through ranch country, to the coffee altitudes, and mountainside pastures grazed by temperate breeds of cattle, at about 1600 meters, than down again to San Isidro, at the foot of Mount Chirripó, in a fresher, more arid valley, just 35 kilometers away.

DOWN TOWARD PANAMA

The southern Pacific slope of Costa Rica was, until the 1950s, isolated from the rest of the country. No highway crossed the Talamanca mountain range from the Central Valley, and all communication with the region was by a roundabout coastal route that was mostly untraveled. What population there was concentrated in the banana regions around Golfito, which were tied by narrow-gauge railroad with Panama, and by steamship with the banana-consuming world.

With improved highway links, the inland valley of the General River has become one of the fastest-growing areas of Costa Rica. Many farmers have migrated to this frontier region from the overcrowded lands of the Central Valley, with the encouragement and assistance of the government. The warm climate suits the valley to sugarcane and corn production, as well as cattle grazing.

The Pan American Highway runs south from San José, up into the Talamanca range and along the continental divide. The trip this way is an ear-popping ascent through apple country and moss- and epiphyte-laden forest, past swatches of mountain made bare by landslides, up to the windblown landscape of stunted bushes, struggling tufts of grass and feather-duster vegetation of the frigid tropics, known as páramo.

At El Empalme, the branch road to Santa María de Dota (see page 219) provides a good alternative meander back to San José, if you've already taken this route one way.

The highest point on the whole Inter-American (Pan American) Highway, 3355 meters above sea level, is near Cerro Buena Vista ("Good-View Peak"), also known, less optimistically, as Cerro de la Muerte ("Peak of Death"). Both names are apt. When clouds are not clinging to the heights, the ride along the ridge affords views down to both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean. The second, more common name derives from the frigid climate, said to have killed many an oxcart driver.

MOUNTAIN LODGES SOUTH OF SAN JOSE

Albergue de Montaña Tapantí (Tapantí Mountain Lodge, tel. 290-7641, P. O. Box 986-1250 Escazú), kilometer 62 at Macho Gaff, is a more formal chalet-style roadhouse with cabins on open, wind-blown lawns planted with flowers. Six simple, tidy rooms with wood floors have basic beds and bunks, and electric heaters, and rent for $85 double. The lodge is a base for trout-fishing, birding, horseback, and flora-observation excursions in the páramo, arranged at prices of $15 to $65 per person.

Albergue Mirador de Quetzales,near kilometer 70, is a rustic lodge operated by long-time settlers, with rooms for about $40 double, or, for a much lower price, meals, and walks around the property to view the cattle and berry-picking and charcoal operations.

At kilometer 80 on the Pan American highway is the junction for the road to San Gerardo de Dota, a hair-raising ribbon that winds along and down cliffs, sprinkled with asphalt in the steepest parts. If the cloud-forest-and-meadow scenery along the way does not take your breath away, the road certainly will. Nine kilometers from the highway is Savegre Mountain Lodge on Finca Zacatales, the ranch and trout-fishing camp of the Chacón family. Most fishing camps in Costa Rica are on the coasts, this being one notable exception. Accommodations are in 20 cottages, some with fireplaces. Package day trips, including meals, equipment and guides, are available through San José travel agencies for about $100. The overnight rate, if you're on your own, is about $75 per person with meals. Telephone 771-1732 to reserve, and to arrange to be met at the highway junction (no bus comes out this way). A couple of fishing rods may be available, if you're lucky. But you needn't come here just to fish—the trout are said to be small in any case. The ranch is in the cool country, above 8000 feet, and if you've been to the peak of Irazú volcano, the vegetation along the Savegre River will look familiar: leafy trees decorated with orchids and bromeliads, and firs. Though not as dramatic as the scenery along the strenuous route to the top of Chirripó, there is some of the same feeling in the air. Birders take note: according to some biologists, the concentration of quetzals in this area is the greatest in the world; Efraín Chacón has a line on where the birds are currently nesting, and can give visitors a good chance of sighting one. horseback riding and guided birding can be arranged, as can an adventurous walk from the pan American highway to the lodge via Cerro de la Muerte, Costa Rica's highest peak.

Avalon Private Reserve, a couple of kilometers off the main road at kilometer 107, is described by the proprietor (an alumnus of Hewlett-Packard) as having "all the natural beauty of Monteverde without the crowds or bone-jarring road." On offer are cloud-forest walks, birding, hot-tub soaks, and views far more majestic than those at the northern competitor. Horses and mountain bikes are for rent, and a qualified birding guide is available. A masseuse comes in Sundays by appointment, and yoga workshops are given. You can stop in for the day, or stay in a room with shared bath ($25 double) or cabin ($35 to $45, less in rainy season). Budget traveller special: I can't guarantee this will remain in place, but for the moment, some space is available for as little as $9 daily, or $99 for a week with meals, or even less (much less, I won't print the figure) if you chip in your labor. To reserve or get more information, contact tel. 380-2107, fax 771-7226.

If you're on the way to San Isidro del General, you can get off the bus at División and walk in and use the trails and facilities for just $3 per person.

Elsewhere along the main highway, you'll find basic, cold rooms at the Georgina restaurant at Villa Mills, but few other places at which to stop until you get to San Isidro.

Buses and microbuses for San Isidro operate from Calle 16, Avenidas 1/3, San José, approximately every hour from 4:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Three companies on the same block alternate departures. The trip takes about three hours.

Hotel del Sur, Palmares, tel. 771-3033, fax 771-0527, clprotur@sol.racsa.co.cr. 60 rooms. $40 single/$60 double. Available cabinas (cottage units) sleep up to five persons.

Five kilometers south of San Isidro along the main highway is the sprawling Hotel del Sur, with huge main pool and children's pool, basketball and tennis courts, carefully tended gardens, and even a pond. Rooms are being upgraded, the value is good, and everybody is eager to please. The restaurant offers a varied menu, and there's a gift shop. Cottage units have refrigerators. This is your preferred stopping point if travelling by car.

In San Isidro itself is the well-kept Hotel Iguazú (tel. 771-2571, 21 rooms, $12 single, $15 double). With private bath, and located just a block from the square, it's a good deal, and worth a phone call to reserve. Other in-town hotels cater more to travelling salesmen than vacationers. The Hotel Amaneli (tel. 771-0352, 40 rooms, $9 per person) is the tan concrete structure that you first see when you come down the mountain from San José. It's clean enough, and rooms have private bath. The Hotel Astoria, on the north side of the square, has cubicles for under $10 per person, and better rooms in back for $20 double. Also on the square is the Hotel Chirripó (tel. 771-0529, 40 rooms, $15 double with shared bath, $20 with private bath), where rooms are bare and dusty.

Buses and microbuses for San José depart from near the Hotel Amaneli, approximately every hour from 4:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

San Isidro makes a good stopping point for southbound bus travellers, since so much traffic funnels through town. Buses for Dominical and Quepos leave at 7 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. from a block-and-a-half south of the church on the square; for Puerto Jiménez on the Osa Peninsula at 5:45 a.m. and noon from a block south of the hotel Amaneli; for San Gerardo de Rivas and access to Chirripó National Park at 5 a.m. and 2 p.m. from the main square near the Soda Nevada. Tracopa buses for Ciudad Neily near Panama leave at 4:45 and 7:30 a.m. and noon and 3 p.m.; for San Vito de Java at 9 and 11:30 a.m. and 2 and 5:30 p.m.; for David in northern Panama at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. (These are only partial listings.)

Access to Chirripó Park is via bus at 5 a.m. or 2 p.m. from San Isidro to the village of San Gerardo de Rivas, where park headquarters are located (return buses at 7 a.m. and 4 p.m.), or by four-wheel-drive vehicle through San Gerardo de Rivas to the park entrance, which is 15 kilometers from San Isidro. Accommodations in San Gerardo are available at the cabinas of the Elizondo family (public phone 771-0433, extension 106), with private bathrooms, and meals can be prepared.

Before going to the park, verify current conditions and bus schedules with the National Park Service at the zoo in San José, or call 233-4070. February, March and April are the best months for a visit, with the least rainfall. December and January are also relatively dry, but colder. Water, warm clothing, and hiking boots are requisites—this is not a park for casual drop-ins. Horses are available to assist hikers with their gear.

Albergue de Montaña Río Chirripó Pacífico, about 20 kilometers before the entry to the national park, is a much-needed mountain lodge that welcomes visitors to the park. There are eight cabins with hot water, and meals are served. Also provided are guide services, trout fishing, swimming holes, and thermal springs. Prices range from $40 to $55 double, depending on the time of year.

Talari Mountain Lodge, on a farm near the park, makes available hiking equipment, and has a pool to soak aching muscles, hiking tours, horses, and European management. $40 to $55 double.

South of San Isidro are coffee plantations, and at lower altitudes, great rolling spreads of pineapple. To the northeast looms the ridge of the Talamanca range, hardly inhabited, and set aside as a reserve.

Cabinas Tico Alemán, tel. 786-6232, next to the gas station in Palmar Norte, provide basic rooms at about $10 per person. Hotel Casa Amarilla, tel. 786-6251, by the soccer field, has cheaper rooms.

A Sansa airlines (tel. 233-5330) flight from San José lands at Palmar Sur three days a week in the morning and continues to Golfito. Travelair (tel. 232-7883) has a daily flight.

Buses on the Golfito and Panama runs pass through several times a day. Palmar Sur is a transfer point for visitors heading to the lodges around Drake Bay (see below). Embarkation is at a dock on the Sierpe River, about 15 kilometers south of town.

DRAKE BAY AND THE OSA PENINSULA