Julio and I took a weekend trip to Montezuma and did some exploring around Santa Teresa and Mal País. We took the new highway, Autopista del Sol, to Puntarenas to catch the ferry across the Golfo de Nicoya. The boat ride across the Gulf was really relaxing, peaceful, and very beautiful…especially after Julio’s mad dash to the coast. I’m still not use to his crazy Tico driving and I’m not sure I’ll ever be. We showed up an hour early, ensuring a spot for the Samurai on the boat.
Puntarenas Ferry, Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
Julio driving onto the Puntarenas Ferry
Mocha y Pelulu in the designated area for “mascots”
Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica
We stayed at Hotel La Cascada in Montezuma. They were offering us a good deal for a one or two night stay and breakfast is always included with the price of the room. They have air-conditioned rooms as well as open-air rooms. I chose the open-air despite the warmer temperatures at the beach – like I said, I’m getting use to the temperatures, plus the air-conditioned rooms felt a little claustrophobic. I’m a fan of the ocean breeze.
La Cascada is not on the beach, but across the street from it and right next to a river. It is also close to the waterfalls, hence the name La Cascada (the waterfall). Here is a 4 minute video of the hotel that Julio took…it is not good quality and he narrates it in Spanglish, but you can get a good feel of the place from it. My favorite part is towards the beginning when Julio introduces our dogs, completely ignoring the fact that I am standing right there with them. LOL.
Hotel La Cascada was nice – no fancy amenities, but it had the basics (bed, private bathroom, closet) and was clean. The reason I’m going back to this hotel one day is the restaurant, also named La Cascada. It is absolutely fabulous! The menu had the most expansive selection of items I’ve ever seen in a Costa Rican restaurant and the food was beautifully prepared. Turns out the menu was designed by one of the professional chefs from the boutique hotel, Grano de Oro. I could have stayed there all day, but we had some exploring to do…
Our objective was to take the off-road from Montezuma to Santa Teresa, stopping at Julio’s favorite secret beach and Mal País along the way. It was a great off-road trip. I wasn’t worried about sliding off the mountain this time, so I actually had the frame of mind to snap a few pics.
Welcome to the off-road trail to Santa Teresa!
weee!
Julio’s favorite secret beach was our first stop. It’s his favorite because it is beautiful, void of tourists and rarely hosts any locals. It also has the same kind of swimming holes near the shore like the beaches in Puerto Viejo. He says the sand on this beach is the softest sand in all of Costa Rica and I believe him – so do the dogs. Mocha nestled into the sand like it was a blanket.
Cool rocks on Julio’s favorite secret beach
The dogs love the secret beach, too!
Santa Teresa and Mal País were cool – a surfer’s paradise. I’m looking forward to spending more time there in the future, the beaches are gorgeous and the vibe is definitely laid back.
Sunset on Playa Mal País
Sunset on Playa Mal País
The next day, Sunday, we decided to spend the day on the beach in Montezuma. It is not nearly as beautiful as Santa Teresa or Mal País, but it was close to our hotel and I was ready to just chill on the sand and in the water, no driving. First we had breakfast at The Bakery Café. It was the only place open Sunday morning in Montezuma and it was delicious. What sets this place apart from the rest is that they feed the birds right next to the dining room, so you can watch them while you eat.
White-Throated Magpie Jay at The Bakery Café, Montezuma, Costa Rica
After a day at the beach, we headed back to the ferry, giving ourselves another hour to ensure a spot on the boat. Not enough time, though – there was a huge long line of cars and they cut the line off 15 cars in front of us. We had 2 options: haul butt to Naranjo and try to catch the 5:30 ferry or wait for the 8:00 Paquera Ferry. Julio insisted we wait in line in Paquera because his Samurai was the shortest car out of all 15 in front of us and he believed he could talk his way onto the ferry. And he did 🙂
Tight squeeze, but we made it – last vehicle allowed onto the ferry, whew!
Apparently you need to be at the 5:00pm Paquera ferry at least 1.5 – 2 hours early on a Sunday afternoon. Lesson learned.
Here are a few more photos from our trip:
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- Mocha y Pelulu block the gates while we load the car, they don’t want to be left behind.
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- Mocha!
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- Mocha, Pelulu, and Julio’s tattoo in the Samurai on our way to Montezuma
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- Pelulu hiding under a bench, a little unsure of the rocking movement of the boat
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- estrangulado arbol
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- Playa Montezuma
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- Entrance to Julio’s favorite secret beach
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- She eats everything, even sand
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- Dogs exhausted after a day of adventure
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- On the way back to Paquero to catch the 5pm ferry
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- Ferry ride back to Puntarenas
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- Me and Sara
Wonderful post, Erin! Love the photos. Looks like the doggies have become best buddies. -h
Thanks Herbie 🙂 The doggies *are* getting along great!
I brought a Kong, a rope toy, and a few old tennis balls back with me and Mocha is teaching Pelulu how to play with toys. He doesn’t really get it, though – it’s hilarious. Mocha tries to get Pelulu to play tug of war with the rope toy – but instead of grabbing the other end, he just runs away from her. He carries the rope toy around when she is not looking, though, heehee.
Hi,
I am thinking of coming down to santa teresa in a few weeks. july 10-17. i’ve heard rain has been pretty heavy. should we hold off? or book away? any thoughts would be appreciated.
thanks~
foliver
Hi foliver,
Well, there are benefits to visiting during the rainy season – prices are down, everything is greener, temperatures are cooler. Plus, the rain lets up for about 2 weeks in the middle of the rainy season – around the last wk of June, 1st wk of July. Ticos call this “veranillo de San Juan” – it is like a little summer. Are you going to Santa Teresa to surf? The swells are at their peak during the rainy season. (That could be good or bad depending on your objective.)
Mocha and Pelulu playing tug-of-war with the rope toy. So uneven, but prolly so hilarious to watch. 🙂
Hi Erin! I have been having a blast reading your blog as I attempt to plan my trip to CR in about a month! I actually lived there for a few months many years ago and remember how amazing a place it is! My challenge has been figuring out which beach is “paradise”! When I was there, I traveled a ton and remember that many beaches were great, but some were AMAZING – which for me meant white sand, clear blue water, and dense rain forest surrounding them….not rocky, not too many waves. I can’t for the life of me remember which ones I went to that were paradise… We are flying into Liberia and out of SJ with about 12 days travel time. Do you have any beach suggestions? As much research as I do I just don’t feel like I’ve been able to find what I want… Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers to you and your amazing adventure! Also, your dogs are so freaking cute!
Heidi
Hi Heidi! I’ve done a ton of traveling here, too, and there aren’t too many calm water beaches. Costa Rica is more known for it’s surfing. You can find them, though!! There are a few white smooth sand and emerald water beaches in the northern Guanacaste area between Langosta and Coco. Some of that area is really dry, though, so you don’t get the rich rain forest like you do in the southern Pacific and Caribbean. Cahuita and Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean side have nice beaches. The sand is not white everywhere (especially Playa Negra lol), but there are plenty of places to swim where you won’t be swept out to sea. And natural rock swimming holes…those are cool.
Let me know where you decide to go and how it was! Have fun!
Erin, love the blog! We spent a few days in Montezuma in January. Loved the cool vibe and the mix of locals, expats, hippies and gypsies! Definitely a place that a gringo could fall into and never want to leave. For a slower pace, we headed down to Dominical, which can only be described as tranquillo! We will be backpacking through the area early next year and would love to meet you…
Steve
The southern tip of Nicoya Peninsula and the South Pacific are a couple of my favorite places in Costa Rica 🙂
Hi,
What did you think of Santa Teresa? Could you live there? That is my favorite part so far. I wish i could afford it. So expensive by the beach. Did you ever return?
I absolutely love Santa Teresa. I’ve been many times. I would live there if it wasn’t so far away from the Central Valley. The bus to and from isn’t so bad, but having to drive the whole way is exhausting.
I love Costa Rica. I was lucky enough to visit Cartago and Kiberia though didn’t get a chance to visit the Montezuma. I guess now I have a legit reason to schedule a trip back!